In the spirit of “anywhere is possible,” the team at Continental Tire the Americas introduced the new General Grabber X3, a highly anticipated mud-terrain addition to the General brand’s off-road lineup. The new design was introduced and tested at a dual-brand ride-and-drive event at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., in July. The tiremaker also debuted the new Continental TerrainContact A/T.
The name “Grabber X3” reinforces the design goals for extreme (X) performance in three key off-road conditions – mud, dirt and rock. According to the company, the tire was designed with off-road enthusiasts in mind with the intention to meet their demands and exceed expectations.
Off-road engineering elements include:
• A high void, “deep paddle wheel” pattern design that includes stretched evacuation channel patterns for better self-cleaning, channels and alternating;
• Alternating shoulder scoops open up the surface for better grip, to break up any vacuum for mud performance;
• Block chamfers, traction notches and stone bumpers for better grip and stability on loose dirt;
• Stone “bumpers” release stone and debris to minimize stone drilling, to pop the rocks out before they do puncture damage;
• Multi-angle gripping edges for traction, deflection ribs and pads to protect against puncture, and sidewall lugs for excellent adhesion and cut/chip resistance on rocky conditions;
• Three-ply construction in all sizes includes ultra-high-strength steel belts.
On-road design features include:
• Siped design for wet and winter performance;
• A multi-pitch pattern design to minimize noise;
• Aggressive styling, with red sidewall lettering and bold tread design.
Conti representatives said that more than three years went into the research and development of the design. This included a comprehensive benchmarking, development and evaluation program to ensure a strong entry in to the mud-terrain segment. The program included more than three years of development, 16 tread patterns, more than 500 hours of off-road testing, more than 1,000 tires built and tested and well more than 2 million miles of testing in a variety of harsh off-road conditions.
“The Grabber X3 is competition driven and approved,” said Barry Tarzaken, light truck and winter tire product manager for Continental. “We have off-road competition drivers and OE development drivers to make sure we got this right. That was a stretch for us and we’re really proud of it.”
The Grabber X3 will be available in 29 total sizes between 15-to 20-inch wheel diameters, starting in September.
