Nitto Ridge Grappler Review

You should be fine...see my 3 inch OME with RG's
G

 

Tires are making their way from the distributor to the installer tonight via nephews friend........



Tomorrow at 8:30 I will be at the installer. Pics to follow. Might just stay up all night!

Rob

 

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Got here at 8, they took it in at 9.

 

Can't wait to see them. I'm on the eastern shore of maryland and can't decide between these and duratracs. Same size as you 265 70 17. Only thing holding me back is the weight difference between the 2

 

Which one is heavier?

 

Nitto is heavier. It's and E rated tire. Duratrac has 3 options in that size. P,C and E, the E is lighter in dura vs E in Nitto. 50lb vs 54lb

 

Nice, great info.

I'm very pleased with the Nittos.

 

Yea, I really wish I had the time or gumption to remove one if the new ones and compare it to the OEM wheel and tire. So far though, at 37 psi I might have dropped maybe 2 mpg's, but I think it's closer to 1. And that's with the roads being smokin' hot in our 93+ degree temps. Anyway here we go, sorry for the delay, phone batt died yesterday and we went out for a change and got back late.

So to remind everyone, 2017 Sport, OEM suspension, I definitely had some rub on the drivers side front mud flap so I removed them all. Wheels are Limited Edition Brushed Copper Ray 10s with Nitto Ridge Grapplers in the 265/70r17 size. I went with the opposite sidewall everyone else runs to be different.



Thanks to all of you for helping me decide on and choose these tires and the inspiration to do this.
Rob

 

I had the Duratracs on my 14' 4Runner Trail and they were fantastic up until 30k miles. The noise grew to a headache inducing drone and traction was reduced enough to make them untrustworthy. In the end (around 44k miles) they were wearing so bad there was no more love for them. I decided to try these Nittos this time even knowing an E rated tire will be overkill for my needs. I was really surprised how pliable and light they felt before ther install, when I had to throw them into the back of the Taco. I'm not saying they were marshmallow soft, but they weren't rock hard either. On the road at 37psi they are not loud at all, if the road is smooth then the ride is like the OEMs, and it's not until you give over uneven or cracked or rough pavement do they feel like truck tires. But nothing harsh. The real test will be wear, and snow traction. I don't off road. Not with a new truck. Sorry.

You won't be disappointed with either, I can guarantee that. You might also want to check out the Fallen Wildpeak 3. Saw those at the shop and they would be in my top 3 tire choices.

Hope this helps.
Rob

 

Thanks Rob I'm with you my taco is a '15 I bought new and I would not take it off road. That's what I have a 1st gen 4runner for haha. I drive a the taco highway alot and tow so I'm probally going to lean towards these very soon as I only have about 30k on the stock tires

 

Yea, that is another reason for not regretting the E range. I have a 14' tandem axle trailer that I use to haul my diesel tractor, or yards of mulch, or whatever so the added capabilities of a E range has some advantage. I am sure I read that Nitto claims there is negligible differences between the two ranges for this tire. I would rather have a 3 lb heavier tire that cuts corners tighter without lean for those times I need that capability too. Since there's no C range in this size I'm using the 285 size range/weight comparison to come up with that 3 lbs btw as there's no other data.
Rob

 

How are you liking the new shoes so far?

 

So far so good. I've only put a thousand miles on them so far. But that's 3 or so tanks of gas. Which is about how long it takes for the computer to adjust to things like tire size changes.

What's great to report is these things are great on two lane, old wagon wheel rutted, blacktop country roads in torrential downpour rains. Maryland was getting hammered recently. Yes, they pulled to whichever side had the deepest standing water (and I'm talking inches) but at NO time did I feel unsafe or notice any loss of control due to hydroplaning.

Here's a weird observation (OCD kicking in). This morning it was finally a little cooler than it has been so I wanted to check the increase in psi from the heat generated while driving. When I filled them initially I used a digital pressure gauge and they were at 37psi. This morning they were at 35. That's less than a month. My drive to work is 44 miles. It didn't take long to heat them up, about half way or so, but they rose to 39psi. Of course this is all from the TPMS readout on the dash info. 4psi seemed like alot. So tomorrow morning I'm going to check them with the same pressure gauge. I hope I haven't lost 2psi in one month. Could just be break in.

Another observation, mainly because I can't stop looking at them, but, the tread face looks like it did before they were installed. And today's drive home was dry so no rain washed them clean. Just seemed odd how there doesn't appear to be any wear whatsoever.

I'm still lovin' em'. Still no regrets. I still think the smaller 265/70r17 works with the stock suspension on the long bed Sport. Oh and maybe this is because my comfort level is increasing driving the truck, meaning I'm driving it more spirited like I normally drive my vehicles but I am noticing that I'm getting a minor minor amount of rub on the air dam. But only if I break and turn the wheel at the same time. It's accentuated if there just so happens to be a depression in the road at the same time. Think city driving, taking a tight turn at an intersection.

It's not a big deal but it's crazy how that sound is amplified inside the cabin. As my mods progress I may remove it but for now it's staying on.

One last thing. My 88 mile round trip is split 3 ways. Country roads, highway and city. We drive with the a/c on and it's set to low only, and I constantly leave it running when my wife's in it while run into whatever establishment I happen to be patronizing at the time. I.e. Chipotle, liquor store, etc. The mpgs have been as low as 16.7 and as high as 19.3. Average is high 17s. Considering they weigh in at 80 lbs per corner and Maryland has the 3rd worse traffic in the nation, and the Wow factor, I'm pretty Fn happy.

Time will tell if I feel the same way in 20k miles or more. I have faith though. But if they ever start to let me down I'll fall back on the Duratracs. Those were my go to but the last set (and my first set) got really weird at 30k miles on my 4Runner. I need a really good snow tire that can handle country life and chores.

Right now I'd recommend these Ridge Grapplers to anyone.

Rob

Oh, and just so you don't have to go back and re-read all the pages, here's how mine turned out.......

 

Anyone with updates? Getting tires in mid Oct, having a hard time deciding between, RG, KO2 and AT3W. RG makes most sense with the C load 285's! Has anyone else weighed the C?

 

Check the first page

 

I wish I could have weighed my OEM setup to compare. Anyway, little more than 2k miles and I'm still amazed how quiet and smooth these are at all speeds up to 85mph. And I mean butter smooth. I cannot feel any vibration at all. Mine are the E load range and I don't consider them stiff at all. Right now I'm still completely satisfied with these 265/70r17s. This winter will tell me if I made the right choice or not once I get to test them in the snow covered asphalt roads and driveways here in Maryland.

 

I just might need to pickup a set of these tires..they look like a good alternative to BRO2's.

-RJM

 

i cant decide either, got a set of SR8's 17 in. matte gunmetal in garage in boxes,, i keep leaning towards these tires, but just cant make up my mind

 

That's why I said "anyone else" because of the first page. I have seen different weights, so clarifying.