Nitto Ridge Grappler C & E Load Help

[harkco]

I'm getting ready to swap out my Duratracs for this tire. I have looked everywhere online and talked to several tire stores, as well as Nitto's website, and they all list the C & E load weight of this tire in 285/70/17 as the same. If this truly is the case, is there any downside to going with E load over C? Will they get noisier as they wear? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Simpleman74]

downside (probably a little heavier) upside better protection on the rocks.

 

[4Running303]

Downside...the E's are probably a few pounds heavier with the thicker sidewalls. I think they will both get a little noisier as they wear...however they start off a lot quieter than other tires I've run (Duratracs and Toyo Open Country RT's)...so its still quieter in my opinion.

I had to go with the E's for the 305 size cause they don't make C's in that size. If I were doing 285's again, I would opt for the C's They are still plenty tough and they are lighter. However, if you plan to wheel often and air down low than go with the E's.

 

[I35it]

I had 275/7017 K02 (E) and switched to 255/75/17 STT PRO (C) and they are a huge difference in how the truck rides. Its quicker off the line, it airs down faster, the brakes feel like they work better (if that makes sense), and on the freeway I don't feel like its hurting as bad. Now this may all be in my head, but I swear the difference is very noticeable to me. I know its not a NITTO reference at all but hope that helps.

 

[Carolina Roscoe]

I've been told they are the same damn weight, who knows. Say it how the E's are made. My Guess is a major difference will be the harshness in ride comfort.

 

[Brian3676]

I just bought these tires as well and noticed they are the same weight as well. If your not towing or loading the truck heavy, go with C, it will be much more comfy to drive on the street

 

[Jaydub514]

For the weight of the 4Runner - I'd always try to stick to C rated tires whenever possible. Thankfully Nitto has given us the C rated option in the 285 Ridge Grappler, definitely the route to go with.

 

[sn_85]

The Ridge Grappler C-rated tire weighs nearly as much as the E-rated tire and weights a lot more than other branded E-rated. The benefit to C is the harshness but if you're already getting a heavy tire you might as well go E with it. My 2 cents.

 

[Jetboy]

If the weight is the same - they're probably just using the same molds but using lighter weight fibers in the sidewalls and tread area. The rolling resistance is probably lower on the C rated tire and it should have a bit softer ride. Otherwise I'd guess they're pretty similar.

I wish we had more C rated options. There's no reason you need the same tire as an F250. IMO P rated tires are the best option for most people. - mostly because you have to choose either an E or a P rated tire and there's not much in between. I wish they'd make more offroad tires in a lighter casing. There's no reason they can't make them more than strong enough for a normal 4runner without adding a lot of weight and having an 80psi tire casing. Materials exist that are a LOT stronger than nylon and polyester and a lot lighter too. The amount of Kevlar you'd use in a tire would probably be less than $10. And make them much stronger. I wish more companies would do it. And FWIW - I've done a ton of Moab trails on p-rated tires. And I'll run the Rubicon this summer on them. If I can run Poison Spider Mesa and the Rubicon on P-rated tires without issue, I'm not sure what the fuss about sidewall strength is. I'd rather have C rated though to have a little extra protection over a P rated tire, but something less than an E rated.

Edit: This is based on most of us using our 4runners as daily drivers first and weekend warriors second. If you're spending 100 days a year in the rocks - yeah, e rated are probably worth it. If you're doing safari duty in the Serengeti - go for e rated. If you're going offroad 5-10 weekends a year and spending the other 350 days on the highway - I'd go for the C or P rated tire. (For me I'm going with two sets of wheels/tires so I have a pure highway street tire and then the offroad tire isn't so important to be comfortable, but I'd prefer to stick with a light casing if available.)

Good luck and let us know how you like them!

 

[delaWeb]

I went thru the same scenario a couple weeks back with the same tire brand, model and size.

From my experience in the tire industry (a portion of them as a tire tech) I can tell you that regardless of weight differences 10 ply tires are always harsher to balance due to the added ply.

In a nutshell, my decision came to this - With 10 ply (load range E) you can air down safely to 15 PSI and with 6 ply (load range C) you can safely air down to 20 PSI. Being I never air down the added ply wasn't something I would benefit from so for that reason I went with 6 ply load range C.

Side Note: You can air down lower than the PSIs mentioned those numbers are just what I've been taught as being "Safe" for those noted amounts of plies. The wheel width also plays a role in determining a safe PSI.

 

[harkco]

Thanks for the replies. Think I am leaning toward load C, but we shall see. The E load being harder to balance is a negative that never occurred to me.

 

[AZ Craig]

Thanks for the replies. Think I am leaning toward load C, but we shall see. The E load being harder to balance is a negative that never occurred to me.

Being in Texas, I'd say go C load.

I just swapped from the P-metric to an E load on mine, but only because I'll take the sacrifice of the E-rated tire for daily driving if it saves me from a flat tire on the jagged rocks we have out here in the Southwest (and I go out alone way more often than I should).

Personally, unless you are wheeling in places like Arizona, Utah or Colorado often, no need for E load...

 

[Irikumi]

I live in Arizona, there are some nasty rocks and thorns here and I have had tire failures more then once in Arizona... but, no tire problems I remember in other places I've lived like Washington State. I tend to go E for that reason here in Arizona. If I still lived in Washington State, probably wouldn't matter what tire I had and it would be fine. I had 265/75R16 E rated KO2s on my 2008 Pathfinder and I really didn't notice much difference on the street over my P rated tires that it originally had.

 

[comtn4x4]

I have run the C load 285/75/17's for about 4000 miles now. Duratracs before that. When I spoke with the Nitto people they said the C and E weighed the same.(In that size anyway.) I was shocked and was really hoping the C would weigh less. I made the decision to go with C load based on a more forgiving ride on road but more so because of greater flexibility of the sidewalls when airing down. I really don't believe the E is necessary for these trucks. Even with considerable extra load after modifications. Fully loaded with gear, family and dogs I run about 1200 lbs over stock and they have performed great so far. Heck even the Duratracs did great and everyone badmouths those

 

[dlakeman]

Ridge Grappler

I know I’m a year late on this post but I just put 285/70 E-load rate Grapplers on my 2014 4Runner TE. My local dealer installs C-rated on their new 4Runners when they do a lift and tire swap. In NV and AZ the trails are sharp rock so I went with E-rated, also the 4Runner is not my daily driver. What tire pressure should be used on-road (Nitto spec is 80 psi max), and off-road on trails with and without rock? I drove the 4Runner home from the dealer 50 miles on the Interstate. Rode smooth and little road noise.

 

[tm965]

I went thru the same scenario a couple weeks back with the same tire brand, model and size.

From my experience in the tire industry (a portion of them as a tire tech) I can tell you that regardless of weight differences 10 ply tires are always harsher to balance due to the added ply.

In a nutshell, my decision came to this - With 10 ply (load range E) you can air down safely to 15 PSI and with 6 ply (load range C) you can safely air down to 20 PSI. Being I never air down the added ply wasn't something I would benefit from so for that reason I went with 6 ply load range C.

Side Note: You can air down lower than the PSIs mentioned those numbers are just what I've been taught as being "Safe" for those noted amounts of plies. The wheel width also plays a role in determining a safe PSI.

i called nitto about this and their rep told me that both the C and E load tires are both 6 ply (at least in the 265/70 flavor). i went with C

 

[tm965]

I know I’m a year late on this post but I just put 285/70 E-load rate Grapplers on my 2014 4Runner TE. My local dealer installs C-rated on their new 4Runners when they do a lift and tire swap. In NV and AZ the trails are sharp rock so I went with E-rated, also the 4Runner is not my daily driver. What tire pressure should be used on-road (Nitto spec is 80 psi max), and off-road on trails with and without rock? I drove the 4Runner home from the dealer 50 miles on the Interstate. Rode smooth and little road noise.

37 psi on road for c load

 

[dlakeman]

Per Nitto and Discount Tire websites the Ridge Grappler in 285’s are 10 ply.

 

[TN4RNR]

I was ready to order the C load Ridge Grapplers but MY GOD those suckers are heavy! With a 50 lb C load BFG KO2 being an option now at 7 lbs lighter per tire, I guess my mind is made up. Kinda sucks because I love the look of the Nitto. Oh well, KO2’s have treated me well up to this point.

 

[SlickTRD]

I was ready to order the C load Ridge Grapplers but MY GOD those suckers are heavy! With a 50 lb C load BFG KO2 being an option now at 7 lbs lighter per tire, I guess my mind is made up. Kinda sucks because I love the look of the Nitto. Oh well, KO2’s have treated me well up to this point.

They are very heavy but man do they look good. I also like the Nitto due to newer design and newer tire chemistry. I did lose about 1mpg going from P-rated Trail to Ridge Grapplers.