General Grabber HTS - Best Rated Tire

Consumer Reports is not the only source rating this tire highly though. Here is what FourWheeler Magazine has to say. They tested the tires on the Ford F-150 4WD. They found the Grabber HTS to be very good in snow even though it is an all-season tire and not specifically a snow tire.

FourWheeler Magazine report

If you are looking for discount tires, the Grabber HTS is priced very reasonably compared to other SUV and light truck tires. It is still a bit of sticker shock for me because my other car is a Honda Civic and you can put 4 tires on it for about $25 (a bit of an exaggeration) I found the Grabber HTS for under $100 and I'll give you a link here in a bit to check it out for your size. I am looking at a 235/70R16 for my Pilot and they are $93 each. Tires rated performing worse are in the $150 range at my local tire store. I bought my tires from Tire Rack for a couple reasons. The Grabber HTS was not available to me locally and Tire Rack has great prices and saved me even more money. I had them mounted locally and paid the same mounting fees that I would normally have to pay if I had bought the tires from that store. I actually went to the local tire dealer and they were willing to mount them for the same price but they were so busy they couldn't get to me for a couple hours. So I went across the street to a big box discount store and they mounted them - I came out $10 cheaper and have a lifetime balance and rotation contract. And I'll be able to find one of these stores wherever I go.

Click on the link for your size and pricing


General Grabber HTS Tire


I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are more reviews.

TireRack tested the Grabber HTS against the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenze and the Pirelli Scorpion and the General beat these two top of the line tires in every category (except one tie with the Bridgestone in dry pavement cornering). Here are the results from from TireRack.

Tested against the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza and the Pirelli Scorpion STR - the winner was: the Grabber HTS in EVERY TEST below except the tie noted

Ride comfort
Noise Comfort
Handling
Overall Road Rating

Performance - Dry Track
Cornering Stability
Steering Response
Braking Modulation
Handling Predictablity
Overall Track Rating

Performance - Wet Track
Cornering Stability
Steering Response
Braking Modulation
Handling Predictablity
Overall Track Rating

Slolam Time Dry
Slolam Time Wet

Lap Time Dry
Lap Time Wet

Stopping Distance Dry
Stopping Distance Wet

Average Cornering (g-force) Dry - tie with Bridgestone
Average Cornering (g-force) Wet

See the test results here:
Read Tire Rack's tire test results.


Beside the performance the HTS demonstrated on the road, General also engineered the tire with a lower rolling resistance to improve fuel economy and thereby reducing carbon emissions.

I shopped several tire dealers but I found these at a slightly lower price from another online retailer but looking at their reviews I decided not to buy from them because they had poor hit and miss comments about their service. I ordered my tires from TireRack. I've shopped several tire dealers and not many carry this tire. Not only does TireRack have good pricing but they offer testing results, reviews and all the information you need about tires. Reviews about their service is very positive and for me I'd rather buy from someone who other people trust and who provides me additional service. Like I said, TireRack sells the Grabber HTS in my size for $93 ($96 for white lettering) so they have my business.

Click below for pricing in your size


General Grabber HTS Tire

The Grabber HTS is the flagship of the General Grabber line and it incorporates 4 key technologies that enhance the performance of this tire.

1. Duragen - Ultra-high strength steel belts, micro fiber casing reinforcements, and broader tire contour provides even wear, longer mileage and confidence in challenging conditions.

2. Adaptive Performance - Response Grooves, Stabilink Bars and 3 kinds of siping for enhances steering response and reliable performance

3. Comfort Balance - a tread cusioning and noise capturing system for a quieter, more comfortable ride.

4. Eco-Ride - Improved tire compound increases fuel economy and minimizes CO2 emissions.

This is the first time I have bought tires online. I was almost talked out of it by a local dealer until I did my homework. We were visiting family over the Christmas holiday and there are not a lot of outlets that carry the Grabber HTS but I found one and since were were going to be traveling back over 500 miles I was considering getting the tires while we were away. The dealer quoted me $575 for a set of 4 and he would not come off the price. I told him that I found the tires online much cheaper and he then tried to convince me that no one would put the tires on for me.

Fortunately I did my homework and called my local dealers at home. I called 2 and both said they would put the tires on quite reasonably without any problem. I also found recommended partners in my location and locations all over the country that will put the tires on for you listed on the website.

Your local guys may try to talk you out of it but I am looking at saving about $125 by ordering online. That's about 22% off the local price including tax and shipping. A bonus for you if you live in a state that is not subject to tax is that you can take another $22 off what I have to pay.

Order your tires today, Don't wait, the bad weather is already here. Drive confidently on your new set of Grabber HTS's.

I just had my Grabbers put on today. I honestly didn't expect to notice a big difference in normal driving. I mean I saw the tests and statistics and recognized that in crisis situations, bad weather and such that the Grabbers have tested to function the best. That is important to me because when I am driving in bad rain or have to stop quickly I want my tires to perform. However, I began noticing the responsiveness right away driving away from the garage that put the tires on. Tire Rack actually said I may experience decreased responsiveness due to the newness of the tires but I experienced just the opposite. It sounds cliche'ish but they really did feel like they were grabbing the road.

The next thing I experienced is a noticeably quieter ride. I shot a video with the old tires for comparison and I'll shoot a new one and put them side by side so you can possibly hear the difference. Not sure how it will translate on a camcorder but we'll try. Anyway, I just got these on and I am more than pleased. If you need tires the Grabber HTS is the way to go.

I tried to prolong the life of my other tires and get as much as I could out of them. They were not quite to the wear bars but pretty close. But now I wish I would have put these on sooner. My thought before that best safety at the best price was a no brainer was right on but now when I drive on these I'm convinced even more. This is a no brainer. Tire Rack sent all the stuff with the tires. My installation turned out to be even less expensive than I planned.

These tires get 2 thumbs and even 2 big toes up. My hearty recommendation!

UPDATE:
I've had the tires on for about 10,000 miles now and I am just as pleased as when they were first mounted. Recently I had to both stop quickly and turn quickly. These tires were amazing. They bit into the road and functioned beautifully I could not have asked for better performance. I have more details on the blog at My General Grabber Blog. I've also attached the RSS to this story a little later in this lens.

ANOTHER UPDATE:
I just had opportunity to drive in snow with these tires. I live in GA and there is not much snow however we got about 4" that stuck on the ground. I drove on both well traveled roads that were semi-clear and on covered roads. The tires did great. Even coming down a significant incline in my driveway I did not experience slippage. I only experienced slippage when I was trying to achieve it.

The following morning the roads had turned to ice and I again ventured out. The Grabber HTS handled very well and I was very pleased with how much control I had. Our subdivision roads were completely covered with ice. There was some smooth ice and some frozen slush. My Pilot handled the ice very well and at no time did I lose control of the vehicle. On more traveled roads there was patchy ice. Since there was not much traffic out I was not as careful as I would have been had there been many cars on the road. At one point I did slide up to an intersection but the Generals and my anti-lock brakes kept me in semi-control and I was stopped before sliding into the intersection. I was impressed with the abilities of these tires even on ice. The tires handled beautifully. I would still recommend getting actual winter/snow tires if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow but in my 4" of snow and ice, these tires performed very well.

I'm not going to be racing in the desert anytime soon but I thought this was interesting. It looks like General is making a comeback. They used to say, "Sooner or later you'll own General." Now may be the time. They are coming out with some real leaders in performance.

Reuters Desert Competition Report

General Tires are made by Continental Tires

Here's another endorsement. Chevy just contracted to place the Grabber HTS on the Traverse.

Traverse / Grabber HTS Press Release

Photo from MotorTrend

After driving on my Grabbers for a couple years now here is an update. There has been some discussion about tire pressure and traction with these tires. I can tell you that at between 38 and 40 PSI, I encountered significant traction reduction in wet weather. I typically keep them inflated at about 36 psi on my Pilot and I am very pleased with their performance. I also had the "opportunity" this winter to drive on both snow and ice - not real common in GA but we had some significant weather this past winter. The Grabbers did very well on both snow and ice. Of course this did not last long so if you are driving on snow and ice all winter long I would probably recommend dedicated snow tires. (See my the Winter Tire lens listed below).

I have been very pleased with traction and performance from this tire. However there is one area in which they have fallen short. The tires are warranted for 60,000 miles. I am a conservative driver but at 36,000 miles they need replacing. Therefore the pricepoint is not as much of a bargain as it seems. I will need to replace these tires very shortly and will re-evaluate my choice of tires based on how well the warranty is honored and figuring more of a cost per mile based on experience rather than on the wear claims. Overall I am very pleased with this tire and stand by everything in this lens. But be aware that the tread life will probably not live up to the claims of this tire. You may want to check out the

Michelin LTX M/S2 Tire or the
Michelin LTX M/S Tire
These are both more expensive initially but may actually prove to be more economical in the long run. You can see reviews and ratings for these tires at the links above. Just click on the reviews or survey results tabs on the respective pages.
The General Grabber HTS is a great tire but at 36,000 miles to the wear bars you will want to consider the real value compared to your alternatives.

The author is an affiliate of TireRack. Therefore, the author will receive compensation for any product, General Grabber or otherwise, purchased from the TireRack when accessed by a link from this lens. While the author has recommended the General Grabber HTS tires based on reviews and personal experience, please feel free to purchase a more expensive tire to increase his commission.