Head to head

Nitto Trail Grappler vs Falken Wildpeak M/T

This is the only pairing in our set where both manufacturers publish how the casing is actually built. That makes the sidewall question answerable here in a way it is not elsewhere.

By Bill Belcamino · Last verified 17 September 2026

What the published data supports

Nitto states a three-ply sidewall with high turn-up construction. Falken states three-ply DURASPEC with two high ply turn-ups. Both are manufacturer specifications a buyer can hold the company to — unlike the BFGoodrich and the Maxxis, neither of which publishes a ply count at all.

Nitto is also the only tire in our set with a published noise figure, though it is measured against Nitto’s own Mud Grappler rather than against the Falken. Falken publishes the deeper tread and the lighter casing in the size where both are documented.

Side by side

Specification

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T

Falken Wildpeak M/T

Sidewall construction

Three-ply with high turn-up

Three-ply DURASPEC, two high ply turn-ups

Tread depth (LT285/70R17 Load E)

Not published in the data we found

20/32″

Weight (LT285/70R17 Load E)

Not published in the data we found

63.3 lb

Load index / speed (LT285/70R17 Load E)

121/118Q

Load at pressure (LT285/70R17 Load E)

3,195 lb at 80 psi

Tread depth (LT315/70R17)

20/32″

Not published in the data we found

Weight (LT315/70R17)

76.83 lb

Not published in the data we found

Measured diameter (37×12.50R17)

36.8″

36.7″

Measured diameter (LT315/70R17)

34.6″

Load ranges offered

C, D, E and F

C and E in LT285/70R17

Size range

63 sizes, 15in to 26in

Not published in the data we found

Published noise claim

34% quieter street, 36% highway vs Nitto Mud Grappler

Reduces road hum vs older M/T designs; no baseline given

Composite retailer rating

Not rated on this scale

8.4 overall

3PMSF certification

Not stated

Warranty

None found in the specifications

None found in the data reviewed

The two tires are documented in different sizes, which is why several rows carry a figure for one and not the other. We have not carried a figure across from a neighbouring size to fill a gap.

Where the Nitto has documented advantages

Fitment breadth is the clearest one. Nitto publishes 63 sizes spanning 15 to 26 inch wheels in load ranges C, D, E and F. If you are running an unusual wheel diameter or need a load range other than E, the Trail Grappler is far more likely to exist in your size.

Nitto is also the only manufacturer in our set that has committed to a noise number: 34% quieter at street speeds and 36% at highway speeds, achieved by using 3D computer simulation to vary tread block size, shape and position. Read the comparator carefully — those percentages are against Nitto’s own Mud Grappler, a tire with a reputation for being among the loudest sold. How loud are mud tires explains why that does not make it quieter than the Falken.

Where the Falken has documented advantages

In LT285/70R17 Load Range E the Falken publishes 20/32″ of tread at 63.3 lb. That is the deepest documented tread in our set, and depth is the only wear-life number a buyer can check before paying on a pair of tires where neither manufacturer offers a mileage warranty.

Falken also publishes its construction in more detail — three-ply DURASPEC with two high ply turn-ups, against Nitto’s three-ply with high turn-up. Both are real specifications; Falken’s is the more specific of the two.

Falken publishes full specifications for both the Load Range C and Load Range E versions of LT285/70R17, which are genuinely different tires: 116/113Q at 18/32″ and 61.3 lb against 121/118Q at 20/32″ and 63.3 lb. That transparency is useful, and it is also a trap — see load range explained.

What the evidence does not establish

Neither tire has been measured against the other in public. Nitto’s noise percentages are against its own Mud Grappler; Falken’s road-hum claim carries no baseline and no figure at all. The two statements cannot be placed on a common scale.

The tires are documented in different sizes. Nitto’s published depth and weight are for LT315/70R17, Falken’s for LT285/70R17. A direct depth-and-weight comparison in a single size is not possible from the published data.

Neither carries three-peak mountain snowflake certification, and neither publishes a mileage warranty. Both are normal for light-truck-sized mud-terrains, and neither is a severe-snow tire whatever the tread looks like.

What they cost

Readings from the price tracker, re-checked monthly against the same retailer and the same size.

Tire

Per tire, LT285/70R17

Read

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T

$367.00

11 Sep 2026

Falken Wildpeak M/T

$400.00

11 Sep 2026

The headline gap is $33.00 per tire, but the Falken moves far more across retailers: on 10 September 2026 it ranged from $303.96 to $400.00 on the same day, while the Nitto sat in a tight $360 to $367 band. Found at the bottom of its range the Falken is the cheaper tire; found at the top it is not.

Which matters for your use case

If you need an unusual size or a load range other than E, the Nitto publishes far more fitments.

If you are buying on tread depth and mass, the Falken publishes the deeper tread and the lighter casing — in the size where both figures exist.

If highway drone is the thing you would regret, the Nitto is the only one of the two that has publicly committed to a number, however it was measured.

If you are price-sensitive, the Falken is worth shopping across retailers; the Nitto is not, because its range barely moves.

Model pages

Full published specifications for each tire: Nitto Trail Grappler · Falken Wildpeak M/T

sidewall plies and ply rating · how loud mud tires are · load range explained · Wildpeak vs KM3 · RAZR MT vs Trail Grappler · price tracker

Sources

Nitto Tire, Trail Grappler M/T product specifications (nittotire.com) · Falken Tire, Wildpeak M/T (falkentire.com) · Tire Rack, Nitto Trail Grappler M/T specifications (tirerack.com) · Tire Size, Trail Grappler and Wildpeak M/T model specification pages (tiresize.com) · SimpleTire, Falken Wildpeak MT01 (simpletire.com).

How these figures are gathered and what we refuse to estimate: our method.