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Last updated 7/16/2024 - Originally published 7/16/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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For drivers who love the kind of off-road adventures that take their 4WD trucks way, way off-road, and into muddy, sloppy terrain, most all-terrain tires are just about always not going to be up to the task. The truth is, mud is really what it comes down to in these situations. If your tire can’t eject the mud out of its treads and dig in for some real traction, it doesn’t matter how much ground clearance, torque, or horsepower your truck has – you’re going to find yourself with slick mud-coated tires spinning in place and your truck hopelessly bogged down and in need of a winch. Over the years, mud-terrain tires have developed quite a considerable reputation for being noisy, a little twitchy and squirrelly on the pavement, difficult to balance because of their size and weight, and sluggish when it comes to handling. Fortunately, the latest generation of mud-terrain tires has been able to successfully overcome many of those problems.
That brings us to our comparison of the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T vs the Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT. These are both very capable premium mud-terrain tires, and they both have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses that we’ll delve into in this head-to-head comparison test. In the course of this review, you’ll see us refer to the tires’ SimpleScore numbers; if you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s a resource that the team at SimpleTire has developed to give you an at-a-glance idea of what a tire is all about.
SimpleScore takes into account a tire’s specs, data points, and reviews and then processes that information down into a 1-10 numerical value for the categories of traction, durability, and longevity as well as an overall average SimpleScore. For the Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT and Nitto Trail Grappler M/T, the SimpleScore rating breakdown is as follows:
As you can see, the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T and Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT are both pretty closely matched when it comes to SimpleScore rankings. As useful as SimpleScore is, though, it’s still the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t give you an in-depth analysis of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. Let’s break that information down a little more with a head-to-head comparison of these two premium mud-terrain tires.
The Nitto Trail Grappler M/T is a great example of what a next-generation mud-terrain tire design is all about. It’s a tire that delivers unparalleled performance off-road and in deep mud, without sacrificing too much in the way of on-road manners, ride quality, and overall drivability on the street.
Leading edge tread and side blocks give the Trail Grappler M/T more surface area, and biting edges for lateral stability and forward grip in rough off-road conditions, which is a huge help for clawing out of ruts or over obstacles. Reinforced shoulder grooves work as part of a system with the rest of the Trail Grappler M/T’s tread features for off-road performance without compromising the rigidity and stability of the tire’s tread block. Deep sipes in the center blocks enhance wet-weather grip on pavement, and the well-balanced void ratio is designed for good self-cleaning of mud and debris.
The 3-ply sidewall and high-turnup design of the Trail Grappler M/T add an extra layer of protection for rough use and resistance to damage. The noise/vibration/harshness design team at Nitto fine-tuned the Trail Grappler M/T’s tread pitch, modifying the size, shape, and position of tread blocks to cancel out certain frequencies and resonances for a surprisingly quiet ride. The Trail Grappler M/T is also optimized for roundness and uniformity, improving ride quality and helping to take care of any balance issues. It’s also worth noting that like other Nitto Grappler tires, the Trail Grappler M/T has two different sidewall designs – one with traditional lettering and squared-off shoulder buttresses, the other with more stylized lettering and V-shaped lugs, making it easy to customize your truck’s looks and suit your aesthetics. SimpleTire’s price on the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T starts at $278 per tire.
When it comes to offroad performance, the Goodyear Wrangler family of tires has a decades-long reputation for quality, performance, and value. Goodyear Wrangler tires have been a favorite for light trucks for a generation, and the Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT is no exception. It’s available in 17 sizes from 31” to 37” in diameter and is a great fit for trucks like the Toyota Tundra, Ford F150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and RAM 1500.
The Wrangler Boulder MT fully calls on Goodyear’s expertise, and technology for a high-tech, high-performance tire that can ensure the confidence drivers need for off-road excursions. It’s engineered with the 3-ply Duraply package, helping to armor the sidewall and tread for some of the most extreme terrains and conditions. An aggressive shoulder design with lugs that wrap around the sidewall helps guarantee great lateral traction for cornering or clawing out of ruts and grooves. A high-void tread pattern (a full 21/32” deep) with stone ejectors is part of Goodyear’s TractiveGroove technology package, keeping the tires moving without wheelspin in challenging mud, sand, loose dirt, or gravel. Like the Falken, the Goodyear also has the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. SimpleTire’s price on the Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT starts at $298.99 per tire.
How do the Nitto and the Goodyear stack up against each other when it comes to traction? With a SimpleScore of 9.0 for the Goodyear and 8.4 for the Nitto, it’s not a really close contest. While both tires have the 3PMSF certification for winter traction, the Goodyear’s shoulder lugs and extra-deep tread give it a real edge in mud and loose dirt, with good self-cleaning that flings mud, snow, and debris out of the tread so there’s always a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT
Over the decades, the Goodyear Wrangler family of tires has established quite a reputation for being tough and durable, and the Wrangler Boulder MT is no exception. Goodyear’s Duraply package with its 3-ply sidewall and reinforced tread is designed to stand up to some of the harshest punishment you can subject a tire to; that’s the kind of durability that’s handy when you’re doing some aired-down rock crawling and the tires have to be able to conform around obstacles and get a footing over rocks, logs, stumps and other stuff that would potentially mean the end of plenty of other tires. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT
This one’s a bit of a conundrum, with the Nitto coming in with a SimpleScore of 8.9 for longevity vs 9.1 for the Goodyear. They’re both durable, which is reflected in SimpleScore numbers, here again, Goodyear pulls out ahead in long-term service life. Still, there’s no arguing with SimpleScore numbers here. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT
It all depends on what you expect from a tire and your truck. If you live in a rural area and do a lot of driving on ranch roads and oilfield lease roads, or if you love taking your truck way back off the pavement and getting in some good times in deep, sticky mud, then mud-terrain tires like the Goodyear or the Nitto could either one be great choices. If, on the other hand, you want mud-terrain tires because you think they’d make your truck look cool (even if you spend most of your time on city streets), then you should probably give some pretty serious thought to whether mud-terrain tires are the best choice.
Yes, mud-terrain tires have come a long way and tire manufacturers have addressed many of those complaints about noise, ride quality, vibration, harshness, handling, and wheel balance. Still, for daily driver duties, you really should consider if you’d be better off with all-terrain tires or mud-terrain on your vehicle – unless you have a real need for that added off-road traction.
The Goodyear and the Nitto are both great tires, don’t get us wrong. They’re both durable and both provide great traction in rough conditions. It’s worth noting here that, unlike the Nitto Trail Grappler M/T, the Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT has the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service (a rating that sets the bar pretty high for winter grip). Both tires are manufactured to exacting specs, but after looking at all the SimpleScore ratings and customer reviews, it’s clear that Goodyear comes out on top. Traction, durability, longevity, and the non-SimpleScore details like road manners, noise level, and handling all show that the Goodyear is a clear choice out of the two. Price isn’t so much of a consideration here either, since there’s not a big spread between the two tires when it comes to starting price. If it were us here at the SimpleTire team and we were shopping for a set of mud-terrain tires for an F150, Ram or Silverado, we’d be compelled to go with the Goodyear Wrangler Boulder MT.
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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