Can't say I had any issues with wet braking distances when I used Grabber AT3. I see that in the same size, the AT3 has an EU tyre rating of C for the wet where the Matador has a D, suggesting the Grabber is better.

Both General and Matador are part of Continental so will have likely been developed/tested at the same place facility by the same people.

Would be interested to see the reviews you saw about the Grabber as I'm going to need new tyres soon and if there are comparison tests showing the AT3 is poor in wet braking then that would be useful to look at. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

The report about the breaking distances was here
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-T...e-Test.htm
I think the Continental TerrainConract is the same as the European ATR and if I could have got them they would have been my first choice.
Also I thought the wet weather tyre label rating was based on aquaplaning rather than braking distances. I am by no means saying the Matador is any better just hard to believe it could be any worse.

Sorry that’s the wrong link!
This one

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2018-A...e-Test.htm

Hmmm, as I thought, a true AT being compared to a group that is mostly "SUV" versions of road tyres. One would expect poorer wet braking on an AT than a road tyre. They even preface the results with the following:

Quote:

As a result, the AT tyres have a very different performance blend to the all season tyres on test, and while their snow performance was surprisingly OK, this test shows how badly they perform on-road, specifically in the wet.

I would have no doubt that your chosen tyre would have performed at a similar level to the Grabber in that test. I also have no doubt that if each of those tyres was tested off road, the ATs would have left the others for dead. It's horses for courses.

Anyway, so long as you're happy with the way they perform with your driving style, that's what matters.  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Well, no, not really. The All Terrain test link that I uploaded first by mistake does include the Geolander, that can be used as a benchmark so the GGat3 can be compared to all the proper all terrains with a bit of pro-rata. It’s pretty awful still against the others.

Click image to enlarge

I'm in a similar situation at the moment - I have Pirelli AT+ fitted and need at least 2 tyres, but looking around supplies are very low as Pirelli appear to have decided that the UK won't get 255/55/19 any more. Grabber AT3 also seem to be out of stock in many places. I do wonder about the Goodyear Adventure. I don't do a lot of off road stuff currently but I do want to be able to get around on shoot days, tow the horse trailer, etc., without worry. I also visit all sorts of places for work and being able to get around no matter what is rather useful. Sometimes I've been places that I'm not sure a standard road tyre would be happy with.

What sort of off road use do you put your tyres through? How much off road driving do you do? Do you need AT tyres at all?

Honest questions because we have had people on here wanting tyres that "look cool" (and I must admit that I think ATs do look better than the rubber band stuff many fit) and would actually be better off with road tyres rather than "cool-looking chunky tyres". 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

That same tyre review really rated the Goodyear Adventurer but I didn’t think it was available in 255/55/19 unless I missed it.

So for me my tread was low so needed to change. I do not do off road (I might though) but next year I am moving a lot of broken up floor slab with a tipper trailer to a hole in a farmers field. I’m doing it as and when I can so it will drag too long to hire anything. That is my reason for making the change, they will be needed then.

That said, it always seems criminal to have a vehicle with this off road ability and limiting it with road tyres. Even if they save you once a year it’s got to be worth it. Particularly now that I have them I see only one disadvantage over road tyres and that is just when you turn the steering wheel that fraction the response is slighting slower. It’s not a sports car so it doesn’t matter to me. I think I would have them even if I was all road now, because there will be that one time you get caught in snow or you want to pull someone out of a ditch or even the other day I saw cars stuck in a national trust grass turned to mud car park. Road tyres on it just seems like having a cat with no claws. As I say, I’ve only just made the tyre change so it’s all fresh for me and on the road I can barely tell the difference so why not. In fact I’ve just arrived in Ghent, Belgium and it’s rained all day with lots of standing water and I’ve not noticed any problem, which is one of the AT weaknesses.

I would have stayed road tyre had it not been for the hardcore/trailer/field, but now I have them I can see no point not having them in future even if it’s a very occasional need.

Sounds like you need them for sure, I wonder what you will end up with. If your insurance company is less up tight than mine and you can fit a non standard size you will have a much bigger choice.

roboreeves wrote:

Following up on this old post I have just been through the insurance issue wanting to go for a 275/45r20 all terrain but NFU would charge me an extra £160 a year so I decided not to. So I had the choice of 275/40r20 or 255/50r19.
I could only find one all terrain in 255/50r19, the General Grabber.

roboreeves wrote:

In 275/40r20 I found three. Continental ATR which looked good for me but out of stock it crazy expensive. General Grabber but I was put off by the online tyre review with the awful wet breaking distances. The last was Matador MP72, not much info on them online but I have gone with them. My reasoning is, can the wet braking actually be worse than the General Grabber.
Anyway they are fitted and I’ve driven from Cornwall to London. At motorway speed, well, any speed they are quieter than the Avon/Michelin road tyres which I’m really surprised. Maybe a little harsher over bumps but I’m not sure it’s that close. With such deep tread vs worn out road tyres there is a little less feel but really they are just fine.
Not been in heavy rain or off road yet. As far as wet braking, its one of those things I’ll probably never know until an emergency.
Impressed so far.

I think the Grabber AT3 is a good tyre too. Yes, it's not as good at braking as a pure road tyre, but then it's not a road tyres, it's an all terrain tyre and thus is compromised. Compared to a mud terrain tyre, it's like a racing slick on the road. That's just the way things are - if you make a tyre better off road, you'll make it less good on road and vice versa. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

But we are not comparing the Grabber AT3 with a road tyre. Say from the test the Toyo Open Country AT lll, that is just as aggressive AT as the Gabber but in wet braking tests stops a whopping 10m shorter. That can be life saving and is not infinitesimal.