The new Nitto Terra Grappler G3 is their most advanced all-terrain tire yet, improving on prior designs without giving up the things that made Nitto a fan favorite in the first place.
Designed as a true all-terrain tire that’s very much at home on the road and in all weather conditions, the Terra Grappler is a bit tamer than the popular Ridge Grappler, so let’s start with how those two compare…
Nitto Terra Grappler vs Ridge Grappler
Compared to the popular Ridge Grappler, which is a hybrid all-terrain and mud-terrain tire for more aggressive trails, the Terra Grappler skews slightly toward more time on the pavement without giving up performance on forest service roads and dirt trails.
While the image above makes the Ridge Grappler (RG) look way deeper than the Terra Grappler (TG), comparing a LT285/70R17, the tires have very similar specs. Tread depth is 16.4/32″ (RG) versus 16/32″ (TG), and weights are 57.89 lbs (RG) versus 55.12 lbs (TG), both for E load rated tires.
The key difference is that the RG has larger tread blocks (particularly on the sidewalls) with small ridges on them, while the TG has smaller blocks with more intermediate steps between them for tighter on-road handling.
What’s new with the Terra Grappler G3?
Compared to the G2, the new G3 has wider tread blocks, which also aid on-road cornering traction. But the big improvement that gives it 3PMS-rated snow and better wet-weather performance is the revised full-depth siping and wider spaces between tread blocks.
The G3 also gets a new rubber compound to make it grippier but also more durable. More of the siping runs to the edge of the tread blocks, too, and there are wide box sections within the sipes to give it just a bit more bite in the wet.
Like all Grapplers, the G3 puts different shoulder and sidewall lugs on each side of the tires, so you can choose how aggressive of a look you want.
Those shoulder blocks and deep sidewall lugs may not be as aggressive as the Ridge Grappler, but they’ll still help in the mud and deliver the look “soft-roaders” want. They also help protect the sidewall from cuts and punctures on rocky terrain.
The Terra Grapplers have Nitto’s longest-ever treadwear warranty of 70,000 miles for hard metric sizes, and 55,000 miles for LT/flotation sizes. Nitto says the new design is also very quiet, minimizing road noise and vibration.
The G3 has a 2-ply polyester body casing with twin steel belts capped with a nylon ply (or a 2-ply cap for LT-Metric sizes).
Terra Grappler G3 sizes and options
Nitto says more sizes will follow, but the chart above shows what’s available at launch or coming soon. Some sizes available now on TireRack.com.
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