Thoughts on General Tire Grabber AT2's?

Hello All, I was about to pull the trigger on some BFG A/T KO2's, but then I started watching Expedition Overland. Season 1 is an overland tour through AK (for those who have not watched it). Anyway, those guys use General Tire Grabber AT2's. Anyone have experience with them? I plan to start building up my truck to be more off-road mobile.

Also planning on using it year round, so any thoughts about use on snow and ice would be appreciated.

 

I've recently gotten bfg a/t ko2 and personally love them. Haven't tested in snow... Yet. And can't speak for the grabbers, but you can't go wrong with bfg. The ko2s are supposed to be better on ice too with more siping than the originals.

 

Grabbers dont do all that well up here. Check out the toyoy at2

 

I had a set of the original bfg all terrains and they were okay, sucked in the winter in my opinion. I have goodyear duratracs now in the same size and have been really happy with them year round. Only downside was I could only get E rated ones so their heavy but they've worn really evenly and aren't even half worn at about 25k miles.

 

General AT2 is a complete rip off of the BFG KO1 design for a cheaper price. Just sayin.

 

I have the KO2's and have had zero issues in snow and ice. Went snow wheeling through 2-3 feet of snow with no issues and 60 mile highway trip during ice storm and never slipped once. Quiet on the road too.

 

The original KO's were some of the best tires around. I ran them for 10+ years, never had a problem. Perfect mix of pavement manners and offroad capability. Also one of the best tires in terms of tread life/wear as well, super long lasting.

KO2's are basically the same tire, just have an updated sidewall so they look a little more aggressive. I'm running KO2's now.

Duratracs are a great tire but they will wear out a lot faster than KO2's.

Expedition Overland ran General Grabbers at least in part because that's the tire company that sponsored them. Not that there's anything wrong with Grabbers, but KO2's are probably a superior tire and certainly have a longer history of solid performance.

 

I'd look at duratrac's if I were you, maybe some Toyo's after that. I plan to run duratrac's on my tow rig if that ever happens lol.

 

Thank you all for your input. I am going to go with the KO2's. Tried and true design mimicked by others and praised by all those who have owned a set. Long lasting is a huge plus too.

Again, thanks everyone!

 

Discount Tire in San Diego has the General Grabber ATII's for $158/each, the KO2's are $182/each. Are the KO2's worth the extra price? Cooper ST Maxx's are $197/each just for additional information.

 

Well here in Fairbanks Alaska choices are a little more limited, which is why I originally posted this in the Alaska Region section. So on Amazon it is only a $7 per tire different between the KO2 and the Grabber

 

I had the Grabber AT2's in 265/75/16 on my 1st gen. Put about 60k miles on them and sold them at 50% tread life. Replaced them with Grabber AT2's in 235/85/16. Also put them on my 2nd gen with the same size. They're not great on ice stock, but they can be studded. I haven't had any problems with them in the wet slushy PNW snow. They're also made in the USA. I like 'em.

 

Looking on treaddepot.com they are on the heavier side (E load rating) at 55lbs compared to 53.5lbs for the KO2 and the ST Maxx at like 48 or 49lbs.

 

Be cautious of those weights noted on Tread Depot......the ST Maxx in 265/75/16 is noted at 49.....I called Cooper and actual weight is 54 lbs. I called TD to inform them of the discrepancy.

I ran the General Grabber's on my previous truck and they were awesome. I ran the SL 265/70/16 on my Tacoma before my current set and got 60K out of them and sold them with usable tread remaining. Only reason I didn't go with them again was I wanted 265/75/16, but didn't want/need load range E.

 

When I got my taco I had the KO2s (285/70r17) put on. Lasted about 40k but I also drive like I stole it. Switched to the AT2s and was pleased with them. Seemed like they had more side bulge which I think made them feel softer and they stuck out a little more. AT2s tread is also spaced out more. IMO good for mud but not for snow and ice and they throw rocks a lot more than the KO2s.
I will be looking for different type next set manly because they grab rocks too much. Might go back to the KO2s. When I whent to Colorado all the ski resort work trucks had KO2s

 

Well thats good to know. I also commented on the Rallye Aiche des Gazelles thread about how they chose the KO2 as their race tires.

 

Is anyone else on their second or third set of Grabbers? I think the newest ones are less aggressive looking than previous generations. Maybe I am just used to them and they seem mild to me? I honestly think the changed, esp the top part of the sidewall / lug area.

 

I actually ended up going with the Toyo Open Country ATII's. Love em.

 

How do you like your new tire size?

 

I like them alot. On the 1st gen I went from the 265 75 to the 235 85 and immediately noticed that at low speeds the truck felt more nimble. The steering effort was much lighter, it *felt* a lot easier to get the front wheels to change direction. The 265s would rub on the frame at full lock and the pinch weld in certain situations (no pinch weld mod). The 235s don't rub at all. The 1st gen is lifted about 1.5" through suspension.

On the 2nd gen I went from the stock rugged trails (can't remember their size) to the 235 85 AT2. The AT2s felt much more planted on curvy roads than the stock tires. The stock tires felt like they were causing understeer. This feeling went away with the AT2. The steering effort seemed to be about the same between the stock and AT2. There has been no rubbing with either tires, suspension is still stock.

Going by the seat of my pants, the 235s felt better than the 265s in the wet slushy snow we get in the PNW. The narrower tires also feel better to me on wet roads. The only time I've felt that they weren't better was freeway driving in high winds. They felt twitchier the further I got above 70mph, especially if the wind was coming from the side. I usually slow down a bit (60ish) and the issue goes away.

I don't see myself going to a different tire in the future. These just seem to work really well for the kind of driving I do.