kawazx636

iTrader: (3)

I recently installed a set of Nitto Ridge Grappler tires on my my 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab and wanted to share my thoughts with you all regarding my experiences with the tires thus far.

Here's the link to the Ridge Grapplers on Nitto's website:
http://www.nittotire.com/light-truck...ht-truck-tire/

I went with the 265/70R17 (31.65x10.71) variety on factory Toyota wheels (17x7.5 with 30mm offset / 5.43 backspacing). The stock tires are Firestone Destination LE2 tires (what I call minivan tires) in the 265/65R17 (30.55x10.43) variety. The Ridge Grapplers are slightly wider and a little over an inch larger in diameter, but I had ZERO clearance issues. No frame/body mount rubbing when fully turned in either direction, adequate clearance of suspension, braking and steering equipment and no lift, wheel spacers or modification were necessary. I also found that added tire size also made my speedometer readings MORE accurate since before I had the tires installed my speedometer would read faster than my actual speed - the new tires actually put my speed readings spot on so I have no worries regarding inaccuracies typically caused by larger tires (this is specifically for my case with a 2016 Tacoma and this particular tire/size - not all makes, models and tires will have similar results).

The tread design is perhaps the most aggressive looking A/T tire on the market. Nitto's goal was to produce an all terrain tire with excellent road mannerisms while incorporating designs and capabilities of a mud terrain tire for the daily driver than tends to find him/herself wondering off road from time to time. Personally, I think Nitto nailed it with this design! They are also designed with two slightly different sidewall patterns to choose from when mounting so make sure your tire shop knows this so your sidewalls match on all four corners. I couldn't believe how incredibly quiet these tires are on the road! I figured that I would have some sort of hmmmm or vibration given their design, but I didn't notice any difference over the road noise of the stock tires. They grip the road very well wet and dry, they don't cake up in the mud and they are INCREDIBLE in the sand! I recently took a trip down to the Outer Banks, North Carolina and we stayed in the North Swan Beach 4x4 Community. To get to our rental home, it took a 7 mile drive down the beach. Sometimes the sand was wet and packed, sometimes it was very dry and loose and sometimes it was somewhere in between. It didn't matter - the Ridge Grapplers grabbed the sand and plowed through. I never even needed to air down - I was running the 45 psi that I typically run on the road while other trucks (including locals) were airing down to 20 psi and some still getting stuck! The tires would even bite the sand well enough to pull the truck up and out of deep ruts left by other trucks. The Nittos on my truck outperformed my friend's Jeep with KO2's and my other friend's F150 with Wrangler A/T's - both of which got stuck a couple of times. Performance in the sand was absolutely unbelievable!

Here are some pictures...

Pictured are 285/70R17 before I traded down to the 265/70R17 because I opted to forego the larger tires that would require a lift:




265/70R17 Tires installed on my 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab:








Loaded up for vacation. Even with about 700 lbs of cargo two adults, two kids and a dog the truck and tire combo performance great in the sand:


Driving in loose sand - the Tacoma in front of me was holding me up with his aired down stock tires. I later talked to him and he said that his TRD Offroad was struggling with the sand even with crawl control. So it's not just the vehicle, but vehicle's tires that make the difference!






Cruising at 50mph in wet sand:


Magazine reviews are calling the Ridge Grapplers "KO2 Killers" and I believe it! So far, they are the best A/T that I have ever owned! Get some, you won't be disappointed!

kawazx636

iTrader: (3)

Here's one more shot of my truck at the beach with the Ridge Grapplers. They definitely make my truck look more aggressive!

kawazx636

iTrader: (3)

Just a little update on the tires... I am still pleased with the overall performance, both on and off road.

A couple weeks ago I was helping a friend tear down an old barn and hauled several loads of debris to the dump in my hydraulic dump trailer behind my truck. I tipped the scales between 3,800 and 4,900 lbs each time and the trailer weighs 2,300 lbs so I was towing upwards of 7,200 lbs. I was very impressed with how minimal the rear end swayed with the Ridge Grapplers. The tires were only inflated to 50 PSI, but the load range E 10-ply side walls really stabilized the ride and made towing at highway speeds very safe and effective. I also had an idiot pull out in front of me while I was going about 45 mph and had to smash the brakes to avoid an accident. Let me tell you... these tires DEFINITELY grip pavement! Even with over 3 tons behind my truck and no trailer brakes, I had no problem stopping to avoid that accident.

I have just one slight negative so far though. As the tires wear (I have about 5,000 miles on them now), they do develop a little more road noise. It's not very significant, just little more of a little hmmmm, but no where near as loud as all of the mud terrain tires I have owned in the past. When I have the windows down I can certainly hear more intense road noise, but the new Tacoma cab design is extremely quiet so perhaps the road noise is reduced more in my case than it might be for other makes and models. This still doesn't take away from overall satisfaction for me.

We're expecting some rain and the super moon this weekend so the hunting should be good. Hopefully I'll be back shortly with some good pictures of my truck in some precarious situations trying to recover deer...