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Talk me in or out of Nitto mud grapplers!

18K views 55 replies 23 participants last post by  KyzerSosa 
#1 ·
I bought my Jeep with 33s and just don't think it looks right. After reading quite a bit on this forum I chose 35" Duratrac's over trail grapplers that I was on the fence about. I got stuck in traffic with a jeep club and the Nitto Mud grapplers just look insane!:drool: Now I'm a-feared I need those suckers. They make no sense for all practical purposes as my Jeep is 95% on road driving. I got away from the nitto TGs based on weight but I think aggressive look of the MGs are going to outweigh all practicality. I suppose gas mileage and wear can take a back seat to looks occasionaly. Currently I'm running 33" KM2s and they don't bother me a bit. What are your opinions on these tires? Will I get decent mileage from them? (40k or so on road, rotating 5) Talk me into em, or talk me out!
 
#3 ·
They are expensive, heavy, and wear fast. I'm not a nitto fan. There are better MTs out there

Some ppl get 60k out of toyo MTs. Those would be my pick
 
#4 ·
What About The Nitto Trail Grapplers?
 
#7 ·
I was on that fence and I fell on the trail grappler side. I have 315/70/17 which equates to 35 in tire on paper. You are right they look awesome. Same could be said for the duratrac's sidewall. The ride comfort has suffered a little bit, although I'm hoping to get that back with adjustable rancho shocks. Bottom line get what you want, and don't let people's opinion be the deciding factor for you.

I haven't experienced the ride of Goodyear duratrac's to compare. If you read the forum, most swear by the duratrac's as if they were the bible of tires. See if you can get a ride with someone that has those grapplers for you to get a feel of the difference.
 
#8 ·
On a different note......I drive a lot on the interstate in my 2500HD crew cab 4x4....heavy.....and get about 80,000 miles per set of BFG's, KO's......got them on my 04 TJ, and they are holding up well.....

Got the BFG MT's on the '14 Rubicon......only have 700 miles, so the jury is still out on those....

Ran Buckshot Mudders on my '74 Bronco.....best mud tire, but didn't wear well on the big slab.....
 
#9 ·
I have 295/75/17 Nitto Trail Grappler MT's.

Here's my take with my real world experience...they are a heavy, e load rated tire (STIFF sidewalls) but have excellent mud and rock traction. They SUCK in the rain on the highway and have a tendency to "grab/pull" when you hit standing water. The ride isn't bad if you're aired down to about 28 PSI (I have a 2 door - a 4 door may be different based on vehicle weight). Road noise is what you'd expect from an aggressive tread pattern like a mud terrain tire.

Lots of internet chatter about weak sidewalls on Duratrac's, but everyone's situation (wheeling conditions and how hard people beat on them) will be different so take that for what it's worth to YOU.

I've looked at the Toyo and also at the KM2's and think either of those may be my next choice but who knows. I've got about 7K miles on my Nitto's, do five tire rotations about every 4K miles and don't really see a lot of wear yet.

If I were to do it all over again, I probably would make a different selection based on weight and how they handle the rain. My JK is my DD with occasional weekend wheeling trips.

Five tires are a big expenditure so I feel for people making the proper choice.
 
#13 ·
I wouldn't buy Nitto Muds.

  • ugly (opinion obviously)
  • loud
  • wear out too quickly
  • terrible ride
If I were in the market for tires right now I would buy Mickey Thomson Baja MTZ or Toyo MT's. If you have a little bit of time, I would wait for the new Falken Wildpeak MT that is supposed to be available later this year.
I have plenty of time, I only put about 10k a year on my DD and have 25%+ life left on my current tires. I'll be replacing purely on the want for 35s before the tires are worn.
 
#11 ·
I have KM2s now. They have chunks missing from the previous owner wheeling the Jeep and STILL aren't obnoxiously loud, handle well, don't pull and seem to wear ok. Maybe I should be comparing more BFGs rather than Nitto's. Functionality is equal to looks to me, so I want something that looks aggressive. I appreciate the feedback. FWIW I do have a 4dr and don't plan to do any wicked crawling when I do leave the pavement.
 
#12 ·
KM2s

I have a 2013 JKU with a Teraflex Stage III lift. I put on 315/70/17 KM2s on it. They are great. I have 15k on them and they still look pretty good. I rotate them every 5k and discount tire told me I will probably get 50k out of them. I use the JKU as a DD as well. The tires are not as loud as some mud tires and the ride is great, but then again, I have a different suspension with Fox shocks. When it rains hard, they tend to hydro-plane. I believe most mud tires will do the same. Off the road, they can't be beat, especially in mud and rocks. I love them. And they also look good.
 
#14 ·
I have a 2013 JKU with a Teraflex Stage III lift. I put on 315/70/17 KM2s on it. They are great. I have 15k on them and they still look pretty good. I rotate them every 5k and discount tire told me I will probably get 50k out of them. I use the JKU as a DD as well. The tires are not as loud as some mud tires and the ride is great, but then again, I have a different suspension with Fox shocks. When it rains hard, they tend to hydro-plane. I believe most mud tires will do the same. Off the road, they can't be beat, especially in mud and rocks. I love them. And they also look good.
I have a 3.5" clayton short arm suspension and bilstein shocks. The KM2s have performed flawlessly rain or shine. I will definitely throw them in the basket of choices I am just not crazy about the look.
 
#18 ·
Out of the nitto trails, duratrac, km2, mickey thompson, and toyo's I had decided Duratrac for looks/ performance. I just like the aggressive tread of the Nitto MG. I'm not stuck on a mud terrain at all as I likely won't need it. It looks like my original choice of Duratracs may be the way to go. Before I pull the trigger I'll put the KM2s in the hat since they've been good to me and I'll take a good look at these Falken's. Edit: the Falken AT don't do it for me at all, the Mud's Id consider with the BFGs km2 and Goodyears DT. I also had BFG tko on my last truck and the wear life was amazing. I really like an aggressive side wall though.
 
#30 ·
Out of the nitto trails, duratrac, km2, mickey thompson, and toyo's I had decided Duratrac for looks/ performance. I just like the aggressive tread of the Nitto MG. I'm not stuck on a mud terrain at all as I likely won't need it. It looks like my original choice of Duratracs may be the way to go. Before I pull the trigger I'll put the KM2s in the hat since they've been good to me and I'll take a good look at these Falken's. Edit: the Falken AT don't do it for me at all, the Mud's Id consider with the BFGs km2 and Goodyears DT. I also had BFG tko on my last truck and the wear life was amazing. I really like an aggressive side wall though.
show me someone on duratracs that offroads heavily.
OP doesn't sound like he is going to run Holy Cross anytime soon. If you offroad heavily, the Trail Grappler K spec should be at the top of the list because it is a proven tire, it is made of granite, and is reasonably comfortable on the road for an MT.
 
#20 ·
duratracs donot compare to km2 or baja claws or toyo mts

duratracs are an allterrain and are great for pavement princess. but ive seen them fail horribly on the trail. i climbed a hill that was a little slick with zero issue. similiar rig to mine. only difference was he was on duratracs. he got half way up. ended up sliding 30 some feet and slamming driver tire and fender into a tree this is the only thing that kept him from rolling.

duratracs were a good all terrain purchase when they were cheaper. the price has gone up and there are better cheaper alternatives. cooper atp for example. the km2 is a far superior tire
 
#21 ·
duratracs donot compare to km2 or baja claws or toyo mts

duratracs are an allterrain and are great for pavement princess. but ive seen them fail horribly on the trail. i climbed a hill that was a little slick with zero issue. similiar rig to mine. only difference was he was on duratracs. he got half way up. ended up sliding 30 some feet and slamming driver tire and fender into a tree this is the only thing that kept him from rolling.

duratracs were a good all terrain purchase when they were cheaper. the price has gone up and there are better cheaper alternatives. cooper atp for example. the km2 is a far superior tire
That little story bumps KM2 up the list. It looks like the previous owner did well with his mods, I just wish he would have gone 35"
Here is my original dilemma. IMO in order:

Performance/wear on road
-Duratrac
-KM2
-Nitto AT
-Nitto MT
Looks
-N MT
-N AT
-Duratrac=km2
It's starting to look like I'll stay with KM2. Anyone wanna buy some 33s with chunks missing from the tread so I can hurry up and upgrade?!
 
#32 ·
and i am saying they are not the be all to end all of tires like people like spout off about them on here. they are a decent all terrain but they are an all terrain. and an expensive one at that.

i would much rather run a hancook or a yoko for 50$ each cheaper if i was in a market for an all terrain. or even the bridgestone TKO for a little cheaper.

or a handful of mud terrains for cheaper. like the firece attitude. for 247 a tire. vs the duratrac at 300........... no thanks i will not spend more money for less traction. you have a lot of posts dave but you were here when the big flare up about the duratracs went threw. they were 199 for a 315x70x17 and people went nuts for them cause they were the cheapest decent all terrain on the market. now they are not and there are better cheaper tires to be had.


and all this is pointless because i can pick up KM2s for $196 to fit my jeep. granted i run a 15 in rim for that very reason.
 
#37 ·
the falken 35x12.5r17 is 74 lbs for just the tire. km2 is 69 lbs mtr is 64 lbs duratrac is 60lbs WHY THE HELL is the falken 14lbs heavier than its competition.
I have no answer for you, all I'm saying is they are lighter than mud grapplers. I feel the switch between grapplers and the Rocky Mountains, was a major upgrade, especially on road performance.
 
#40 ·
I believe the more I read about tires the more confused I get. It may help to mention that I live in south TX and as far as I know there is NOWHERE to rock climb and I likely won't be driving the 10 hours to get to some rocks. I do want a capable tire when I get to the chance to offroad which will be hill climbing and shallow mud. Like I said, I don't drive much per year so 50k miles or so a set would satisfy me.
 
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