Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
[quote="LT"]I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but I suspect that the UK arm of the Continental Tyre Group is really not much more than a distributorship with some sponsorship and PR chucked in. Hence the somewhat vague replies to your specific question and some info. on a different tyre!
You might get a more detailed answer from the dept. where they are actually designed (is that still the US?).quote]
Hi LT,
This email exchange started with me speaking to the US. But I think the place where the source of info will be is Continental tyres which is I believe European. The reason I got info on the wrong tyres was beacause I was speaking to the US branch to whom the AT means the Baja tyre. They redirected me to the European source as the most knowledgeable about this issue.
They clearly say here the side wall is the same.
5th Nov 2010 12:13 pm
AJS4X4
Member Since: 30 Mar 2008
Location: Surrey
Posts: 3224
Not quite sure what the big fuss is all about ?
I have been selling tyres for over 25 years and have seen a lot of damage to sidewalls on tyres, but evenly spaced over all brands.
The vast majority of my customers use there vehicles on road with the odd trec across a field for what ever the need, and to get them about when the weather gets nasty.
Very few of my customers take there vehicles were sidewall damage would happen as most drive on the tread and not on sidewalls.
The NEW General AT tyres are fantastic and we have very many happy customers.
We are all different and use our vehicles for all uses, not one tyre suits all but I 100% think the General AT ticks most boxes.
This thread was started by me about the General AT tyre and I am very happy to have done so to help with "YOUR" choice, yes I earn money from selling tyres but I earn the same percentage from all brands.
I am happy to help with all "YOUR" tyre needs if I can and will recomend what I think is best for "YOUR" useage.
I was lucky enough to have been on the launch of this tyre and went with open eyes, I was chosen to go mainly for my off-road driving experience which goes back many, many years, I have driven all over the world in most conditions in very many different vehicles, my claim to fame was the 1989 British Off-Road Championship in a 2WD Buggy, and also a part with BFGoodrich in the 2006 Dakar Rally.
I am very happy to put my vote and weight behind this great new tyre from General.
Don't knock them till you have tried them.
Andy.
5th Nov 2010 1:29 pm
cammackmartin
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
Well said Andy. I think the AT is the answer irrespective of their reply. I thought it worth getting a straight and definitive answer so that everyone could simply move along and stop worrying about the issue.
5th Nov 2010 1:40 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73066
Derivative answer, you're havin a larf!!
5th Nov 2010 1:42 pm
cammackmartin
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
Not sure what a "derivative" answer is.
5th Nov 2010 1:46 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73066
My dizlexik iPhone snelling chicker!!
5th Nov 2010 1:51 pm
Shiny Silver
Member Since: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Cambs
Posts: 170
General AT 19"
Still very pleased!
Reading through this post, made me reconsider why I went for these tyres, so perhaps my thoughts might help others:-
Previous Scorpions 25K and 23K per set... new AT expected to go much further.
Scorpions were poor in snow earlier this year... my D2 was more sure footed. But don't want/need full winter tyres..Wintracs..etc and don't need MTRs... as don't do playaway days and they can rip up greenlanes.
I didn't want multiple sets of wheels and tyres.
General AT2 is highly rated on here (by some!), but General claim the new AT is better and provide a comparison to show that.
Scorpions are an old design, time and design moves on. Pirelli ATRs are a viable option and now their recommendation for D3, but no one had them in at the time.
Andy AJS recommended the new AT.
Ultimately it's your decision, choose what best suits your needs!
5th Nov 2010 3:11 pm
cammackmartin
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
The summary to all this must be that The AT Grabber is probably as good as the ATR. If however you might be going into areas with rocks and situations where you will need or want to let some air out of your tyres, you may get sidewall damage as some have said the AT2 is prone to. And the AT2 will not grip in wet on road as well as AT or ATR. This is what I wish I had known when i posted "simple question" post before. If I had I would have waited for Grabber AT or put ATRs on mine rather than AT2.
5th Nov 2010 3:26 pm
Shiny Silver
Member Since: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Cambs
Posts: 170
If I see a rock laying in the road on my way home, I'll swerve round it rather than drive over it.
Thanks
5th Nov 2010 3:37 pm
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23809
cammackmartin wrote:
This is what I wish I had known when i posted "simple question" post before. If I had I would have waited for Grabber AT or put ATRs on mine rather than AT2.
This link taken from Andy's website compares the AT2 with the AT : http://www.ajstyres.co.uk/the_new_general_AT/Pages/23.html The significant improvement of the AT over the AT2 is in aquaplaning. I'd have thought mpg would be better as well, but that wasn't compared.
Personally I'd have had gone for a "new style" AT be it GG or Pirelli, Conti etc. BUT as I've said I reckon you'll be very pleased with your AT2's.
5th Nov 2010 4:28 pm
cammackmartin
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
Yes I was set on ATRs. The AT2s are on now. Hope it snows!!
5th Nov 2010 5:20 pm
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23809
Make sure you try them off-road. The D3 shod with AT2's will get you pretty much anywhere you'll want to go.
It would have been nice to have got a definitive answer on the sidewall issue, but it's no big deal. Chances are you'll not be driving across Tunisia (where the sidewall issue arose) anyway.
Back on topic, I really hope that the GG AT will be proven to be better or at least as good as the ATR. It's a much newer design than the ATR so in theory it should be. Time and independent tyre comparison tests will tell.
5th Nov 2010 5:31 pm
cammackmartin
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
LT wrote:
Make sure you try them off-road. The D3 shod with AT2's will get you pretty much anywhere you'll want to go.
It would have been nice to have got a definitive answer on the sidewall issue, but it's no big deal. Chances are you'll not be driving across Tunisia (where the sidewall issue arose) anyway.:
When the guy at General Eu said:
My understanding
is that the ply rating and construction of the sidewalls is the same as the
AT2 but the AT has additional material in the shoulder making it more
robust.
I think he did answer the question. The sidewall is exactly the same. Just the shoulder is different.
5th Nov 2010 7:35 pm
AJS4X4
Member Since: 30 Mar 2008
Location: Surrey
Posts: 3224
cammackmartin wrote:
Yes I was set on ATRs. The AT2s are on now. Hope it snows!!
You had the choice of Pirelli ATR or General AT2 when you were at my workshop and you chose General AT2's !!!!
Sorry I was not there when you came to my workshop but I was on holliday. I hope your choice will be fine for your needs.
Andy.
5th Nov 2010 8:10 pm
cammackmartin
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: london
Posts: 41
AJS4X4 wrote:
cammackmartin wrote:
Yes I was set on ATRs. The AT2s are on now. Hope it snows!!
You had the choice of Pirelli ATR or General AT2 when you were at my workshop and you chose General AT2's !!!!
Sorry I was not there when you came to my workshop but I was on holliday. I hope your choice will be fine for your needs.
Andy.
I'm not grumpy with you Andy. Noone forced me to buy the AT2s. At the time I didn't know what I know now. When the guys there said they thought the AT2s that they had fitted on all of their own cars were the best option I decided that if they were good enough for you guys they were good enough for me. As my needs are for almost all road driving but I wanted to get a tyre that would have great grip in the wet and snow as a best choice to keep the family safe on the road, I think now the ATR or the AT would be even better than the AT2s.
At the end of the day putting on the AT2s was all me and I won't accept that anyone else is responsible. From your post above I think I may have given you the impression I think it isn't my responsibility. It is. That's the end of it. If I decide I really want the extra I believe the AT or ATR would give then I will replace the AT2s.
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In the 6th post down, you were all geared up to buy the ATR's.
