General Tire Grabber AT3 as original equipment for Ford Ranger Raptor Hanover, March 2021. General Tire is celebrating another success in the field of original equipment. The Ford Ranger Raptor will now be exclusively equipped as standard with the award-winning all-terrain General Grabber AT3 tyre. Ford’s powerful off-road pickup features a specially developed, motorsport-friendly chassis, the special qualities of which come into their own, particularly at high speeds off paved roads. “Ford’s development engineers went to great lengths to find the perfect tyre for their benchmark product. Ultimately, the decisive factor for the selection of this tyre was the optimal interaction with the outstanding suspension and performance characteristics of the Ranger Raptor in combination with the striking dynamic properties of the General Grabber AT3,” says JJ Dowling, General Manager Manufacturing at Continental Tyre South Africa. “We are enthusiastic about the vehicle and delighted with the collaboration.” Like all vehicle manufacturers, Ford defines a wide range of specific requirements, which the Grabber AT3 more than met during intensive testing – including grip in wet and dry conditions, noise generation, mileage, reliability, and stability. “The original equipment approvals for the Ranger Raptor,” says Dowling, “reaffirm the excellent reputation of the Grabber AT3 as a tyre with exceptional qualities both on and off the road and in all weather conditions.” Independent tests published in the automotive trade press also prove that the Grabber AT3 sets the standard in the all-terrain tyre segment with its 50/50 design for balanced on-road and off-road performance. In 2018, for example, the General Tire tyre was the overall winner out of 16 competing products in a major performance comparison of all-terrain tyres conducted by SA 4×4 Magazine.
The main technical features of the General Grabber AT3 include TracGen and DuraGen technology. Thanks to the numerous grip edges in the innovative tread, TracGen ensures exceptional traction on loose surfaces and thus offers the best transfer of drive and braking forces. DuraGen technology, in turn, guarantees an extremely robust rubber compound. It provides extra strong tread blocks and a long tyre life, even when used on rough terrain. The very strong steel belt construction also offers reliable stability under all permitted load conditions. The balanced tread geometry with uniform material distribution and low stiffness, as well as the optimized arrangement of the tread blocks, reduces vibrations in the tyre for maximum comfort and achieves an impressively low noise level. In addition, the General Grabber AT3 bears the snowflake symbol on its sidewall and is therefore suitable for year-round use, even in winter weather conditions.
The Ranger Raptor is built for the global market in Silverton, South Africa. The vehicle is factory-equipped with the tyre size LT 285/70 R17 116/113 S in a robust light truck specification with additional reinforcement for special load capacity. This new size was added to the existing Grabber AT3 range with Ford during the development process and is now also available in the aftermarket. The tyres are produced at the Continental Tyre South Africa plant in Port Elizabeth.
