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Nitto Ridge Grapplers in Snow?

Wrangled

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Do any of you running the Nitto Ridge Grapplers have experience with them in snow?

I'm torn between the 35" KO2's and the Ridge Grapplers. I called the tire shop this morning to possibly change from the KO2's on order to the Nitto's but the tire guy said, "Well that's a mud tire and mud tires are really bad with snow. The minute the plow goes by and packs that layer on the street you'd slip on that."

I live in Minnesota. I'm going to be driving in A LOT of snow.

Do any of you running this tire have experience with it in snow and can you comment on that? I really would like to run the Nitto's but where I live, I have to run a tire that slays the snow.
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Do any of you running the Nitto Ridge Grapplers have experience with them in snow?

I'm torn between the 35" KO2's and the Ridge Grapplers. I called the tire shop this morning to possibly change from the KO2's on order to the Nitto's but the tire guy said, "Well that's a mud tire and mud tires are really bad with snow. The minute the plow goes by and packs that layer on the street you'd slip on that."

I live in Minnesota. I'm going to be driving in A LOT of snow.

Do any of you running this tire have experience with it in snow and can you comment on that? I really would like to run the Nitto's but where I live, I have to run a tire that slays the snow.
I have had pretty limited experience with these in the snow. Maybe 50 miles at best, but, they were also at the end of their life. They did pretty well in the snow! Used it during a storm where we had a 2 inch per hour snow fall, and they were fine. Plow packs and all. I certainly wouldn't be afraid to rock those in the winter at all! I really don't think I have any bad experiences in the snow with M/Ts.
 

NFRs2000NYC

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Do any of you running the Nitto Ridge Grapplers have experience with them in snow?

I'm torn between the 35" KO2's and the Ridge Grapplers. I called the tire shop this morning to possibly change from the KO2's on order to the Nitto's but the tire guy said, "Well that's a mud tire and mud tires are really bad with snow. The minute the plow goes by and packs that layer on the street you'd slip on that."

I live in Minnesota. I'm going to be driving in A LOT of snow.

Do any of you running this tire have experience with it in snow and can you comment on that? I really would like to run the Nitto's but where I live, I have to run a tire that slays the snow.
You would be MUCH better served with a 315 Duratrac.
 

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Both the BFG KO2's and Goodyear Duratracs are 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake Rated meaning they exceed the Rubber Manufacturer Association (RMA) Severe Snow Traction requirements. The Nittos are not so rated. That said, I'm not sure how much that rating means in the real world because I've read a good number of reviews from Ridger Grappler users swearing they performed great in the snow. Also, I had Cooper Discoverer AT3's on my 2016 Ram 1500. They also do not have the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake Rating and they worked very well in the heavy snows we got here in the mountains of NE Pennsylvania last winter. Do the severe snow traction rated tires work even better? I don't know, but I'm sure any tires with that rating are pretty much guaranteed to be great performers in the snow.
 

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Wrangled

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Ok thanks guys for the feedback and advice. Interesting note... the tire guys called me back later in the day to confirm some things. This time it was the sales manager so I asked him the same question and he was even more emphatic about not going with the Ridge Grapplers in cold, snowy and icy weather. I don't think either of them had any direct experience with that particular tire ( because they would have said so if they did ) so I'm taking their feedback as general industry wisdom. That said, I suspect the tire would do better in snow than they suggest. I might hit up Nitto and just ask them directly.
 

NFRs2000NYC

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They are not snowpeak rated, I definitely wouldn't even look at them if I lived where you live. They can tell you whatever you want to hear, but the fact is, they are not snowpeak rated. I'd much rather run tires that are tried and true in the snow like the Duratrac or the K02, but it's your money and your call. The cooper STT pro does well in powder snow (fresh snow) but iffy on compacted snow (snow that has been plowed or driven on). They are also very heavy for no apparent reason compared to other tires of their size, which is the reason I am not going to run them in a 37" flavor when the time comes.
 

18RubiJLU

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Thanks for the inputs guys, I'm contemplating Duratrac 35 vs Ridge Grappler for my upgrade...and being here in Mass, good performance in snow/ice is certainly a huge plus.
 
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The Ridge Grappler is very over-rated I think. If you look at a Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, Goodforayear DuraTrac, Cooper Discoverer ATW, etc. you will see a LOT more siping and a more circumferential tread design. Much better for rain and snow.

The Ridge Grappler looks like a tire that would work great on packed dirt or sand. But they wouldn't be my choice for a daily driver because they're heavy and they aren't the best for foul weather.
 

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I wrote to Nitto about this and got a great response. So hopefully this helps anyone else. I linked their EXO Grappler for you in case you wanna check that tire out on the Nitto site.

"In regards to your question, to start off the Ridge Grappler is a mud and snow rated tire. We do have customers that have ran these tires in winter conditions such as yours back east and have heard back positive feedback."

"Now, for more severe winter conditions we normally advise customers of the EXO Grappler. These are for customers looking for a more dedicated winter tire. It is made up of a more durable compound than any of our Grappler tires which allows it to resist the effects of colder temperatures. The tread pattern is also designed to provide traction in those conditions as well. It is the only of our Grappler tires with a 3 peak mountain snowflake rating."

"While so far the Ridge Grappler has been a great tire for us, I would recommend if possible checking out forums and see reviews of customers running those tires in similar conditions on a similar vehicle so you can get a better idea."
 

18RubiJLU

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I wrote to Nitto about this and got a great response. So hopefully this helps anyone else. I linked their EXO Grappler for you in case you wanna check that tire out on the Nitto site.

"In regards to your question, to start off the Ridge Grappler is a mud and snow rated tire. We do have customers that have ran these tires in winter conditions such as yours back east and have heard back positive feedback."

"Now, for more severe winter conditions we normally advise customers of the EXO Grappler. These are for customers looking for a more dedicated winter tire. It is made up of a more durable compound than any of our Grappler tires which allows it to resist the effects of colder temperatures. The tread pattern is also designed to provide traction in those conditions as well. It is the only of our Grappler tires with a 3 peak mountain snowflake rating."

"While so far the Ridge Grappler has been a great tire for us, I would recommend if possible checking out forums and see reviews of customers running those tires in similar conditions on a similar vehicle so you can get a better idea."
Thanks for posting it. Very few reviews available on Exo Grappler. Are you planning to buy them based on all that you know now? I'm leaning toward Duratrac which is well proven and tons to good reviews on them. Cold weather performance is certainly a huge deciding factor to me, more than off-roading actually.
 
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Thanks for posting it. Very few reviews available on Exo Grappler. Are you planning to buy them based on all that you know now? I'm leaning toward Duratrac which is well proven and tons to good reviews on them. Cold weather performance is certainly a huge deciding factor to me, more than off-roading actually.
I've had two sets of DuraTracs in the past and I really liked them but I think for now I'm going to stick with the K02's just to see how they do in our MN snow and ice. I may get the Ridge Grapplers next spring for driving around in the sand and mud up at my brother's place.
 

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I just did a mild dirt road with deep snow on the sides, got stuck twice trying to turn around and just putting two tires into the deep snow.. 35x12.5r17 ridge grapplers on a 2029 rubicon with 2” lift
 

timn1984

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I just did a mild dirt road with deep snow on the sides, got stuck twice trying to turn around and just putting two tires into the deep snow.. 35x12.5r17 ridge grapplers on a 2029 rubicon with 2” lift
Wow you're from the future!!
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