Operators of commercial vans in applications such as route deliveries, P&D, service companies, and other businesses know that their vehicles have a unique set of needs. They spend long hours on the street or the highway in stop-and-start driving, which means that they need to haul heavy loads. For the above, they require extremely durable and dependable tires with year-round performance in all kinds of weather conditions. Downtime means lost money, with a missed appointment, missed delivery, an annoyed customer, and a driver stuck by the side of the road waiting for a service truck, and the outcomes of a failed tire can be far worse than that.

The General Grabber HD Van is a commercial-grade light truck tire that’s designed to check all those boxes and meet the demands of fleet operators and working people. Let’s get in there and get a closer look at what this commercial tire has to offer with this General Grabber HD Van review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the design features and innovations that make the General Grabber HD a great value and a standout performer in the world of commercial-grade light truck tires:

• General’s Duragen Tech is designed with an extra-durable tread formulation that resists cuts, chunks, punctures, and abrasions and stays flexible in extreme cold for year-round performance and traction
• Sidewall Curb Guard puts another layer of rubber on the sidewall to guard against scrapes, cuts, punctures, and curb rash
• General’s StabiliTREAD design puts more rubber on the road with a redesigned contact patch, helping to improve weight distribution, braking and handling, and overall wear properties
• Hydroplaning resistance is enhanced with four wide circumferential grooves that efficiently channel water away from the tire’s contact patch
• Symmetric three-rib tread pattern with rigid shoulder tread blocks, reinforced for improved handling and stability even when hauling heavy loads
• Sipes and independent tread blocks enhance grip in wet or snowy conditions with hundreds of hair-thin slits that dig in and chew through snow, slush, and standing water
• Heavy-duty bead is designed to boost stability and provide a secure fit at the rim while dissipating heat from hauling heavy loads and from the vehicle’s braking system
• 2-ply casing with two ultra-high strength steel belts and a polyamide reinforcement layer
• Tread pitch is randomized and arranged to keep road noise low by neutralizing certain frequencies and overtones

Pros and Cons

Just like with any tire, the General Grabber HD Van comes with a few pros and cons, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this case:

PROS:

• Heavy-duty construction for extra load rating and long service
• Dependable traction and performance on wet or dry pavement
• Ride quality is surprisingly quiet and comfortable for a commercial tire
• Balanced performance on wet and dry roads
• Up to 25% better treadwear when compared to others
• General’s reinforced construction gives the General Grabber HD exceptional durability

CONS:

• No limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Not good in heavier snow

SimpleTire’s view on General Grabber HD Van tires

For vans and light trucks that put in a lot of miles and a lot of hard use in commercial service, there’s no substitute for a commercial-grade tire that’s truly up to the job. Being a commercial-grade tire doesn’t mean, however, that you have to put up with a noisy and uncomfortable ride with clumsy handling. The General Grabber HD Van is designed to deliver on the needs of commercial operators while still offering a comfortable and composed ride and road manners on the highway.

The Grabber HD Van is designed with General’s Duragen tread compound, a proven formulation that’s used on other General tires, and is designed for damage resistance in some of the most punishing applications, along with enhanced wet-weather grip and excellent wear properties. While it’s true that the General Grabber HD Van doesn’t come with limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage (many commercial tires don’t), General does cover this tire with a 6-year warranty, with free replacement in the first 2/32” of tread wear and then pro rata down to the last 2/32” of tread depth.

The heavy-duty internal design of the Grabber HD Van gives it the strength it needs for heavy loads and extreme duty, and the innovative bead wire design boosts the tire’s stability and aids in heat dispersal, which is all-important to the health and longevity of any tire that hauls heavy loads for hours on end. It’s true that the General Grabber HD Van’s tread design isn’t great in off-road conditions or heavier snow and doesn’t have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. It does, however, excel on wet or dry pavement, with a network of grooves and sipes that do a stellar job of resisting hydroplaning and delivering confident braking and control even in a driving rain. Ride comfort is surprisingly composed and forgiving, if may be not what you’d expect from a Grand Touring tire, and handling and steering responses are easy and predictable. All in all, it’s our take here at the SimpleTire team that the General Grabber HD Van is a great choice for commercial route vehicles, P&D vehicles, service trucks, and any other applications where a tough and dependable highway-terrain tire is a must.

Vehicles the General Grabber HD Van is a good replacement tire for

The General Grabber HD Van would be a great tire for commercial vehicles such as:

• RAM 1500/2500
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500/2500
• Ford F150/F250
• RAM Promaster
• Ford Transit
• Nissan NV1500/2500
• Freightliner Sprinter
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter