This improves the grip, thus resulting in overall better on-road dry traction.
The wider grooves combined with numerous sipes allow water to easily pass through them, making it a better option for driving in wet conditions.ĪT is somewhat focused on reliable on-road performance by adding a continuous rib which provides that extra boost to on-road traction by increasing the contact patch of the tire.
Grabber AT2Ĭontradictory to dry traction, its performance in wet conditions is much better. This negatively affects the on-road traction of this tire making it second to that of AT tire. On-Road Traction ComparisonĪT2 tread has a lower contact area with the road causing less grip to be acquired, increasing its braking distance. Its noise cancellation ability is higher due to the lower void ratio but the same decreases its ability to navigate smoothly on uneven terrain. Its enhanced built material still lacks the toughness and resistance like that of AT2. It uses an innovative compound named “Long Link Carbon” which is stronger and does provide extra resistance against treadwear abrasion, improving the durability and mileage of the tire. On the ice, the tire performs exceptionally well due to its higher contact patch with the road and deeper sipes allowing it to firmly grasp the icy roads. The grooves are narrow and don’t offer much depth which hinders its mud, soft snow, and gravel traction capabilities.
It has fewer sipes compared to other tires, decreasing its wet traction. This special blend of on and off-road traction tread blocks pattern is known as “UNI-T” technology utilized by Firestone. The central rib is for providing the extra grip during on-roading while the tread blocks wrapped around the rib are for providing the necessary off-road traction. It features a non-aggressive symmetrical tread design with continuous central rib surrounded by separated tread blocks. It’s louder on road compared to its counterpart but exceeds in off-road driving comfort due to the shock dampening ability provided by its wider grooves.įirestone Destination AT tread pattern is engineered to provide good on-road traction along with mild off-road performance. It has higher built strength and treadwear resistance that improves its durability and mileage. The highly optimized shoulder design also provides good handling during off-roading. It also introduces bold stone ejectors for better rock traction. The tire lacks proper traction on ice as there is no decent contact area and due to its shallow sipes. The wide shoulder design does come in handy during mud traction as it allows mud to easily pass through it.
Wide grooves do allow the efficient removal of mud, soft snow, and debris, bolstering its off-road traction. Its tread blocks feature traction edges and multiple sipes for better grip on wet roads. We never found any snow or ice, but the outer tread blocks will accept snow studs, so they've got that going for them if you've got to contend with months of frozen ground where you live.General Grabber AT2 has an aggressive symmetrical computer-optimized design with five rows of sparsely placed tread blocks providing wide and deep grooves between them which ultimately reduces its on-road performance. In the wet, the tires' generous 1/2-inch tread depth had little trouble evacuating and channeling water to prevent slipping and hydroplaning. And for what it's worth, if you're looking for a good rally car tire for your Jeep, we were very pleased with these tires' lateral grip and on-road bite when pushed beyond the limits of common senses and good reason. In fact, the only time we ever heard them on-road was when we were testing the outer limits of the tire's ability to keep our 3,000lb Wrangler planted on hairpin, windy mountain roads. We simply weren't able to hear any tread noise over our Wrangler's soft top. The closely-spaced and relieved tread blocks hit the pavement like feather pillows. And not surprisingly, the Grabber AT2's on-road ride was as smooth, quiet, and predictable as any set of passenger car tires (or BFG ATs) we've driven on. To us the Grabber AT2's slightly crescent-shaped, highly-siped lug design is somewhat derivative of a BFG AT, so we expected performance on- and off-road to be reminiscent of this old standby.