I'm considering getting General Grabber AT-2's for my Escape, wondering if anyone knows someone who has them, and how they like them, read reviews online for people who have gotten them on other suv's, but no Escapes yet. A popular Tire website gives all sorts of specs on them, and they outperform the Conti-tracs on so many levels.
I was basically forced to do something, was hoping to wait until fall, so I'd have fresh tires for winter. Thank God mine has a full size spare, instead of a "lame" mini spare that literally "cripples" your vehicle. Four hours from home, on the dirt roads of Northern PA, went through a creek with a hot tire, and come out thinking I broke my car, after driving a little while, noticed the vibration only at low speeds, figured it was mud in a wheel, causing an imbalance, or maybe I lost a wheel weight. I was wrong. Finally took the wheel off at home, only to see a huge bulge on the tread. So I'm very nervous about getting Conti-tracs again, especially with the activity my Escape sees. I drive in snow, dirt, mud, ice, rain, it's not just a highway on a sunny day kind of car. I need a tire that can handle a rutted muddy cabin driveway, and not make much noise on the highway getting there. What tires are you all running, and what type of driving do you do? Also would you recommend them? Or tell people never to waste their money on them? I appreciate any input. Thanks!

 

I have an 2003 Escape XLS V6. Believe or not, but the Uni-Royal Laredo Cross Country tires I put on this vehicle just will not wear out. I just replaced two with the same tires after 70,000 miles and they still had some tread left on them. I have never had tires last this long on any vehicle I ever owned. Uni-Royal is noted for not making superior tires, but this one is working for me.

 

I put BFGoodrich Radial T/A P225/70-R15 tires on my 2002 Escape XLS 2.0L I4 5MT.
The po had put oversized no-name tires on the car. The new correct sized tires are a vast improvement.
The combination of getting a quality tire in a smaller size (compared to the old crap tires) resulted in improved handling, steering & ride.
The Radial T/As have been around for a long time. There are probably other good tires out there.

 

I could be wrong General is owned by Contiantal I was told.On my Escape I had Kelly suv something the where good lasted 50,000 miles. now It has Mastercrafts and would recommend them highly

 

I just put on today two General Grabber HT-S to replace my worn out beloved Uniroyal Laredo Cross Countries that were on the front of the vehicle. I had two new Cross Countries on rear. I say new, but they were installed in June of 2009, last year, and after about 24,000 miles, the Cross Countries are still like new. Out here in Jersey we have a large tire dealer called STS Tires with over 200 locations in the metro area. They searched for two days trying to find me a pair of Cross Countries, evidently Uniroyal discontinued making them in 225-70R/15. When I called Uniroyal the said they show no stock, but also said that size tire was NOT discontinued. I also tried a few other dealers, no go, can't get 'em. No stock anywhere.

Hopefully the General's will last as long as the Uniroyal Laredo Cross Countrys. may they rest in peace.

Continental owns General, but General Tire is still its own company like it was. Continental has it's own manufacturing plant from what I was told. Same with Uniroyal who are owned by Michelin. Seems today someone owns someone else.

Another good tire for the Escape is the Yokohama Geolander A/T-S if you live in a snow belt area. These tires are supposed to have excellent snow traction and come in the both 15" and 16" sizes for the Escape.

 

Along with my Ford van, I have a Subaru Forester, and the General Grabber AT2 is a very popular tire for guys who off-road Foresters because they are available in the right sizes for Foresters. They are kind of a BFG All Terrain clone but they are P rated (whereas the BFG AT is a C rated rock crusher tire) so they are a bit more streetable for something like a Forester or Escape. Also much cheaper than the BFG AT. But General and Continental are the same company...

A lot of Forester guys also like the Yokohama AT/S, and I've heard some great things about Toyo Open Country A/T's as well. These are more all terrain tires and I'm guessing you may pick up a bit of noise and lose a bit of gas mileage due to the heavier treads, but if you gotta get thru muck, they will work well. I think the Yoko and Toyo are going to be a bit quieter than the Grabber AT2 and BFG AT.

I am having a really good experience with the newer BFG Long Trail T/A Tours on my Forester (the "tour" is a new tire dating back to 2008, not the same tire as the old Long Trail). This is a more street friendly tire but is well suited for a little SUV like my Forester or an Escape and with a bit more bite than the OEM Contis on the Escape. I've got 27k miles on them and they barely show any wear. They are made in the US and are very reasonably priced. VERY quiet on the street and handle great. And I do rutted mud driveways, access roads, campsites, Michigan winters, etc. IMO they may be my favorite compromise for what you are looking for if you want a smooth road ride.

I also LOVE Michelin LTX M/S's...on the 2nd set of these on my van. They cost more than the BFG's but if you are gonna keep the Escape for a while, consider either the LTX M/S or the new LTX AT2's (the latter may be a perfect street/all terrain compromise) if they are available in your size. I would have got LTX M/S's for my Forester but they were 50% more expensive than the BFG Long Trail TA Tours (which are made in the US, maybe in the same factory as the Michelins, as BFG=Michelin). Michelins are reasonable priced in 15" sizes like for my van, but the prices skyrocket if you have 16" wheels. Is your Escape 15" or 16" wheels?

Good luck,
George