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At AWT Jeeps in Houston, many of our customers with Jeep Wranglers or Gladiators like to play hard in the dirt and gravel on the weekend and then use their Jeep as their daily ride to their 9 to 5. They all have great stories about their adventures on the trail, but they almost universally complain about road noise and tire wear when they hit the interstate Monday through Friday.
There is a reason for this of course. In fact, it is almost fair to say that the better a tire performs off-road, the worse the ride and wear on highways at speed. The compound mix for tires that are marketed as off-road rubber is softer than an all-season tire. Throw in big chunky tread blocks and deep channels and you have a tire that can grab the terrain but that turns into a noisy, poorly handling pavement performer that almost looses tread before your eyes. Wouldn't it be nice if you could mount rubber on your Jeep that would give you both great trail performance and a reasonable ride on the pavement?
We think there is a compromise that makes sense for weekender off-roaders that use their rides seven days a week and it is the Nitto line of off-road tires.
Get the Best of Both Worlds
Nitto, which made its first tires in 1949, has learned a thing or two about rubber compounds, tread designs and tire dynamics over its 70+ years in business. Today, Nitto's Grappler line of tires are considered must-have by many Jeep owners and we are proud to carry their entire lineup. But there is one model, the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T that we think offers up the best solution for Jeeps that spend more time on the pavement than they do on the dirt.
The Trail Grappler's thick tread is created using a custom blend of all-season/all-terrain rubber compound that offers the "deft" touch needed for crawling over rocks while still providing the traction and durability of an all-season tire on the roadway. The tread pattern is aggressive and offers more biting edges providing superior lateral stability for a more surefooted ride on the trail. The irregular pattern of the tread blocks are designed to toss off gravel, mud and debris letting the tire use its full traction potential. Blow through sand, mud, snow, and gravel all you like.
On the other hand, the Nitto Trail Grabber behaves quite civilized on highways. Sidewalls have been stiffened giving it better handling dynamics at speed on concrete. The tread pattern coupled with a "stiffer" rubber compound mimics an all-season tire and rides much quieter than the average off-road rubber. And of course, there is the big advantage of an off-road/on-road compromise and that is a longer lasting tread. Short of swapping out tires every time you want to go off-roading; you won't find a lower-cost-per-mile tire for Jeeps used everyday than the Nitto Trail Grabber.
At AWT Jeeps we carry the full line of Nitto tires. If you are looking to get new rubber for your Jeep Wrangler TJ, JK, JL or Gladiator JT, give us a call at 713-682-1085 or drop by the shop and let's talk about how you can get more out of your off-road tires.
