tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

General Grabber APT vs Sumitomo Encounter AT — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 0 road tests and 82 + 26 owner reviews. How we score

Encounter AT leads, 71–69 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · Encounter AT or Grabber APT on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

General Grabber APT
Tire AGeneral

Grabber APT

All-Terrain tire

± 7

Tests – · 1 test Owners 67 · 82 reviews

Best test result: #5 of 18 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Terrain Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 67

    Dry

    Encounter AT +5
    72
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6774

    Grabber APT: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.6 = 67

    Encounter AT: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 74.4 = 72

    No road tests of dry for Grabber APT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 74

    Wet

    Encounter AT +1
    75
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7577

    Grabber APT: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.2 = 74

    Encounter AT: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 76.8 = 75

    No road tests of wet for Grabber APT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 67

    Snow

    Encounter AT +1
    68
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6466

    Grabber APT: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 63.9 = 67

    Encounter AT: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 65.6 = 68

    No road tests of snow for Grabber APT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 63

    Comfort

    Encounter AT +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6066

    Grabber APT: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 60.2 = 63

    Encounter AT: 40% × 68 (est.) + 60% × 65.6 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Grabber APT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 61

    Noise

    Encounter AT +6
    67
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5368

    Grabber APT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 61

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 67

    No road tests of noise for Grabber APT or Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Grabber APT +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6966

    Grabber APT: 60% × 71.1 + 40% × 68.7 = 70

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 58

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber APTEncounter AT
    Reviews found online58–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Grabber APTSumitomo Encounter AT
Relative Score 69 71
Dry 67 72
Wet 74 75
Snow 67 68
Comfort 63 67
Noise 61 67
Treadwear 70 66
Handling (owners) 58 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Grabber APT

± 8

Encounter AT

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Grabber APT

Pros

  • Excellent traction in wet, snowy, and light off-road conditions
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality for an all-terrain tire
  • Attractive, rugged aesthetic that enhances vehicle appearance

Cons

  • Difficulty in achieving proper wheel balance, leading to vibrations
  • Inconsistent tread life reports, with some users experiencing premature wear
  • Tendency to pick up and retain gravel in tread grooves
All owner themes in the Grabber APT review

Tire B Encounter AT

Pros

  • Smooth and exceptionally quiet on-road ride
  • Great value and attractive price point
  • Aggressive, appealing sidewall and tread design

Cons

  • Polarizing winter and snow performance despite the 3PMSF rating
  • Inadequate mud-clearing ability in heavy or sloppy conditions
  • Occasional balancing difficulties reported by some users
All owner themes in the Encounter AT review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Grabber APT B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available2515
Rim diameters16″ – 22″16″ – 20″
Tread depth12 - 16/32″13/32″
UTQG360 - 740 A - AA A - B660 A B
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi60,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White LetteringBlackwall
Max pressure44 - 90 psi51 psi
Sizes in common55

Which one should you actually buy?

General Grabber APT

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Narrow edge: Sumitomo Encounter AT — better noise, dry and comfort. Pick the General Grabber APT if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 67 vs 61 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 72 vs 67 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Grabber APT scores 70 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 67 vs 63 on comfort.

Tire A · General Grabber APT
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

Which is better in the wet, Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 75 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 72 vs 67 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 68 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 67 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 67 vs 63 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Grabber APT or Encounter AT?

General Grabber APT, 70 vs 66 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology