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Bryan Irons
General Grabber AT2
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Bryan Irons
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Bryan Irons
Bryan Irons
It wasn’t long into the drive back home from Comox Valley Dodge that we knew they had put us in the right truck. Our 2012 RAM was burning through the mountain passes on that crisp day in June. Radio blaring, cruise control set and HEMI pushing us through the passes with ease. But it was the snow still capping the mountain peaks that got us thinking about the “W” word. Yup, Winter. As silky smooth as the factory tires are, they’re just not going to make the cut once the white stuff hits the tarmac.
Despite being a 4X4, having a limited slip rear differential and M+S rated tires, we needed more. Not just for peace of mind, but by law as well. Crossing high altitude passes in winter required us to have a Severe Service Emblem for our tires. The “snowflake in a mountain” design was on the “must have” list for sure. But this truck is also going to serve as our tow rig, so we needed a tire to stand up to the dirt and mud covered roads with a trailer in tow year-round. Hmmmm, tall orders…
After scrolling through DiscountTireDirect.com’s website we decided on a set of General Grabber AT2s in LT265-70/17 flavor mounted and balanced to aluminum G-FX wheels’ OR-7’s. Everything was shipped to us ready to bolt on with the supplied locking lug nuts. After being torqued down and tire pressure set, we were ready to drive off.
It’s an AT tire and not a specific “winter” tire which allows us to run the Grabber AT2’s year round with the confidence that they will last and get us to our destination. All but the LT models have a 100,000 Kms tread wear warranty. First on road impressions were that the truck felt just as crisp in the corners as before, with treads this deep we were expecting some under steer in the corners. To our surprise, and delight, in cabin noise levels were low. We did notice the Grabbers were not quite as smooth as the factory rubber, and the colder it got outside, the more noticeable it became. In truth, going to the larger lugs of the AT style design, we didn’t expect it to be “smooth as glass” like the factory tires but it’s a trade off we would gladly make again.
In the dirt and mud, the AT2s performed just as we expected them to. A little wheel speed in the light mud was needed to clear out the lugs and the truck would forge on. Being an E load tire capable of holding up 3195 lbs. each, there was little sidewall flex. But the added plies in our LT tires gave us the confidence we weren’t going to need the spare for a sidewall hole.
Snow and ice driving is the real reason we chose the Grabber, and they didn’t disappoint. On the secondary passes and black ice highways we traveled, not once did we feel out of control. One less stress on a family trip is always welcome.
If you’re asking yourself, “how about the rocks?” We could only speculate at this point. General offers these in many sizes up to 35” in 15” to 20” rim diameters, and even different load ranges in the same size. We bought these tires for our daily driver/tow rig, not our trail rig, and they fit the bill perfectly. If your daily driver is also your weekend warrior, the Grabber AT2’s may just be the compromise you’re looking for.
Comox Valley Dodge
1-877-438-6023
comoxvalleydodge.com
Discount Tire Direct
discounttiredirect.com
General Tire
generaltire.com
G-FX Wheels
gfxwheels.com