Outdoor Adventure USA

I have been requested by Nitto to review their Mud Grappler Tire.

Nitto has provided me with set of 5 Mud Grappler tires, 33X12.50X17.

Having previously reviewed the Nitto Dune Grappler Sand Terrain tires, I am looking forward to trying out the most aggressive tire in the Nitto line. Like its Dune Grappler kin, the Mud Grappler is an "E" rated tire, with a 3-ply sidewall for strength.
I have installed the tires on ProComp 7089 Series wheels, and used DynaBead ceramic balancing beads - same set up I used when testing the Dune Grapplers.

Initial impressions:

These are awesome looking tires !!! Where the Dune Grapplers had a mild tread design (engineered toward sand use), and were adorned with a flame design that caused more scorn than adoration, the Mud Grapplers are a whole different ball game. THe tread design is extremely aggressive, with large lugs and lots of tread gaps to help keep the tread clean. With a "lizard-skin" pattern between the large sidewall lugs, and claw imprints on the tread, there is nothing "street-looking" about the Nitto Mud Grappler. So far, nothing but positive reation to the appearance of these tires.

First trip was a long, high speed freeway trip. One noticable difference from the Dune Grapplers, and every other tire I've used in the last 10 years, is the obvious road hum. Now, some tires, like Super Swampers, have a very annoying rumble when driving at speed - but these Nitto Mud Grappler's sound more like a low volume Turbo-jet plane. I actually like the sound - even the way the hum fades like a plane decelerating on landing approach. It is not loud enough to be distracting, and it didn't resonate into the FJ, but you definitely hear it. So, time will tell if this gets more annoying as the tire wears down. But for now, I don't think it's a big issue, as the sound is kind of fun.

The ride seems to be much better than I would have expected from such an aggressive tire - no wobble, no vibration, no handling or braking issues at all so far. While I'm sure the DynaBeads have a lot to do with the glass-like, vibration-free freeway ride, it takes a lot of tread design tuning to keep a largelug tire like this from having any resonant wobble at speed, and I think Nitto has done their homework to allow the Mud Grappler to be an acceptable daily driver.

Next test is to see how the Nitto M/G does in its' designated area - off road.

Stay tuned....

I am interested to see your review. I was seriously considering this tires sibling, the Terra Grappler AT, but have determined I need a more aggressive tread pattern.

At this point I am leaning towards the KM2, but this tire looks interesting.

What is the load range? Are you going to air down and test its sidewall flex also?

Great looking tire Larry, looking forward to the off-road reviews.

cruiserlarry wrote:
Next test is to see how the Nitto M/G does in its' designated area - off road.

Stay tuned....

Lookin' forward to that. I always see these on shiney H2 mall-cruisers around here. I know you'll put'em through what they were made for.

I truly believe that to test these appropriately you need to test them on two different vehicles. Like yellow and silver for instance. I know a guy with a silver rig willing to perform the the second standard for you...

I had a chance to ride on Larry's truck the other day and absolutely love the sound of these tires.

sdnative wrote:I am interested to see your review. I was seriously considering this tires sibling, the Terra Grappler AT, but have determined I need a more aggressive tread pattern.

At this point I am leaning towards the KM2, but this tire looks interesting.

What is the load range? Are you going to air down and test its sidewall flex also?

I will absolutely be doing air-down sidewall tests on these tires. This specific Mud Grappler is a load range "E", the equivalent of a 10 ply tire. The sidewalls are 3-ply rated, which should be good for strength when aired down. Nitto has some innovative design integrated into the tread of these M/Gs - the angles of the lugs, and the triangular lug reinforcement bars should help the stability and longevity of the very aggressive tread when on asphalt, and so far they ride excellent.

You can get more info at:

Nitto Mud Grappler

OLLIE wrote:I truly believe that to test these appropriately you need to test them on two different vehicles. Like yellow and silver for instance. I know a guy with a silver rig willing to perform the the second standard for you...

I had a chance to ride on Larry's truck the other day and absolutely love the sound of these tires.

Hope you were properly tied to the roof rack.

BorregoWrangler wrote:

cruiserlarry wrote:
Next test is to see how the Nitto M/G does in its' designated area - off road.

Stay tuned....

Lookin' forward to that. I always see these on shiney H2 mall-cruisers around here. I know you'll put'em through what they were made for.

Thank you for your vote of confidence - I'm going to do my best

gon2srf wrote:

OLLIE wrote:I truly believe that to test these appropriately you need to test them on two different vehicles. Like yellow and silver for instance. I know a guy with a silver rig willing to perform the the second standard for you...

I had a chance to ride on Larry's truck the other day and absolutely love the sound of these tires.

Hope you were properly tied to the roof rack.

Dammit Scott, you beat me to it. I was gonna say "wouldn't you be more comfy riding IN the truck?"
Kinda reminiscent of George Carlin's "get ON the plane? F' you, I'm getting IN the plane!"

Finally had a chance to get the Nitto Mud Grapplers "dirty" - last weekend at SummerFest in Big Bear, CA. With a variety of trail types and terrain, Big Bear is a great place to see how well these Mud Grapplers stand up to other tires I've used here, all while having some fun on the trails...

The freeway trip to Big Bear is a 3 hour trek for me, and that's a lot of high-speed freeway time for an aggressive off-road oriented mud tire. The Nittos did not disappoint, however, as they were smooth, handles the twisties without incident, and had excellent grip under hard braking from speed - unusual for a knobby-tread tire. The Nitto tread is designed to maximize footprint, and it works on the asphalt just fine - at no time did I feel compromised on safety or performance compared to other tires I've used. The only time I felt an instability was on severely heat-buckled sections of pavement, as the sideways-aligned lugs tend to track a little wobbly on that type of road. Overall, excellent on the street for a big-lugged mud tire. The only issue I still see for some folks is these tires are LOUD, and that noise level increases with speed. I like the sound the Mud Grapplers make, but I can certainly see why others might not.

Off-road is the focus for the tread design and casing construction of the Mud Grappler, and they were fantastic out on the trail. I had them aired down as low as 12 PSI, and never had a blowout, or separation, even when transversing the highway between trails at that low pressure. The 3-ply sidewall held the tire very well, and I almost forgot I was aired down when cruising down the CA 18. Now for safety, I have a Tire Pressure Warning System that also monitors tire temperature, so I was always careful not to get into trouble when running the low pressure on asphalt. But it is nice to know the tires won't let you down in an emergency situation if it comes up.

The grip of the Nitto Mud Grapplers is terrific, and even though we had no mud to speak of, the rocky terrain of Heartbreak Ridge and Rattlesnake Canyon can put any tire to the test. The sidewalls maintained strength, while still allowing significant flex to climb over rocks and rutted trails. No flats, no popped beads, no issues at all. These tires worked very well in the mountain terrain, and were just as smooth on the way home a son the way to the trail. Kudos also to the DynaBeads, as they kept the Nittos running smoothly even at extremely low pressure - no out of balance vibration or wobble at any speed or pressure.

Overall, the Nitto Mud Grapplers exceeded my expectations for an aggressive, off-road tire, both on and off the trail. You get what you pay for, as the Nittos are not inexpensive - but it looks like they will last a long time on an FJ Cruiser, so that helps as well. due to their robust construction, they are heavy tires, and it does seem to have an impact on fuel economy. Relative to my usual tires of the same size, the Nittos cost me between 1-2 MPG - not chicken feed as we all watch gas prices do their annual summer climb. Still, I am enjoying the Mud Grapplers, and the compliments I receive about them on and off the trail....