The Toyo RT can be classified as an Off-Road Traction tire specifically made for rough and rocky areas to provide satisfying grip and handling. Nitto ridge grappler, on the other hand, has a hybrid terrain design that possesses the quality of both, All-terrain (A/T) and Mud-terrain (M/T) tire. Its innovative hybrid tread pattern allows you to have a smooth and comfortable ride.
Here are some distinguishing features of both these beasts that will help you decide which tire suits you the most according to your needs.
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Comparing Nitto Ridge Grappler with Toyo Open Country RT
Nitto Ridge Grappler
Toyo Open Country R/T
Vs
The Ridge Grappler comes with an innovative hybrid terrain design to give an overall adequate performance. (See other AT tires by Nitto). Its specially designed dynamic tread pattern enables it to give a quiet, comfortable, and smooth ride without compromising the traction and handling. Its larger surface area enhances its traction on road due to more contact patch.
The lower void ratio increases grip with the road in dry conditions. The shoulder pattern and staggered lug blocks assist in lateral stability while turning the vehicle on rough grounds.
Toyo RT is the best when it comes to off-road experience as it provides amazing grip and handling. Its aggressive tread pattern provides better mobility and traction that is required in off-road driving situations. The bold sidewall design and staggered shoulders enhance durability and side-impact protection. The high turn-up tough polyester construction aids in providing additional durability. The wider grooves help in throwing chunks of mud backwards and clean the tire. The bold stone ejector does not let any pebble stuck between the grooves and assists in self-cleaning.
On-Road Traction
When it comes to on road traction comparison, the Nitto terra grappler is the jack of all trades and works well while travelling on road. It provides an overall sufficient performance in dry and wet conditions. It has more contact patch, therefore, providing more traction while maintaining stability. The shoulders of Nitto are also optimized to give better handling performance on highways.
Toyo RT is built specifically for rough surfaces, it has high voids in between the blocks so the contact patch decreases and due to less contact patch, Toyo RT has less traction thus, increasing the braking distance and compromising stability at high speeds. The wide spacing between the grooves puts it at a disadvantage when it comes to driving at highways as the less surface area in contact with the road.
Nitto having more contact patch provides better grip and handling on highways than its competitor.
Off-Road Traction
Mud terrains
Nitto has closely packed tread blocks and that’s why its grooves are comparatively narrower so they are unable to perform well on mud as if these tires are used in muddy swamps, the tread fills up with mud which makes them struggle to roll forward. The narrow grooves also affect the handling as the tire loses its grip when it gets filled with mud and dirt.
The Toyo RT shows its true capabilities in the off-road areas. It has large tread blocks with wide channels which allows it to work great on muddy roads. The wider groove channels assist in throwing the mud backward which prevents the tire to get stuck and keep rolling in one place. The bold tread design with a high void ratio helps the tire to maintain traction and stability in muddy conditions. Toyo RT having wider grooves gives better traction in mud as compared to Nitto.
Snow Terrains
In order to provide better traction and mobility in snowy areas, tires need to have wider groove channels that can throw the snow backwards while clearing the path for the tire. Nitto has narrow grooves which makes it struggle in soft snow as the snow particles could get stuck between the grooves causing the tire to lose its grip with the surface.
The Toyo is overall better than its competitor when it comes to the performance in snowy areas. The wider grooves of Toyo give it an advantage in scooping away more snow from tread blocks, aiding in traction. More spacing in the tread design helps in pushing more snow out of the way, hence clearing the path for the vehicle.
Toyo having wider grooves wins from its competitor in snow terrains as more spacing in between tread block means more ease in removal of snow from the tread.
Rocky terrains
Nitto being a hybrid of both the families provides an acceptable performance on rocky terrains. The narrow grooves maintain the traction with the surface but one thing to notice is that small rocks could get stuck between the deep tread pattern of this tire and the stone ejection feature is not sufficient enough to get rid of them all, therefore damaging the tire.
Toyo is the king in rocky areas and does not struggle while propagating through rugged terrains. The high void ratio and open shoulder blocks give it a splendid traction performance on rough surfaces. The bold stone ejectors in the tread do not allow any stone or pebble to get stuck in the grooves. Plenty of stone ejectors can be found in the tread pattern that prevents stones and rocks to get stuck in the grooves and damage it. The open scalloped shoulder blocks also assist in maintaining the traction and forward movement of tires on rough surfaces.
The high voids and open tread design of Toyo make it a good choice for rocky areas. Its stone ejection feature is quite satisfactory and gives better performance than Nitto.
Driving Comfort
Ridge grappler gives satisfactory performance when it comes to noise, particularly at higher speed on highways. The 3D simulation and advanced sound analysis equipment give it an edge to provide smoother and quieter ride. The tire has narrow grooves which do not let more air to get entrapped thus making the tire virtually inaudible providing thousands of quiet road miles.
Toyo has an optimized pattern arrangement to give an overall smooth and comfortable ride but the high voids in the tread pattern produce more noise as more air gets trapped in the voids and starts to strike the walls rapidly which increases the noise and compromises the comfort while going at high speeds.
Durability and Treadwear
The trail grappler comes with a 3-Ply sidewall and a thick rubber tread which provides an additional layer, thus promoting puncture resistance. It comes with two jointless cap ply construction, which also assists in puncture resistance. The shoulder lugs wrap down the sidewall, which helps in providing additional traction without sacrificing stability. The mileage of these tires is not that exceptional and can provide between 20,000 and 30,000 miles.
The durable Toyo RT comes with a high-void pattern. The aggressive, functional tread pattern focuses on traction in the toughest conditions while maintaining handling and stability. The exceptional stone and mud ejectors aid in self-cleaning and help prevent damage from stone drilling. It comes with a three-ply polyester casing which improves durability and increases puncture resistance of the tire. The rugged sidewall design extending over the shoulders helps in preventing cuts and scrapes in off-road surfaces. Toyo RT has a mileage of 45,000 miles which is quite better than its competitor.
Price Comparison
If we compare the prices of both the tires, then Toyo RT is slightly high priced than Nitto. The selection of tires is totally dependent on user requirements and application. The slightly high price of the Toyo tire can be justified by its exceptional off-road performance and better mileage.
Quick Summary
- Toyo is an R/T tire built specifically for rough surfaces while Nitto can be classified as a hybrid of both A/T and M/T tires to give an overall performance.
- The high void ratio of Toyo makes it exceptionally good in off-Road conditions
- Nitto provides more traction and stability while going at high speeds on road
- The bold stone ejectors in Toyo provides splendid performance in rocky areas
- Toyo is a bit expensive than Nitto, but Toyo provides more mileage
