Toyo Open Country MT vs Nitto Trail Grappler: Both tires are specially designed for off-road enthusiasts, with an adequate on-road aptitude and aggressive off-road attitude to get through thick and thin terrains.
But one tire did perform better on mud here. Why? Well, the key is in their tread pattern design.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
Table of Contents
Starting With Their Designs:
Toyo M/T
Nitto Trail Grappler
The Toyo Open Country M/T has an aggressive symmetrical tread design with hook-shaped tread blocks.
This gives the tire an amazing grip on road along with making it steady and stable to provide a decent comforting ride.
The open scalloped shoulders blocks enhance its grip on soft terrains and allow it to move effortlessly on them.
Its deep L-Shaped sipes act as wipers to evacuate the water on wet roads to stand its ground more assuredly.
In addition to all these features, its over-the-shoulder treads add to its endurance, making it move confidently on the road.
On the other hand, the Nitto Trail Grappler MT also has an aggressive symmetrical tread design but with block-shaped tread blocks.
Therefore, it also demonstrates great traction on the road while being able to deliver a smooth and comforting ride.
The central siping in the tread blocks of Nitto MT allow it to put up with wet condition on the road and ultimately prevent hydroplaning.
On top of that, its balanced void ratio and wide grooves allow it to maintain a good grip on soft terrains.
Meanwhile, its robust compound makes it agile and durable.
Compare Nitto Trail with other Tires:
- General Grabber X3.
- Maxxis Razr.
- BF Goodrich KM3.
- Toyo Open Country MT.
- Nitto Ridge & Terra Grappler.
On-road Traction
The Toyo M/T features an interlocking tread pattern with more closely placed tread blocks than the Nitto MT.
This gives it an enormous surface area to make contact with the surface of the road to uphold its grip on dry roads.
When this tire moves on wet surfaces, its long L-Shaped siping clears the water from its treads to maintain a solid grip on wet roads.
Moreover, it contains deep and wide grooves (but just a little smaller than the Nitto MT) that give it amazing water evacuating ability to avoid hydroplaning even when the conditions are extreme.
The Toyo M/T has slightly larger shoulders than the Nitto MT which makes its handling and cornering superior.
On the other hand, the Nitto Trail also has a high void ratio tread design with sufficient spacing between the blocks.
This results in a somewhat reduced Contact zone with the ground that decreases its rolling resistance and therefore reduces its grip on the road.
But with better siping the tire comes out better when it comes to wet roads.
How are they on Mud?
The Toyo M/T has extensive grooves that enable it to sit deep in mud and excavate the mud with its treads.
Thus, allow the tire to move freely on this terrain.
In addition to this, it contains open scalloped shoulder blocks that enhance its traction on mud by providing it additional biting force.
Even in extreme muddy terrains, this tire can maintain a firm grip due to its deep grooves.
In contrast, the Nitto MT contains even more extensive and deeper grooves than the Toyo M/T.
Due to this advantage, the Nitto MT has a better self-cleaning ability.
Therefore, it can shovel the mud with a greater aptitude and move across with less effort and more stability.
It also features V-shaped sidewall lugs and a balanced void ratio in its grooves that increase its traction on the mud.
Consequently, the Nitto MT has moderately superior traction than the Toyo M/T on mud terrains.
How are they on snow?
Two factors play an important part in increasing tire traction on the snow. The first factor is its compound material, which should be insensitive to temperatures.
The Second factor is grooves with a good self-cleaning ability. Unfortunately, both of these tires don’t possess the first factor.
However, both embody deep grooves that make them optimum for snow traction.
First up, the Toyo M/T has deep grooves that facilitate the tire to grab and throw the snow in its path with adequate power.
It continues to grip even in heavy snow. Nonetheless, The Toyo M/T has a light grip on hard snow, this is due to its wide tread design and smaller footprint. Therefore, its traction on hard snow isn’t that great but it’s still better than the Nitto MT.
Secondly, the Nitto MT contains deeper grooves that enable it to plunge the snow in its path with an even greater biting force.
Therefore, the Nitto MT executes a somewhat better job on the soft snow than the Toyo M/T.
How are they On Rocks/Gravel?
Rugged terrains like rocks and gravel require sturdy and robust tires to withstand its tough conditions.
The Toyo M/T is fabricated from a tough rubber compound, ready to face the harsh conditions off the road. The over-the-shoulder tread covers up the tire to make it more agile and durable.
It has 3-ply polyester with a high turn-up construction which makes it agile.
Nitto MT is constructed from a thick rubber compound that ensures it’s stately against rocks, stones, and gravel.
Its 3-ply sidewall with a turn-up construction acts as an extra layer of support to prevent damage to the tire.
In conclusion, both of these tires are vigorously built to tackle harsh terrains.
To Summarize:
The Toyo MT performs better on road providing better comfort. The tire is also great off road with better performance on snow.
On the other side, the Nitto Trail is provides better off road capability. But it comes at a price as it is also more expensive in comparison.
