New MT tire - Nitto Trail grapplers / Cooper Stt Pro's / General X3/ ?

[Canyonero]

I'm finished with my MT hunt.
Guys thanks for replying and sharing with me. I'm going see what these STT PROS are all about. Looking forward to the 11 lbs per wheel weight difference from the trail grapplers - if I even notice it. I'm thinking they'll be a bit louder which I'm ok with. Only time will tell.
Thanks again

View attachment 1381496

Willy -if you don't mind, post up with your impressions. I might be getting some new shoes before Breck.

 

[Markuson]

No mention yet of the Toyo R/T - mix of M/T and A/T? These have my interest....

I think @MScruiser runs those in 37" on Fat Amy

 

[Willy beamin]

Willy -if you don't mind, post up with your impressions. I might be getting some new shoes before Breck.

I will for sure

 

[Willy beamin]

I think @MScruiser runs those in 37" on Fat Amy

you are correct

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

I'm finished with my MT hunt.
Guys thanks for replying and sharing with me. I'm going see what these STT PROS are all about. Looking forward to the 11 lbs per wheel weight difference from the trail grapplers - if I even notice it. I'm thinking they'll be a bit louder which I'm ok with. Only time will tell.
Thanks again

View attachment 1381496

Wow a 315 wide. Makes my 295 feel like they need are still growing up. They will be a bit louder, but it's not bad for a seasoned mud terrain guy like yourself. My wife doesn't notice the sound, but I do, which is weird. I'm curious to hear if you think they are ridiculous stiff when new.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

@Willy beamin, so we are both running Cooper STT Pros now, and we both want our next tire to be the Nitto Ridge Grappler.

For me it comes down to size (want a 285/75r17) and I'm not seeing the mud cleaning ability that I wanted; but wet road, rock, and sand have been very good from my side. What shortcoming are you seeing?

 

[Willy beamin]

Nothing to report thus far. Haven't been able to get Offroad yet with them yet and test them out.
I like that they are lighter than the trail grapplers. That alone feels like a huge difference. The ride feels like a cloud compared to the NTG's. I'm curious how long they will hold up only due to the cushy feel. I agree about wet roads, these stick like gorilla glue.

 

[Mineral]

Been running the STT Pros, albeit notably smaller at 285/65R18 than the above guys, for about a year now. My frame of reference is running 265/70R17 Duraracs on a 4th gen 4R for ~8 years. So, thought I'd first provide a review and then follow-up in the next post with sharing some special considerations if you desire the STT Pros in the 285/65R18 flavor. The below review is purely anecdotal with very little objective data to back up my seat of the pants impressions. And, yes, comparing STT Pros on a LC200 to Duratracs on a 4R isn't exactly apples to apples.

Off-road,

• Traversing dry trails, like El Camino del Diablo for 150 miles along the AZ-MX border, and playing along the side trails, the STT Pros took everything thrown at them and induced confidence.
• Taking the STT Pros up to northern AZ, they've felt more planted than the Duratracs cornering on hard pans at speed, searching for traction going up and down ruts, and climbing up rock.
• The sidewalls are notably stronger than the Duratracs, as I've had lava rock rip open the side of my Duratracs once before.
• When northern AZ dirt turns to clay after even a light rain, the STT Pros self-cleaned a little better than my old Duratracs - which in turn seemed to do slightly better than my father in-laws KO2s in the clay mud. But, I was expecting faster self-cleaning performance from the STT Pros; the voids did still tend to intermittently clog up. Perhaps I expect too much.
• Took the STT Pros through some deep-ish sand in Rocky Point and they sunk a bit, but pulled out and went forward with some floating sensation. Granted, I kept them at 44 psi. Both my wife and I shared after the fact we thought weren't sure we were going to get through the sand initially.
• I haven't got snow or ice time in on the STT Pros, yet, but heard they do great; I really liked how the Duratracs performed in the snow and on ice. Anecdotally, i was less impressed with the KO2s in the snow - but that might have been the 2500HD they were under.

On-road,

• I agree that the STT Pros inspire confidence in the rain.
• Both daily driving and running stretches on long highway trips, the noise hasn't really been an issue. But, they are louder than the Duratracs were. Supposedly, the STT Pros get louder with age, but that hasn't been my experience - yet.
• Though not apples to apples, I believe the STT Pros are less efficient than the Duratracs as my LC200 dropped ~2 MPG w/ the STT Pros compared to street tires; the Duratracs dropped ~1 MPG on the 4R when compared to the street tires.
• And both STT Pros and Duratracs wear evenly and slowly.
• Also, I've found the STT Pros are easy to balance where the Duratracs produced a steering wheel wobble at 55 mph that went away by 60 mph. Roadforce balancing helped, but didn't eliminate the wobble.

Would I buy the STT Pros again? The STT Pros, Duratracs, and KO2s are all great tires for a daily driver, weekend warrior setup. And I'd rank them in that order, given my needs and use cases. (Despite my two comments about the KO2s above, my father in-law is on his second set and swears by them. And we go pretty much over the same terrain.)

But, funny enough, like Willy Beamin and Taco2Cruiser, the Ridge Grapplers have caught my eye as the next set for the LC200. I think the Ridge Grapplers will take me everywhere I have gone (or would go) w/ the STT Pros and Duratracs while offering similar curb appeal, but be more efficient and quieter on the road. FWIW, the Ridge Grapplers probably won't last as long, though.

 

[Mineral]

As mentioned in the previous post, am following up w/ a second post on special considerations for 285/65R18 STT Pros on the LC200...

Something I didn't consider when putting on the STT Pro 285/65R18: they run pretty big for their stated size. Manufacturer data follows for 285/65R18 load E:

• STT Pro | 11.8" wide | 32.9" tall
• KO2 | 11.5" wide | 32.6" tall
  
• Duratrac | 11.2" wide | 32.8" tall
• Ridge Grappler | 11.5" wide | 32.56" tall

Despite the relative over-sized nature of the STT Pro 285/65R18, at stock ride height, the tires fit with no issues. When the rig was lifted (OME 2702/2721 w/ SPC UCAs), the STT Pros rubbed against the sway bar. After wheel spacers, the STT Pros rubbed against the front inner fender lining and the front mud flaps. Am fairly confident the KO2, Duratrac, or Ridge Grapplers would have fit in 285/65R18 form post lift without wheel spacers and likely would not have rubbed the sway bar. The 11.8" width of the STT Pros is wider than most 295s out there, at least according to manufacturers data.

More interestingly, at least in theory, I can see how the 285/75R17 (11.26" wide | 33.86" tall) Ridge Grapplers might actually fit with RW wheels, my OME lift, no spacers, and minimal trimming of the front fender liner. Saving over a 1/2" in width should actually make a big difference, given the tight LC200 front end clearances.

It's a game of millimeters and degrees in the front end; that's been the most surprising take-away after going through my first lift with the LC200 recently.

 

[Atwalz]

Since we are talking about Ridge Grapplers. From my memory, I watched two rigs (@TonyP and @Markuson) go up Hells Gate in Moab last year. @TonyP at the time was on 35s Toyo Open Country M/T and @Markuson on 35s with Nitto Ridge Grapplers R/T. I noticed Toyo has better side grip going thru V on Hells Gate as compared to RidgeGrapplers. I know I am comparing apples and oranges because Toyos were M/T and Nittos was R/T. I think @Markuson tires played a role on spilling into the V due to lack of side grip and combination of a questionable spotter. For those wanting to switch to R/T there is a functionality you may be losing with the switch. Some M/T do have good side grip than others, But, I think Toyo M/T do a good job in that.

 

[Markuson]

Since we are talking about Ridge Grapplers. From my memory, I watched two rigs (@TonyP and @Markuson) go up Hells Gate in Moab last year. @TonyP at the time was on 35s Toyo Open Country M/T and @Markuson on 35s with Nitto Ridge Grapplers R/T. I noticed Toyo has better side grip going thru V on Hells Gate as compared to RidgeGrapplers. I know I am comparing apples and oranges because Toyos were M/T and Nittos was R/T. I think @Markuson tires played a role on spilling into the V due to lack of side grip and combination of a questionable spotter. For those wanting to switch to R/T there is a functionality you may be losing with the switch. Some M/T do have good side grip than others, But, I think Toyo M/T do a good job in that.

Perhaps true. Don't know.
Grip was fine on everything for the most part.
I do think the RG's would have done fine on Hell's Gate with a better angle/line though...
I was looking at video of that spot, and I was way too low on the critical passenger-side of the V.

I do think the Ridge Grapplers could use larger voids in general, so I'm debating what my next tire will be.

If I can find three more Rock Warriors, I'll keep these RG's and add a more aggressive set for the gnarly stuff/trips.


PS. Baja was awesome!! More to follow! Just got home.

 

[Atwalz]

Perhaps true. Don't know.
Grip was fine on everything for the most part.
I do think the RG's would have done fine on Hell's Gate with a better angle/line though...
I was looking at video of that spot, and I was way too low on the critical passenger-side of the V.

I do think the Ridge Grapplers could use larger voids in general, so I'm debating what my next tire will be.

If I can find three more Rock Warriors, I'll keep these RG's and add a more aggressive set for the gnarly stuff/trips.


PS. Baja was awesome!! More to follow! Just got home.

Welcome back! Good to hear you all made it back.