Anyone running 37" Nitto Ridge Grapplers?

[Blue Bear]

I've scanned the threads, but can't find a good answer - or at least one that gives me what info I want - so I need ya'll's input. I'm thinking of running 37" Nitto Ridge Grapplers since most of what I will be doing is DD with some wheeling on the weekends. The Ridge Grapplers look enticing because it claims to be the best of both worlds - good on road and off. So, is the hype true? Do you like them? Would you switch if you had the chance? Anything I need to know before I pull the trigger?

Thanks!

MRB

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[GATORB8]

Don't have the exact experience you're looking for. We have 37" KO2s on the Jeep and 35" RGs on the Ram.

I've been impressed with the road and gravel manners of the RGs on my truck (20" E loads). Don't do any rock crawling or mud with the truck, so I can't be a huge help there, but I think the compound and tread would likely be superior to the KO2s.

 

[Apples491]

I've run 33" and 34" RGs and have a set of 37s waiting for my Wrangler to show up.

I love them. They're very sticky and I've never had any issues with them off road. On the flip side, they're comfortable and generally quiet on pavement. They do well in the rain/wet but lack a bit in snow.

The major drawback is, to make them so sticky off road, they're made with pretty soft rubber. My first set was toast before 30k miles. The second set was probably at 60% life when I sold the truck. They had probably 12k miles on them.

I would, and am, happy to trade some tread life for what I consider a better than average performance on and off pavement.

 

[6.2Blazer]

While not a Jeep, I have 37" RG's on my Ram 2500. Ran a couple sets of smaller BFG AT's on my previous fullsize truck, and ran the stock Duratracs and 35" Falken MT's on the Ram previously. I have also ran many other tires on different vehicles over the years including a couple sets of BFG MT's, various other radial MT's, and any several sets of bias ply Super Swampers. While I don't think the RG's are bad, they are not living up to my expectations. Bought them for the same reasons as the OP as most of the miles were on long road trips down the freeway so wanted something quiet and smooth, but didn't want to give up all of the off-road ability....and they "look" pretty aggressive. To be honest I don't think they are any smoother or quieter than the Falken MT's. While not obnoxious the tires are the most obvious noise when driving down the freeway and the wet road performance isn't that great. Haven't been able to do much off-roading or snow driving with them yet.

With hindsight being 20/20 I would have ordered a different set of tires. Again, not saying they are bad by any means but just not living up to my expectations as I'm compromising off-road and mud performance by not having a true mud tire (was looking at the Cooper STT Pro's) but the RG's really aren't that quiet and smooth, and compromising on the the smooth ride and quietness of the BFG AT's.

 

[SnowMonkey]

Are you going to have a second set of wheels/tires dedicated for snow season? I love my Trail Grapplers -- as you well know. Summer I run my Nitto TGs, in the winter I run Nokian Hakkapeliittas!

 

[Blue Bear]

Thanks for all the input. I think I will be going with the RGs.

 

[Discount Tire]

@Blue Bear, the Nitto Ridge Grappler is a solid choice. The tire is a hybrid , between a M/T and A/T tire that also if fairly quiet.

I don't believe you would be disappointed. Let us know if we can help.

 

[Old Dogger]

My Friend currently is running these 37’s on his JKR. I know that he had run several different brand of tires. He says that these are his favorites. But you may want to consider having them Road Force Balanced.

 

[Blue Bear]

@Blue Bear, the Nitto Ridge Grappler is a solid choice. The tire is a hybrid , between a M/T and A/T tire that also if fairly quiet.

I don't believe you would be disappointed. Let us know if we can help.

Thanks, DT. I think I'm sold on the RGs. I've bought a lot of tires from you over the years, so I know I will get great service and the best price.

 

[Blue Bear]

My Friend currently is running these 37’s on his JKR. I know that he had run several different brand of tires. He says that these are his favorites. But you may want to consider having them Road Force Balanced.

Total noob question - what's Road Force Balanced?

 

[Old Dogger]

^^^ The PIC above, is of a Road Force Balancer. Many times, large tires like 37’s, are a challenge for the installer, to get them balanced, because there is a lot of rubber and mass involved. The above machine, is the most accurate way to do it.

 

[Discount Tire]

Thank you for your support @Blue Bear, our Discount Tire stores offer road force balance as well.

 

[Blue Bear]

^^^ The PIC above, is of a Road Force Balancer. Many times, large tires like 37’s, are a challenge for the installer, to get them balanced, because there is a lot of rubber and mass involved. The above machine, is the most accurate way to do it.

Oh, got it. Thanks for the info.

 

[Old Dogger]

You are welcome Sir!

 

[CNJLUR4xe]

If I am not too late to offer an opinion, I have had 3 sets of ridge grapplers on other vehicles, 285/70-17 on a 06 Lexus, same size on a 2010 Lexus, and 35x12.50-20 12ply on my 2500 Duramax. On my Duramax and the 2010 Lexus, I had 2 of the tires that wouldn't balance on the road force numbers. Had to get them swapped, and Nitto was a pain to deal with through that process. On the flip side, the set on my 06 Lexus was phenomenal.

As far as performance/noise/comfort (once they were properly balanced) they have been my favorite tire ever.

Fast forward to the Jeep:
I have a 4xe which gets pretty good mpg in stock form, and being my daily driver, I wanted to keep the tire as light as possible when I moved to 37s. The ridge grapplers are on the heavier side (81-82lbs if I remember correctly) compared to most, with KO2s being the lightest option I could find at ~65lbs for the 6plys. I am not a fan of KO2s, and they are also rather expensive, so I ruled them out pretty quick.

I ended up going with the Maxxis Razr AT 8ply. They have a 50k warranty, look very similar tread pattern to ridge grapplers, ~72lbs per tire, and best of all, they were ~$330 each from @Northridge4x4 and arrived to my door in under 24hrs after ordering. Once you learn a little about road force balancing, this will be pretty impressive: all 4 tires were between 7-13 on the road force numbers. 20-24 is acceptable for a standard passenger car tire, lower the number the better, so 7-13 is GREAT for 37s. Overall I am very happy with them so far. Currently have about 4000 miles on them.

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