General tyre – the specialist in 4×4 tyres
Tyres for SUVs and off-road usage are traditionally one of the focal points of the American tyre brand General Tire. In recent years, the Americans have over-hauled their products, and adapted them to meet the needs of car drivers in Europe.
This resulted in three product lines. They share the product name “Grabber,” indicating their 4×4 link. The correct tyres for road use is designated by “GT”; “AT” indicates tyres for use on rough terrain and roads, while “MT” is the best choice for use on difficult off-road terrain. What they all have in common is robustness and grip.
The Grabber GT
With the Grabber GT, the all-wheel tyre specialist General tyre offers a road tyre especially for the high demands placed on SUVs and AWD-powered cars. Its particular advantages include a high safety factor on braking on wet and dry roads alike, precise handling, and safe aqua-planing characteristics. To lower the fuel consumption of SUVs, the developers reduced the rolling resistance by 7% while also raising the mileage performance by 3% and increasing the ride comfort by 8% – compared to the successful predecessor model in each case.
The tyre is produced in 50 sizes, with approvals between 190 and 300 km/h. The tyre sizes are suitable for different SUVs in road use such as the Audi Q3, Honda CR-V, Range Rover Evoque, and Porsche Cayenne.
The Grabber AT The tread pattern of the Grabber AT has been designed in such a way that it is suitable both for use on rough terrain as well as on road use. In addition, the all-terrain expert features a large number of robust blocks that interlock with the ground, and allow the vehicle to move forward, steer precisely, and ensure short braking distances on rough terrain. The deep tread grooves provide additional grip when the vehicle is traveling over muddy roads or slippery grassland. Aggressive shoulder blocks that reach into the side wall of the tyre prevent the side wall from being damaged. The Grabber AT has also been designed in such a way that it offers high tread strength for driving on the road, and thus carries out the steering and brake commands precisely. General Tire manufactures the model in a wide product range for rims between 15 and 20 inches in diameter; the tyre has been approved up to 210 km/h.
The Grabber MT As a thoroughbred specialist in hard off-road use, the Grabber MT features an open, self-cleaning tread with solid blocks. These interlock with rubble, stony ground, sand, and sludge to ensure ultra-high traction, even on the most difficult passages. To protect the tyre from impact breaks and damage, its three-layer carcass was designed to be particularly robust (and hence long-lasting), even in off-road use. With these details, the off-road tyre makes for a safe and highly resilient companion on rough terrain. General Tire manufactures the tyre for 15 and 16 inch rim diameters with metric and US sizes; as an off-road specialist, it is approved up to 160 km/h.