General Grabber ATX is an all-terrain tire which provide optimized performance both on road and off road while General Grabber X3 is a mud terrain tire especially built for off road terrains.
The ATX of the General Grabber family runs over paved roads smoothly due to its low void ratio providing higher contact patch, on the other side high void ratio makes X3 perform best while off roading.
Its tread design makes it capable to deal with mud and toss off stones and pebbles as well.
It’s tread composition is far better than its competitor and their further details are shared below.
Table of Contents
General Grabber ATX vs X3 Overview:
General Grabber ATX
General Grabber X3
Vs
The General Grabber ATX design is just like that of KO2.
It has a contemporary tread design characterizing big shoulder lugs, frequent siping circumferentially, dimples over tread blocks and stone ejectors.
It exhibits a lower void ratio allowing greater contact of tread and ground, thus has good grip on road.
Large area of shoulder lugs combined with its sturdy composition makes handling on hard paved surfaces, outclass.
Tread blocks have numerous sipes and also contain dimples, these factors are responsible for excellent removal of water leading to great wet traction.
Due to narrow grooves these are not much effective comparatively in draining mud or slush out from tire.
Although tiny stone ejectors and alternate scooping of shoulder lugs provide grip on rocky terrains but comparatively this tire is not better in terms of venturing off-road either on rocks or mud.
The composition of tread is very durable, ATX comes with a tread wear warranty from the manufacturer.
X3 has a classic MT look with aggressive tread design having wider grooves, raised tread blocks and prominent stone ejectors.
High void ratio allows only a limited contact patch with road decreasing dry grip of the tire.
High width and depth of grooves make the tire capable of pushing out mud, snow and gravel backwards as it rolls in forward direction.
Prominent stone ejectors knock out rocky fragments, small stones and tiny pebbles out of the grooves and safeguard tire from stone clogging.
Aggressive shoulders and sidewalls offer firm handling over the difficult corners.
Tread rubber of X3 is not much sturdy in comparison and its tread wear is also not warranted.
On-Road Traction Comparison
Due to closely placed tread blocks ATX, it has a higher contact patch which enhances traction on road as more surface area of tread is in contact with road.
Blocks contain sipes and dimples which wipe off water, hence, these tires resist hydroplaning and show better wet traction than its competitor.
Genreal Grabber X3 does not play good on roads owing to lesser surface area and lesser siping of tread. Contact patch of its tread is minimized due to wide open grooves.
Grip on dry roads is decreased due to this limitation of area of contact between tread and surface.
But as it has wide grooves so it performs really well on wet roads are there is no chance of hydroplaning.
Off-Road Mud Traction Comparison
ATX battles with mud to some extent but it faces trouble while roaming through heavy mud as its grooves are narrower and less deep relatively.
Lesser width of these channels do not allow effective mud evacuation.
This tire shows poor traction as mud get stuck in grooves while dealing with heavy mud.
Traction of Grabber X3 in mud and clay is superior to its competitor due to its wider and deeper grooves. Mud and debris is effectively channeled out through its huge voids.
This self-cleaning action allow General X3 to roll smoothly through muddy bogs without getting stuck.
Shoulder blocks are aggressive and notched providing extra evacuation space thus, enhanced handling in mud.
Performance on Snowy Terrains:
On icy roads ATX perform satisfactorily due to extensive siping and higher contact patch, it rolls smoothly over the slippery surfaces.
It is rated has a three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF).
But it cannot deal effectively with heavy snow as its comparatively narrow grooves do not provide enough space for effective removal of snow.
These narrow voids get stuffed with snow and tire losses grip.
Deeper tread and massive voids allow X3 to roll in heavy snow without any difficulty as there is huge space available for the removal of snow and slush.
The snow particles are thrown back by the wide grooves s the vehicle accelerates, improving the traction.
This tire does not perform well on ice due to lower contact patch and lesser sipes.
Rocky Terrain Performance:
Over the rocky trails ATX performs moderately but its performance is not as excellent as of its competitor.
Alternate scooping over shoulder lugs provides enhanced grip while steering over the tricky turns.
Small stone ejectors embossed in grooves toss off pebbles and stony particles but they are not much prominent to manage heavy gravels.
X3 has full capacity to roar over the rocks.
Its bold and bulging stone ejectors bump off the bombarding hard particles and small pebbles.
They prevent stone clogging in grooves which not only increases off road traction but also decreases the chances of punctures that might happen due to drilling action of stones.
Deep biting tread holds the surface strongly and provide necessary traction over the harsh slopes.
It’s strengthened off set lugs over the shoulders and sidewalls provide firm grip and optimum handling over the hard corners.
Driving Comfort
Grabber ATX is more comfortable as it produces less noise and provides smooth ride on road.
Thin grooves are responsible for quietness of this tire as these present less space for wind collisions, which causes noise.
Larger lugs, high contact patch and firm shoulders account for excellent traction and smooth drive on road.
High void ratio of General X3 makes it a noisy tire as air particles find a lot of space to reflect and resonate in wide channels of the tread, producing noise.
Decreased contact patch makes handling more difficult and on road drives is less comfortable.
Durability and Tread wear
General ATX is more durable tire in comparison.
Its superior tread rubber makes it wear slowly and last longer.
It is backed by a mileage warranty of 60,000 miles from its manufacturer.
General tires do not give a mileage warranty for Grabber X3.
Its 3 ply sidewalls give it strength and puncture resistance.
It is a durable tire if we talk with respect to Mud Terrain tires but its tread wear is comparatively faster than its competitor.
On average tread wear of 40,000 to 50,000 miles is reported.
Quick Summary
- General Grabber ATX is an All-terrain tire optimized for both on road and off-road drives while Grabber X3 is a mud terrain tire which provide a supreme off-road experience.
- ATXhas a closed tread pattern resulting in better traction on road traction, comfortable ride with less noise.
- X3 has wide grooves which help it navigate easily through mud, clay, snow and gravel. Its prominent stone ejectors prevent rock stacking and drilling into the grooves.
- X3 produces a lot more noise than ATx due to its huge grooves.
- ATX costs lesser than X3 and its tread is also more durable.
