In the sand, the all-terrains were deflated to 1.5 bar, and performed well despite their relatively mild tread pattern they also resisted picking up stones from the gravel road as some other all-terrains tend to do. The driving experience with the AT3s included a total of around 400km of tar and two hours of driving off-road in dunes and gravel. The new compound also presents a higher resistance than before to chip and cut damage of the tread.
On wet and dry tarmac, the new Grabber performs similarly to its predecessor in terms of traction, but shows marked improvement in mud, wet grass, and snow. “DuraGen” is another technology employed on the AT3, and is said to improve longevity off-road by increasing durability under load − primarily by using stronger steel belts to keep the tyre stable under cornering and braking forces. The open shoulder design includes what the tyre development boffins call ‘traction pockets’ which boost the self-cleaning design of the tyre. A smooth interaction between tread blocks reduces noise at speed and irregular wear, and improves comfort levels without sacrificing longevity. To achieve lower noise levels, the AT3 uses uniform block geometry and a centre band running around the circumference of the tyre. Improvements to tyres of the previous generation include far lower road noise, improved grip on- and off-road, and improved comfort. The AT3 is an all-terrain replacing the acclaimed Grabber AT, and is designed for a 50/50 off-road/on-road environment when fitted to bakkies and other dualpurpose vehicles. Now, General Tire, an American brand that is a subsidiary of Continental, has released redesigned versions of its all-terrain and mud-terrain offerings – respectively the Grabber AT3 and Grabber X3 – which clearly do not compromise the brand’s core values of high performance allied to good value. This left us with a high opinion of the previous-generation offerings, and especially of the AT version which proved extremely puncture-resistant on our travels. Over the years, we’ve travelled countless thousands of kilometres on various sets of General Grabber all-terrain tyres, from the sharp rocks of the Tankwa Karoo to slippery mud deep in the Transkei, as well as on long gravel and sand stretches crisscrossing Botswana and Namibia.
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