GBC Kanati Terra Master 32×10.00R15
Story By: Jason Cobb
Photos By: Brandon Bunch & Jason Cobb
Over the years, I have driven just about every off-road race tire out there, and I have expectations of what an off-road tire should be. When the UTV craze started, the tires certainly could not keep up with the development of the cars and the new speed that they were generating each and every week. Tire manufacturers have gotten to work and now, you do not need to go to a light truck tire to keep the air on the inside.
The beginning of every year is my favorite time. The UTV race season officially gets started with the Parker 250, and the next day is the annual pre-run for the ever-popular Parker 425, which I have been participating in since 1989 and have been lucky enough to win it 3 times over the years. New cars hit the market and the excitement level is always at the highest point of the year. 2020 was no exception as I headed to Parker for the race and the pre-run. I was so excited to have the opportunity to drive the new Kawasaki KRX 1000 on the pre-run, which was on my shortlist of UTVs that I have put together in a hunt for a new car for myself. This is a big car on a big track that deserves big tires, so be- fore taking off, we threw on a set of 32X10.00R15 Kanati Terra Master tires by GBC. The ruts left by a race truck on a 40″ tire are a handful to take on by a stock OEM tire—even the large 31″ tire that comes stock on the new Kawi.
We used a little logic when we mounted the tires with their unique design tread pattern being reversible for the track or trail conditions. We mount- ed the “A” side out on the front, which is designed for soft /intermediate terrain and mounted the rears with the “B” side out, which is for hard terrain. As many times as I have been around this course, I know that the top is soft and the bottom is hard dirt or rock. We like some front-end grab to help rotate the car because we prefer to drive with the rear of the car. The traction is critical to get the front-end light in the whoops when driving forward off of the hard base. The best part about our plan… it worked!
The tires are excellent in this configuration for this track, and I was very im- pressed with the steering feel with these tires, and the forward bite was not only impressive but can be adjusted quickly with a little PSI change, which makes a large difference in drive style. These tires feel very planted, and the lack of rollover in the corners was very confidence-inspiring and makes the car very predictable all of the time. The other standout feature of the tire was the side bite on the front end. When in corners, we noticed the traction was so great that it would actually climb up the wall of the berms where other tires would just slide or scrub through it. It was actually so noticeable that we had to change up our lines in the apex of the corners from the other tires. It’s nice to find a product where you can feel the difference in design.
Because the KRX1000 is non-turbo, the weight of the tires becomes a bit of a factor. The motor pulls strong but it takes a little bit of the edge off with this size of tire. The added size has an effect on final gearing as well, but the motor seems strong enough to pull through that though it loses a little snap off bottom. Maybe the tire is getting so much traction that it is pulling harder on the motor and thus, taking the edge off the power. Either way, weight or traction, she is not as crisp.
The durability was what you would expect for a high-performance UTV race tire that carries a 10-ply rating. Although we tried to avoid any rocks, especially the sharp ones, in some parts of the Parker 425 course, you are only driving on rocks, and all have been designed and sharpened to shred tires. These tires had zero issues with the rocks, and we tagged some large stuff at high speeds that not only flattens tires but ruins rims. Even so, the ICON wheels did not show any sign of im- pact. The wear was better than we expected (although we only went 157 miles), and the DOT approved tire was good on the asphalt with little road noise, and the steering was not darty, nor did it wander like some UTV tires can do when on the blacktop.
All in all, this is an excellent tire with great performance. It gives stock UTVs a more positive, taught, race car feel with added clearance and better than stock, puncture resistance. Rim protection is well above average and traction was exceptional all the way around. Turning, side bite, straight-line acceleration, braking, and predictability was all improved greatly with a firm feel and a great sidewall. If I raced UTVs, I feel I could win on this tire for sure, and even at a suggested retail of $293.00, this tire is a good value for what you get. If you do not want to change tires in the desert during a ride, save your pennies and grab yourself a set of Terra Masters and enjoy the drive. Find more Info at www.greenballtires.com.
