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Old 06-09-2013, 09:30 PM   #1
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Exclamation GT Grabber AT2? Please share Your experience.

Hi folks, I was wondering if any of You have used General Tire Grabber AT2 for Your Towing Vehicle? I currently use P255/65R-16 Dunlop Grandtrek TG35, They are acceptable for Towing and Some OffRoad driving, but I need more traction on Mud and snow, The reviews are fine on the GT Grabber AT2, But nobody seems to say anything about towing with this tires and the capacity for weight.
I am also interested to know how this tires with that extra traction will affect the ABS (anti lock brake system) ETS (electronic stability program) and BAS (brake assist system) I was told that a tire with too much traction can throw away the ETS.

Thanks.

G.Clatz
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Old 06-14-2013, 04:49 PM   #2
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I would be very surprised if any model of tire had so much more traction than the stock tire that it affected stability control or the brake control. I would be astounded if such a tire came from General, or came in a typical SUV size like this. My guess is that this suggestion came from someone completely unqualified to assess any of these systems... likely a dealership parts counter clerk or a sales person.

For towing, lateral stability would be good. Adequate load capacity is of course required, but any tire with a load index equal to or greater than that of the original equipment will have sufficient capacity for any trailer within the vehicle's ratings.
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Old 06-17-2013, 01:31 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
I would be very surprised if any model of tire had so much more traction than the stock tire that it affected stability control or the brake control. I would be astounded if such a tire came from General, or came in a typical SUV size like this. My guess is that this suggestion came from someone completely unqualified to assess any of these systems... likely a dealership parts counter clerk or a sales person.

For towing, lateral stability would be good. Adequate load capacity is of course required, but any tire with a load index equal to or greater than that of the original equipment will have sufficient capacity for any trailer within the vehicle's ratings.
Brian: Thank You for You answer.
It happens that it was at M. Benz service mechanic who told Me that with too much traction the ESP who transfer tire rotation will stop working either on pavement or driving Off Road since will not be needed by a spinning tire, (This also happen when using snow chains), This is not always good when driving in mud because You will dig in to the mud instead of transferring traction to the tire who is in solid ground, In My SUV ABS (anti lock brake system) ETS (electronic stability program) and BAS (brake assist system) all this work in sync, However if one of this is disabled I will still have brakes.
What I am looking is for Harmony between Traction and taking full capabilities of My SUV. I like a lot the GT AT2, if anyone with real experience in slippery, icy, and mud conditions with this tire is around and can share will be appreciated, most Vehicles have ETS and will give Me an idea of how this tire performs.

Thanks.

G. Clatz
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Old 01-30-2014, 10:40 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by gclatz View Post
Brian: Thank You for You answer.
It happens that it was at M. Benz service mechanic who told Me that with too much traction the ESP who transfer tire rotation will stop working either on pavement or driving Off Road since will not be needed by a spinning tire, (This also happen when using snow chains), This is not always good when driving in mud because You will dig in to the mud instead of transferring traction to the tire who is in solid ground, In My SUV ABS (anti lock brake system) ETS (electronic stability program) and BAS (brake assist system) all this work in sync, However if one of this is disabled I will still have brakes.
What I am looking is for Harmony between Traction and taking full capabilities of My SUV. I like a lot the GT AT2, if anyone with real experience in slippery, icy, and mud conditions with this tire is around and can share will be appreciated, most Vehicles have ETS and will give Me an idea of how this tire performs.

Thanks.

G. Clatz
Highly recommend the AT2. Switched from stock Dunlops at about 90.000 kilometres on my 2007 FJ Cruiser and now at 163,000 and showing little signs of wear. AT2s are winter rated and I've towed a stock trailer (from Duncan to Calgary and back in the fall without any problems. They're relatively quiet and stable on the highway and can handle most offroad chore with ease. The only negative (from what I've heard, is their ability the handle mud.
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Old 01-30-2014, 11:54 AM   #5
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AT2s are winter rated ...
Specifically, how are they rated? General describes them as "On and Off-Road", and does not include them in their "Winter" category. They look like they would qualify for the old "M+S" (for "mud and snow") rating, but that doesn't mean much. The industry standard for years has been indicated by the snowflake symbol; do they have that?

Background info regarding M+S and real winter tires:
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Old 01-30-2014, 12:16 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Specifically, how are they rated? General describes them as "On and Off-Road", and does not include them in their "Winter" category. They look like they would qualify for the old "M+S" (for "mud and snow") rating, but that doesn't mean much. The industry standard for years has been indicated by the snowflake symbol; do they have that?

Background info regarding M+S and real winter tires:
Mine do have the mountain-snowflake symbol and M & S rating. Since they were bought 70,000 kilometres ago, I can't vouch for the current model -- just check it out in a store to be sure. Expedition Overland is using them on a jaunt through Alaska and the Yukon on YouTube. Check out the fifth segment: Expedition Overlands Alaska/Yukon Ep. 5 - YouTube
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Old 01-30-2014, 01:03 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Specifically, how are they rated? General describes them as "On and Off-Road", and does not include them in their "Winter" category. They look like they would qualify for the old "M+S" (for "mud and snow") rating, but that doesn't mean much. The industry standard for years has been indicated by the snowflake symbol; do they have that?

Background info regarding M+S and real winter tires:

I have the AT2's and they are snow rated with the snowflake symbol. Apparently not all sizes are which I find strange.

Barry
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Old 01-30-2014, 01:18 PM   #8
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I have my winter ( snow ) tires on and I plan to run them to replacement. When I get to that point, I'm going to replace them with All-Weather ( not All-Season ) tires. That's assuming I haven't replaced the vehicle first.
They may not last quite as long as All-Season, but it won't cost me $200 a year to swap back and forth. ( Buying spare rims for an 18-inch wheel is not cheap ).
Hoping there is more selection in All-Weather tires by the time I have to purchase.
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Old 01-30-2014, 01:27 PM   #9
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I prefer the all weather on my Pilot which has four wheel drive to help it along if needed, but the all weather tires on our front wheel drive Mazda6 do not do so good in the winter. Winter tires help a lot there.
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Old 01-30-2014, 02:36 PM   #10
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I have the AT2's and they are snow rated with the snowflake symbol. Apparently not all sizes are which I find strange.

Barry
Thanks Barry.

I'm not so surprised by the differences between sizes. I've seen spec sheets for tires in which a single model (that is, sold under a single name) is P-type in some sizes, LT in others, and euro-metric is others... they might share little other than branding and similar tread pattern, but at gathered as one model to suit one market requirement.

Since they're not consistently winter-rated, it makes sense that General wouldn't list the line under their Winter category.
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Old 01-30-2014, 02:42 PM   #11
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I tried Nokian WR ("all weather") on both our van and my car a few years ago. They are impressively multi-function, but the traction in very cold weather and hard ice was just not good enough for me, and the wear was too fast on the van. I have front wheel drive (in both cases), but for me it is not about drive traction anyway - it is about stopping and turning.

I have returned to using two separate sets of tires - on dedicated sets of wheels - for each vehicle. In both cases, the summer and winter tires are not the same size (in each case the winters are one inch small wheel diameter, and 10 mm narrower section width).

I know people who commute very short distances to work, all in urban conditions, and they are quite happy with the Nokian WRs year-round. Since they drive so little they can afford to keep tires on with lots of tread (even though they wear fast in the summer), and their road conditions are rarely severe. I commute 75 km round-trip from a rural area, and I enjoy the better bare-road handling of summer (actually all-season) tires.
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