35x11.5R17 Tires (Nitto Ridge Grapplers) on Stock Badlands -- On and Off-Road Test

[cjmiller]

That is the one thing that might prevent me from getting ridge grapplers. Some people say they are just fine in the snow and others say what you said.

Well I live in a mountian town in CO and have a 14° driveway and had to chain up all last winter with them to get up my drive.

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[Big Boss]

Well I live in a mountian town in CO and have a 14° driveway and had to chain up all last winter with them to get up my drive.

yeah we definitely don't get as much snow as you do in Colorado. The extremes from one end to the other just make my head spin haha. I remember in my Mustang days, I had nitto 555R drag radials on the back. Whole bunch of people said never get stuck in the rain with them. They were absolutely fine in rain, I never had an issue.(Mickey Thompson DR's on the other hand lol). So seeing some people say they suck and others say they are great just makes a decision so hard lol. I know they won't perform like a snow tire, just trying to see where the middle ground is. The amount of trucks/jeeps/broncos I see around me with them on makes me think they can't be that bad, but a ton of reviews say they are.

 

[Hitemstiff]

Nice to see and hear positive outcome with the 35's. I also have a manual badlands. But you have 1 thing I haven't got....A WITTLE WADDER! haha.

 

[Tconley]

Nice to see and hear positive outcome with the 35's. I also have a manual badlands. But you have 1 thing I haven't got....A WITTLE WADDER! haha.

lol gotta have the wittle wadder

 

[Tconley]

I realize this thread is about the tires but I could not help notice that you have the. Gobi racks. I am deciding between Gobi and TrailRax and on another thread the person noted a lot of wind noise with the Gobi. Would love to hear your feedback. Thanks!

I’ve been super impressed with the Gobi rack! It’s super solid, mounts to the frame so it’s not stressing roof or rear quarter panels and it’s just a beefy unit. I went with it because of its 800 lb static load rating and the fact I can still use my soft top with it on. The wind noise is bad at times, but the worse part is above 60 mph with the right amount of headwind it directs all the wind to the rear part of the soft top and makes it flap really loud. When I have snowboards on the rack this is much quieter. Although, if you’re looking at Trailrax you have a hard top I’m assuming so I imagine the wind noise will be much less. Gobi has 3 levels of wind deflectors for the rack and I run all 3. For me, the looks and strong construction (and the fact Gobi is a Colorado brand) far outweigh the wind noise sacrifice. Hope this helps

 

[Tconley]

I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews too on the Ridge Grapplers, especially where snow is concerned. Some people say they’re great in deep snow just not ice, others say they’re just awful in snow. Down in Colorado Springs when we do get snowstorms it’s usually much less then up in the mountains and melts within a few days so I’m not too concerned. I haven’t had a chance to test these in the snow yet, but they did seem to hydroplane a little easier in a heavy rainstorm than the KO2’s. However, this was going from 80 mph + to someone slamming on they’re brakes in front of me at the same time I hit a puddle on the freeway, so possible any tire would have done the same. (And definitely a case of not driving the smartest) Other than that I’m liking the Ridge Grapplers, and they seemed great in the Utah red rock and sand.

 

[Dialtone]

I was only getting about 17.3 mpg average before, pushing 19 on road trips. Now around town I’m at 14-15 mpg. This last trip where I got 13 mpg we had 20mph+ headwind for a lot of the drive.

Did you recalibrate your speedo? If you went from 33 to 35 that's about 5% more distance per revolution.

 

[Tconley]

Did you recalibrate your speedo? If you went from 33 to 35 that's about 5% more distance per revolution.

Great point, thanks for pointing that out! I haven’t gotten to it yet, planning to do that soon. I’m always thinking of my speedometer not being accurate anymore, but forget it also affects how the computer reports gas mileage.

 

[MileHighCitizen]

Nice rig! So I see you live in CO. My only complaints with the Nitto Ridge Grapplers is there manors in snow and life. I had 2 sets of them in my F-150 and could only get 30k out of a set and they were like ice skates in the snow! Other than that they performed well off road.

Colorado here as well. What tires have you used that perform well during winter?

I'm pretty happy with my BFG KO2's and haven't had any problems driving in snow with them. People always bash them online without suggesting any alternative, not sure why? Can you recommend anything from your experience or from what have you heard good things about when it comes to winter driving on A/T's?

 

[cjmiller]

Colorado here as well. What tires have you used that perform well during winter?

I'm pretty happy with my BFG KO2's and haven't had any problems driving in snow with them. People always bash them online without suggesting any alternative, not sure why? Can you recommend anything from your experience or from what have you heard good things about when it comes to winter driving on A/T's?

I am back to where I started KO2. Did not have to chain up at all this year.

 

[Mattwings]

I followed a similar path, but used some take off Good Years from a friends SQ and no level kit (yet). What did you use for wheel spacers? I ended up using some 1.5” spacers and so far (8k miles) no issues. I was hesitant about the poke with the factory flares, but the 315/70/17 just go a bit outside the flares and don’t cause any visibility problems in the rain. I think tire choice is very terrain specific. I am in MI and 90% of the terrain here is sand. Both my stock KO2s and the Good Years work well. I will probably switch back to BFG (KO3s idle the feedback is good and they are available) because of the tougher sidewalls. Snow performance has been good with the GY, similar to the KO2s. Mileage wise I went from average of 18.1 to 17.3, and I did adjust the Speedo through Forscan. It’s not a controlled test, but after 8k miles it’s pretty consistent. Thanks for sharing!

 

[DaddyMuffin]

Great review thanks for posting. I’ve also got a manual badlands on upgraded Ford wheels. Was planning the same tire upgrade but am unsure about the lift (Both what kit to use and whether it’s necessary). What kit did you use and did you DIY or have it installed? Also did you consider 35x12.5?

 

[desibull]

I’ve been super impressed with the Gobi rack! It’s super solid, mounts to the frame so it’s not stressing roof or rear quarter panels and it’s just a beefy unit. I went with it because of its 800 lb static load rating and the fact I can still use my soft top with it on. The wind noise is bad at times, but the worse part is above 60 mph with the right amount of headwind it directs all the wind to the rear part of the soft top and makes it flap really loud. When I have snowboards on the rack this is much quieter. Although, if you’re looking at Trailrax you have a hard top I’m assuming so I imagine the wind noise will be much less. Gobi has 3 levels of wind deflectors for the rack and I run all 3. For me, the looks and strong construction (and the fact Gobi is a Colorado brand) far outweigh the wind noise sacrifice. Hope this helps

Thanks a bunch! Yes it helps!!

 

[Tconley]

@Mattwings Im not running any spacers. I instead went with a 35x11.5 as the stock 285 is approx 11.5” wide, whereas a 315 is closer to 12.5” wide.

@DaddyMuffin I bought my bronco used last February from Durango Motor Company and the previous owner had put a level kit on it already, though unfortunately I don’t know what brand. I did consider 35x12.5 tires and going to a +30 or +0 offset wheel, but this was the most cost effective way to fit 35’s and I like the looks of the narrower tire as well. I’ll probably upgrade eventually to wheels that are +35 or +30 for a little more poke, and a little more stability off-road, but I like how it handles right now.

 

[RobWTX]

I was only getting about 17.3 mpg average before, pushing 19 on road trips. Now around town I’m at 14-15 mpg. This last trip where I got 13 mpg we had 20mph+ headwind for a lot of the drive.

Did you use Forescan or a tuner type thing to adjust for the larger tires? If not, your speedometer and MPG will be off, and MPG could be better than you think (a little).

Damnit, I didn't see the other posts asking this question, lol. ignore this!

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