Nitto Mud Grappler opinions

[sanndmann3]

Looking to replace my 35" Baja Claws. Mickey Thompson isn't making the 15.5 wide bias ply anymore and I got 2 that no longer hold air.

Wondering if anyone had any experience with the Nitto Mud Grappler, 35"x14.5x15s. I like the wide footprint for flotation. Running the dunes is the primary mission for this pony. Let me know an experience or other tires that I haven't yet considered.

 

[Apogee]

No experience with the Nittos, but Toyo makes their M/T in a 35x13.5R15 that my brother currently runs on his Toyota, and they do well just about everywhere, but not really great anywhere, so kind of a jack-of-all. That said, they are quite heavy, 67 pounds, which has made them reasonably tough and long wearing, but less ideal in the sand where it takes a bit more HP to spin them. He generally runs them at about 8-10 PSI at the Oregon dunes and hasn't had any issues getting around.

If you're willing to step up to a 37" diameter, they have a similar tire that is 14.5" wide that could be a good choice as well.

Given that Toyo and Nitto are part of the same parent company and share several carcass designs/engineering, I would assume that the qualities are comparable, making either a good choice. Interestingly, the Nitto Dune Grappler really doesn't come in very wide widths for maximum flotation, and even most of their other options aren't super wide either other than the one you noted.

The widest tires I can think of for a 15" wheel would be the Interco Bogger, as they make 14.5" and 16" wide versions of that in a 35" diameter IIRC, but talk about no fun on the street.

 

[capt. bronco]

I had the Nitto mud grapplers on a 2006 F350. They were very loud and seemed to wear very quick. But that was on a much heavier truck. My personal opinion I wouldn’t buy them again. I think they were that size but rim size was 18 if I remember correctly.

 

[bronconut73]

Had about 4 friends with them.

Two of them got that choppy wear. Lots of high and low spots. I don't think they had enough shock to hold them down.
The other two guys did not have that problem. Same thing though....I think these two guys happened to have enough shock to hold them down.

 

[LSharpNM]

Just a heads up in case you didn't know, Interco makes a ton of wide ~35" tires for 15" wheels. Like the Mud Grapplers though, you are going to need some power for them to work well in the sand and not just dig down.

I have known a few different people running Mud Grapplers. They are pretty bad on the street (noisy and wear fast), so I wouldn't give them much of an advantage over the bias Swampers in that regard, and would expect them to be about on par with the radial Swamper tires. In the rocks, they seem decent. Probably better than your average MT.

If sand is really the main focus of your rig, I would look into the Truxus STS. The 36/14.50R15 PN: RXS-09R might fit the bill the best. https://www.intercotire.com/tire/107

 

[sprdv1]

Looking to replace my 35" Baja Claws. Mickey Thompson isn't making the 15.5 wide bias ply anymore and I got 2 that no longer hold air.

Maybe could get lucky and find another slightly used set of MT's somewhere? :-X

 

[Waverous]

I ran 38" Mud Grapplers on my trail rig and I liked them. They worked well on climbing rock and crossing water/mud - they are not good street tires though.

 

[sanndmann3]

Maybe could get lucky and find another slightly used set of MT's somewhere? :-X

I would love to get atleast 2. The fronts go from fully aired up to flat in 6 hours. Cracks in side walls adjacent to tread blocks.

I have looked on craigslist and Facebook market place with out any luck so far and dune season is fast approaching. Not sure when M.T. stopped making them...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Definitely checking them all out...

 

[bronconut73]

MTZ may still be available in that 36x14.50 or 38x15.50 or the metric equivalent, which would probably put you into a larger wheel like a 16" or 17".

 

[bronconut73]

From the Mickey Thompson web site.

36x15x16

 

[brewchief]

Do you need a streetable tire that's DOT approved or are you just driving from campgrounds to the dunes? Sand tires unlimited makes a 35x14.50 desert master thats pretty light and while not as good in the sand as a true paddle tire they look to be pretty good. Unfortunately they are pretty soft rubber and not designed for street use so doing much more then driving from the campground to the dunes is pretty much a bad idea.

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[sanndmann3]

Do you need a streetable tire that's DOT approved or are you just driving from campgrounds to the dunes? Sand tires unlimited makes a 35x14.50 desert master thats pretty light and while not as good in the sand as a true paddle tire they look to be pretty good. Unfortunately they are pretty soft rubber and not designed for street use so doing much more then driving from the campground to the dunes is pretty much a bad idea.

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5001Craig has those tires and really likes them. I talked to him a bit about them. The downside is as you mentioned on the street... My truck is primarily for the dunes but would also like to hit Woodward Dream Cruise and other misc. driving.

 

[sanndmann3]

From the Mickey Thompson web site.

36x15x16

Its tempting but would like to re use my 15" rims if possible...

 

[brewchief]

5001Craig has those tires and really likes them. I talked to him a bit about them. The downside is as you mentioned on the street... My truck is primarily for the dunes but would also like to hit Woodward Dream Cruise and other misc. driving.

Yeah I was there when Craig was buying them, I haven't seen his bronco with them on but it sounded like he really liked them, if you want to do other driving it would require a second set of wheels and tires, I have a set of paddles that I run at the dunes and it's not a huge deal to swap tires but it is one more thing to do. I will run the paddle tires from the campground to the dunes on the road, it's not great for them at all but it is still better then waiting in line for parking vouchers.

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[sprdv1]

Sux… Mostly only wheel mine, and I got lucky enuf to find an older set of the MTRs I use..

Good luck.. Just be patient

I would love to get atleast 2. The fronts go from fully aired up to flat in 6 hours. Cracks in side walls adjacent to tread blocks.

I have looked on craigslist and Facebook market place with out any luck so far and dune season is fast approaching. Not sure when M.T. stopped making them...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Definitely checking them all out...

 

[Apogee]

Last time I was out at the Oregon dunes, there was a group there running old Hoosier race tires under various Jeeps, Toyotas, Fords and a few other things and they did quite well. Some were slicks and some had minor grooving, but it's all about the contact patch. I spoke to one guy running a 70's F150 stepside, and he said he was running 6 PSI and that he had more traction than he had power to spin them (390FE w/C6) in 4WD. This could be a cheap option to get it up and running in time for dune season and I don't know about where you are, but used race tires are a dime a dozen around here.

 

[ford man]

I would love to get atleast 2. The fronts go from fully aired up to flat in 6 hours. Cracks in side walls adjacent to tread blocks.

I have looked on craigslist and Facebook market place with out any luck so far and dune season is fast approaching. Not sure when M.T. stopped making them...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Definitely checking them all out...

For off road you could put tubes in them and get by for awhile.

 

[sanndmann3]

For off road you could put tubes in them and get by for awhile.

That might be a thought... atleast it would buy me some time ( so I could procrastinate more... ) lol