Conti's General brand launches Grabber HTS60

By Jennifer Karpus, Tire Business staff

UVALDE, Texas (May 19, 2015) — Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C.'s General Tire brand launched its newest all-season, highway terrain tire, the Grabber HTS60, on May 19 during a ride-and-drive event at its Uvalde Proving Grounds, 85 miles west San Antonio.

General officials said the company will begin accepting dealer orders in July for a fall debut.

The Grabber HTS60 replaces the Grabber HTS, Conti said, and is the “perfect synergy of comfort, durability and performance” for light trucks, SUVs and crossovers. The HTS60 offers “significantly improved” tread life over its predecessor, according to the tire maker.

The Grabber HTS60 offers up to a 65,000-mile limited mileage warranty, Conti said, and provides a full product lineup that will be enhanced with future key OE fitments. Fifty Metric sizes will be available with wheel diameters ranging from 15 to 22 inches and speed ratings of S, T or H. Twelve LT-metric and flotation sizes also will be available, ranging from 15 to 18 inches in rim diameters, with a speed rating of R or S.

“The new Grabber HTS60 is an excellent all-season tire geared towards the on-road driver,” Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire, said in a press release.

Watch for Jen's Tweets from the track for the rollout of Continental's new General-brand Grabber HTS60.

“Staying in line with our Grabber brand, this tire offers durability, performance and comfort but has improved tread life over the former HTS, and we think drivers will really appreciate that.”

The Grabber HTS60 features a symmetric tread pattern with a strong center rib, optimization for water evacuation and General Tire's newest wear improvement technology that improves tread life up to 25 percent more than the original Grabber HTS, Conti officials said.

The Grabber HTS60 metric sizes are optimized for ride quality and traction, according to the company, while the LT sizes are optimized for stability and grip under heavy loads.

Additional features include:

• General Tire's DuraGen technology providing a robust compound with cut and chip resistance;
• A broad contour that gives the tire a muscular stance that provides a wide footprint, promoting even wear, excellent braking and responsive handling; and
• General's Comfort Balance Technology that offers a cushioned tread that contains an absorption layer that isolates the vehicle from road noise.

Conti also disclosed that it's adding the Grabber Arctic LT, a winter tire that will replace LT sizes of the General Altimax Artic. The company will begin taking orders for this tire in the spring for shipping in the fall in preparation for the winter season.

To reach this reporter: [email protected]; 330-865-6143; Twitter: @jenniferkarpus