Atturo Trail Blade XT has a very unique design, that allows it to be best of both on/off road worlds. It’s central closed up section supply decent highway grip, while its elongated shoulders deliver all the commercial traction you need.
Being a tire engineer, in my opinion, the Atturo Trail Blade XT features a great design capable of performing well on paved roads, but only when things are dry, as the tire lacks in wet and snowy conditions. Though it makes up for it with it’s superb tread life and off-road performance especially on softer terrains, on mud and sand.
Tire Sizes
On the other hand, the Atturo Trail Blade XT comes in 30 total sizes in 17 to 24 inches with following specs.
- Speed rating: Q, S and H
- Load rating: XL, C, D and E
- Weight range: 30 to 84 lbs
- Tread depth range: 13.5 to 18/32″
- Not rated with 3PMSF
- 45k miles treadwear warranty
Tread Design
The Atturo Trail Blade X/T gives you a very unique tread design, that’s for sure.
It’s central area consist of squared off lugs, arranged in a lateral fashion, (placed one after another between the two elongated shoulder blocks on each sides of the tread).
This laterally oriented structure basically provide paddling on all sorts of loose terrains, such as snow, sand, and mud.
And their closed up pattern offer a decent grip on highways as well.
Though with minimal siping, the tire could use some wet traction.
Moving towards edges, the tread is the most voided here.
It showcases elongated shoulder lugs, with robust stone ejectors in between.
Their outer margins aren’t staggered, but you still see W and O shaped biters there.
Furthermore, sidewalls are also very biting, as you may have seen form the image above.
Compare Atturo Trail Blade XT With Others
Directional Grip
Directional grip represents the rolling traction generated, when a tire moves in a straight line. And affecting to it are factors, that include tread structure, composition, and the overall central footprint of the tire (as the main ones).
While directional/straight rolling, the weight (tire carries) is concentrated in the middle, and tire’s footprint offering from there ,contributes grip a lot.
Having said that, although the Atturo Trail Blade X/T features laterally aligned ribs that break the surface contact while moving longitudinally, its overall braking efficacy remains commendable, (directorial grip is measured with stopping distances).
This is due to its angled, blocky lugs, and relatively smaller tread voids compared to other hybrid tires in its category. They form larger contact patch with the surface, resulting in a good deal of traction.
Moreover, all thees lugs are joined to one another with ridges/connectors in between, and this acts as a catalyst to overall gripping values, as they offer the needed stability.
Steering And Handling
Lateral traction, or sideways grip, is crucial when cornering and depends on the outer edges of the tread, along with steering response.
And the Atturo Trail Blade X/T delivers decent results in this area, as well.
With a larger shoulder footprint and stiffer compound, its lugs resist too much bending, resulting in smaller amount of under and oversteering. And this, consequently, leads to faster handling times.
Wet Performance
In case of aggressive tires, most of the wet traction comes from tread voids, let me explain.
Basically as the tire rolls over watery road, most of the water gushes out through the grooves, though the remaining water has to be dealt with sipes, and rugged/mud terrain tires are highly missing with those.
And the Atturo X/T is not an exception.
The tire may seem to have a lot of sipes on it’s tread featuring an interlocking structure, they are not like that all the way to the base.
You would see that those sipes are only rectilinear and way smaller in size, as the tire wears off, and it explains the overall poor wet traction on this tire.
(Rectilinear sipes aren’t that affective, as they can’t flex, or say breath water in and out of their slits, as the tire corners or brakes).
Fuel Consumption
To understand the fuel consumption efficiency for the Atturo Trail Blade X/T, I considered it’s rolling resistance, tread composition, and weight.
And I have to say, the tire is not bad at all.
Owing to its relatively lighter structure and compact block arrangement (compared to other hybrid tires), the Atturo XT minimizes energy wastage (effectively) associated with lug flexing, thereby enhancing the tire’s movement efficiency.
Basically, when a tire rubs it’s rubber against the road, the tread blocks want to flex, producing heat, friction, and so on, and increasing overall energy expenditure and therefore lowering fuel economy. And with little lug flexing, the Atturo XT does well.
Furthermore, the tire’s stiffer compound and reinforced foundations (with each lug connected laterally from underneath) contribute to that by providing stiffness to the tread, and resisting all types of bending of the blocks, as the tire corners, or brakes for example.
Mud Performance
Mud presents one of the most significant challenges for tires, which is why specialized “mud-terrain” tires exist, which have a balder design for improved performance, or should I say evacuation capabilities, in such conditions.
Though, as a hybrid tire with mud-terrain shoulder lugs, the Atturo Trail Blade XT holds on its own in a good deal of mud.
The tire features wide enough shoulder voids with numerous stone ejectors embedded within, making it very unwelcoming for dirt particles to get lodged in.
Moreover, you also get an excellent combination of channels running in all directions, ensuring rapid mud escaping (from the tread), in all directions.
However, it should be noted that the tire’s sidewall lugs should be improved, as they could really help the tire get out of the “tough/knee deep mud” situation, where the tire isn’t that great.
Performance on Rocks
For rocky terrains, a tire is required to have strong traction ability in both vertical and horizontal directions, as well as robust durability. And the Atturo Trail Blade XT provides an ample combination of these qualities.
The tire features interlocking central lugs that offer grip, covering almost all longitudinal and lateral angles.
And it’s saw-toothed shaped biters on the sidewall lugs effectively chew into rocky surfaces, especially when ran with reduced air pressure.
All in all, its a well-equipped tire that can handle all kinds of challenges posed by rocky terrains.
Sandy Dunes Traction
Where its so great in other off-road areas, the Atturo Trail Blade X/T may encounter difficulties on sand, particularly when tackling slopes. (I am saying this by considering the performance of all the other rugged terrain tires).
So why is that?
Well, those tires aren’t so digging, and have relatively softer rubber compound compositions (which molds better with sand).
However, Atturo XT compensates for this with its relatively lighter structure and paddling abilities.
Where lighter structure works against the “digging” factor, it’s swooping shoulders and laterally oriented middle lugs provide effective paddling effect with the soft sand, allowing for good enough directional maneuverability.
Treadwear Performance
The Atturo Trail Blade X/T features an impressive tread life as well.
Due to the tire’s relatively lighter weight, its lugs experience less pressure on them, when making contact with the road, and this limits the overall wear and tear.
Additionally, the tire’s harder compound further contributes to that by providing smaller vulnerability to wearing or burning out quickly compared to other hybrid tires in the market.
It is, therefore, understandable why the this tire offers a 45,000-mile warranty across all its sizes, where you don’t see any on most of the hybrids out there.
Snow Traction
Although the Atturo Trail Blade X/T lacks the 3PMSF (3-Peak Mountain Snowflake) rating, it can still perform competently in deeper snowy tracks, owing to its lugs’ ability to scoop up the ground and generate forward momentum, (by throwing snow backwards).
Though compared to other hybrid tires, the Atturo X/T also handles packed snow quite well, primarily due to its enhanced snow retention capabilities.
Apart from sipes, the It’s intricate web of interlocking grooves effectively captures snow particles, facilitating snow-to-snow contact and thereby improving traction in snowy conditions.
For Your Info: Rubber to snow exposure is not so great for winter performance, compared to snow to snow, as snowflakes really like to adhere with one another.
Key Takeaway
The Atturo Trail Blade X/T is a great off-road option, that offers decent performance across various terrain types.
While it may not provide optimal fuel efficiency or excel in every off-road scenario, it still performs well in mud and deeper snow, no doubt about that.
The tire’s tread life is reinforced with a stiffer composition and tread depth, and you also get good enough impact comfort performance as well.
However, it may generate more noise than some other rugged terrain tires out there.
Overall, its pretty safe to say that the Atturo Trail Blade X/T is a versatile option for drivers seeking a tire with off-road capabilities.
