Laufenn X FIT AT Review

If you are looking for a tire that delivers superior performance both on and off the road, then you can’t go wrong with Laufenn X FIT AT. The tire features an innovative tread design, and new gen rubber compound, and in a budget, I should add. Let’s check it out in more details.

Tire Facts

• “Laufenn” is derived from the German word “laufen,” which means “run”.
• Though Laufenn X FIT AT LC01 tires are manufactured in Indonesia.
• They come in 15 to 18 inches wheels.
• All sizes have speed ratings in R, S and T.
• Load ratings: XL, C, D, and E.
• Tread depth range: 13 to 15/32″.
• Weight range of all sizes: 40 to 64 lbs.
• UTQG: 520 AB.
• Winter ratings: Only M+S (not rated with 3 peak mountain snowflake)
• All sizes have built in rim protectors, and on all, you get 45k miles warranty.
• Their internal construction consist of 2 ply polyester, 2 steel belt, and a single nylon cap ply,

Tread Appearance

Laufenn X FIT A/T features a very on-road oriented design, as it’s symmetric tread is composed of 5 longitudinal ribs.

Let me start off form its middle.

So here there are 3 main ribs, featuring very squared off blocks.

The middle most rib has blocks with slightly closed up pattern, as the lateral grooves they make are very narrow.

This if for directional grip on pavements. That’s why these lugs also have reinforced foundations underneath.

The surrounding lugs features a slightly more open design. And apart from interlocking sipes and chamfered edges, they also have biters facing the shoulder.

Though this is the only rib that provide most of the rugged terrain traction, as the following shoulder ribs are again very less biting, relatively.

Speaking of which, shoulder lugs although carry similar features of notches and sipes, they lack the aggressive enough structure that you mostly see on all-terrain tires. They are very squared off and missing with serrated outer edges.

The tire also barely makes any lugs on sidewalls as well.

Fuel Usage and Tread Wear

Fuel efficiency is closely associated with a tire’s rolling resistance, which in turn is influenced by various factors such as weight, tread depth, and tread composition, among others.

Regrettably, the Laufenn X FIT AT does not excel in this section. And mostly likely, this shortcoming can be attributed to the tire’s somewhat heavier weight for an all-terrain tire, as well as its softer rubber composition, which tends to adhere to the road surface, impeding easy movement.

This increased resistance to roll of the tire, not only impacts fuel consumption, but also the tread life. The tire’s softer rubber basically gets burned more easily, and it’s tread depth is also not that impressive either (which could have helped it).

Though the tire does come with a little bit confidence inspiring 45k miles warranty.

For Your Info: For those seeking exceptional tread wear performance in the all-terrain tire category, the General Grabber A/TX is a great alternative.

Ride Comfort

The comfort of a tire is primarily determined by its ability to absorb road imperfections, and that is influenced by the tire’s composition and tread design, (well, for the most part)

And I must say, the Laufenn X FIT AT is an exceptional choice here, with its new gen tread compound, featuring a pliable construction, relatively, which effectively soaks up majority of road vibrations, with ease.

Moreover, it also gives out a very noise-free ride experience as well.

The compact design of the device inherently minimizes noise generation, as it prevents air particles from coming inside the tread, in the first place (the air basically hits around the walls, and the impact creates what you call tread noise).

Additionally, the tire also employs an advanced pitch sequencing technology to further dampen any residual noise that arises from air particles which managed to come in.

Pavement Performance Analysis

Highway driving demands a strong and consistent contact between the tire and the road surface, to ensure smooth and efficient performance. And off-road tires with their more aggressive tread pattern have to compromise a little bit.

Though Laufenn is still pretty impressive, I have to say, with it offering good enough steering response, grip, and lateral stability. These are the main factors, I discussed below.

Overall Grip

Grip and handling are crucial aspects of a tire’s overall traction. And to properly evaluate these qualities, both the central tread area and the sides of the tread must be examined, (to see how much contact is being made with the road).

Basically central tread area tells you about the directional/highway grip (calculated by braking distances), while shoulders come in to action during tire’s cornering.

Having said that, the Laufenn X FIT AT offers decent grip performance overall, though my testing show that its not as effective at higher speeds.

And this can be seen with its speed rating as well, which is capped at “S”, that is lower than average for all-terrain tires.

Though its lower-speed city driving is simply great. And I must say, in case of handling, it meets your expectations too.

Its squared shoulder lugs provide excellent lateral traction, (measured in G-forces, and they come out great). This design feature basically enhances the tire’s ability to handle corners and maintain stability across various driving conditions.

Steering Response

The Laufenn X FIT AT exhibits an average steering feedback and response, primarily due to its softer rubber compound, which causes lugs to flex slightly.

And this impacts the overall steering response, as flexing/bending of the blocks cause delayed under and oversteering balance.

Though in the tire’s defense, its lugs are reinforced at their base, so they still prevent excessive flexing (still), and try to provide a stable driving experience.

So you can say its steering feedback is just okay. Not too bad, and not great either.

Wet Traction

The key to exceptional wet traction lies in a tire’s capacity to expel water from its tread. This is achieved through two primary (tread) features, i.e. grooves, which resist hydroplaning, and sipes, which renders what is known as wet grip.

Let us examine both components in detail.

Wet Grip

Sipes are essentially slits or gaps within the tire tread that contain air. And when they come into contact with the road surface, they expel air to generate suction, enabling rapid water soaking abilities.

This insight leads us to two conclusions:

• An increased number of sipes results in improved wet traction.
• Sipes must possess the necessary flexibility to create the needed “suction”.

Having said that, comparing Laufenn X FIT AT with other all-terrain (A/T) tires, you get to see how the tire exhibits great (wet gripping abilities).

It features interlocking sipes, which stay flexible even during harsh turning and braking, and of course, aiding to that is its overall softer rubber composition.

So you get no complaints in the wet gripping department.

Hydroplaning

If a tire inst able to clear off water in time (through the grooves), it would cause hydro or aquaplaning, or in other words floating of a tire.

And needless to say, it would develop a thin layer of water between the tread and ground, severely compromising on wet traction.

Though that’s not an issue with majority of all-terrain tires, which have such voided tread structures, and Laufenn A/T is in that list.

It’s good enough interconnected lateral and longitudinal tread voids offer decent float speeds values.

Mud, Dirt and Gravel Performance

The Laufenn X FIT AT offers respectable traction on dirt and gravel surfaces. However, the absence of robust stone ejectors allows dirt to accumulate quickly, potentially compromising traction and causing damage to the tread.

Same goes for muddy terrains where you need fast enough evacuation capabilities. The tire’s tightly packed shoulder design hinders mud from being expelled, especially sideways, and its continuous middle ribs do not provide good enough paths for mud evacuation, so wet debris easily gets clogged up in the tread.

Moreover, besides missing stone ejectors, the tire’s also missing with mud scoops (shoulder lugs are not staggered). So this also limits the overall traction further.

Though the good thing is the (tread) lugs reinforced foundations, which act as dirt ejectors to some degree.

Other than this, the tire despite having a softer compound, features a very chip resistant rubber, so protection-wise, its an okay tire (though this does not go for internal construction, see below).

Rocky Terrain Traction

On rocks, you need durable internal construction apart form a ton of biting edges, and Laufenn X FIT AT really needs help here.

Though the tire’s tread features some biters, its sidewalls are very weak, with its softer rubber, and mere 2 ply construction. (Note that, the sidewalls is the area where majority of punctures happen).

Furthermore, the missing staggered shoulder blocks, and lugs on sidewalls, further hinder the traction abilities, as they could have really helped the tire with lowered air pressure.

Snow Performance

Winter performance presents a variety of terrain challenges, including icy surfaces that require a ton-number of biters, deep snow that requires substantial tread voids, and the most common scenario, on-road snow.

And considering all, the Laufenn X FIT AT tire, which is although not 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake rated, still has a good enough performance.

The tire features ample notches throughout the tread, and besides gripping on the snow, they also keep their flexibility even in extremely low temperatures, as the tire’s tread is thermally adaptive.

Though still, its traction is more commendable on fluffy snowy terrains, instead of packed up or icy tracks.

To Sum Up

Let me break down everything I explained here.

So overall the Laufenn X FIT AT is a versatile all-terrain tire that delivers varying levels of performance across different terrain types and conditions.

The tire’s softer rubber gives you a smooth, comfortable (impact absorbing) experience, and its lightweight design combined with ample sipes bring about above average wet and dry traction.

Though the tire has some limitations, particularly when it comes to off-road rugged terrains.

Moreover fuel economy and tread life of this tire can also be improved, as its rubber generates a lot of rolling resistance.

Though I like to add, that looking at its price tag, these things can still be ignored, in my opinion.