Founded in 1915, General Tire is an American tire manufacturer and is now part of Continental AG. It manufactures tires for passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, performance cars, and commercial vehicles, and provides purchasers a wide variety of choices.

The General Grabber Arctic is the brand’s studdable touring winter tire designed for use on light trucks and SUVs. It utilizes the brand’s cutting-edge technologies that help in achieving traction on wet, snow, and ice-covered roads. But are these technologies really worth it and provide the much-needed performance in winter conditions? Let’s find out in this General Grabber Arctic tire review and help you in making an informed decision.

Features and Benefits

Winter tires are made using a flexible rubber compound and provide grip when the temperature goes below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The design of these tires allows for consistent grip in conditions like snow and ice. Most winter tires can also be pinned with studs to improve grip. The General Grabber Arctic is an ideal winter tire and has all these qualities. General has incorporated many advanced technologies and features to make this tire highly efficient and good in performance during the colder months. Let’s go over the features and benefits of this tire to ascertain its possible capabilities.

• Superior winter performance – The Grabber Arctic features a good number of tread elements that augment its performance specifically in moderate to extreme winter conditions. The directional tread pattern of the tire features high siping density and a silica-rich compound that ensure superior winter grip and traction on ice and snow. This Three Peak Snowflake certified tire has a studdable tread that provides additional traction, where permitted, while driving on thick snow and slippery and icy surfaces.
• Solid braking performance – The high siping density on the tread of this tire and tread block edges firmly grip the surface and allow the vehicle to come to a halt in no time. Additionally, the silica-rich compound also provides that added stickiness to stop the vehicle immediately and reduce the braking distance.
• Enhanced wet weather performance – The Grabber Arctic features circumferential and angled lateral grooves that disperse water from the footprint and prevent hydroplaning, thus providing better grip and traction in wet weather conditions.
• Robust construction – This tire features General’s patented Duragen Technology, which provides greater strength and durability to the tire. Likewise, reinforced steel belt construction ensures that the tire maintains its original shape throughout its lifetime and withstands driving pressure strongly.
• Increased tread life – The durable rubber compound of this tire and reinforced inner and outer construction increase the tire’s service life. The flat contact patch evenly distributes the driving forces and controls irregular wear to provide long-lasting wear and increased tread life.
• Better handling and cornering – The continuous center rib of this tire improves the driving stability and steering responsiveness, making handling seamless in extreme winter conditions. Moreover, the large shoulder tread blocks that feature multiple sipes provide a good number of biting edges to enhance the cornering ability.

General offers the Grabber Arctic in 15 sizes that vary between 16- to 20-inch rims. However, the tire isn’t covered by any limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

Pros and Cons

Knowing the pros and cons of the General Grabber Arctic will help the purchasers to make an informed decision. So, let’s have a look at them, starting with the positives first:

• This tire offers superior grip and traction in extreme winter and wet weather conditions.
• Patented technology provides solid strength and durability.
• More affordable than some of its competitors.
• Responsive handling on wet, snow, and ice-covered surfaces.
• Aggressive and attractive tread design.

Now that we know what are the positives of this tire, let’s look at the negatives:

• Cannot be used when temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit
• Not suitable for off-road driving.
• Longevity isn’t as good as its counterparts.
• No limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

SimpleTire’s view on General Grabber Arctic tires

The General Grabber Arctic is amongst very few of the winter tires that are reasonable but full of potential. This tire does a great job when it comes to performing in moderate to extreme winter weather conditions, and it doesn’t disappoint on wet roads either. The traction and grip this tire offers are at par with some of the high-end winter tires. The handling and cornering abilities of this tire in winter conditions are fairly good and design-wise, it is made to enhance the styling of your pickup or SUV. Thanks to General’s indigenous technology, the overall build of the tire is sturdy enough to withstand the harshest driving forces, however, do not expect the tread to last longer. The lack of a tread life warranty could be disappointing for the purchases. It is purely a winter tire and therefore, do not expect a great job in warmer months. Although it is made for light trucks and SUVs, it is not good for off-road drives.

The Grabber Arctic could be a value-for-money alternative to other available winter tires like Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV, Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2, Toyo Observe G3-Ice, Firestone Winterforce 2 UV, and Hankook Winter i* Pike X (W429A) Studded.

Vehicles the General Grabber Arctic is a good replacement tire for

Designed for use on light trucks and SUVs, the General Grabber Arctic can be used as a replacement choice for vehicles like Saab 900, Volkswagen Passat, Ford Escape, Toyota 4Runner, GMC Sierra 1500, and Nissan Pathfinder.