General Grabber HTS 255/55R18

[workmeistr]

After extensive research to replace my discontinued Toyo Proxes S/T, 255/55R18, (OE is: 245/60-18), and a desire for all-around use, I went with:

General Grabber HTS 255/55R18
Relatively cheap for 18” at $113 each @ tirerack.com
It’s a new tire tread for General; my local tire supplier didn’t have them listed by their supplier. It’s not the most attractive tire, either, and the ‘ribbed’ sidewall will likely be a pain to keep reasonably clean. (See picture links below)

I wasn’t looking to spend a lot but I knew I was going to need some snow-ability for my move(s) this winter. While researching each of the tires at the lower end price for the 18” variety at tire rack.com, I came across this Four Wheeler Magazine excerpt regarding the HTS's in snow:
http://www.generaltire.com/pdfs/news...lerarticle.pdf

Furthermore, the November 2008 issue of Consumer Reports magazine rated SUV tires, as well as All-Terrain and Winter tires.

The General Grabber HTS scored an 80, the second place tire scored a 73. The Grabber HTS posted ‘Excellent’ for Dry Braking, Wet Braking, and Handling, and ‘Above Average’ for Hydroplaning Resistance, Ride Comfort and Low Noise. I think the Snow category earned the HTS a ‘Good’ rating. I’m not a subscriber to Consumer Reports but I saw a copy of the tire review at, all places, the tire shop that mounted my HTS’s.

1. General Grabber HTS
2. Continental CrossContact LX
3. Kumho Road Venture APT KL51
4. Cooper Discoverer CTS
5. Michelin LTX M/S
6. Yokohama Geolander M/T-S G051
7. Firestone Destination LE
8. Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza
9. Dayton Timberline HTII
10. Pirelli Scorpion STR A
11. Goodyear Wrangler SR-A
12. Dunlop Radial Rover A/T
13. Hankook DynaPro AS RH03
14. Goodyear Fortera TripleTred
15. Toyo Open Country H/T
16. Nitto Dura Grappler Highway Terrain
17. Dunlop Grandtrek AT20
18. Uniroyal Laredo Cross Country
19. BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A
20. Falken Ziex S/TZ-04

I didn’t see, nor can I find online, the All-Terrain Consumer Reports tire review. I was set to buy the Avon Tech ST, which has great customer reviews on TireRack.com, but none were available, presumably in the Continental U.S. While on the phone with Tire Rack, the customer service rep. said, “We don’t ‘do’ Nitto, Falken, or Toyos…and there’s a reason for that…” I’m not sure what he meant by that, it could have been an issue with supply distribution as much as quality, but my rear Toyo Proxes S/T (‘1’, as there is a new tread style, ‘2’), were considerably worn down on the inside and dry-rot cracked, making them highly susceptible to tread separation.

‘Just some info for ya’. I will post reviews after I get some miles on the tires. I won’t be able to do a snow review for a couple of months, though.

[vt_maverick]

With or without the review, post pics once they're mounted. I have the Conti CrossContact and have been pretty satisified (other than that they're a little low-profile for my taste) so the pics will be interesting.

[workmeistr]

Well after finally replacing the camera that my lovely wife ‘lost’ during our San Francisco trip, here are a few pictures of the General Grabber HTS tires installed.

So far so good. Very quiet and very sticky. I assume they will wear on the edges relative to the increased speeds I now take on on/off ramps. I don’t think you could drift with these tires, you’d tip over the VX when they stuck.

These are driver tires and not Moab tires. I only hope that they perform on snow as they have been advertised.

[fuzzy]

Ahhh Marina... land of endless wind, dunes, and iceplant.

[nfpgasmask]

Bren,

Your VX looks sweet!

Bart

[workmeistr]

Thanks, Bart. It will see it's first winter this year and it's all down hill from there.

I spent quite a bit of time buffing my paint out to get that Foxfire to shine, and lots of time restoring/removing paint under the wheel wells. I got lucky with inhereting good cladding that I just keep moisterized with Armor All gel.

At some point my VX will be an off-roader and used the way it was intended. For the time being, I'm enjoying driving a 'looker.'

I fully understand, though, that most of the credit goes to the previous/original owner for proper care and maintenance for the first six years of the VX's life.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, I keep looking at the literal thrashing my VX has endured since I moved out west and started wheeling regularly. I kinda want to take it to a body shot and have them fix all the ding, dents, chips and tree branch scratches, but I really don't know what it will cost, and I will probably end up thrashing it all over again.

Bart

[workmeistr]

Hi, VX'ers,
Just a quick snow update on the General Grabber HTS 255/55R18 for $113 each @ tirerack.com

These tires absolutely rock in the snow! They don't look to have aggressive-enough tread, bucking the conventional wisdom of self-clearing lugs, but these things are incredible when plowing, and even when stopping/starting on the ice.

I have driven a number of different Land Rovers in the snow/ice with M/T, aggressive A/T, and moderate A/T tires. I have never had the kind of control I am enjoying in the VX on the 'moderate A/T' Grabber HTS. Much of the credit goes to the VX itself, but TOD, ABS and weight-over-the-wheels doesn't help you much when stopping on a sheet of ice. 'Only the tires save you then.

We have now driven from Marina, CA to Nebraska, and next month I'm off again to Norfolk, VA.

We had planned to have our household goods delivered to our house in Gretna, Tues., Dec. 23. Unfortunately, our mover's truck driver decided to wash his truck outside of York, NE, Mon., and that fastidiously-poor decision resulted in irreparable harm (explosion) of one of the trailer's plastic automatic hub oilers. Water on a plastic hub, 0 degrees temperature with an 80 mph wind down the highway...

So, our stuff is setting on a trailer in Omaha, but due to the friction's warpage of the hub (York is only 1 hr. outside of Omaha and the hub was smoking when he stopped; if he had pulled his bone-headed stunt farther from Omaha, the hub, and likely all of our earthly goods would likely have gone up in flames), the entire axle has to be replaced at an expense that I can't even imagine. Anyway, we're planning to be at the house in Gretna, Fri., Dec. 26 to receive our property.

Take care and Merry Christmas to all. I hope to see as many VX caretakers on the East Coast as possible soon. 'Bren.

[Riff Raff]

Hi Bren: Thanx for the update on the Grabber HTS. I remember reading your original posting and its accompanied thread/link, and anxiously awaiting this evaluation report regarding the tire's snow traction.

Your report has only cemented my decision to purchase General Grabber's for my next tire! However, my specific model of tire for my VX will be the renowned "Grabber AT2" in P275/65R18 (32" O.D./44 lbs & 17/32nds Tread Depth) with its Snowflake/Mountain rating. The latest tires produced by General Tire are simply amazing at an amazing price!

Thanx again for keeping us fellow VX'ers informed. P.S.-- Sorry to hear about your moving troubles you've encountered; hope things get resolved quickly. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays. Riff Raff