Nitto 38x13.50r17 Trail Grapplers - First Look + Pics!

[TeraFlex]

Oh ya?? ? ? question: with a stock JL Diesel, would you say the 17x9 -25mm wheel would be the perfect fit with the 38’s? Would you add any additional upgrades to axels, etc from Teraflex? I’ll be doing the RT3 suspension with diesel specific Falcon shocks.

Yes, most of the Olympus wheels I have seen have been wrapped in 37-40 inch tires, which not only fit well, but look killer too. if you're going to get the RT3 kit, then truthfully you'll be good to go since the RT3 is the full optioned kit choice; especially when paired with Falcon shocks. If you have any further questions feel free to message us direct so we don't clutter up this thread too much.

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[JL_Wildlife]

Yes, most of the Olympus wheels I have seen have been wrapped in 37-40 inch tires, which not only fit well, but look killer too. if you're going to get the RT3 kit, then truthfully you'll be good to go since the RT3 is the full optioned kit choice; especially when paired with Falcon shocks. If you have any further questions feel free to message us direct so we don't clutter up this thread too much.

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[Roky]

Yes, they absorb impacts much better than the factory bump stops

Hey Owen, sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I was wondering how the tires are holding up if you’re still running them. I’m looking getting the 38s next…. Really happy with my ridge grapplers 37s, they’re wearing really well. I just want a little taller and a MT tire next………

 

[track.n.trail]

Hey Owen, sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I was wondering how the tires are holding up if you’re still running them. I’m looking getting the 38s next…. Really happy with my ridge grapplers 37s, they’re wearing really well. I just want a little taller and a MT tire next………

Hey Roky, they held up well for the 5k miles or so I put on them. Lots of wheeling on the Rubicon and Slick Rock and they still look pretty good. I'd recommend sticking with the 38" Ridge Graps if you spend more time on the pavement as the MTs do have a pretty noticeable vibration around 25-30mph even though they're well balanced.

 

[BeachPilot74]

Hey Roky, they held up well for the 5k miles or so I put on them. Lots of wheeling on the Rubicon and Slick Rock and they still look pretty good. I'd recommend sticking with the 38" Ridge Graps if you spend more time on the pavement as the MTs do have a pretty noticeable vibration around 25-30mph even though they're well balanced.

Thats strange.. I have 37" Trail Grapplers and I can run 80mph all day with zero vibrations. Is it only 20-30? I am getting ready to move up to these 38's.

 

[ohthatguy]

Hey Roky, they held up well for the 5k miles or so I put on them. Lots of wheeling on the Rubicon and Slick Rock and they still look pretty good. I'd recommend sticking with the 38" Ridge Graps if you spend more time on the pavement as the MTs do have a pretty noticeable vibration around 25-30mph even though they're well balanced.

Are you running balance beads? A couple of my 36x15.5 MT tires were vibrating at highway speeds then Discount Tire put the beads in and it tamed about 85% of the vibration.

 

[ohthatguy]

i got the baby 34' ones and also like the sidewall he chose

Those look great too. If those came in a 15.5” width, I’d be all over some 34x15.5’s.

 

[ChuckQue]

Time for 37’s, and the Trails are at the top of the list. How have these held up? How’s the road noise, since supposedly they designed them to be quieter?

Ugh, 38’s look sexy but I’m afraid of running even 37’s on the stock axles. It’s a diesel but I’m only trussing/gusseting and doing dyna BJ’s.

 

[MacombRoger]

There's two? I've been looking at this tire in a 34" but don't recall ever seeing an option for different sidewalls?!

The tires themselves have two different sides. One is more blocky font/tread, the other is more edgy. Make sure a shop is consistent on mounting them up.

 

[J0E]

Going from 37's KM3's to these Nitto 38x13.5R17 on beadlocks is like going from 35's to 37's. They hook up much better. I was shocked how I easily crawled several likes I couldn't complete on the 37's. One line I was the first in our club to make, but I was aired down to 6 PSI for that.

 

[ChuckQue]

I just pulled the trigger on a barely used set of these. The shop I go to had a customer who had these for 4 months and did one trip on the Rubicon and decided he wanted 40's. Snagged them for $1600.

How are they treating you? I have the diesel and full Apex front axle reinforcement/truss, Dana Advantek diff covers and am having it regeared to 4.56's Thoughts? I do run hard trails but I am cautious and stay out of the skinny pedal.

 

[ChuckQue]

Got them on! Still waiting on my AAL fender liners to come in. I’m surprised at how much lift 38’s gave over the 35’s. I know it should be obvious, but hot damn! Loving how these look. The ride is great as well, and they aren’t that noisy for being MT’s. The lightbar is noisier than the tires. My wife agrees that 4dr JL’s need 37’s minimum to looks right. My shop installed the Quake LED fender chop and gutted both front and rear fenders.

@Pig-Pen

 

[J0E]

Update: Swapping out my axle shafts for Dana Spicer Chromoly shafts did help with the vibration, although these tires are still not quite as smooth as my 37" KM3s. Slight floorboard/seat vibration around 30mph and 65mph, but not enough to be annoying. I would still highly recommend these tires and this size for the JL.



Hey Garrett, happy to help with your questions.

I'm running these on 17x9 KMC KM235's with 3.5" backspacing. I think that wheel is ideal for this size tire. With 37x12.5ps I'd go with something around 4.5" backspacing to reduce scrub radius and steering effort.

I'm running 4.10s and I live at sea level. I get around 12mpg city and 14 highway, 15.5 tops if I'm going 65. This is much worse than what I was getting with my 37" BFG KM3s (16-17 highway). I only see 8th gear when cruising between 45-60mph - it's usually in 7th on the highway but that's not a big deal because 7th at 70mph is about 2050rpm with these tires.

If you have the 3.6 V6 your performance and MPG is going to suck pulling your trailer at elevation with 38s. With the 2.0T it'll be slightly less bad ?
If your priority is being able to tow at elevation I would stick with a lighter setup - 37s with a non-beadlock wheel perhaps. Regearing to 5.13s will definitely help. I would 100% avoid 5.38:1 gears because the teeth get pretty small/weak with that gear ratio on a Dana 44 size axle.

Hope this helps,
Owen

I'm running 4.10s . I would 100% avoid 5.38:1 gears because the teeth get pretty small/weak with that gear ratio on a Dana 44 size axle.

Don't tell that to the 4.10 haters-keyboard crawlers, they'll tell you it won't work even though I proved how ridiculous they are.

My experience going from 37x12.5KM3's to 38x13.5R17 Nittos on beadlocks at 9 psi was more improvement than going from 33's to 35's.

 

[Quackaddict620]

Hey Everyone,

I just got a set of the new Nitto 38x13.50r17 Trail Grapplers installed and thought I'd post some info for anyone who's interested.

I installed them on some KMC KM235 Grenade Crawl wheels with 3.5" backspacing. I'm running Synergy 3" springs and there is no rubbing on the street. I'm planning to split my fenders and install some American Adventure Lab fender liners to eliminate rubbing at full flex. They drive well so far on road - haven't had a chance to get them dirty yet.

They are 37" tall at 26psi under the weight of the Jeep. They are D load range.

Let me know if there are any other measurements you'd like to see. I unfortunately did not get to weigh them before they were mounted.

There aren't many of these in the channel right now but Nitto is planning to ramp up production soon.

Did you have to run beadlock spacers with the nittos?

 

[DLW]

Did you have to run beadlock spacers with the nittos?

Not with the KMC wheels he is running you don't, at least I do not with 40" trail graps and the same wheels.

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