The 285 is a coin toss

In LT285/70R17 both tires are 121/118Q Load Range E, both carry 3,195 lb at 80 psi, and they sit 0.9/32″ and 1.8 lb apart. There is no meaningful engineering decision to make in this size. Anyone telling you one of them transforms the truck relative to the other, at this size, is describing a feeling rather than a difference.

The 315 is where you actually choose

Step up to LT315/70R17 and a real trade-off appears. The Nitto runs 20/32″ of tread at 76.83 lb. The Maxxis runs 19/32″ at 73.5 lb. You are buying either an extra 32nd of depth or 3.3 lb less rotating mass per corner — about 13 lb across the set.

Note also that both drop to Load Range D at this size, carrying the same 3,195 lb but at 50 psi rather than 80. Wider is not automatically stronger.

Only one of them publishes a ply count

Nitto states, on its own product page, that the Trail Grappler has a three-ply sidewall with high turn-up construction. That is a manufacturer specification.

Maxxis does not make that claim. Its own page describes an “armor sidewall design” and “dual-cord body-ply technology” — and nowhere states three plies. The widely repeated “Maxxis RAZR MT 3-ply sidewall” comes from retailer catalogues, where the phrase is literally part of the product listing name. Dozens of dealer sites share that one database entry, which is why it looks like a specification.

It may well be a three-ply casing. We simply could not find Maxxis saying so. If it matters to you, read the sidewall: federal marking rules require the actual ply count in the sidewall and in the tread to be moulded into the tire.

The warranty that may not exist

Two large retailers advertise a 40,000-mile warranty on the RAZR MT. Maxxis’s own warranty page lists specific mileage warranties for the RAZR AT-S, RAZR AT and RAZR HT — and does not list the MT-772 at all. Its general limited warranty runs to 2/32″ remaining tread or six years from manufacture, which is a workmanship warranty, not a treadwear one.

We could not verify the 40,000-mile figure with Maxxis. Buying on the strength of a retailer’s warranty column is a good way to discover there is nothing behind it. Our warranty comparison covers what these documents actually promise.

Nitto is the only one that puts a number on noise

Nitto claims the Trail Grappler is 34% quieter at street speeds and 36% quieter at highway speeds than its own Mud Grappler. Maxxis claims its deeply sculpted centre blocks retain “a quieter ride” and publishes no figure.

Neither claim tells you how either tire compares to the other, and both are measured against the maker’s own product. But a company willing to commit to a percentage has at least measured something. Noise is the complaint that dominates mud-terrain ownership — see how loud mud tires really are.

Price is the widest variable here

On 10 September 2026 the Maxxis ranged from $292.85 to $374.12 per tire depending on retailer — an $81 swing on the same day, or $325 across a set. The Nitto sat in a tight $360 to $367 band.

That makes the Maxxis the better buy only if you find the bottom of its range. At the top of it, you are paying Nitto money for a tire that publishes less about itself.

Which one to buy

In the 285, buy whichever is cheaper the day you shop. In the 315, buy the Nitto if you want depth and documented construction, the Maxxis if you want to keep weight down and you find it under $300. Neither carries a UTQG rating, a mileage warranty we can verify, or a severe-snow certification.