11/24/2023 0 Comments General grabber at 2 snow test![]() Other than that, the entire ride was pleasant, even managing enough internal stability to rev up to 70 MPH.īut to put things in perspective, Grabber X3 still ranked at the bottom half of our test when it came to dirt handling. Bouncing was few and far between – not enough to be considered a major drawback – and only swayed when we went too slack with our steering wheel. The contact patch maintained composure well and grew more and more comfortable the longer we rode.ĭeep, roundabout ruts also proved to be a non-issue. X3 had no trouble familiarizing its groove patterns with the off-road dirt, exuding instant, firm traction clasps despite our very minimal inputs.Īfter 1-2 minutes, Ford already breezed through the rugged patches at 50 MPH, tolerating harmless slips at abrupt directional changes without putting our car in any actual steering compromise. ![]() Hydroplaning seeped into the grooves frequently at 42 MPH onwards during straight-line driving, and downright dragged the contact patch down when tackling U-turns. However, as mentioned, flowing, deep water was not Grabber X3’s strength the limited sipe depths could not handle sudden water surges on short notice. They offered open, non-anchoring paths for the water to flow right through, leaving little to no remainders on the sidewalls and allowing X3 to march forward pretty uneventfully. Grabber X3 was surprisingly very good with its anti-aquaplaning performance – which we think had much to do with the well-built, aggressive evacuation channels. The siped tread felt much less powerful when facing increased water volume, resulting in muted contact patch when we tried any number beyond 42 MPH. Like most off-road competitors, Grabber X3 was not on its peak behaviors mid-downfalls or in flowing water of 6 inches onwards. The rubber gave off a bit of slippage near the sidewalls that we did not like, especially when cornering off-camber bends, but we could manage well with gradual, consistent steering inputs and minimal speed changes ( 40 to 45 MPH most of the time). X3 was average on wet surfaces with decent composure and traction refills around shallow water below 6 inches. ![]() The rear tires also responded much slower compared to the front. Adding a 4000-lb trailer to the car did not deter much of its biting edges, either if anything, it grew even more connected with the tire as our Ford dived deeper into rugged alpine roads.Īgain, highways proved to be X3’s bigger problem revving higher than 75 MPH gave us a constant ominous feeling that we would lose control soon. It would be better to keep the front tires at 55 to 60 PSI and the rear ones at 40 to 45 the steering response reached its peak here, always punctual and responsive. X3 did its job just fine but with much less self-awareness, even faltering when we neared corner exits. Long corner handling did leave room for improvement, though. When other vehicles encroach unexpectedly from tough angles, Ford swiftly decelerated and veered right/left simultaneously without jostling in panic reactions like some other competitors. Grabber X3 was very sure-footed and aggressive at short corners, carrying itself with solid on-center ribs at 45 MPH and not fazing at all as we revved to 60 MPH mid-corners. General Grabber X3 dry test Corner Stability: 8.6/10 The piercing sharpness on regular streets also lurked around much more vaguely. At 85 MPH, traction drifting felt more pronounced at the edge and worsened at back-to-back switchbacks. This road performance, unfortunately, did not transfer as much as we had hoped into highway speeds. With the right built-up momentum and punctual power surges, we could even squeeze out extra grip navigating sweeping curves. Our team stepped up to hill roads at roughly 65 MPH and had more or less the same effortless experience stalls were more obvious at angled ascents but did not seem to affect our contact points one bit. The bold, striking confidence overshadowed all brief traction loss at lane merges, encouraging us to experiment with abrupt speed changes towards 75 MPH or down to 30 with little drama. Grabber X3 already showcased its excellent traction from the start of our 45MPH strikes from our cabin, we could feel the contact patch click into place and settle down as the Ford rumbled towards the main roads.
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