All-Season Truck Tires

Best tires for on-road driving

Reviews say the General Grabber HTS (*Est. $165) is the best all-season tire you can buy for your pickup or SUV, and it's also reasonably priced for its class.

The Grabber HTS demonstrates few weaknesses in the reviews we evaluated for this report. It handles better than any other tire in one top test, and its ability to brake on wet roads is unmatched. On dry roads, few tires demonstrate braking performance on the same level as the Grabber HTS. Testers say it's quiet and comfortable, and that it resists hydroplaning. The General Grabber HTS light truck/SUV tire carries a 45,000- to 60,000-mile tread-life warranty, depending on size and speed rating.

In a head-to-head expert test conducted by TireRack.com, the Grabber HTS outclasses two similarly-priced competitors -- the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza and Pirelli Scorpion STR -- on every measure. Testers say the differences were particularly obvious on the wet track, where a Porsche Cayenne SUV outfitted with Grabber HTS tires exhibited less understeer and better traction than the other two tires.

Owners posting reviews at TireRack.com give the Grabber HTS excellent or superior ratings in all categories: dry, wet and winter performance, noise, comfort, and treadwear. However, their favorite highway all-season tire is the Michelin LTX M/S2, which retails for around $175. Owners say the Michelin outperforms the Grabber HTS across the board, especially on snow and ice. Those ratings are based on two winters' worth of use (the Michelin LTX M/S2 hit the market in late 2009). One leading expert source agrees that while the Grabber HTS gets good traction in snow, it does only a fair job braking on ice.

Unfortunately, none of our expert sources has tested the Michelin LTX M/S2 tire. Michelin says the tire offers the same long treadlife as the original Michelin LTX M/S, plus better grip in rain and snow. The LTX M/S2 carries a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. The older LTX M/S already outclassed the Grabber HTS on snow and ice and in tread life in one top test, but middling performance otherwise -- and only fair braking on wet roads -- relegated the Michelin LTX M/S to several places below the top-ranked Grabber HTS.

In the past, experts have recommended three-season tires for people who drive trucks and SUVs in warm climates (or for those who switch to snow tires in the winter). Three-season tires have traditionally been designed to deliver optimal performance on wet and dry roads. Owners at TiresTest.com and TireRack.com like the General Grabber UHP (*Est. $140) better than any other three-season truck tire, saying it demonstrates excellent performance on both wet and dry roads. Still, owners say the all-season General Grabber HTS grips just as well in the same conditions, and it can be driven during the winter, too.