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Here’s an interesting factoid we picked up not long ago: in recent years, SUVs have taken up 52 percent of new vehicles sold in the United States, with pickup trucks accounting for nearly 20 percent of sales. That is such a big proportion of all the vehicles on the road today, with trucks and SUVs now performing the family-car duties that used to be carried out by sedans and minivans (and station wagons, back a generation or so ago).
Many of those trucks and SUVs are set up with four-wheel-drive (4WD) drivetrains, and even if you don’t take your 4WD vehicle off the pavement very often, a good set of all-terrain tires will still always be the best way to get the most out of your truck’s potential for traction, control, and performance. Decades ago, all-terrain tires tended to be noisy, rough, and clumsy, but things have come a long way since then. The latest generation of premium all-terrain tires (like the two we’re about to talk about) are designed hand-in-hand with automakers and are geared for the weight, power, torque, center of gravity, suspension, and overall driving dynamics of today’s vehicles. That means all-terrain tires that are going to be capable and durable off-pavement in challenging terrain, but still civilized and composed on the highway with a quiet and accommodating ride, precise handling, and stable, secure road manners.
In this head-to-head matchup, we’re going to look at two tires that are designed for that balance of confident traction, durability and control off the pavement as well as civilized roadability and performance in day-to-day drives on the highway and around town.
These tires are durable and resilient, and both offer exceptional performance and value, but there are also some substantial differences between the two. In this product line comparison, we’ll give you a good, comprehensive compare/contrast perspective and will touch on some of those differences and the strengths and weaknesses in each tire.
Along the way, you’ll see us refer to SimpleScores for each one. If you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s a proprietary rating system that our team at SimpleTire has developed to assign a numerical value for the categories of handling, traction, and longevity, as well as an overall SimpleScore average. We look at the tire’s specs, technical details, manufacturer info, customer reviews, and other data points, and then that all gets processed into a number value that gives you an easy at-a-glance idea of what to expect with a tire. For these tires, SimpleScores are as follows:
Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018:
- Traction: 9.9
- Handling: 9.8
- Longevity: 8.8
- Overall average SimpleScore: 9.5
Nitto Ridge Grappler:
- Traction: 8.4
- Handling: 8.5
- Longevity: 7.6
- Overall average: 8.1
As the SimpleScore numbers reflect, the Yokohama shows advantages over the Nitto in the key categories, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. As handy as SimpleScore is, it’s still the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t really give you the details of a tire’s performance and value. Let’s go in and get a closer look with this comparison review of the Nitto Ridge Grappler vs the Yokohama Geolandar ATG018:
Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 tires
With their Geolandar line, Yokohama brings a lot of technical expertise to the table, with next-generation design and premium manufacturing for a first-rate value in an all-terrain tire. The Geolandar A/T4 G018 is loaded with all kinds of innovations for strong, consistent performance on or off the highway, with a great balance of durability and off the pavement and secure, driver-friendly manners on the street or interstate.
Yokohama’s Geolandar line has been around for a couple of decades now, and the Geolandar A/T4 G018 is the latest step in that evolution; it’s all about dependable performance and durability, centered around Yokohama’s Geo-Shield design package. Geo-Shield is a comprehensive suite of features that includes multiple sidewall plies, a built-in sidewall protector flange, a high-tensile steel belt layer, a high-turnup nylon cap ply, and Yokohama’s innovative Enduro triple-polymer enhanced rubber compound. For reliable traction in some of the most challenging terrain and conditions, there are aggressive center blocks and mud and stone ejectors designed to efficiently fling mud and debris from the tread grooves, protecting the casing and ensuring a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns.
In rainy or snowy weather, the Geolandar A/T4 G018 is more than capable with triple 3D sipes, zigzag grooves, single-pitch shoulder blocks, and Yokohama’s EdgeTec groove design. The Geolandar A/T4 G018 has the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. Yokohama covers the Geolandar A/T4 G018 with an impressive mileage warranty, too – a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty for Euro-metric sizes, and 55,000 miles worth of coverage for LT-Metric sizes. Taking it all into account, the Geolandar A/T4 G018 is a durable and dependable tire that’s right at home with both day-to-day errands and long Interstate road trips on the pavement as well as off-road adventures. SimpleTire’s price on the Geolandar A/T4 G018 starts at $189.99 per tire.
Nitto Ridge Grappler tires
The Ridge Grappler from Nitto is a next-generation all-terrain tire designed for on-road comfort with top-notch performance. It takes some of its design features from Nitto’s experience in the performance and rock-solid durability of its mud-terrain tires, along with the pavement comfort and predictable handling of its all-terrain models, neatly striking a balance between the two.
The Ridge Grappler minimizes highway noise with a variable-pitch tread pattern tuned to negate and neutralize certain frequencies and resonances. Its reinforced tread block foundations help give it sharp handling and a stable feel on the highway as well as boosting off-road traction and durability.
Off the pavement is where the Ridge Grappler really comes through, though. Its tread pattern features stone ejectors built into the base of the tread grooves, protecting the casing from stone drilling as they remove mud and debris. Zigzag lateral grooves are designed as a system that delivers more biting traction, no matter what the terrain. Durable staggered shoulder lugs are designed to boost lateral grip for cornering or clawing out of ruts, mud, or soft dirt, and alternating shoulder grooves also help to eject mud from the tire’s tread elements.
Looks are important, too – like with other tires from the Nitto Grappler line, the Ridge Grappler gives you a choice of sidewall designs so you can personalize your truck’s aesthetics: one side has a traditional style with wraparound lugs extending onto the shoulder, and the other side of the tire has a more aggressive blocky look to the sidewall along with a distinctive “lizard skin” texture. SimpleTire’s pride on the Nitto Ridge Grappler starts at $222 per tire.
Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Nitto Ridge Grappler tires on traction
So how do the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 and the Nitto Ridge Grappler compare against each other when it comes to traction? With a SimpleScore of 9.9 for the Yokohama and 8.4 for the Nitto, this one’s not really very close. One big factor in that disparity of SimpleScore ratings is that the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 has the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. The tire industry sets the bar pretty high for a 3PMSF rating, and the Yokohama is clearly up to the task with its comprehensive package of EdgeTec groove design, 3D sipes, zigzag grooves, and aggressive tread blocks. The 16/32” tread depth of the Yokohama means not only long wear but dependable, stubborn grip and control in all kinds of difficult off-road environments. All in all, the Geolandar A/T4 G018 is a very well-thought-out tire when it comes to traction and control on or off the pavement, and the clear choice here is:
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018
Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Nitto Ridge Grappler tires on handling
If a vehicle can’t get dependable traction that keeps it firmly planted on the road (or off), then handling is likely to be a little squirrely too. That’s why handling and traction SimpleScore numbers are usually pretty similar to each other, and that’s definitely what’s going on here with a SimpleScore of 9.8 for handling for the Yokohama vs 8.5 for the Nitto. You shouldn’t really expect any all-terrain tire on a light truck or SUV to have the kind of handling properties that a performance tire would have, but the Yokohama displays few vices in that category and is a capable, predictable choice when it comes to cornering and road manners.
One of the biggest factors with the handling properties of any tire is its rigidity; the physics of a vehicle’s weight and momentum is to keep it moving forward as you go into a turn, which puts a lot of stress on a tire’s sidewall and shoulder. Those stresses can cause deformation and “tread squirm,” sometimes with the inboard side of the tire leaving the pavement slightly, but the rigid construction of the Yokohama helps cut tread squirm for decisive handling and control. Another easy call here:
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018
Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Nitto Ridge Grappler tires on longevity
Here’s another easy call, with a SimpleScore of 8.8 for longevity for the Yokohama vs 7.1 for the Nitto. As you’d probably guess, a lot of the Longevity SimpleScore turns on a tire’s limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage, and in this case, the Nitto doesn’t come from the factory with any mileage warranty at all. The Yokohama, on the other hand, is covered with a 60,000 mile warranty (55,000 for P-Metric sizes), making this one a real no-brainer. Our call:
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018
When to use each
The question here is, what do you really need and expect from a set of tires? What’s your day-to-day driving and what are your lifestyle needs? If you’ve got a 4WD truck with a lifted suspension and you want to go into deep mud or do some aired-down rock crawling over steep boulders and obstacles, these tires probably aren’t going to be the best choice and you’d be better suited with a set of mud-terrain tires. If, on the other hand, you spend most of your time driving on paved roads and the Interstate but still like the fun of an occasional adventure off the road, these would both be great choices. They’re also tough enough that you could depend on them for commercial use and work trucks that regularly have to negotiate rough unimproved job sites, ranch roads, oilfield lease roads, or other challenging applications. The Nitto and the Yokohama would also both be a great choice for winter driving and parts of the country that see several inches of snow that might linger on the roads for days on end.
Which one should you choose?
So here’s what it comes down to. While the Nitto Ridge Grappler is a tire that’s well-made, well-designed, and has plenty to offer drivers, it’s really outclassed by the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018. The Yokohama clearly scores better in all the SimpleScore categories offers generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage, and shows advantages in all the performance ratings. So let’s compare prices too while we’re at it: the Yokohama starts at $189.99 per tire vs $222 per tire for the Nitto. That just makes the Yokohama look better, to be real honest, and makes the choice even clearer for us. If we had to choose between the two, we folks here at the SimpleTire team would go for the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018; it’s a better value and delivers better performance all the way around.
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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