Nitto Ridge Grappler Tire Review

The Nitto Ridge Grappler claims to be the best combination of an all-terrain and a mud-terrain tire. With excellent traction on trails, this aggressive, wide-void tire supposedly offers a smooth and quiet on-road performance. The Nitto Ridge Grappler promises to give those weekend off-roaders who also do some highway driving precisely what they want. But does this tire actually deliver?

Features and Benefits

All-terrain tires offer performance in a wide variety of different terrains, while mud-terrain tires are purpose-built for aggressive off-road traction. The Nitto Ridge Grappler is meant to walk the line between all-terrain and mud-terrain as a hybrid that blends the best of each tire and combines them.

The Nitto Ridge Grappler is built with a high-void tread pattern for aggressive off-road grip and a variable pitch design with alternating shoulder grooves to reduce noise. The Ridge Grappler has alternating tapered edges within the tread pattern offering extra bite and grip on the trail and stone ejectors to get rid of unwanted rocks.
The Ridge Grappler is built with a reinforced tread block to reduce unwanted flex. This rigidity provides an F-load rating intended for the demands of heavy-duty trucks.

On top of all these sweet features, the Ridge Grappler has a sidewall that offers an aggressive design that looks edgier. But the sidewalls don't just offer a bold look; they provide additional trail protection for the most vulnerable part of your tire and extra traction. Nitto uses staggered shoulder lugs along the transition from tread to sidewall that function as small traction scoops. So whether you are aired down for the trail or at full highway PSI, this tire will perform and provide additional grip and bite.

Pros and Cons

The Ridge Grappler makes the lofty claim of giving off-roaders the best of both worlds, but does it actually deliver on that promise?

The Ridge Grappler offers a smooth and confident ride in both wet and dry pavement conditions. The Ridge Grappler's high-void tread digs in and provides grip on both mud and sand. And on more hard-packed trails, the Ridge Grappler provides excellent traction as well. The sidewall tread provides added confidence as the tire slides over a rock and offers additional traction whether the tire is aired down or fully aired up.

Nitto made some impressive claims for this Ridge Grappler tire, and although it does perform on-road or off-road, there are a few setbacks.

1. Although the Ridge Grappler is meant for on and off-road driving, it is not a pure on-road tire that will offer a silent highway ride. You will notice the noise of the aggressive tread during highway driving.
2. The Ridge Grappler is not a true mud tire, and we wouldn't necessarily rely on the Ridge Grapplers for hard-core mud bogging.

SimpleTire's view on Nitto Ridge Grappler tires

If you're a highway driver during the week and an off-road adventurer on the weekend, the Ridge Grappler is a great all-around tire that will satisfy the demands of the trail and also make the family happy. The Nitto Ridge Grappler doesn't require a huge tradeoff, and you won't need to compromise driving around town or off-road performance.

Nitto Ridge Grappler Ratings and Reviews

Kasey 4.5 Stars Verified Customer Jul 30, 2020

By far the best tire I've ever ran on my Tacoma. Doubt I'll run any other one

Paula 5 Stars Verified Customer Jul 20, 2020

I love the look of these tires and was very impressed by how quickly I received the order. Will definitely use SimpleTire again in the future.

Jarod 3.5 Stars Verified Customer Apr 19, 2020 I've only had these tires now a little over a month and so far they have handled great on the highways and great on dirt roads. I haven't had them long enough to rate the tread life or for winter traction. They look great and ride very smooth! Because they are an aggressive a/t tire there is a little bit of road noise in the cab but honestly you have to be listening for it to hear it. The only thing I'm uncertain about at this point is the tread life but with everything else, I would definitely buy these tires again.