We told you about the Suzuki Jimny that has joined the ZA Bikers vehicle fold. We go to some weird and wonderful places in the course of our content creation, so the capable Jimny is an excellent go-anywhere support vehicle. Like most SUVs, the Jimny comes standard with what are essentially highway spec tyres. Considering the places our Jimny will be going we needed to equip it with more capable ‘shoes’. After much research, we settled on General’s highly rated Grabber AT3s. Like with bikes, the right tyres for the application are vital for performance and safety.
We considered function primarily, but also form. We needed tyres that would fall within Suzuki’s specification for the Jimny, but that would up the ante when we ventured off the beaten track. The General Grabber AT3s are perhaps best described as the ‘GS’ of All-Terrain tyres in that they are not necessarily the best at any one thing, but really capable across all typical applications. Whilst we wanted off-road performance, it couldn’t be at the cost of road manners. Chunky ‘Mud Terrain’ type tyres might look cool, but the incessant howl they emit on the highway will have you doing push-ups on your penknife after an hour or two. The Generals ticked all our boxes in that the enhanced performance would not have any real trade-offs.
General Tires is part of the huge Continental Tyre group. The Grabbers feature three new technologies that enhance the overall performance of these versatile tyres. ‘TracGen’ is an open shoulder design aimed at enhancing grip properties. ‘DuraGen’ is a rubber compound that enhances rip resistance for durability offroad without sacrificing traction. Lastly, they have what General call ‘ComfortBalance’. This is a technology to enhance ride comfort and reduce vibration on the road, achieved by a specific tread block design. We also love the look of the Grabbers on our Jimny. The tyres really enhance the ‘tough little Dude’ attitude of our Jimny.
So there you have it. In the fullness of time, we will report back, on our experience with our Jimny’s new hiking boots. I can already tell you one thing… it’s going to be a lot of fun!
