
We started the day with a short road drive in the new Discovery 5 fitted with the General Grabber AT3 tyre. To highlight how the new tyres perform, General invited Tyre Reviews to an off-roading event in the west of the UK. The new Grabber X3 is available in 19 sizes and improves on the MT in all the key off road performances, while matching the on-road ability of the predecessor. The Grabber X3 replaces the Grabber MT, which was only available in four sizes and was quite pressure and application sensitive. Want to go more off-road? General have that covered too with the aggressive General Grabber X3 which is intended for 20/80 on-road off-road use. The new General Grabber AT3 is also marked with the European three-peak mountain and snowflake symbol, which means the AT3 can be used in parts of Europe where winter tyres are mandatory during certain times of the year. The AT3 conforms with the latest EU "2 bar" noise regulation, which means it is 60% quieter than its predecessor, and scores an excellent "C" label for wet braking. The General Grabber AT3 is an all terrain tyre designed for 50/50 on-road off-road use, but with very few of the drawbacks traditionally associated with tyres which can be used off-road. General, a US tyre brand who are manufactured by Continental, think they have the answer to the on-road off-road problem with the new General Grabber AT3. In the past all terrain tyres have been a blunt instruments, and as such have had a number of drawbacks which include reduced wet grip, and much higher noise levels than regular summer SUV tyres.

The answer is all terrain tyres, which are intended for both on-road and off-road use. With normal summer 4x4 tyres being designed almost entirely for on-road usage, what happens if you need to use your 4x4 on a surface that isn't tarmac or concrete? Turning up at the shooting club in your £100,000 Range Rover only to get stuck in the grassy car park would result in many jokes at your expense in the pub, or getting stuck down a muddy trail near a fishing lake could result in your day of leisure being wasted trying to get your vehicle mobile again. If you're one of the many SUV / 4x4 owners in the UK, the chances are you're on a regular summer tyre which will offer very little performance on surfaces as simple wet grass or loose dirt.
