D-Dub

I'm going with a new set of tires this coming spring and wondering which one of these tires (if any) are noticeably better or worse.
Working with an 18 2-Dr that's used mainly on-road with some mild trail rides and a few weekend trips to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. I don't do any hardcore off-roading these days so thinking an A/T will be the best compromise. 3 of my choices are standard loads and the BFG is load range C. I'd like to keep the on-road ride smoothish but had to include the BFG. Heck they've been building that tire since I was a teenager, they must be doing something right. Been reading and searching but can't find much info for my style wheeling. Anyhoo...

Leaving price out of the process, which would you choose?

NITTO TERRA GRAPPLER G2 P285/70R17 116T SL
FALKEN WILDPEAK A/T3W P285/70R17 117T SL
NITTO RIDGE GRAPPLER 285/70R17 116Q SL
BFGOODRICH ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2 LT285/70R17 116Q C1

karls10jk

I've had the k02 and the wildpeak atw3- both are good tires and I've had no issues out of either. The bfg's were on their way to 70-80k miles. The falkens were bought secondhand but they're still working great and I expect good mileage out of them as well. Noise is similar on both. I wouldn't put the terra grappler in the same category as these two tires as they're more aggressive than that. I've read up on the ridge grappler and they don't get glowing reviews in the rain.

So I'd pick between bfg and falken based on tire weight and tread depth.

rob_engineer

What, good year duratrac is not on your list? They are a fantastic tire. Easily last 50k miles, but do get noisier around 40k. I just traded my 2012 Jku for a 2014 jk and immediately put on the duratracs. Quiet, and great in snow and rain.

espi

Ditto on the GY Duratrac. I have had duratracs in both 33 and 35. The 35s I had for 55,000 miles and they were excellent until about 40,000. They still had alot of tread but were noisier and since the sipping isn't that deep the wet traction was not as good.

I now have ridge grapplers in 35 and they are noticeably louder and as said before not as good in the rain. They are not bad at all in the rain but I can spin them much easier around corners when its wet. I would rate thier wet traction about the same as the duratracs at about 40000 miles. They have 15000 miles now and wearing much slower than the duratracs.

If you want a lighter AT the duratrac is a great choice with an aggressive look. They perform great in the rain, snow, fire trails and sand. The ridge grapplers have been great but are alot heavier. One thing to keep in mind is that your already crappy brakes will be worse with heavier tires.

D-Dub

Wow, thanks for your review I appreciate that. I know what you're saying about the Nittos but there are so few tires that fit my needs I had to include them. And I do like the looks of the Terra Grappler. Just saw a set of the Ridge Grapplers on a JKU yesterday and they look even w-i-d-e-r in person.
I'm thinking It'll come down to the Falken or the BFG.

The Duratrac only come in load range D or E don't work for my build of light weight and soft.

TheDirtman

If you are doing silver lake dunes often I would look for a true 33x12.5 tire and maybe go down in wheel size to get as much traction as you can aired down. I hope you are geared right for those steep climbs too. Or maybe even consider a second set of tires and wheels for doing sand.

D-Dub

My initial plan was 33x12.50R17... I already bought the wheels before I checked for tires. Yeah they're all 8 and 10 ply. Was gonna go with flat fenders etc, etc. After looking into things a little closer I decided on the 285/70's with 5.25 - 5.5" backspacing and 8.5 - 8.0" wide wheels. Keep the tires "just" under the fenders.

My Wrangler is set up for mild off-road use with HD suspension, 3.73's and electric rear locker. With the P255/75R17 Wrangler SRA's at 10psi I made every hill without a problem. It could use a little more shock absorber and some better bump stops (metalcloak to the rescue) but it does very well for a mostly stock Jeep.

jkk9

Before committing. I strongly suggest trying the recent redesign of Cooper’s Discoverer AT3. Aggressive in appearances yet incredibly quiet and amazing traction and grip from starts, cornering and stops. I currently own new sets of Duratracs, Michelins, KO2s and KMs on multiple family vehicles. The C.D. AT3 (LTX) is the winner in our household for a work and play combination. Best of luck to you and yours.

D-Dub

How did I miss that? It's even made in the US. I'll be checking into the AT3 for sure. Thanks!

jkk9

...Glad to hear. Also, very affordable comparatively and is/are light weight. Same pattern at 3 level choices. 4 seasons, LT and LTX. The LTX exaggerates the (same) design with extra side wall strength and lugs. I am sure you will make the right choice for your needs. Most anything new is nice. It’s the second half-life that I want to be assured (as possible). Cheers.