General AmeriTrac : Off Road, All Season and Full of Disappointment
Written: Mar 21 '06 (Updated Mar 25 '06)
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Pros: Cheap (OEM for me, @$80 for you), quiet, great warranty.
Cons: Off-road is a term very loosely used to describe the AmeriTrac.
The Bottom Line: General does make some great tires, however the AmeriTrac is not one of them.
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| christian921's Full Review: General Ameri-Trac SUV Truck/SUV Tire |
I purchased my first new truck of my life some time ago and I have been living the redneck dream ever since. I could not be happier if I were a hog in slaw less one obstacle in the way to my off-road trail to hick bliss, my tires. Ford equipped my FX4 fresh from the factory wrapped with General AmeriTrac’s. Mine happen to be the TR speed rated version advertised by General as off road/all season tires. I found that to be partially true but I am getting ahead of myself here. Let me tell you a little more about the tires themselves.
AmeriTrac Basics
General brings you the AmeriTrac in sizes varying as small as 265/75 15 to as large as 265/75 17 and all come with a fairly attractive white wall lettering. The tread pattern is designed with deep pleats to help the tire free itself of the unwanted collection of snow and mud. General uses a cut resistant rubber compound in the AmeriTrac to help the tire survive its 50,000 mile warranty life.
The AmeriTrac also uses General’s Triple Traction Tread design to give the best possible traction on various surfaces and conditions this all-season radial was designed to handle. The outer edge of the tread and shoulder area contain slotted pleats on large block tread pads giving the tire stable cornering characteristics while remaining “self-cleaning”. The center tread has a thick rope patterned tread that gives the tire a planted feeling under acceleration and braking. The third part of the Triple Traction Tread design is the water channels that are grooved around the center tread pattern helping the tire track properly through the wet stuff. The tread is mated to a somewhat soft sidewall.
General warranties the tread life of the AmeriTrac for the already mentioned 50,000 miles which is a pretty nice warranty when compared to other tires in this segment. The tire itself is warranted from manufacture’s defect for 4 years (prorated after the first 2/32’s of tread is used, free replacement before). General also offers a 30 day free ride on their tires. If you are not happy with your new tires in the first 30 days of ownership General will give you your money back on the tires.
Personal Impressions
I have already hinted a bit at my underlying impression of the AmeriTrac by General. To put it simply they are simply average. The AmeriTrac is the vanilla choice for truck and SUV tires. They are cheap and when used to hit the highway and the highway only they will disappoint few. When the AmeriTrac is challenged by even something as mundane as wet grass the tire will start to show its true colors as an on-road lamb dressed in off-road wolf’s clothing. The AmeriTrac just can not perform well with conditions much more challenging than dry pavement.
Driving the AmeriTracs on my F-150 provides me a comfortable ride but the price to pay is an exaggerated body roll. The soft sidewalls give far more than I would like when it comes to braking hard and also helps to provide far too much nose dive. This can be dangerous as nearly all of the truck’s weight is transferred to the nose under braking anyway and this makes the steering heavy and sluggish. The AmeriTracs feel as if it doubles this effect making steering under heavy braking unpredictable and uncomfortable.
The tread is effective but only with the scientific definition of effectiveness. With dry smooth surfaces the tire is quiet and smooth. Once the AmeriTrac is challenged it will start to show weaknesses. Abrupt and aggressive maneuvers like those used to avoid obstacles in the road way will be greeted with tire roll and sliding. Once the tire flexes and stretches to its max the tire will roll over slightly on to its shoulder loosing a good portion of the AmeriTrac’s contact patch. Under wet and snowy conditions the tire does well to plant itself on straight-aways but again when it comes to quick movements the tire lacks in sure-footed reliability and you can feel skating in your seat. On gravel which seems to abound in rural Nebraska the AmeriTrac does very well to grab onto the uneven and slick surface. I think this is because the tire’s rubber compound is soft in general. For the nearly 10,000 miles I have put on AmeriTrac’s they show very little wear.
If you decide to take the AmeriTrac to your favorite fishing hole off the beaten path be prepared for more pushing and less casting. These tires simply do not grab mud well. More accurately they do not let go of mud well enough to grab a firm hold in the ground. For me they seem to get themselves packed with mud and lose all ability to grab anything but a tow rope. I would not suggest taking these tires far from civilization.
To further describe how the tires perform in adverse conditions I will give you two perfect examples. First in the snow the AmeriTrac does well at getting my truck moving. I have a limited slip differential that puts power to the wheel that is getting the most traction and that helps getting my truck moving in the white stuff. Add to that to the fact that my FX4 has four wheel drive when needed. Once my truck is moving though stopping and turning my truck is more difficult than it should be. The AmeriTracs plow through turns instead of grabbing and turning. Stopping the truck in a predictable manner in an emergency or panic stop is purely a guessing game. Second, in mud the tire seems to hold onto mud, especially clay based mud. The AmeriTrac does not clear its tread well enough to grab a firm hold unless you over-rev and over speed your truck. This is not the ideal way to drive your four wheel drive in tight quarters and it can be down right dangerous. Engaging the four wheel drive helps but does not cure either condition. The AmeriTrac simply does not do well enough in these important areas for me.
My final recommendation comes down to one simple thing. Where do you drive? If you drive dry paved roads and rarely if ever get anywhere close to off-roading your truck or SUV then you should be fine. The AmeriTrac will give you a long, quiet and comfortable ride. If you are like the other 85% of truck and SUV owners who drive in snow, mud and over whatever else gets in your way then you might want to reconsider. There are far better and less expensive tires on the market for your truck.
General Tire website: www.generaltire.com
Vehicle used in testing: 2004 F-150 FX4 SuperCab 4X4.
Miles driven on tires: @9,500
Thanks for reading,
© Christian Stanley 2006
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): OEM
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christian921
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Member: Christian Stanley
Location: A country mile north of Omaha, NE USA
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