P VS E rated Ridge Grapplers (1 Viewer)

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Hey guys,

I hate to add another tire thread, but I couldn't easily find reviews along what I'm looking for.

I have an 04'LX, mostly stock with AHC. The truck will be 95/5% on vs off road driving. The vast majority of the truck's miles are driven either with just me or me and my wife and dog, without the third row, so pretty lightly loaded, no towing, no armor. That said, we occasionally bring people camping with us, and since I'm the only one with a car, tend to load the truck down with 6 people plus gear on these occasions.

Part of the reason I got the go-ahead from the wife on such a big truck despite living in NYC and parking on the street is how well it rides(on stock sized all seasons), making the terrible roads here just disappear, so I don't want to give up too much there. Fuel economy is a factor, but significantly less important because we don't do that many miles since I don't commute with it. That said, I love the look of larger, more aggressive tires and we are looking to do some more ambitious off-road adventures this summer, so now that I'm due for a set I'm looking to upgrade.

Based on reading and recommendations from some of my jeep friends I've honed in on the Nitto Ridge Grapplers and now I'm on the fence about size and rating. In an ideal world I'd go for 275/70/18 for looks, but keep ride quality/economy but I know that's not an option. So I'm between the following:

275/60/18 stick with something stockish ~37lbs -know it will ride well, best fuel economy, doesn't look good, less good offroad
275/65/18 P/XL rated Ridge Grapplers ~45lbs - probably best ride and fuel economy of the upgrades, possibly less durable offroad?
275/65/18 E rated Ridge Grapplers ~56lbs - significant hit to ride quality and fuel economy, more durable?
275/70/18 E rated (only option) Ridge Grapplers ~59lbs worst ride quality and fuel economy, best looks, best offroad

My heart tells me go for the 70s, my mind says the 65 P/XLs are the best compromise given my use and I'm leaning that direction. I was curious if anyone had experience with the XL vs E rated Ridge Grapplers and has insight into how the XLs ride and handle.
 
You summed it up nicely, and for your application there is no harm sticking with a P tire, just carry a good spare and tire plug kit if you have any issues. I split the difference and do 8 play D rated and it still is a rough ride, I want to go back to P.
 
Something to consider might be that a taller sidewall reduces the discomfort of the E-rated tires. I'm trying to find some 17's that I like and go with 33-33.5" E load tires.

I've heard the Ridge Grapplers are a little louder than, say the KO2, and much louder than a normal passenger tire.

For your use I'd go non E load and consider the KO2 from BFG around 32.5-33".
 
Consider 285/65’s as well.

I’m going with 17’s in a C load, 285/70 KO2’s to find that balance between capability and comfort. They are also much less expensive than comparable 18” tires so the wheels will pay for themselves after the first couple sets of tires.
 
P rated tires make the suspension and steering feel soft & "boaty" not a solid feeling. E rated are more robust, you can air down to 20 psi on FS roads and greatly improve your ride quality and pace of travel with out fear of a puncture. Wont be able to do that with a P rated tire. If you're concerned about ride quality of an E rated AT tire; you can still get a smooth ride from several brands. This Continental Terrain Contact has proven to be a very good dual purpose tire with great pavement performance while holding up to occasional offroad use.

 
Consider 285/65’s as well.

I’m going with 17’s in a C load, 285/70 KO2’s to find that balance between capability and comfort. They are also much less expensive than comparable 18” tires so the wheels will pay for themselves after the first couple sets of tires.
285/70 17's in a C load are factory sizes for Jeep Rubicon's. You can check your local classifieds for take off's. I bought a set of 5, 4 had 2k miles and 1 was not used for the cost of 2 new one's from a tire store.
 
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P rated tires make the suspension and steering feel soft & "boaty" not a solid feeling. E rated are more robust, you can air down to 20 psi on FS roads and greatly improve your ride quality and pace of travel with out fear of a puncture. Wont be able to do that with a P rated tire. If you're concerned about ride quality of an E rated AT tire; you can still get a smooth ride from several brands. This Continental Terrain Contact has proven to be a very good dual purpose tire with great pavement performance while holding up to occasional offroad use.


This is a good point. I don't notice a huge difference with the E tires, but my wife really does. At 40-45 psi, she's nauseated after a few minutes driving with me. At 30 psi, she's peachy. 33-35 and it's iffy. Even on the street, modifying air pressure can make the E tires feel much softer.
 
Thanks for all the replies... though you have made my job harder by introducing more variables :)

As for going to a 17s, I'd be open to that, whether P or LT rated, considering my wheels are in need of a refinish anyway(was planning on painting at some point soon) but I only see a ~$40per tire difference, so wheel price is definitely a factor. That said, it looks like there aren't a ton of 17" wheel options with our lug pattern and offset that aren't busy beadlock-look designs. I tend to like simpler wheel designs, open to recs for wheels here. D or C load KO2s in 17 could be a good solve.

As far as noise, definitely a factor, but considering how shockingly well insulated the LX seems to be, I have to imagine it would be less of an issue than in something like a Wrangler. I've heard mixed info on the noise of the Ridge Grapplers online

The soft and boaty feeling is what my wife likes, haha. For reference, I swapped out the 18's for 17's on my old VW GTI for her because the ride was pretty harsh on the streets here. Definitely trying to avoid the situation suprarx7nut is in. I know there is a lot of conjecture about what the appropriate pressure for an E rated tire is but most calculators i've seen recommend in the high 30s for an E in 275/70/18

In any case, looks like I have some more research to do, haha.
 
295/70 ridge grapplers here. Second set in this size. Tire noise is not an issue, relatively speaking. Gas mileage and comfort did take a hit, but airing down helps immensely.
I had the terra grapplers previously, which may fit your bill perfectly. They were quieter and a little smoother onroad. I think for 90% of people they are a better choice as long as you are not in the stuff the largest badass tire I can find camp.
 
E rated tires are the ticket if your going to be driving down Broadway in your Dodge 3500 with the horse trailer attached to it. Otherwise something with lower load range is going to get you a much better daily drive. Also, I have seen nothing but anecdotal evidence that an E rated tire is actually more resilient to damage off road. I think people want to believe it is just because it's a stiffer sidewall, but that whole logic doesn't seem to add up.
 
I had a D rated General Grabber for 5 years and 55k miles. Did awesome and had no issues and I had zero regard for tire placement.
 
Also, I have seen nothing but anecdotal evidence that an E rated tire is actually more resilient to damage off road. I think people want to believe it is just because it's a stiffer sidewall, but that whole logic doesn't seem to add up.
Why wouldn't a higher load tire hold up better?

This is a sidewall plunger test that applies force in the form of a plunger into the sidewall of various tires of different load ratings/sidewall plies. The "Force at first break" is when the internal plies fail. See attached NHTSA PDF for more details.

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Thanks for all the replies... though you have made my job harder by introducing more variables :)

As for going to a 17s, I'd be open to that, whether P or LT rated, considering my wheels are in need of a refinish anyway(was planning on painting at some point soon) but I only see a ~$40per tire difference, so wheel price is definitely a factor. That said, it looks like there aren't a ton of 17" wheel options with our lug pattern and offset that aren't busy beadlock-look designs. I tend to like simpler wheel designs, open to recs for wheels here. D or C load KO2s in 17 could be a good solve.

As far as noise, definitely a factor, but considering how shockingly well insulated the LX seems to be, I have to imagine it would be less of an issue than in something like a Wrangler. I've heard mixed info on the noise of the Ridge Grapplers online

The soft and boaty feeling is what my wife likes, haha. For reference, I swapped out the 18's for 17's on my old VW GTI for her because the ride was pretty harsh on the streets here. Definitely trying to avoid the situation suprarx7nut is in. I know there is a lot of conjecture about what the appropriate pressure for an E rated tire is but most calculators i've seen recommend in the high 30s for an E in 275/70/18

In any case, looks like I have some more research to do, haha.

Something worth clarifying for you is that my experience above is from my 99LC. In my 06LX with AHC she's totally fine with E tires with a smaller sidewall at full pressure. AHC makes a big difference for comfort if you click it over to comfort. With AHC on your LX I suspect the tire firmness difference will still be noticeable, but not nearly as severe as it was for me in my 99 LC.

I go back and forth on Ridge Grapplers or KO2s every week. If I don't get Ridge Grapplers I'll probably wonder what if. KO2 are a safe bet. Sometimes safe is boring, haha.
 
Something worth clarifying for you is that my experience above is from my 99LC. In my 06LX with AHC she's totally fine with E tires with a smaller sidewall at full pressure. AHC makes a big difference for comfort if you click it over to comfort. With AHC on your LX I suspect the tire firmness difference will still be noticeable, but not nearly as severe as it was for me in my 99 LC.

I go back and forth on Ridge Grapplers or KO2s every week. If I don't get Ridge Grapplers I'll probably wonder what if. KO2 are a safe bet. Sometimes safe is boring, haha.

Good point. When I got my truck the AHC was leaking and it was resting on the bumpstops. I considered doing the OME swap rather than fussing with it, but having fixed the AHC and experiencing the ride, I don't know that I could get rid of it.

If I'm being honest with myself, my decision factors are probably 40% ride/comfort, 40% looks, 10% power/fuel economy and 10% off-road ability.

The fact is I'm fairly confident any decent AT tire will keep me out of trouble with the type of trips we have planned. So as long as we hit that bar, the other factors take precedence so I think that places me as a P rated AT poser...
 
Ok just to add more complications here, was just about to pull the trigger on some 265/70/18 ridge grapplers, then started seeing reviews about how they're not great in rainy weather/snow which we get a fair bit of here. Started looking at the Open Country AT3s, and noticed they have a P rated 285/70/17 at a very reasonable price. So now I'm looking at wheels...

I see the Icon 6 shooters seem to fit and are a good price, though I like their Vector 5's more. I see that Slee has them on their website listed for the LX/LC, and it looks like the offset and center bore will fit, but the center cap looks awful small to fit over the hub. Does anyone know if these actually fit?
Screen Shot 2020-06-04 at 8.06.00 PM.png
 
Don't sleep on the Falken Wildpeak AT3W, a great option that doesnt carry the Nitto premium.. these are aggressive ATs which fall into hybrids like ridge grapplers do.
 
Don't sleep on the Falken Wildpeak AT3W, a great option that doesnt carry the Nitto premium.. these are aggressive ATs which fall into hybrids like ridge grapplers do.
Ha that's actually what I meant to type.... mixed up wildpeak and open country, but I wan't the Falkens, haha
 
Ok just to add more complications here, was just about to pull the trigger on some 265/70/18 ridge grapplers, then started seeing reviews about how they're not great in rainy weather/snow which we get a fair bit of here. Started looking at the Open Country AT3s [EDIT] Wildpeak AT3s, and noticed they have a P rated 285/70/17 at a very reasonable price. So now I'm looking at wheels...

I see the Icon 6 shooters seem to fit and are a good price, though I like their Vector 5's more. I see that Slee has them on their website listed for the LX/LC, and it looks like the offset and center bore will fit, but the center cap looks awful small to fit over the hub. Does anyone know if these actually fit? View attachment 2329825
 
Ok just to add more complications here, was just about to pull the trigger on some 265/70/18 ridge grapplers, then started seeing reviews about how they're not great in rainy weather/snow which we get a fair bit of here. Started looking at the Open Country AT3s, and noticed they have a P rated 285/70/17 at a very reasonable price. So now I'm looking at wheels...

I see the Icon 6 shooters seem to fit and are a good price, though I like their Vector 5's more. I see that Slee has them on their website listed for the LX/LC, and it looks like the offset and center bore will fit, but the center cap looks awful small to fit over the hub. Does anyone know if these actually fit? View attachment 2329825

if you see a lot of snow consider Bfg ko2 and falken wildpeak AT. Both are rated for snow and come in 285/70r17 in load range C.

those wheels should fit fine and will poke out less than some of the other options since they have a bit more offset.Those are on the short list for my own truck.
 
My d rated ko2’s in oem size are about 51 lbs if i recall. Under no circumstance would i get them again. The suspension is just not designed to handle that much added weight so the ride comfort is greatly reduced (compared to michelin ltx ms) and fuel mileage decreased by about 2 mpg. Braking feels a little weaker but i guess the biggest thing is the rough ride.
 

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