Nitto Trail Grappler M/T vs Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 tires

Some drivers live for the kind of off-road adventures that take their 4WD trucks way, way off the pavement, and into muddy, sloppy terrain. In those instances, most all-terrain tires are just not going to be up to the task. Truth be told, mud is really the big game-changer in these situations. If your tire can’t efficiently clear the mud out of its treads and chew its way out of ruts for some real traction, it won’t make any difference how much ground clearance, torque, or horsepower your truck can bring – you’re going to find yourself with tires that are coated with a slick layer of mud, spinning in place and your truck hopelessly bogged down and in need of a winch.

Over the years, mud-terrain tires have developed quite a reputation for being loud on the highway, a little twitchy and squirrelly on paved surfaces, difficult to balance properly because of their size and weight, and clumsy when it comes to handling. Fortunately, the latest generation of mud-terrain tires has been designed to successfully get around many of those problems.

That brings us to our comparison of the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T vs the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629. These are both very capable premium mud-terrain tires, and they both have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses that we’ll get into a bit deeper in this head-to-head comparison test. In the course of this review, you’ll see us make reference to the tires’ SimpleScore numbers; if you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s a proprietary resource that the team at SimpleTire has developed to give you an easy, at-a-glance idea of what a tire is all about.

SimpleScore takes into account a tire’s specs, data points, and reviews and then processes that information down into a 1-10 numerical value for the categories of traction, durability, and longevity as well as an overall average SimpleScore. For the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 and Nitto Trail Grappler M/T, the SimpleScore rating breakdown is as follows:

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T

• Traction: 8.3
• Durability: 8.5
• Longevity: 8.9
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.5

Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629

• Traction: 7.7
• Durability: 7.6
• Longevity: 8.8
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8

As you can see, the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T and Kenda Klever M/T2 KR29 have some pretty notable disparities when it comes to comparing SimpleScore rankings. As useful as SimpleScore is, though, it’s still the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t give you an in-depth analysis of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. Let’s break that information down a little more with a head-to-head comparison of these two premium mud-terrain tires.

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires

Nitto’s Trail Grappler M/T is a great example of what a next-generation mud-terrain tire design is all about. It’s a tire that you can count on for unmatched performance off-road and in deep mud, without too many tradeoffs in the way of on-road manners, ride quality, and overall drivability on the street.

In difficult off-road conditions, the Trail Grappler M/T’s leading edge tread and side blocks give the tire more surface area, and biting edges for lateral stability and forward grip is a huge help for clawing out of ruts or over obstacles. Reinforced shoulder grooves are designed as part of a system, working with the rest of the Trail Grappler M/T’s tread features for off-road performance without compromising the rigidity and stability of the tire’s tread block. Deep sipes in the center blocks give a boost to traction in snow and rain on pavement, and the well-balanced void ratio is designed for efficient self-cleaning of mud and debris.

The Nitto is designed to be durable; the 3-ply sidewall and high-turnup design add an extra layer of protection for rough use and resistance to damage. Unlike many mud-terrain tires of the past, the noise/vibration/harshness design team at Nitto fine-tuned the Trail Grappler M/T’s tread pitch, arranging the size, shape, and position of tread blocks to neutralize certain frequencies and resonances for a ride on pavement that’s surprisingly quiet and muted.

The Trail Grappler M/T is also optimized for roundness and uniformity, which improves the tire’s ride quality and helps to address any issues with proper wheel balance. We also should note that like other Nitto Grappler tires, the Trail Grappler M/T has two different sidewall designs – one with traditional lettering and squared-off shoulder buttresses, the other with more stylized lettering and V-shaped lugs, making it easy to personalize your truck’s looks to suit your aesthetics and your own style. SimpleTire’s price on the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T starts at $278 per tire.

Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 tires

So what does the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629bring to the game? First off, we’re impressed with the innovative tread design of the Klever; its open shoulders and interlocking tread blocks feature a high void ratio all work as a system to deliver a confident grip in mud, loose dirt, snow, sand, and gravel. It’s built for all the rough treatment you can send its way, too, with a damage-resistant tread compound, a strong rib that helps guard the casing against damage, and an aggressive sidewall that resists cuts, punctures, scuffs, and impacts.

The high void ratio and deep grooves are designed to quickly rid the tread grooves of mud, gravel, snow, and debris so there’s always a clear section of tire that easily digs in for grip as the wheel turns. 10-ply construction and deep tread depth help round out the package, and the 8-pitch tread of the Kenda is designed to help neutralize certain frequencies and overtones, keeping road noise low and limiting the vibrations and roughness passed on to the passenger compartment.

The Klever M/T2 KR629 is also designed with a thick flange layer molded into the sidewall, helping to protect expensive rims from scuffs and damage. SimpleTire’s price on the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 starts at $195.50 per tire.

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T vs Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 tires on traction

First up is the traction category, and with SimpleScore numbers of 8.3 for the Nitto and 7.7 for the Kenda, this one isn’t really close. First off, we should note that neither the Nitto nor the Kenda have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service, so perhaps neither one of these tires would be a great choice for heavy snow and ice.

The Kenda does have some great tread features such as its deep tread grooves, high void ratio, mud diffusers that efficiently eject mud and debris from the tread, and scalloped shoulder blocks and “blockchain sidewall” for excellent lateral grip. The reinforced construction of both tires also makes them good candidates for aired-down rock crawling over steep terrain, boulders, and obstacles.

The Nitto, on the other hand, is designed so that the tread blocks and grooves actually put more surface area in contact with the road or trail, and its arrangement of sipes multiplies that surface area with hundreds of hair-thin slits, slicing and clawing their way through deep mud or rocks. That aggressive tread design is enough to give the Nitto a definite advantage in some of the most challenging terrain and conditions, and that’s backed up by the input we got from customer reviews, moving the needle on the Nitto’s SimpleScore rating. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Nitto Trail Grappler M/T

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T vs Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 tires on durability

With SimpleScore ratings of 8.5 for the Nitto and 7.6 for the Kenda in the durability category, the spread between SimpleScores is nearly the same when it comes to durability. We’re impressed by the Kenda’s built-in rim protector flange (a nice feature for any tire), 10-ply rating, heavy-duty tread formulation, reinforced sidewall, and robust internal design. That’s a good set of attributes for any tire to have, but the Nitto’s 3-ply sidewall and high-turnup ply layers mean it’s going to be one tough tire, designed for some of the roughest and most punishing conditions you can come up with. Nitto’s experience in the motorsports world (including rallies and desert racing venues) informs the design of their mud-terrain and all-terrain tires, including the Trail Grappler M/T, and this motorsports-inspired tire can truly get the job done without letting you down, in some difficult situations. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Nitto Trail Grappler M/T

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T vs Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 tires on longevity

When it comes to longevity, it’s important to note right off that neither the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T nor the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 are covered by a limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. That’s not uncommon, as many all-terrain and mud-terrain tires are not covered by the factory with a traditional mileage warranty. With SimpleScores of 8.9 for the Nitto and 8.8 for the Kenda, things come out much the same in the longevity category as they did for durability, which (of course) just makes sense. The jury is in, and our call:

ADVANTAGE: Nitto Trail Grappler M/T

When to use each

This is a question that always hinges on what your expectations are from a tire and your truck. If you live in a rural area and you regularly have to get around on ranch roads, logging access roads, or oilfield lease roads, or if you love taking your truck way back off the pavement and getting in and thrashing around in deep, sticky mud, then mud-terrain tires like the Kenda or the Nitto could either one be great choices. They’re both also great tires for rock crawling, with air pressure lowered to about 10 psi so that your tire conforms to obstacles and your tread blocks can get a good toehold on rough terrain, boulders, and steep grades. If, on the other hand, you want mud-terrain tires because you think they’re cool and you love the way they look (even if you spend most of your time on city streets), then that might not be the best criteria for a set of mud-terrain tires.

Yes, mud-terrain tires have evolved a lot in the last couple of decades. There’s no question that tire manufacturers have come around and addressed the long-standing complaints about noise, ride quality, vibration, harshness, handling, and wheel balance with mud-terrain tires. Still, they’re specialized tires designed for a specific job. For daily driver duties, you really should weigh your options and consider if you’d be better off with all-terrain tires rather than mud-terrain on your vehicle – unless you have a real need for that added off-road traction.

Which one should you choose?

When we wrap things up with the “Which one should you choose” question, things look pretty cut and dried with the Nitto outclassing the Kenda in all the pertinent SimpleScore categories. It also outperforms the Nitto in overall average SimpleScore ratings of 8.6 vs 7.7, but that doesn’t really quite tell the whole story. The Kenda is designed with several features that also make it a strong performer, like its open shoulders, interlocking tread blocks, reinforced sidewall with rim flange, and high-turnup ply layers, all of which are designed to give it exceptional stability on the highway as well as the durability, grip, and control that you need in tough off-road environments.

Then there’s a price to take into account as well: SimpleTire’s starting price on the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T is $278 per tire, vs a starting price of $195.50 per tire for the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629. After taxes, mounting, installation, disposal fees, and any other associated costs, that would end up being over a $400 difference for a set of four tires, and that’s not exactly a small change. We would just sum it up this way: the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T is an outstanding tire and will perform well for your mud-terrain needs. If you’re on a budget and you need to save big on a set of tires, the Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629 is also a great tire that will serve you and your truck well. It’s our take here at SimpleTire that you won’t be making a bad call either way.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.