They may be 38's but what's the actual size taped? Is it going to make that much of a difference with 4.88 gears? And like to know how well they handle on and off road.About a month ago, I started a thread/poll regarding 38" tires and asked what you all thought about them. I wanted to know if you would make the 1" jump when it came time to replace what you have now and according to the votes, the winner was in fact a YES! Albeit, by a small margin but more of you did say that you would make the jump but only if the manufacturer and/or model of the tire was something that you liked.
Well, I'm happy to announce that Nitto is finally giving you what you've been wanting, a Ridge Grappler in a 38x12.50R17. The 17" wheel size is important to note being that they already had a 38" available for a 20" wheel. That means this tire size is now available to most everyone and without having to get new wheels! And, as reluctant as I have been in the past to run a set of 38's, I am happy and eager to give them a try, especially being that they're made by Nitto.
Needless to say, ours just came in today and here's what they look like.
Love the nice deep voids especially being that this crossover tire is more of an all terrain than a mud terrain.
Of course, they still come with 2 different shoulder lug designs - their new aggressive lugs on the left and traditional block style on the right.
Which do you prefer?
Of course, these are going to be mounted on JET!
To be fair, the 37" Trail Grapplers on JET are worn down a bit but far from bald and they are mounted on a wheel. With that said, here are a few side by side shots of what the new 38's look like next to them.
Side shot to give you an idea of what they'll look like installed.
There's no denying it - the 38's are visibly bigger.
We're hoping to get these new Ridge Grapplers installed as soon as we can. The only thing holding us up is a new set of KMC beadlock wheels of which we ORDERED through Off Road Evolution and hope to pick up next week. So, it'll be soon.
And FULL DISCLOSURE - YES, our good friends at Nitto did send these to us free of charge. Nitto is a company that we've worked with for well over a decade and we're thrilled to help test and promote these new tires for them.
With that said, I'd love to hear what you think of these new 38" Ridge Grapplers!
38X12.50R17 NITTO Ridge Grapplers
- Thread starter wayoflife
- Start date
Hard to say for sure until I get a chance to mount them up and install them. With that said, I bet they don't feel all that different from a set of 37's.
benatc1
Hooked
Thanks for posting those measurements up Eddie, right now I squeezed a 37/13.5 up in there and it hangs a bit down but this would be a hang up for me going 38s but it looks like it would make it. Plus if you have onboard air you could put it up in there low on air to squeeze it and then just fill it up if needed.
Yup, you’re in luck that I just happen to have an unmounted 40 to give a more precise side by side comparison.
As you can see, the 40 is measurably taller.
TrailHunter
Hooked
Nice Tires!
wjtstudios
Hooked
Congrats!! They are a great tire, I just put a second set on my Ram in 295/65/R20 and love them. I got 50k out of the first set and almost 15k of that was towing the gooseneck. For the amount of torque and miles put thru them, they held up great for an AT tire. They are also great in the snow and Rain up here in Michigan.
Gater
New member
My inside scoop tells me the TG will be coming "soon" and will in fact be a 13.50 while the RG will stay a 12.50.
Gater
New member
Why new wheels? Just curious if you're changing specs or whatnot?
benatc1
Hooked
If I had to guess they are going 3.5 backspacing to ditch the wheels spacers needed for their coilovers.
Gater
New member
Any idea what the BS is on those current wheels? 4.5?
benatc1
Hooked
Either that or 4.75, I can't remember off the top of my head
Dale72
Hooked
I believe it's 4.75
Dale72
Hooked
They are 4.75 I just looked them up because I have the same one
The BAD Influence
Active Member
This is my personal preference: Anything taller than 35" just looks better, to me, in a 13.50. Luckily I'm not needing new tires anytime soon. I purchased my Coopers , in part, because of Eddie's reviews of them. And I love them! So, even if Eddie gives these a glowing review, I couldn't see myself ever considering them if not offered in 38x13.50x17.
rob_bunch
Member
So is Jet Li sitting on a 2.5" lift,,, i was planning on an evo 2.5 enforcer overland and then going with toyo 37/12.50r17 mts,, with a 38/1250/17 in this tire now I am officially torn. They will be on the factory rubi wheels & considering i already blacked them out and love that look.
Dale72
Hooked
No he switched to Coll overs and long arms about a year ago
Good to hear from personal experience! From what I've seen, they really do hook up well on and off pavement.
LOL - Not sure about the weight but I'll try to find out before I get them mounted.dammit! I've been on the fence about taking the Coopers off the JK , putting the 37 BFG KO2 from the JL on the JK and getting new shoes for the JL... what's the weight of 38's?
I need to make a voodoo doll of you so you can feel my pain
My inside has been telling me that since 2018 so I've been reluctant to hold my breath. But if that's what you're hearing, that's good news.
As benatc1 mentioned, we want to ditch the wheel spacers.