Nitto Trail Grappler review

[Eric]

Nitto tire company graciously gave me a set of Trail Grapplers to review. Here's my initial thoughts on them....

Brand: Nitto
Model: Trail Grappler
Size: 35x12.50R20/10 ply

I will start by saying that I was very impressed by how easily these tires balanced. Not one of them took over an ounce of weight.

Appearance

What can I say, it's a very mean looking tire. In a way, it almost reminds me of a military tread. Very aggressive sidewall which I think looks great. I get alot of compliments about how awesome the tires look.

Noise

These tires are surprisingly quiet; much quieter than my Mickey Thompson ATZ's of the same size. I'm guessing that these are quieter due to the fact that the rubber compound is a little softer than the Mickeys.

Ride

The Trail Grappler rides surprisingly well for it's aggressiveness. I did notice that you can definitely feel the voids in the tread when coming to a stop (approx 5 mph). When I first put these on, I aired them up to the max psi of 65 lbs. I immediately noticed a "sway" in the rear end when changing lanes on the interstate; aggressive driving; etc. I aired them down to 60 psi and that helped tremendously. They've gotten even better as the newness has worn off of them. They perform well in the rain. As for offroad, I've not had them in any mud but did drive down into a dried up pond to unload some wood for a bonfire. When I came out, I didn't have to put my truck in 4x4 to come up the bank like I've always had to with other tires. They seem to bite very well....

Wear

I've only put @ 2,500 miles on them so far but have no noticable wear. No feathering or cupping so far which is usually common on such an aggressive tire.

Overall, I'm very happy with these tires and as long as the wear is good, I'll probably get another set.

I'll update this thread as the miles continue to climb

Here's a pic of them after 2,500 miles

[choctaw]

You know Eric, I was really contemplating buying those. I just couldn't find them locally when I bought mine.

I do like the aggressive looks and I'm glad to hear they don't have much road noise. Are they priced fair?

[Eric]

Originally Posted by choctaw

You know Eric, I was really contemplating buying those. I just couldn't find them locally when I bought mine.

I do like the aggressive looks and I'm glad to hear they don't have much road noise. Are they priced fair?

Like I said, I'm very impressed with how quiet they are. As far as what I've seen on the net, they seem to be competitively priced

[JMart]

I have those on my list as my next tire. I like the Mud Grapplers but they seem to be getting louder as they wear.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by JMart

I have those on my list as my next tire. I like the Mud Grapplers but they seem to be getting louder as they wear.

I've heard that from more than one person

[jetboy]

I wonder how they are on the snow...

[dereku]

mad grapplers do get louder I bet if they were bald they would even get louder haha. I cant wait to get rid of em next weekend.

[PowerSmoke04]

im trying to figure out how u get these to test for free? lol well i got them on my truck and i LOVEEE them, i had a set of BFG mud terrains and i would take the nittos hands down!

[Eric]

Originally Posted by jetboy

I wonder how they are on the snow...

I'd say that they would be pretty good being that the rubber compound is a little softer

Originally Posted by PowerSmoke04

im trying to figure out how u get these to test for free? lol well i got them on my truck and i LOVEEE them, i had a set of BFG mud terrains and i would take the nittos hands down!

I had a set of the old BFG mud terrains and you're correct, these tires are much better

[Cumminspower11]

I have a 08 with the stock 20" wheels and a 2.5" leveling kit. What size would look better, the 285's or 305's? Also, what width should I go with. I believe the Goodyear Wranglers that came on it are 275/65R20...