Whether you're looking for a new set of offroad tires for your truck or the best tires for trucks in general, you've probably been slammed with so many options that you don't know where to start. Let's take a look at two of our most popular truck tires and so you can determine which one is right for you!
Nitto Ridge Grappler
First up we have the Nitto Ridge Grappler. This has been our most popular tire to date and for good reason. The Ridge Grappler is a hybrid tire, meaning it combines the performance of an all-terrain and a mud tire into one. These tires are for the person that likes to go off-road on weekends but still needs to drive their truck to and from work. The Nitto Ridge Grappler in particular is built off of an all-terrain platform. The benefit of doing this is that since the tread isn't as aggressive as some other hybrid tires, you won't hear as much road noise. This can make all the difference when choosing your next tire package because road noise can play a huge part in the overall satisfaction of your new tires.
The Nitto Ridge Grappler is designed from a pretty hard rubber compound which translates into great dry condition grip. The tread blocks on this tire are smaller than the average hybrid tire which help alleviate some of that road noise as we mentioned before. There is also a decent amount of separation between the tread blocks which helps with offroad performance. These spaces, or tread voids, are designed to remove any water, mud, or rocks that get stuck in the tread and compromise the tire's performance. Nitto has designed the Ridge Grappler to have the larger tread voids towards the edge of the tire. This design allows the tire to eject rocks and debris from the tire while keeping the tread voids in the center smaller to combat road noise.
BFGoodrich K02
Next we have the BFGoodrich K02. The K02 is an all-terrain tire which typically means it is primarily designed for day-to-day operations. However, BFGoodrich designed this tire to be an all-terrain tire that is more focused on offroad use. That being said, you'll notice that this tire, when compared to the Nitto Ridge Grappler, has a less aggressive look to it so if you're going for more of a subtle look, this may be the better option. Speaking of looks, the BFGoodrich K02 has a pretty unique tread design. The tread blocks have an interlocking design that give this tire a really interesting look. The benefit of having the tread blocks this way is that there is now a lot more rubber making contact with the ground and the gaps between the blocks are small, but plentiful. Putting more rubber to the ground improves grip and response on dry surfaces while having a lot of tread voids helps remove water, stones, and grime from your tires.
You may also notice that there is quite a bit of siping on this tire which helps it bite into the snow. The K02 even has these upward cutouts that act like larger sipes. These sipes should make this tire perform pretty well in a winter climate. Being that this all-terrain tire is more focused on offroading, it's typically a little louder than other AT tires but it makes up for the little extra noise with a lot better offroad performance.
Which Should You Buy?
This is a tough question to answer because it all depends on what you're building your vehicle for. If you find yourself going to the trails every weekend and traversing through mild-moderate terrain, the Nitto Ridge Grappler would probably be the better option. Keep in mind that this is a pretty aggressive looking tire as well so if that's the look you're going for, this is definitely a good choice.
If you like offroading but don't do it all that often and would rather have a more subtle look to your build, the BFGoodrich K02 would be the better option. Since this is an all-terrain tire, it is a little more focused on the day-to-day drivability than the Ridge Grappler. The K02 is also about $100 cheaper than the Ridge Grappler so if you're trying to save the most money, this is the better choice.
