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Last updated 4/23/2024 - Originally published 4/23/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 15 years, you’ve no doubt noticed that pickup trucks, SUVs, and crossovers are everywhere on the roads now. They’ve replaced sedans and minivans as people haulers, grocery getters, and daily drivers because they’re roomy, comfortable, and practical. Many of those trucks and SUVs are, of course, equipped with 4WD or AWD drivetrains and if you really want to get the most out of the potential of a 4WD vehicle, you should consider all-terrain tires.
Today’s generation of all-terrain tires has come a long way from the AT tires of 25 years ago. They’re designed for ride quality, handling, road manners, and tread life that are right up there with the best standards of Grand Touring tires for cars, but with durability and traction that all-season or GT tires can’t deliver. That means that all-terrain tires are a great, versatile jack-of-all-trades solution for drivers everywhere.
That brings us to the Nitto Terra Grappler G2 vs Yokohama Geolandar AT G015. The Nitto and the Yokohama tires both come from companies that have decades of experience with premium all-terrain tire design and manufacturing, and they leverage all that know-how into each of these tires. The Nitto and the Yokohama are both very capable and versatile tires, and we’ll get deeper into what these tires have to offer in this head-to-head matchup.
You’ll see us refer frequently to SimpleScore in this overview. If you’re not familiar, SimpleScore is the system that our team at SimpleTire has devised to give a summary of what a tire is about. We look at specs, data points, and user reviews, then distill that down into a numerical score for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity as well as an overall average SimpleScore. For the Nitto and the Yokohama, SimpleScore ratings are as follows:
As you can see, these are tires that compare favorably to each other and are closely matched in performance in those categories. As useful as SimpleScore is, though, it’s a 30,000-foot view that doesn’t tell the whole story. So, let’s go in for a closer look at some of the details and the various strengths and weaknesses of these two tires:
The Nitto Terra Grappler G2 is designed for performance that’s confident and composed either on or off the pavement. The Terra Grappler G2 starts with a durable next-generation tread compound that’s optimized for the rough use that all-terrain tires can expect; it’s a damage-resistant rubber formulation with great wear properties, and Nitto covers the Terra Grappler G2 with an up to 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
The aggressive all-terrain tread of the Terra Grappler G2 features a 12.5/32” tread depth, full-depth sipes that are designed to keep delivering traction as the tire wears, and staggered shoulder lugs that boost lateral traction for cornering or for clawing out of ruts and tracks. The Terra Grappler G2 also features coupling joints that link tread blocks together for rigidity and durability. Zigzag grooves ensure traction in wet or wintry conditions, and select sizes of the Terra Grappler G2 have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service.
The internal construction of the Terra Grappler G2 incorporates a polyester casing with two steel belts and a nylon cap ply holding it all together for great stability, ride quality, and durability. The tread pitch of the Terra Grappler G2 has been computer-analyzed and tuned for random pitch variations that help neutralize certain frequencies, keeping road noise to a minimum. It’s also worth mentioning that like with other Nitto tires, the Terra Grappler G2 has two distinctly different sidewall and shoulder treatments that let you easily customize your truck’s looks to suit your own style and aesthetics.
Yokohama designed the Geolandar AT G015 as a tire that doesn’t require compromises in either off-road performance or the kind of civilized and refined behavior you expect on the pavement. Yokohama’s Enduro tread compound features a triple polymer recipe that’s custom blended for durability and long wear as well as dependable traction in wet or dry conditions, and the Yokohama Geolandar AT G015 is covered by a 60,000 mile warranty. The footprint of the Geolandar AT G015 has been optimized and revised for improved weight distribution and pavement contact, ensuring long, even wear, and dependable braking and handling performance.
The Geolandar AT G015’s tread pattern incorporates circumferential grooves for great water evacuation and resistance to hydroplaning. Winter traction gets a boost from angled Edgetec grooves network of full-depth 3D sipes that expand and change shape as the tread depth wears down, continuing to deliver traction as the miles pile up. Endurocore construction gives the Geolandar AT G015 real resilience and durability, with a polyester carcass, high-tensile steel belt package, and spiral-wrapped nylon cap layer to hold it all together. The Geolandar AT G015 has the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service.
With a SimpleScore of 8.7 in the traction category for the Nitto and 8.6 for the Yokohama, these tires are both solid performers and compare well to each other. Both have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for winter traction and both have great, dependable traction on the pavement or off-road in mud, loose dirt, gravel, or snow. There are some differences, though.
The coupling joints in the tread blocks of the Nitto give this tire an extra measure of rigidity that keeps traction uniform and consistent, and its staggered shoulder lugs help to deliver a bit more lateral traction, which is important both on and off the pavement. The sipe design of the Nitto gives this tire a bit of an edge in winter traction as well as confidence on wet pavement. Our verdict:
ADVANTAGE: Nitto Terra Grappler G2
Here’s where our job doing these reviews gets tricky, as the Nitto and Yokohama both have the same great SimpleScore of 8.6 for handling. Both tires deliver steering response that’s light and direct without ever being overly sensitive or twitchy. Both tires keep their composure well over broken pavement, gravel, or rough roads, and both tires exhibit cornering ability that’s secure, predictable, and neutral. That’s especially important on dirt roads or in off-road conditions where understeer or oversteer can end up putting you in the ditch. Road manners, driver feedback, and general roadability on the pavement are excellent with both tires and check many of the boxes you might expect from a Grand Touring automotive tire. Our verdict:
ADVANTAGE: Tie
Now we come to a category where the distinction is a little more clear and it’s easier to make the call. The Terra Grappler has a SimpleScore of 8.7 for longevity vs 8.5 for the Yokohama and a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty (50,000 for LT-metric and flotation sizes) vs the 60,000 mile warranty for the Yokohama. While both tires have excellent wear properties, the tread formulation of the Nitto is a little more durable and long-lasting. This difference in warranty coverage also owes a debt to the redesigned contact patch of the Nitto – wear properties of any given tire have a lot to do with the tire’s footprint and weight distribution. As any vehicle rounds a corner, inertia wants to keep that vehicle going in a straight line and the tire’s tread will deform and “squirm” as it struggles with that momentum. A flat and wide contact patch helps to head off that tendency and ensure wear that’s even and balanced.
ADVANTAGE: Nitto Terra Grappler G2
What are your driving needs? How do you use your 4WD-equipped truck or SUV? If you have to deal with hard winter weather and snow that lingers on the roads for days or weeks at a time, the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating of the Nitto and the Yokohama will come in handy for you. Same if you like to go off-road from time to time in mud, sand, gravel, or loose dirt, or if you live in a rural area off the county road.
The reinforced construction of the Yokohama and the Nitto also means these tires are great candidates for hauling heavy loads or towing trailers. And if you spend most of your time on the highway or the streets, the ride quality, road manners, low noise, and capable handling of both these tires will serve you well. In other words, the all-terrain versatility of the Yokohama and the Nitto will give you a better experience than all-season tires that can do fine around town but will fall short of the mark when you take them off the pavement.
As you can see from this overview, the Yokohama and the Nitto are both premium all-terrain tires that have plenty to recommend them. They both perform well in our SimpleScore categories of traction, handling, and longevity, both have generous warranty coverage and are both quiet, well-behaved, and forgiving on long road trips or around-town errands. However, it’s our opinion here at the SimpleTire team that the Nitto comes out ahead by a nose when it comes to value and performance – plus Nitto tires have the option of being mounted with one style of sidewall or the other facing out so that you can personalize your truck’s looks to suit your tastes.
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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