38X12.50R17 NITTO Ridge Grapplers

[WJCO]

Great looking tires.

You think it’ll stuff in the factory spare location of a JT?

I'd love to know the answer to this as well.

 

[leochavez]

Great job Nitto. Do they plan to bump the trail grappler to 38" as well?

 

[wayoflife]

They look good. I’ve been waiting for these - but I think I’ll wait for the Trail Grappler in 38x13.50R17.

Well, I can confirm that 38's are coming. However, I couldn't tell you when or if they'll be 13.50 wide.

New shoes for Jet! Awesome! I've never been a 38 kinda guy but now I'm eager to see how they work out. Great idea to give the Ridge Grapplers a spin too... Literally lol

Neither have I but if a company like Nitto is gonna start pushing them, I'm definitely more open to giving them a try.

I’m really interested to see what you think of these when playing in your backyard. You’ve tested every other Nitto as well as other brands and I’d trust your real world experience than just a review of tread style and appearance.

Well, to be honest, I probably wouldn't have given these tires a try if it weren't for what I have seen. Certainly, EVO and Synergy have shown me that they perform well, even on terrain that they shouldn't. I will be sure to give an honest review of them.

I think the ridges are amazing tires. I ran them after I saw Mel’s videos of him rocking them in Alaska. These 38s are the perfect size imo. Hopefully they take off. View attachment 365339

I have a feeling that they will take off. On a JL or JT where they can already run bigger tires from the factory, they're kind of a right size at the right time kind of thing. Nitto had been planning this since knowing this.

 

[wayoflife]

Great looking tire indeed. Will wait till Eddie is done testing them and provides his opinion. Interested to know how they perform off road.
I do like the side wall biters side better.

Funny you should say as much. At first, I was convinced that I would mount these with the traditional blocks out but after staring at them for a while, I'm starting to like the side biters more and more. LOL

Great looking tires.

You think it’ll stuff in the factory spare location of a JT?

I will take a measurement and find out. 37's will fit for sure if you take out the heat shield and I suspect that if you run a muffler delete or exhaust system with the muffler further back, you could do it too. I'll get back to you on this.

Awesome looking tire! Very interested in seeing how they do here on the west coast trails. Now which KMC wheel did you go with…

LOL - well, KMC is out of stock on everything so beggars can't be choosers. That being said, EVO had a few different styles in stock and one that we really like. Gonna do something very different this time around

So, what is your thoughts on mounting these on a Dynatrac Prorock 44 front axle with 4.88 gears and RCV axle shafts? My rear axle is a Prorock 60.

You’re going to wish you had 5.13’s...

What Brute said ^^^^ As far as axles go, you'll be totally fine on a 44.

 

[wayoflife]

The ridge grappler is an amazing tire! Does Nitto plan on releasing these in a 38x13.50R18?

I don't think so. They do and have offered 38 for a 20 for quite some time now though.

Look good, interesting profile mixed and yet chunky, remind me of the Cooper STMaxx. Was really happy with those (smaller size 33) so i guess these would run somewhere along the same line. Have to check if I can get them in Europe for a "normal " price. (I'm wary in the mud though especially the thick sticky clay we get around here when it rains hard)

Honestly, I don't know if any tire does well with clay.

Thoughts on running Rubicon trail on these?

I plan on doing it!

I'd love to know the answer to this as well.

I'll give it a look today and let you know

Great job Nitto. Do they plan to bump the trail grappler to 38" as well?

Yes, it is in the works but I don't know when they'll be coming out.

 

[Cousin Clyde]

It’s cool that they are a 12.50 r17. I like the tall look they have because of that. I was hot on the ridge grapplers for a while and cooled down because I’m addicted to the aggressive look of mud terrains, but with these in this size I may have to reconsider.

Like others, I’ve seen them perform very well in videos. Look forward to seeing these on Jet

 

[Brute]

I’d like to know how tall they measure after you have them mounted on Jet Li...my 40” Coopers are getting worn on Brute and I will be replacing them most likely by years end...

 

[JT@623]

I’d like to know how tall they measure after you have them mounted on Jet Li...my 40” Coopers are getting worn on Brute and I will be replacing them most likely by years end...

To many burnouts ?

 

[wayoflife]

You think it’ll stuff in the factory spare location of a JT?

Okay, here's what I can tell you. The interior width of the frame rails is exactly 36". This is just enough room to pull an advertised 37" tire up and in between them. Unmounted, the 38x12.50R17 Ridge Grappler measures from ground to top of crown, 36-1/2". Once mounted and inflated, it'll most likely be closer to 37" or more. With that said, I'm sure you could make it work but the shoulders of the spare will make contact with the frame rails and that will prevent it from going all the way up as high as it should be able to go. In other words, it'll hang down a bit lower than a 37.

 

[HighwayTrout]

Okay, here's what I can tell you. The interior width of the frame rails is exactly 36". This is just enough room to pull an advertised 37" tire up and in between them. Unmounted, the 38x12.50R17 Ridge Grappler measures from ground to top of crown, 36-1/2". Once mounted and inflated, it'll most likely be closer to 37" or more. With that said, I'm sure you could make it work but the shoulders of the spare will make contact with the frame rails and that will prevent it from going all the way up as high as it should be able to go. In other words, it'll hang down a bit lower than a 37.

Awesome
Thank you so much for checking on that! I would have never considered 38’s prior to this thread. But now the seed has been planted and you know how that goes.

 

[Brute]

To many burnouts ?

Brute’s a pig...only snow burnouts (if that’s even a thing)...

 

[Brute]

Okay, here's what I can tell you. The interior width of the frame rails is exactly 36". This is just enough room to pull an advertised 37" tire up and in between them. Unmounted, the 38x12.50R17 Ridge Grappler measures from ground to top of crown, 36-1/2". Once mounted and inflated, it'll most likely be closer to 37" or more. With that said, I'm sure you could make it work but the shoulders of the spare will make contact with the frame rails and that will prevent it from going all the way up as high as it should be able to go. In other words, it'll hang down a bit lower than a 37.

What if you only inflated it to 10-12 psi?...would that even help?

 

[wayoflife]

Awesome
Thank you so much for checking on that! I would have never considered 38’s prior to this thread. But now the seed has been planted and you know how that goes.

LOL - Oh yeah, I know how it goes. And really, I don't think the amount of tire that will hang down will be enough to really matter or at least, for most applications.

 

[wayoflife]

What if you only inflated it to 10-12 psi?...would that even help?

You know, it probably would being that the edges of the tire would deform and allow you to pull it up higher. With just a 1/4" difference on either side, I bet you could even pull the tire up in between the frame rails especially being that it just goes up a bit.

 

[wayoflife]

Again, looking closer, edge of shoulder to edge of shoulder, I'm seeing a measurement of 36". Excluding the crown, I bet the tire would fit.

 

[wayoflife]

Here’s a shot of the tire.


And here are shots of the frame rails.

 

[WJCO]

Here’s a shot of the tire.
View attachment 365364

And here are shots of the frame rails.
View attachment 365365

View attachment 365366

Thanks for doing that. That's a tight fit. Like Janet Reno tight.

 

[wayoflife]

Thanks for doing that. That's a tight fit. Like Janet Reno tight.

LOL - As you can see, the mounting crossmember sits pretty low too and it's not like the spare could go up to much higher anyway. Really, your wheels and the amount of back spacing they have will make all the difference.

 

[Brute]

Thanks for doing that. That's a tight fit. Like Janet Reno tight.

Dude, I’m starting to worry about you...Ariana Grande maybe...but Janet Reno...argggg

 

[kpig]

Interested for the Gladiator. Thanks for the info.