Decision Made

"Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness" (long-voyager-2nd-edition)
10/12/2018 at 07:09 • Filed to: decisions

So I’m due for new tires on the van. I currently have General Grabber AT2s

, which have done me solid for 40k miles.

However, I would kind of like something more aggressive, for reasons.........

I’m torn between just getting Grabbers again: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Or something like these: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

https://www.tires-easy.com/27-8.50-14/achilles-tires/desert-hawk-x-mt/tirecode/MAO278514

But I know nothing about either of them outside the limited reviews I’m finding. So Oppos, what do you suggest?

Links in reply as well.

Decision Made: I’ve decided to just stick with the Grabbers.
Thanks to all for your responses, you’ve kept me from doing at least one thing I may regret ;)

DISCUSSION (51)

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 10:15

https://www.tires-easy.com/27-8.50-14/general-tires/grabber-at-2/tirecode/05684400000

https://www.tires-easy.com/27-8.50-14/maxxis-tires/buckshot-mudder-ii-mt-764/tirecode/TL13808600

https://www.tires-easy.com/27-8.50-14/achilles-tires/desert-hawk-x-mt/tirecode/MAO278514

benjrblant > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 10:24

Generally speaking, mud terrains are terrible on wet pavement and in snowy conditions. Large tread blocks with little siping are superb for mud but also don’t give liquids an escape route. If you live in a climate that is subject to snow and ice, you’d be better off with an all terrain or even an A/T with a severe snow rating.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > benjrblant
10/11/2018 at 10:26

That was why I got the Grabbers. I’ve been doing more trail riding this year and am hoping for more yet next year, hence why I’m leaning for something more aggressive .

benjrblant > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 10:28

Ah, understood. I don’t have any experience with your two alternates, but I personally kind of like the the appearance of the General Grabber Red Letter, and the BFG KM2/KM3 are excellent mud terrains, if not a bit spendy.

deekster_caddy > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 10:29

what kind of van is this? General makes decent tires, if you were happy with them before no concerns about running the same tire again. When you say “More Aggressive” and you are showing a mud tire, I’m guessing you mean for offroad purposes, but keep in mind that mud tires are generally awful in other conditions. Those big lugs are great for slinging mud but not good at biting into wet or snowy pavement.

adamftw > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 10:29

Stick with the Grabbers, but get the new A/Tx instead of the AT2s. Mud tires are overrated, really only needed unless you absolutely need to have the look or are wheeling in rocks and mud every other weekend.

vicali > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 11:02

K02? Or look at the Cooper alphabet; At3 xlt, S/t, St Max, Stt Pro..

Also Toyo has a good line of aggressive all terrains ; Open country At2, C/T (winter), or even the M-55..

Censored > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 11:09

Just a heads up, the Grabber AT2 is discontinued. It is being replaced by the Grabber ATx. Should be about the same as the AT2, just with a different sidewall.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Grabber+A%2FTX

Wacko > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 11:10

I went with the GG AT2 on my SX4 because of the road noise, that wasn’t too bad with these. I wanted GG AT2s on my pathfinder but didn’t have the size i needed, but but these on it. just not AT2

Wacko > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 11:11

more aggressive means more road noise....

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 11:15

Don’t get a mud tire for something you drive on the street.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > shop-teacher
10/11/2018 at 11:56

Truck had MTs for street use.......

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Wacko
10/11/2018 at 11:56

More noise doesn’t bother me.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Wacko
10/11/2018 at 11:58

I haven’t noticed any road noise with my Grabbers.

The only real issue is they don’t always clear well in the mud, leading to trying to run slicks......

That’s really the only reason I’m thinking about something more aggressive.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Censored
10/11/2018 at 11:59

I can still get them through the site I listed?

I don’t care for the sidewall design on these.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > benjrblant
10/11/2018 at 12:07

I would easily go with either of those , but 27X8.5X14 severely limits my option.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > deekster_caddy
10/11/2018 at 12:09

My off-road mini obviously ;)

Kinja'd!!!

I love my Grabbers I have currently, the only issue is they sometimes load up when I’m in the mud.

But given they will be used year-round, I want something that will still be good in the snow/slush.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > adamftw
10/11/2018 at 12:10

The plan is to do more trail riding this year, hence why I’m leaning towards more aggressive.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > vicali
10/11/2018 at 12:11

27x8.5x14 eliminates most options sadly.

deekster_caddy > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 12:40

Yeah don’t get mud tires if you still want snow/ice traction. ATs are not bad though.

Optionally, get mud tires and then use snow tires in the winter!

Wacko > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 13:29

the low road noise is the reason I went with GG AT2

Censored > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 13:43

Yes, you should be able to still get them for a few months. The only problem will come if you need warranty replacement and they are out of stock, you’ll likely get replaced with the ATX. They were just discontinued last month.

adamftw > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 14:27

You don’t need to go that aggressive though. BFG AT Ko2s (or similar aggressive ATs ) are great for 90% of everything.

MM54 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/11/2018 at 19:23

How are the AT2s? I’m considering a set for the 4runner if I ever get my life back in order long enough to order them.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > MM54
10/12/2018 at 06:52

I’ve loved them on the van. They are excellent in the snow/slush/slop , they do well off road, they have great road manners (quiet, smooth, decent handling/ride), and they’ve given me 40+k miles of life.

My only real complaint is they sometimes load up in the mud.

I’ll probably end up going back to them as they’ve served me very well.

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 07:13

Smart to stick with the Grabbers.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > shop-teacher
10/12/2018 at 07:14

Why change what works?

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 07:16

Get K02's!!!

....

damn....

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > random001
10/12/2018 at 07:17

They don’t make them in my size!?!?!

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 07:19

Time to get new wheels and tires, then...

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 07:23

Exactly. It's taken me 12 years to find and tires I like for my truck, but when my Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos wear out, I'm definitely buying another set.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > random001
10/12/2018 at 07:25

Quite limited by clearance.

If I go to a bigger wheel, I have to run a smaller tire, which narrows AT options even more.

27x85.x14 is about my best option.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > shop-teacher
10/12/2018 at 07:27

It’s kinda funny, I bought these on a whim because they had a crazy sale going at the time, so they were like $150 cheaper than any other options. I didn’t expect to actually like them as much as I do.

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 07:42

Time to get a lift kit, new wheels and tires, then...

BigBlock440 > deekster_caddy
10/12/2018 at 07:47

Those big lugs are great for slinging mud but not good at biting into wet or snowy pavement.

They are awesome in snowy pavement and standing water, regular wet pavement you’re not really driving near the limits anyway. I’ve never had AT’s though, but MTs are way better than all seasons in inclement weather.

BigBlock440 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 07:54

I’m a fan of the MTs I put on my truck, I’ve never had AT’s on my personal vehicles to compare though . The only experience I have with AT’s are with the classic BFG ATs and they’re terrible in anything slick, you’re not getting much further than a highway tire. I’ve been very impressed with my MT’s though, especially in snow and slush, and especially after hearing all these horror stories about how bad they are. I think most problems with them happen after they’re half-worn or worse, if they’ve got any tread depth they’ll be great.

PartyPooper2012 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 08:46

if it’s clearance you need, I have the clearance tool

Kinja'd!!!

Ready for an adventure! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 08:52

well, I’m partial to Duratracs. Put a set on my Jeep, gonna get 70,000 miles out of them. Excellent in winter, summer, mud, rain, parking lots, anywhere. gonna get another set soooon...

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 09:15

I’ve heard good things about the Grabbers. I considered buying them instead of the Duelers, but I went with something a bit more road biased, because I don’t take a 2wd crew cab Sierra off-roading.

The only knock on the Grabbers I read about when researching them, was some people had a hard time getting them to balance properly.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > shop-teacher
10/12/2018 at 10:06

Hmm, no issues with mine balance wise. I have over 40k on them.

I do some off-roading with the van and it’s our main winter vehicle, so I wanted something that could handle both.

Honestly, I would highly recommend them for your case as well, especially if your truck sees winter use. They work good as a highway tire, but have enough bite when things get sketchy.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Ready for an adventure!
10/12/2018 at 10:08

I’ve tried numerous Goodyear tires, I’ve never had anything good to say about them.

The last set I had were on our truck. They lasted less than 10k miles, were terrible on anything but dry pavement (even that was sketchy handling wise) , and were obnoxiously loud.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > PartyPooper2012
10/12/2018 at 10:09

I don’t think cutting spring perches would go over well......

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > BigBlock440
10/12/2018 at 10:14

I’ve had both MTs and ATs.

These Grabber AT2s have been amazing in most conditions, the exception being clay on a couple of the trails we’ve been on, they can’t evacuate the clay well . Mud, snow, slush, ice, wet they work amazing, far better than any MT I’ve owned.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > random001
10/12/2018 at 10:17

Problem lies in strut clearance. With my current setup, I have about 1/4 inch of clearance on the spring perches up front.

If I knew an easy way around that, I would love to do a 2-3" lift, upgrade to 15" wheels, and run some 31s.

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 14:01

I don’t think it was something everybody experienced. When I was reading the reviews, maybe 1/4-1/3 of them mentioned having trouble balancing them, some so much so that they had to return the tires . Hopefully General got that sorted by now. It’s been a year and a half or two since I bought tires.

It’s overkill, but I run dedicated winter tires on my truck from Thanksgiving until spring break or so. They are also General Grabbers, but they’re the Grabber Arctic. Having snow tires is a luxury, I got by just fine driving two wheel drive trucks on all season tires for years , but I quite enjoy the extra grip of the actual winter tires. I usually get about 30k miles on a set of tires for my truck, and by alternating between the two, that tends to take 5 years, so the tires wear out both in age and mileage at around the same time.

Ready for an adventure! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 14:44

hmm. well there ya go.

Wacko > shop-teacher
10/12/2018 at 23:03

On my SX4 I had General Grabber AT/2 as my summer tires and had dedicated winters.

Now I have General Grabber hts as summers and gonna put my Yokohama iceguards on my pathf ounder in the next few days.

Here having snow tires is not a luxury, actually it the law. Law or not, where I live it always was a necessity. Northern Quebec winters are long, cold and snowy.

Wacko > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
10/12/2018 at 23:06

But basically everything loads up in the mud, except mud tires.

Edit

By mud tires I meant

Kinja'd!!!

shop-teacher > Wacko
10/12/2018 at 23:25

Chicago winter's can be nasty, but not that nasty. Plus, the land is flat around here. I did 10 Winters in 2wd trucks on all seasons, 5 of those in a truck with an open rear diff. That truck I only got stuck once. I'm not going back to all seasons in the winter though.

Wacko > shop-teacher
10/12/2018 at 23:30

I actually was quite happy when the winter tire law passed.

It’s nice to know that all the cars around you also have winter tires.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Wacko
10/15/2018 at 07:00

LMAO!

Now there’s what I need for daily use!