Washboards, soft sand dunes and prerunner courses was the day’s three course meal, and the General Grabber X3 took it all in stride. This is the exact location I’d want my OG Grabbers, but I was impressed with the traction and float of such an aggressive and heavy tire. Our final test location was the Anza Borrego Desert for sand/loose terrain testing. Once again, impressed with the handling and manners throughout the entire trip. This specific route took us through the rockier portions – from loose, jagged shale to large expanses of bedrock. The Sierras and surrounding wilderness through Inyo and Mono counties are diverse and beautiful. The destination was Mammoth Mountain to ring in the new year with fresh powder, but we built in two extra days for further testing en route. This time we headed north through the eastern Sierras. We had one week of relaxation then it was back on the road. From questionable road conditions to untouched snow trails, the Grabbers responded to my every request with ease. When a powerful system arrived to our local mountains, I was up before dawn to put this thing in the middle of the snowstorm.
The Grabber X3 carries the M+S rating but not the coveted Snowflake symbol as some had reported prior to release. The combination of aggressive patterns with clearly defined channel routes has proven itself effective. One lauded feature of the new X3 is its open tread design. Solid grip on dry dirt, confident traction through mud and stellar performance in powder. Arid alpine soil, fresh rainstorm mud, and 12+” of fresh snow.Įach trip left me more impressed with these tires. We tested the X3 throughout Cleveland National Forest on three different occasions, and each trip offered a different terrain. My tire size remained the same but went for an alignment anyways – first swapping in OE lower ball joints and inner/outer tie rods for good measure. General has prided themselves in acoustic technology to reduce road noise, and 4 months later remain impressed by their road manners and noise. The tires balanced well and drove smooth – as should any worthy tire.
The first hundred miles were on road ahead of our first outing. After several months and over 4,000 miles through the gamut of terrain – here are our thoughts on General’s new Grabber. Outworld Overland was among the first external testers, and we decided to reserve our review until having some quality time with these tires.
#General grabber x3 in snow full
With a full schedule of off-road goodness ahead, the time was ripe for change. One of the first 315/75 sets off the line went to the first build, and I have since run two sets between both builds and totaling over 40,000 total miles.Īs my second set wore down, General was internally testing their latest mud terrain, the Grabbber X3.
#General grabber x3 in snow windows
With the windows down, it was common to hear stones plinking from the fender flares as they were punted from between the tread blocks by what General calls “Stone Bumpers.” The raised rubber ribs spaced among the tread blocks kept stones from becoming trapped in the voids and drilling into the carcass.The Red Letter were for off-road use only, until mid-2010 when General released a DOT-approved version of the popular race tire. Whether that means the path leading to a gnarly crawling trail or a 100-mile push through the backcountry, miles spent on kumquat-sized bits of geologic goodness nearly outnumbered those spent on blacktop. When we sat down to crunch the numbers, if the Jeep was off-road, chances are it was bound for gravel. Did the General Grabber X3 mud-terrains prove useful in more than just mud? Read on for what we found. After nearly 8,000 miles of torture, we had a logbook filled with notes and a tire repair kit that remained unzipped. Whether it was a high-altitude dumping of snow, beach cruises, grinding over boulders, or slick muddy ruts, we made sure to put the tires through every abusive environment we could get our tread blocks into. WHEN THE TIRE HAS “MUD-TERRAIN” PLASTERED across the sidewall, our first question for the General Grabber X3 was “but what else can it do?” We installed a set of 35x12.50R17 X3s on our two-door ’17 Wrangler and went through our typical weekend routine-driving far and near in search of wild terrain. General Grabber X3 Four Wheeler | April 2020 8,000 miles of rocks, roadways, sand, and snow Jered Korfhage