Tire Test Results

Tires Tested

• What We Liked: Its firm ride, quick steering, dependable snow performance, and strong braking all deserve note.
• What We'd Improve: Some noise reduction and additional grip in hard cornering would be appreciated.
• Conclusion: Capable and well-behaved on the road, it follows instruction within reasonable limits.

• What We Liked: Quick steering, good damping of large impacts on-road, and impressive dry performance.
• What We'd Improve: Its wet traction, winter handling, and on-road noise need work.
• Conclusion: An adequate example of the category with room to improve.

• What We Liked: It stood out in most categories without detracting from the others.
• What We'd Improve: Some additional noise reduction would be nice.
• Conclusion: Adaptable, well-balanced, and comfortable on the road, outside of the snow it's a good example of what a Rugged All-Terrain tire should be.

What We Learned on the Road

Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.

The weather was calm, clear and cool, offering our testers an ideal fall drive for examining the behavior of each one of these tires on the road. The Geolandar X-AT set the standard for ride quality with a firm ride typical of the category, tamping down on vertical motion and rounding over impacts nicely. Noise is a typical concern for most aggressively off-road focused tires and the Geolandar X-AT was no exception, with audible resonance at highway speeds and notable changes when switching from concrete to asphalt. It did manage to blend noises into a less distracting unity, a fine accomplishment for its segment. Steering was another noticeably stand-out consideration for the Geolandar X-AT, with progressive, linear build-up appropriate to our drivers' inputs and quick, responsive reaction. The Baja Boss A/T had a firmer ride, but with more intensity from repetitive impacts and less from individual cracks and bumps in the road. It did create more vertical motion, however. Its noise profile over the course of the drive was fairly constant over most surfaces except the smoothest roads, with persistent cyclical pattern noise that varied in presentation but was nearly always present. It did earn special attention for its crisp, responsive steering that, while not perfectly precise, was well above-average for the category. Finally, the Ridge Grappler made a reasonable case for itself in comfort, rounding over large impacts and imperfections with dignity, though it tended to create more up-and-down movement. Noise was perhaps the most significant consideration with the Ridge Grappler, as its higher-pitched drones lacked the blending at lower speeds seen in other tires, leading them to stand out more. At higher speeds it handled multi-tonal notes better, though they were still loud. Every other surface produced noticeably distinct sounds, from a ring over chip-and-seal roads to a pulsing resonance on smoother surfaces. The Ridge Grappler did deliver competent steering that suffered slightly from some unnatural ramp-up just off-center. Otherwise it felt quick and responsive at lower speeds, if a bit over-eager on the highway.

What We Learned on the Test Track

Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, a five-cone slalom and simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling, and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.

While Rugged All-Terrain tires are clearly not intended for turning track laps, the fact remains that rain affects nearly everyone who drives at some point. The chance to push each tire to its limits on a wet track safely allows our testers to critique their ability to handle the unexpected when traction is down.

The Geolandar X-AT posted the fastest average laps, though it would be misleading to call anything in this category fast, what it truly communicated was a sense of well-rounded, useful characteristics throughout the course. The same responsive steering it demonstrated on the street continued through in the wet, but pushing the limits showcased its four-wheel balance through turns or sharp corrections. It felt as if the steering, traction and braking worked in conjunction with one another to properly navigate or brake precisely. Conversely, the Baja Boss A/T felt more focused on its responsive steering, forcing the other elements to keep pace. This led to some understeer scenarios when the lateral traction couldn't match the inputs at the limit. Interestingly, the Baja Boss A/T boasted the strongest objective braking figures in the wet. While its strong front-end authority allowed it to turn quickly and rotate into corners, our drivers found that by keeping it simple, nice tidy laps outpaced any flashier maneuvers. When it came to navigating the track in wet conditions, the Ridge Grappler struggled the most of the three. Traction was down across the board, and it showed with the weakest objective braking numbers, slowest average laps and in its general performance. It would understeer until the front-end found its footing and then switch around to oversteer as weight shifted. The only way our team found to avoid wasting time trying to wrangle it back around was to follow basic safe-driving advice and slow down in slick conditions.

On the dry track, the Geolandar X-AT retained much of the characteristics that made it a strong player in the wet. All four tires at play, with room to give it the right amount of rotation on command. Its steering remained one of its most compelling attributes, joining with its above-average traction and balance for an engaging, responsive drive. Meanwhile, the Ridge Grappler was like an entirely different tire on a dry track, with precise, front-end dominant steering pulling the rear-end obediently along. It still didn't gain any benefits from rotation or being tossed around, but with a clean, clinical performance, it had the lateral traction to follow a controlled line through corners and around the track. The Baja Boss A/T demanded a largely similar driving style that was slow, steady and well clear of the traction limits available. This was compounded by its responsive steering in other circumstances seemingly promising above the levels of grip it could provide. This ranged from simply missing the proper arc in a corner to saturating the available grip mid-turn and smearing to the outside. Given a bit of extra time, it would remain in control, but it simply needed more on the dry surface.

Driving in Winter Conditions

Snow and ice are among the most demanding conditions that tires can experience, even the most capable dry or wet tires can struggle in winter weather. The concessions that warmer weather, off-road, or even all-season tires must make can't match a dedicated winter tire, but knowing how they'll perform in unexpected or occasional light winter weather is always good information for drivers.

The Baja Boss A/T made a reasonable case for drivers caught in unexpected weather. First by leading the test in objective metrics, with the shortest distance to accelerate -at just over 15 feet to 12 mph- and the shortest stopping distance, in 59.1 by a comfortable 13+ foot lead over the other two tires. In emergency maneuvers, the rear axle felt planted, with no real breakaway. The front could be provoked into traction loss, inducing understeer, a common issue in the snow, making it feel slow to react and change direction. Still, with careful inputs in a straight line, it would hold the course: slow, safe, and steady. The Ridge Grappler was a different story: objectively it was only a couple of feet behind in acceleration, though its stopping distance in the snow was a significant fall-off from the lead at 72.2 feet. It was urgent, quick to respond at first, but then sluggish on additional orders from the steering wheel. After that, the recovery was snappy, with the vehicle wanting to whip into place to play "catch up" to the delay. The Geolandar X-AT felt similar in steering response, but more controllable, less rapid, and unwieldy. The drop-off between a controllable grip and a sideways slide was sharp and sudden once the tire got close to the limits of traction, although it was a mercifully high limit to push. Its objective metrics were behind in the snow, at 19.7 feet to accelerate, it wasn't wildly off the mark, but with 77.3 feet to come to a stop, there was room to improve.

On the ice, the Ridge Grappler did post the best stopping distance of the tires in this test, coming to a halt at 54.3 feet. Closely following that was the Geolandar X-AT at 56 feet even, and finally the Baja Boss A/T taking a few extra feet to stop at 61.7 total.

Summary

As Rugged All-Terrain tires are designed to capably handle off-road driving, drivers could be forgiven for thinking that's all they're built to do. However, it's just as vital that drivers can make the journey back and forth to their adventure destinations, which means building a tire that can handle a little bit of everything. Handling a little bit of everything seems to have been Yokohama's specific goal with the Geolandar X-AT – it's a very well-balanced tire for the category. No one would confuse a Rugged All-Terrain tire with the cushioning offered by their more on-road-focused brethren. However, it deserves to be recognized for rising above the average for comfortable cruising on the streets, while keeping noise levels manageable. It backs up that civility with a balanced performance offering in the dry and wet. Only its comparatively weaker performance in the snow holds it back from being a total all-rounder. The Baja Boss A/T is capable on the road, delivering responsive steering and handling. It was a stand-out among this group as a tire that can be counted on in the snow. There's certainly room to improve its dry performance on a flat surface but kept within its limits, it can manage the trek on city roads without issue. The Ridge Grappler is an attractive tire at a standstill, and with each positive trait comes a concern of some kind. It offers decent steering and an adequate ride on the road, balanced out by some oppressive road noise. It has reasonable stopping power on the ice but can be somewhat unwieldy in the snow. It's a surprisingly confident performer in the dry but could use a significant bump in wet traction. Every tire has its strengths and weaknesses, and each new report and test offers some perspective to consider in the wide world of tires.