It was achingly close, but ultimately, the new General Grabber AT3s did just enough to be crowned the king of all-rounders in South Africa. Gerhard described it as a well-balanced tire, with great off-road performance and good traction on all surfaces, complemented by good stopping power – making it the tire of choice.

Goodyear’s new Wrangler Adventure tires have taken the market by storm, and our tests showed why. With its Kevlar-strengthened construction, it improves on the already brilliant AT/SA series; and according to Gerhard, and as our results show, there’s nothing to choose between them and the winning Grabbers.

It was clear from our test results why the CrossContact AT was chosen as original equipment (OE) tires for the top-spec Ford Ranger. The vehicle complements the tires (or is it vice versa?) and it feels consistent and stable. However, the rating was slightly lowered by their tar-braking performance.

Bridgestone’s Duelers have performed well in previous AT tests, and this one was no exception. It was let down only by its gravel performance, but Gerhard complimented its predictability in all circumstances and its feeling of safety, particularly on broken surfaces.

During our tests, the Michelins impressed Gerhard immensely in terms of their level of ridequality and road comfort on all surfaces. And they performed quite well in all our tests. “They are definitely the most comfortable and controllable tires of all the contenders,” he said.

Dunlop’s stalwart Grandtrek AT tyre again performed acceptably, outscoring its AT3 G stablemate – albeit by a negligible margin – mostly due to its prowess on tar and gravel. The pick of the crop on tar and gravel, declared Gerhard.

The new three-ply Grandtrek AT3 G performed impeccably on tar and in sand, but less so on gravel, perhaps due to its tougher sidewall construction. However, Gerhard was impressed by its overall consistency and balance, more so when taking into account its high load rating.

The unassuming Destinations impressed Gerhard by the way they quietly got on with the job. The Firestones, living in the shadow of big brother Bridgestone, performed very well on gravel but less so in sand. They were also comfortable on tar; and in terms of all-round performance, they are the bargain buy of the lot.

The affordable GT Radials surprised all with their performance in the sand and on gravel. Yes, they may be a bit unruly under braking, and uncontrolled on tar surfaces, as Gerhard experienced, but they displayed good grip and traction given their quite old tech and tread pattern.

Much like the BFGs, the Raptors gave excellent results on gravel (braking and acceleration) but were somewhat unstable. They were also comfortable on-road but inconsistent in the sand and dirt, scrabbling hard to complete the incline traction test.

Given their rigid profile and aggressive tread pattern the BFG KO2s did well, outperforming the score of the previous generation in similar tests. They were surprisingly quiet on asphalt, but their braking performance wasn’t on par. Braking on gravel was excellent, yet slightly uncontrolled, according to Gerhard. Its stiff sidewalls also compromised it in terms of traction on dirt and gravel, and in loose sand.

Although Nexen may be new to SA, it is a well-known brand overseas. In terms of overall performance and on tar, the Rodians did better than some of the more established brands, but weren’t as composed on dirt, being penalised on the incline traction test for triggering the test vehicle’s traction control system.

As they were two-ply with a load rating of 112T, we expected the Coopers to do quite well, but their rigid LT (Light Truck) construction sidewalls did not help their cause. They impressed with their stability and stopping power on tar, but their traction on gravel and in sand was limited, possibly due to too high pressures.

Based on previous performance, we expected good results from the Korean Hankook Dynapro ATMs, but the RF10s disappointed. While they impressed on tar, they did not do so well off-road, suffering from relative lack of grip on gravel and in the sand.

Pirelli is widely acknowledged for its high-performance rubber, but its Scorpion ATs have been available locally for quite a while. Although their braking performance was fair, they did not do well in the sand and on gravel. However, Gerhard said that the Pirellis ensured a comfortable ride and a light steering response.

Yokohama’s Geolanders have always been viewed as good off-road tires, but the new GO15s were disappointing. According to Gerhard, the Yokohamas had less traction than the competitors, and the regulated tire pressure also did not suit them for the incline test

While this brand from Korea is already well-established locally, its all-terrain tires are not that well known. In terms of performance and feel, Gerhard’s comment was that the Road Ventures gave a less comfortable ride and had limited traction and grip on gravel and in sand.