Head to head
Nitto Trail Grappler vs Ridge Grappler
Nitto’s mud-terrain and its hybrid rugged-terrain, rated by Nitto on the same five-point scale. The hybrid wins on pavement by the maker’s own numbers. What it does not have is the thing most people assume a hybrid comes with.
By Bill Belcamino · Last verified 17 September 2026
What the published data supports
Nitto rates the Ridge Grappler higher than the Trail Grappler on every on-road measure — dry, wet, quietness and comfort — and half a point lower off-road. It is lighter in most sizes and carries a UTQG treadwear grade of 500 in metric sizes.
But neither tire carries a treadwear warranty. A buyer choosing the Ridge Grappler because “hybrids come with warranties” is choosing on a premise that does not apply to this one. The Trail Grappler also states a three-ply sidewall; the Ridge Grappler’s casing is described as two-ply.
Side by side
Specification
Nitto Trail Grappler M/T
Nitto Ridge Grappler
Category
Mud-terrain
Rugged-terrain (hybrid)
Nitto rating: off-road performance
4.5 / 5
4 / 5
Nitto rating: dry performance
3 / 5
4 / 5
Nitto rating: wet performance
3 / 5
4 / 5
Nitto rating: quietness
2.5 / 5
4 / 5
Nitto rating: ride comfort
2.5 / 5
3.5 / 5
Casing
3-ply sidewall with high turn-up (Nitto)
Two-ply reinforced polyester casing (Tire Rack)
UTQG
Not rated — LT sizes are exempt
500 A B, metric sizes only
Treadwear warranty
None found
None
3PMSF certification
Not stated
No
LT285/70R17
66.4 lb · 18.9/32″ · Load Range E
57.9 lb · 16.4/32″ · Load Range E
33×12.50R17
68.5 lb · 21/32″ (E)
69.32 lb · 18.3/32″ (E)
35×12.50R17
79.9 lb · 21/32″ (E)
75.4 lb · 18.3/32″ (E)
37×12.50R17
87.3 lb · 21/32″ (D)
81.5 lb · 18.3/32″ (D)
Ratings and the Trail Grappler’s construction are Nitto’s. The Ridge Grappler’s casing description is Tire Rack’s; Nitto’s product page states no ply count. Warranty status for the Ridge Grappler is from Tire Rack. Size rows are from the tiresize specification pages, in matched load ranges.
Where the published data favours the Trail Grappler
Depth, in every size: 18.9/32″ against 16.4/32″ in LT285/70R17, and 21/32″ against 18.3/32″ in the three flotation sizes. The Ridge Grappler’s 16.4/32″ is closer to an aggressive all-terrain than to a mud-terrain.
Construction. Nitto states a three-ply sidewall with a high turn-up for the Trail Grappler. The Ridge Grappler is described by Tire Rack as a two-ply reinforced polyester casing. If your failure mode is a sidewall puncture on sharp rock, ply count is the specification that matters — see sidewall plies and ply rating.
Off-road, by Nitto’s scoring: 4.5 against 4.
Where the published data favours the Ridge Grappler
On pavement, by Nitto’s scoring: 4 against 3 for dry and wet, 4 against 2.5 for quietness, 3.5 against 2.5 for comfort. That is a full point or more on every on-road measure Nitto publishes.
Mass, in most sizes: 8.5 lb lighter in LT285/70R17, 4.5 lb lighter in 35×12.50R17 and 5.8 lb lighter in 37×12.50R17. The exception is 33×12.50R17, where the source lists the Ridge Grappler slightly heavier.
A UTQG grade. In metric sizes Nitto lists the Ridge Grappler at treadwear 500, traction A, temperature B. Light-truck sizes are exempt from UTQG, so the Trail Grappler has none — and neither does any mud-terrain.
What the evidence does not establish
A treadwear warranty, for either. Tire Rack lists “None” for the Ridge Grappler, and we found none for the Trail Grappler. This is the one respect in which the hybrid behaves exactly like a mud-terrain — covered in more detail in rugged-terrain vs mud-terrain.
How the ratings translate. Nitto’s scores place its own tires relative to each other; they are not measurements, and they cannot be set against another manufacturer’s scale.
A source inconsistency: the tiresize listing shows the Ridge Grappler’s LT285/70R17 Load Range C and Load Range E versions at an identical 57.9 lb — the same pattern it shows for the Trail Grappler, and a sign one row was copied from the other.
What they cost
Tire
LT285/70R17, per tire
Read
Nitto Trail Grappler M/T
$367.00
11 Sep 2026
Nitto Ridge Grappler
$355 to $364
10 Sep 2026
The Trail Grappler figure is from the price tracker; the Ridge Grappler range was read across retailers for our rugged-terrain guide. At these readings the two cost almost the same.
Which matters for your use case
If most of your driving is on pavement, Nitto’s own ratings favour the Ridge Grappler on every on-road measure.
If you need depth for mud, or a stated three-ply sidewall for rock, the Trail Grappler publishes both.
If you are choosing the hybrid for a warranty, this particular hybrid does not have one.
If snow matters, neither is certified — see mud tires in snow.
Model pages and data
Nitto Trail Grappler M/T · specification database
Related
rugged-terrain vs mud-terrain · Trail Grappler vs Mud Grappler · sidewall plies and ply rating · how loud mud tires are · daily driving
Sources
Nitto Tire, Trail Grappler M/T and Ridge Grappler product pages, including performance ratings and UTQG (nittotire.com), read 17 September 2026 · Tire Rack, Nitto Ridge Grappler description and warranty (tirerack.com) · Tire Size (tiresize.com), model specification pages, read 17 September 2026 · Mud Tires price tracker and rugged-terrain guide.
How these figures are gathered and what we refuse to estimate: our method.