Nitto and General and Goodrich, oh my...

[Johnny_B-Good]

I am getting close to replacing the tires on my 2010 Laramie. And I've seen a lot of great info and input in these forums about a few popular tires. And how some dislike the Duelers (I run them on my truck). So where I was looking at Grabbers and KO's. I started leaning towards the Nitto's instead. Right up until my recent road trip. Driving through South Carolina, real late at night (early AM to be honest). Wife using her phone for nav, and using mine for XM (cause you just need to have a quickly refreshed NAV and great tunes at the same time during a road trip). The NAV showed a continuation of the route we were on. In actuality, it was a sharp turn left or right with no stop sign, no big yellow sign with a black arrow to the left and right. Not even a reduced speed limit sign. Just a dead end, with a slight drop off on the other side of the shoulder, with some fairly large trees a little further from the shoulder. this was an enlightening moment (AKA "OH S*&T" moment), and at 60 MPH no less (it was posted 55 MPH on the road we were on). I jumped on the brakes and was just about to say "this is gonna hurt" so the wife knew something really bad was about to happen. But the truck simply did what it was designed to do. It came to a sudden stop without the use of objects or obstacles to do so. And it came to a sudden stop in a hurry. Wife said "truck stopped on a dime and gave you change in return". As I sit there, in South Carolina, in the darkest of dark, just hoping and praying I didn't soil my underoos (if you're old like me, you get it), and looking at some hefty trees that could have become part of my grill (bumper, hood, etc). I made the decision to replace the tires with the same exact tire that's on my truck right now. I admit I was excited to move into a more aggressive tread pattern with the Nitto's. But yeah, not at the expense of roadway safety. I'm sticking with the Duelers.

 

[audiophile]

I am getting close to replacing the tires on my 2010 Laramie. And I've seen a lot of great info and input in these forums about a few popular tires. And how some dislike the Duelers (I run them on my truck). So where I was looking at Grabbers and KO's. I started leaning towards the Nitto's instead. Right up until my recent road trip. Driving through South Carolina, real late at night (early AM to be honest). Wife using her phone for nav, and using mine for XM (cause you just need to have a quickly refreshed NAV and great tunes at the same time during a road trip). The NAV showed a continuation of the route we were on. In actuality, it was a sharp turn left or right with no stop sign, no big yellow sign with a black arrow to the left and right. Not even a reduced speed limit sign. Just a dead end, with a slight drop off on the other side of the shoulder, with some fairly large trees a little further from the shoulder. this was an enlightening moment (AKA "OH S*&T" moment), and at 60 MPH no less (it was posted 55 MPH on the road we were on). I jumped on the brakes and was just about to say "this is gonna hurt" so the wife knew something really bad was about to happen. But the truck simply did what it was designed to do. It came to a sudden stop without the use of objects or obstacles to do so. And it came to a sudden stop in a hurry. Wife said "truck stopped on a dime and gave you change in return". As I sit there, in South Carolina, in the darkest of dark, just hoping and praying I didn't soil my underoos (if you're old like me, you get it), and looking at some hefty trees that could have become part of my grill (bumper, hood, etc). I made the decision to replace the tires with the same exact tire that's on my truck right now. I admit I was excited to move into a more aggressive tread pattern with the Nitto's. But yeah, not at the expense of roadway safety. I'm sticking with the Duelers.

Wow, glad you did okay in that scenario. I agree, I really like Dualers and have owned several sets. Really good tire.

 

[Dean2]

That is a great story. I have never used Duellers, and you now know they stop real well but my question is, do you know they stop better than Nittos etc.. I have found many tires show a huge difference in dry, versus wet, versus ice, versus snow. Since I run the same tires year round I need one with a balanced performance. I have found the Tire Rack Tire reviews to be very helpful in assessing braking performance of tires under different conditions.

 

[Johnny_B-Good]

I wish I knew if the Grappler's stopped as well as the Duelers did for me. Believe me, the Grapplers seem to be popular around this forum (and away from this forum as well). Not overly aggressive tread pattern, not too noisy, half decent tread life, and I've seen the reviews where it is an equally mixed tire for road use, and off road use (mostly light off road if I recall). So yeah, what's not to like about that tire? I run a set of Michelin light truck tires on my SUV. Great tire for that application. But SUV to truck, weight displacement and distribution play a factor, so they may not act the same.

I am thankful for the way the Duelers reacted in a panic situation (panic is putting it lightly, I thought we were going off road in half a heartbeat). But in the same token, I know Duelers struggle a little in different conditions. I have had no issues with dry roads. And right after a rain, when the oil comes to the surface, it gets a little sketchy starting out from a stop at most stop signs, not so much stop lights. But they stop great. lol

I guess I should wait on a decent snowfall, then make a real decision. I mean, if I grab the Grapplers and don't like them. I'll only use them for like 70,000 miles, right? lol

BTW, nice looking trucks!!

 

[Dean2]

Thanks for the compliment. I run Goodyear Duratracs on both and have for years after trying many others. I spend a lot of time off pavement. They work good as an all year tire and have the mountain snowflake for places where you need that in winter. One of the few E tires that does. Decent handing on dry or wet pavement, a little noisy, good stopping on everything but pure ice, can be studded if you want to. Excellent traction in deep mud and snow. They do make a lighter duty version specifically for half tons, but unless you spend more than 40% of your time off pavement they would not be my first choice on a 1500.

For more mixed use have heard a lot of good things about the Nitto Grabbers but that is one tire I have never actually tried.

 

[CheechDogg.0n37s]

I love my Grapplers ..in the rain which is why I got them, they handle just fine ..... So far almost 20k miles and they look good ... I also don't daily drive it but for 20k they are still looking, handling and sound great ...

 

[Milspec]

I had 35” General Grabber AT2’s on my former 2013 wrangler, they were my favorite. About 20k on those before I traded for my current Ram, barely any wear and they were rated for 55k miles. They were amazing in snow and ice when aired down a bit.

I tried to get the new General grabber ATs on my wife’s Rubicon but the 35x12.5x17 were backordered nation wide. Instead went with Toyo Open Country A/Ts, they’re very nice but a bit noisier than my Grabbers.

My current Ram has 305/45/22 Nitto Terra Grapplers and I suppose I like them, previous owner installed them. Not too noisy but I do feel like the back end comes loose when it’s wet out, not terrible.

My vote are General Grabbers