General Grabber APT Reviews: Real Hands-On Experience

As an on-road AT tire, General Grabber APT promises good handlings on both regular and more challenging driving terrains via aggressive sipes, shoulder blocks, and compounds. 

With the brand’s offer in mind, our COR Wheels team decided to testify the tire’s metrics in real-life road manners; the tire review below summarizes our findings.

General Grabber APT Specifications & Features

This traction-focused tire promises on-road and occasional condition off-road qualities for pickups, Jeeps, sports vehicles, and crossovers:

• The chip-resistant, symmetrically-molded compounds work with absorption layers to isolate road imperfections.
• Counter-angled grooves dissipate center sounds.
• Optimized, larger footprints and flat treads distribute pressure more evenly, combating irregular and rapid wear.
• Deep sipes offer biting edges on wet roads, while the alternating scoops, traction notches, and staggered grooves assist with snow/dirt stability. It was granted the 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) symbol.
• DURAGEN construction provides better handling responses and braking manners.
• Steel belts keep punctures at bay and boost confidence with heavy load capabilities.

General Grabber APT Review & Performance Test Results

Our team has inspected the General Grabber APT design based on the performance of its 265/60R18 tire size option, which was installed on the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee as part of the 2023 COR Wheels Tire Test.

1. Dry Performance: 8.7/10

Dry Traction: 9.1/10

The well-balanced compound & sipe density already gave us good signals, and they indeed delivered. Traction was instant and firm, remaining headstrong at 45 MPH through sweeping curves and showing even less stuttering when we alternated between second and third gears. 

Needless to say, accelerations were predictable and uneventful; swift, abrupt surges from 0 to 50-60 MPH might be whiplashes for other tires but proved to be a non-issue with Grabber APT tires. 

Traveling into deeper mountain passes while towing 2000 lbs was a bit risky at highway speeds, but Grabber APT soon curved into our maneuvering and rounding habits. 

Slippage crept over at the tip of our entries but got refilled in a blink, allowing our team members to narrow our steering arcs and grow more relaxed with the steering position. And once the contact patch no longer protested extra pressure, navigating back-to-back ascents and descents was a breeze for most of us.

On another note, lane merges were good but would do better with more subtlety. General Grabber APT pulled at stops with sufficient deftness, but felt a bit clumsy weaving through other vehicles to blend in with the flow. 

Corner Stability: 8.5/10

APT’s cornering capability was fair enough. Its on-center feel, despite being vague at critical angles, delivered enough bites and footholds to keep our truck within safe territories. It worked best with regular, tame driving where no movements or turns were exaggerated, and even buffed out firmer than average when dealing with predictable curves. 

Driving rates between 60 and 70 MPH, on the other hand, definitely required caution. Grabber APT struggled to balance smooth strikes and secured lines at such speed extremes, threatening to push our car off the comfort zone due to severely weakening anchor points. 

Steering Response: 8.7/10

Like with cornering, our team felt the center section to be slightly more muted than we would have liked. 

Fortunately, this otherwise significant drawback was rightfully compensated for by the well-placed staggered grooves, which gave the contact patch extra strength and, in turn, better communicative relationships with our steering inputs. Response delays were only few and far between at tight corners, lessened at wider curves, and almost non-existent/unnoticeable when we were back to straight roads. 

These sentiments mostly applied to leisurely approaches below 60 MPH, however. When the speed went up or down suddenly unannounced, there was still a pronounced, seconds-long pause that threw us off.  

2. Wet Performance: 8.3/10

Wet Traction: 8.4/10

APT’s on-road power dimmed slightly when facing slippery conditions but still within our control. The full-depth sipes gripped the roads with good traction at water less than 5 inches or in subtle drizzles. It sometimes threw us a brief drifting feel (more frequently compared to other competitors) but was not dangerous. 

Downpours and heavy rainfalls clearly gave us a hard time; this mid-range tire kept wandering despite our extra steering effort, and we had to engage the braking pedals every 1-2 miles. Straight-line driving must be kept strictly at 35 MPH and went down even lower (below 30 MPH) around corners. 

Hydroplaning Resistance: 8.3/10

Hydroplaning resistance was just as underwhelming as wet traction. The alternating scoops admittedly felt soft and squirmy with little slippage as long as we kept the pace at 35 MPH or below during the rain with vigorously flowing water. 

But once we entered a flooded road (roughly 6 inches) Grabber APT shrugged intruding water off its side walls with lots of difficulty, and could not even manage two straight miles without hiccups and coughs. 

Going down to 30 MPH (or lower) and keeping it consistent seemed to solve the issue just fine on straight roads. But these uncertain reactions still returned around corners; and in situations where high speed was preferred (ex: overtaking vehicles on open roads), such a slow driving approach was clearly not the best option. 

3. Off Road Performance: 8.2/10

Dirt Traction: 8.6/10

The tire was a delight on off-road dirt – though given the alternating coops and laced grooves, it was hardly unexpected. Slight hesitancy was obvious during the first ten minutes but grew less and less pronounced as our Jeep marched forward, and eventually composed itself with enough self-awareness to handle 40-50MPH accelerations confidently. 

Wet off-road dirt, however, posed more real issues due to its sticky nature. Our Jeep took 10-15 seconds longer than usual to rescue itself from the stuck terrain patches, weakening even more when tackling low-angled crooks. 

Rock Traction: 8.4/10

Grabber APT made friends quickly with rock terrains. Buffed by the Duragen construction and steel belts, the tire remained unfazed on sharp, hard rocks, and retained stable stone ejection capability through most of its uneventful 40 MPH before our gradual surges to 55 MPH.

But again, wet absorption capability is not APT’s strong asset even on-road, hence our struggles when rolling on wet rocks laced with off-road dirt and mud. Without constant, tiring alternations between accelerations and braking, even a modern car like our 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee would get itself stuck for hours here. 

Sand Traction: 8/10

The hot, intruding sand particles did not sit well with our Grabber APT in the first 30 minutes of the rough ride. 

Its fluffy compounds already underwhelmed with on-road standing rainwater and downgraded even worse on loose terrains like sand, taking at least 5-6 seconds to undo a particularly thick sand buildup. As this unstable foothold kept dragging on, bumps and jostles were annoyingly present, even when there were no twisties or tricky corners. 

Fortunately, things did get better once both our tire and car finally settled into the terrain’s texture. To clarify, stutters and vibration levels did not completely vanish, but they felt tamer and much less disruptive. Occasional accelerations were now possible, given gradual, consistent pacing. That deserved an 8 from us, given an on-road AT tire.

Mud Traction: 7.8/10

These mud-terrain tires could untangle themselves from thin mud below 3 inches, but not without unstable contact patches and swaying tread patterns. While we managed to keep the mud tire in check by hovering over the steering wheel and pedals, such tasks got exhausting after one hour or so.

Cornerings were still doable in light mud but became much more of a challenge when we navigated around very wet, deep sections from 5 inches onwards. The tighter the crooks got, the more struggles this all-terrain tire entered, landing on entries with an ominous, heavy thud that discouraged us from trying wilder moves. We all agreed that this tire would work better on sticky silt roads rather than solely muddy or sandy terrains.

4. Winter/Snow Performance: 7.8/10

Light Snow Traction: 8.2/10

This non-winter tire rarely threw us off guard on fresh powdery snow; most hiccups and delays were easy to predict and could be controlled with alternating push and pull. And compared to certain off-road terrains like sand and mud, cornerings were delightfully non-dramatic. 

Still, we did feel disappointed by the lack of sharp edges and punctual power delivery compared to some other competitors, bringing in unwanted numbness in the most critical situations (such as when we winded around canyon passes). Snow chains helped us retain some dry stability in warmer snow but gave our tires frequent drags during ascents. 

Deep Snow Traction: 8/10

Although Grabber APT composed itself the same way it did on light powder snow, the increase in snow density and volume still staggered the tires on cracked pavement grooves and got worse around low-radius bends. 

Accelerations were welcomed when the snow seemed to start melting under warmed-up temperatures – but on hard, packed patches, it seemed better for us to stay safe behind 35 MPH. 

Snow chains helped with extra traction, but just like on light snow, we had trouble bringing them up to steep ascents and hilly roads. Grabber APT also suffered from limited compatibility when dealing with wet, muddy snow, whose combined slipperiness stalled our trip 20-30 minutes more than intended.

Ice Traction: 7/10

This General tire definitely belonged to the bottom half of the competition in icy driving conditions (the worst of the best, as ice is rarely within reach of an on-road AT), disappointing us just minutes after we started with its untimed freezes and stalls. 

Even though the ice terrains we tried it on were surprisingly hard-smooth and texture-consistent, Grabber APT still fought to keep its on-center feel intact, and we could not manage anything beyond 40 MPH without dangerous slippages around the rear tires.

Although our Jeep still managed wide, sweeping curves, it did so with lots of difficulties and stutters. Hence, tighter corners were clearly out of the question, and we avoided them whenever we could. 

5. Comfort: 8.5/10

Ride Quality: 8.5/10

Our trip was a delightfully comfortable ride on dry pavements and thick dirt – hardly anything to complain about there, hence the score – but it worsened as our terrains became wetter. On deep puddles, waterlogged surfaces (on- and off-road alike), or post-rain ice, we had to brace ourselves for slashes of hiccups and stumbles. 

Road Noise Levels: 8.5/10

Likewise, noise control held itself better when we dealt with dry terrains at mid-spectrum speeds; the tires carried us with a welcomed cushioned feel that, in the worst cases, only resulted in low rumblings. Wet surfaces were another story, where slurping and squeaking tread became more common than not on this noisy tire.

6. Treadwear and Road Durability: 8.7/10

Our team was delighted with the tire manufacturer’s good treadwear offers. The strong, aggressive tread pattern designs and layered grooves protected the sidewall stiffness from external damage. 

And while wet surfaces were annoying, the water and soft sand did not pose much of an immediate threat that might lead to deep tread wear. Hence, our tread depth gauge delivered positive readings after our test conclusion on 7th July, with tons of tread left.

General Grabber APT Pros & Cons

General Grabber APT Competitors & Alternatives

Popular tire brands like Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S and Kumho Road Venture AT52 outshined General Grabber APT in certain road capabilities, but still needed improvements in other critical tire standards: 

• General Grabber APT was the most comfortable on dry surfaces among the three. But, as discussed, snow and wetter traction could have benefitted from more handling dynamics.
• Cooper Discoverer led the test with excellent noise isolation with excellent wet traction (a huge improvement from Grabber APT). But steering sometimes felt disconnected. 
• Kumho Road handled bumps nicely and delivered a surprisingly sporty steering feel for an on-road AT tire. However, like Grabber APT, its wintertime/wet grip performed underwhelmingly.

Conclusion

Through our General Grabber APT tire review, dry terrains (on-road pavements and off-road dirt) still proved to be APT’s best performance. The heavy tire already lost lots of confidence in on-road wet surfaces, getting shaky on loose terrains, and downright stumbling when dealing with ice.

Thus, while the road tire could suffice in daily weather conditions with a dash of off-road requirements, it was not really the best tire option out of all competitors in the tire market.