Let’s face it, the taller and more aggressive a tire isthe more truck guys like it. The appeal of an extreme-traction mud tire just suits the image and idealized purpose of a pickup. Even though we all tend to drive our diesels on the streetmore than on the dirtwe all seem to prefer the looks of an aggressive tire.
| tested Street Vs Trail Vs Mud Tires test Tires
While fashion trends suggest mud tires are better than all-terrains, the irony is that you can only see a tire’s looks when the wheels are stationaryand who cares how good a tire is when it’s not doing anything? One could argue that the function of a tire is most important when it’s moving, so we decided to put the good-looking aggressive tires (that we all dream about) up against the more humble appearing ones (that we should all probably be running). We also added in a new, middle-ground tire from Nitto that might split the difference between the two extremes.
Terra Grapplers vs. Trail Grapplers vs. Mud Grapplers
We selected three different Nitto tires and tested them on the same truck with the same air pressure (50 psi) and same style rims. The terrain for the examination included loose sand, hard-packed dirt, rocks, steep hills, and mud. We also tried them on the street in order to give you a real-world case study to help you make your next tire-buying decision.
Working with Discount Tire’s Abel Arreol, who manages the company’s America’s Tire store in Glendale, California (818 507-6049), we had all 12 Nitto tires mounted on 12 identical American Outlaw Colt 20x9-inch aluminum wheels. We then tested each tire on an ’05 Dodge Ram 2500 to see how they all worked.
Nitto Terra Grappler Specs:
- Tire type: Radial
- Tire size: 325/60R20
- Overall diameter (as measured on truck): 34.25 inches (front), 34.5 inches (rear)
- Tread: 2-ply steel + 3-ply polyester + 2-ply nylon
- Sidewall: 3-ply polyester
- Tread depth: 1532 inch
- Overall width: 12.91 inches
- Approved rim width: 9 to 12 inches
- Weight of tire and wheel: 107 pounds
- Tire’s maximum load: 3,195 pounds
- Maximum inflation pressure: 50 psi
Load range rating: D
| tested Street Vs Trail Vs Mud Tires nitto Terra Grappler Tread Shot
Nitto Trail Grappler M/T Specs:
- Tire type: Radial
- Tire size: 295/65R20
- Overall diameter (as measured on truck): 34.5 inches (front), 34.75 inches (rear)
- Tread: 3-ply polyester + 2-ply steel + 2-ply nylon
- Sidewall: 3-ply polyester
- Tread depth: 19/32 inch
- Overall width: 12.13 inches
- Approved rim width: 8 to 10 inches
- Weight of tire and wheel: 110 pounds
- Tire’s maximum load: 4,080 pounds
- Maximum inflation pressure: 80 psi
- Load Range Rating: E
| 1104dp Tested Street Vs Trail Vs Mud Tires nitto Trail Grappler Mt Tread Shot
Nitto Mud Grappler Specs:
- Tire type: Radial
- Tire size: 35x12.50R20
- Overall diameter (as measured on truck): 34.5 inches (front), 34.75 inches (rear)
- Tread: 2-ply steel + 3-ply polyester + 2-ply nylon
- Sidewall: 3-ply polyester
- Tread depth: 21/32 inch
- Overall width: 13.0 inches
- Approved rim width: 8.5 to 11 inches
- Weight of tire and wheel: 113.5 pounds
- Tire’s maximum load: 3,195 pounds
- Maximum psi: 65 psi
- Load Range Rating: E
| 1104dp Tested Street Vs Trail Vs Mud Tires nitto Mud Grappler Tread Shot
Tips From The Pros
So which tire is right for you? Based on our back-to-back comparisons, here are our recommendations. We’ve ranked each tire in order of performance, from good to best. Keep in mind that your personal needs, truck, and usage have a huge impact on which tire is best for you. On our test Dodge, our staff preferred the Terra Grappler for its all-around capabilities. However, the truck’s owner likes the Mud Grappler the best.
| We kept the tires filled with 50 psi of air the entire test.
Category: Terra Grappler Trail Grappler Mud Grappler Street Best Good Better Sand Best Better Good Mud Good Better Best Rocks Best Best Best Noise Best Better Good Looks Good Better Best Fuel Economy Best Better Good Stability Best Good Better Hill Climb Better Better Best
Wheel Specs:
- Type: American Outlaw Colt
- Construction: Cast aluminum
- Wheel size: 20x9 inches
- Bolt pattern: 8-on-6 inches
Test Vehicle:
- ’05 Dodge Ram 2500
- Engine: 5.9L Cummins
- Transmission: 48RE automatic
- Axle ratio: 4.56:1
- Weight of truck: 6,600 pounds
- Suspension modifications: 3-inch KORE lift
