General Tires is one of the oldest tire brands in the US, with more than 100 years of manufacturing experience. Their Grabber UHPs are one of the newest lines they offer, and they put those years of experience into their development.
Quick Facts
- Type: Sport LT
- Sizes: 16-24″
- Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG): 320 A A
- Speed Rating: W
- Warranty: 1 Year Uniformity, 6 Year Workmanship
- Price: $$
What Sets It Apart
The Grabber UHPs are sports car tires for your truck or SUV. They have great on-road characteristics, excel on wet pavement, and will add an additional layer of comfort to your ride. That’s perfect for the modern, city-oriented SUV that probably won’t be seeing much dirt or snow.
People often compare the UHP to the Avon Tech STs, but in the real world, the Grabber UHPs offer better grip, better ride quality, and better steering response. They are the tire to grab if you want the sport in your Sport Utility Vehicle to be the star of the show. Especially if there’s a little bit of water around, the UHPs just blow everything else out of the water when it comes to grip on wet surfaces; excuse the pun.
Comfort and Performance
Somehow General Tires managed to do the impossible. Most of the time, to get a good grip, you have to sacrifice ride quality. Those sticky compounds and big contact patches transfer noise and vibration directly into the cabin. The UHPs manage to keep you planted firmly on the road without ruining your hearing at the same time.
As we mentioned above, the on-road and wet-pavement performance is stellar. Anyone that uses their vehicle for commuting, long road trips, and city driving will love these tires. They give you everything you need to swerve around road hazards, stop quickly, and cruise in comfort.
What they don’t do, however, is hold up when you venture off the pavement. The asymmetrical, low-cut tread is meant to maximize grip on hard surfaces, but you’ll be doing unplanned donuts in the gravel.
Safety and Durability
The enhanced grip and water-repelling technology maximize your car’s ability to brake quickly and to perform maneuvers that can get you out of dangerous situations. If you are worried about safety, you can’t go wrong.
If you are worried about longevity, though, you may be able to do better going for a harder tire. You won’t get the great grip, but you will be looking to replace the Grabbers after crossing the 50k miles threshold.
They also have a fairly standard, low-end warranty. If they really messed up, they might replace your tire as long as it’s less than six years old. Otherwise, you are on your own. That is a common warranty for sportier tires, so it’s not surprising, but you can do better if it’s important to you.
Who It’s For
There is a growing class of sportier sport utility vehicles. Dodge has a Durango SRT line that uses the same motor their infamous Challenger SRT uses, Ford’s Explorer ST will outrun older Mustangs, and the Jeep Trackhawk is an absolute beast of a road-going vehicle, can you blame Dodge for throwing a Hellcat engine in everything, though?. If you own one of these vehicles, you’ll need a tire that can keep up. The Grabber UHPs are a good lower-cost option for these higher-performance vehicles.
Suppose you don’t need the extra performance and just want to add sportiness to your Touareg or Tribeca. In that case, they are a good mid-tier option. You’ll be spending more on the Grabbers than your average highway tire, but you’ll love the on-road performance. Just consider looking elsewhere if you live where it snows, or buy a separate set of winter tires. You can’t go wrong with the UHPs in the summer and a set of ATs in the winter.
