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Last updated 7/08/2024 - Originally published 7/08/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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Founded in 1931, Bridgestone Tires has grown to be the second-largest tire producer in the world with operations spanning more than 150 countries. As a division of Toyo Tire Corporation, Nitto Tires is an enthusiast tire brand that was established in 1949. Having its headquarters in Kyobashi, Tokyo, Japan, Bridgestone manufactures tires for a variety of applications, including motorbikes, cars, trucks, bicycles, off-road vehicles, and airplanes (in addition to having a long history in the racing industry).
Bridgestone is known for its Alenza, Blizzak, Dueler, Ecopia, and Potenza product families. The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 is a commercial-grade all-season tire that is designed for use on light trucks and SUVs, and offers drivers excellent traction, handling, and great longevity.
With its current headquarters located in Cypress, California, Nitto provides side-by-side (SxS) tires, all-out competition tires, and light truck tires such as the Grappler series. Suitable for a broad range of light trucks, the Nitto Dura Grappler is designed for long-lasting, commercial-grade on-road performance. It offers great traction, handling, and good longevity for your light trucks, crossovers, and SUVs.
Are both tires just as good at what they do, or is there one that performs better? Let's compare the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 and Nitto Dura Grappler using SimpleScore to help you determine which tire is ideal for you.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 is designed to provide heavy-duty performance year after year for your light trucks. It is designed with technology that ensures exceptional traction in wet and dry conditions. It has a revised contact patch, a long-wearing tread compound, a tread optimized for year-round traction, and is backed by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 gets an excellent SimpleScore of 9.1 out of 10 thanks to its outstanding traction, excellent handling, and great longevity.
Backed by a 60,000 mile limited tread life warranty, the Dura Grappler features a dual sidewall design which gives it a stylish look. While its multi-rib tread pattern offers increased tread life and quiet drive, the waved sipes boost wet traction and maintain tread block rigidity. In addition, its circumferential grooves remove water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. To further stand out from the crowd, the Dura Grappler is available in two distinct tread patterns in LT-Metric and P-Metric sizes. The P-Metric sizes feature a quiet 5-rib design, while the LT-Metric sizes are available in a sturdy 4-rib design.
The Nitto Dura Grappler receives a great SimpleScore of 8.1 thanks to its great traction, reliable handling, and good longevity.
Highway terrain tires are made with a tread composition that is specifically designed for use on paved roads. Besides providing a smooth and quiet ride, its all-season rubber compound improves traction in dry and rainy conditions.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 has a specially developed tread pattern that helps to maintain traction even in slippery conditions, allowing you to push through the winter. Dueler H/T 685's optimized rubber compound provides year-round traction, while its wide grooves force water away from the tire's contact patch, resist hydroplaning, and improve wet traction. As a result, the Dueler H/T 685 gets an excellent traction score of 9.8.
The Nitto Dura Grappler sports a great SimpleScore of 8.1 thanks to its tread compound that is designed to provide solid wet-weather traction. A system of circumferential and angled grooves quickly removes water from the tire's contact patch preventing hydroplaning, as well as an innovative network of sipes that improves wet and ice traction.
When it comes to traction, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 has a superior score than the Nitto Dura Grappler (9.8 vs. 8.1).
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685
In addition to offering comfortable riding and good cornering grip, all-season tires usually function well on dry roads and provide stable handling. Both the Dueler H/T 685 and Dura Grappler offer reliable handling.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 features a symmetric tread pattern with an open shoulder which enhances its handling performance, giving it an exceptional score of 9.5.
On the other hand, the Nitto Dura Grappler sports a great handling score of 8.5 thanks to its symmetric tread design and multi-rib pattern that provides precise steering response and enhanced stability in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions.
When it comes to handling, the Dueler H/T 685 outperforms the Dura Grappler (9.5 vs. 8.5)
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685
Mileage, road conditions, driving style, maintenance, and age all have an impact on how long a tire lasts, and the longevity of a tire plays a vital role in identifying a good tire.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 sports a great longevity score of 8.3 as it boasts a new and novel tread-to-road contact footprint enabling the tire to adjust to the load and improve wearability. It is specially developed with heavy-duty steel belts and a 2-ply polyester structure for towing and hauling heavy loads and comes with a 50,000 mile limited tread life warranty.
Backed by a 60,000 mile limited treadwear warranty for every P-Metric/Metric size, the Nitto Dura Grappler features a multi-rib tread pattern with linked tread blocks for increased rigidity and longevity. The Dura Grappler's tread composition is engineered for prolonged, even wear and has a good longevity score of 7.6.
When it comes to longevity, the Dueler H/T 685 has a better score than the Dura Grappler (8.3 vs 7.6)
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685
Highway terrain, all-season tires are designed primarily for paved roads. The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 and the Nitto Dura Grappler offer a smooth, pleasant ride with low noise, excellent handling, and remarkable straight-line stability and highway road manners, but they are only intended for use on asphalt. These tires are not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified and should not be used in extreme winter conditions.
Which of these highway terrain, all-season tires best suits your needs? According to SimpleScore, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T685 outperforms the Nitto Dura Grappler (9.1 vs 8.1). In terms of traction, handling, and longevity, the Dueler H/T685 gets superior scores than the Dura Grappler.
Comparing the prices of the LT275/65R18 tire size, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 costs around $297 per tire, and four such tires cost $1188, while the Nitto Dura Grappler costs around $239 per tire, and four such tires cost $956 (a difference of $232).
Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 if you:
On the other hand, you should purchase the Nitto Dura Grappler if you:
The Dueler H/T 685 and the Dura Grappler are highway terrain, all-season tires that excel in different aspects. Whichever option you choose will be determined by your vehicles and the factors that are most important to you, such as cost, traction, handling, and longevity.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.
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