42" NITTO TRAIL GRAPPLERS - An Exclusive First Look Thanks to EVO / What do Ya Think?

wayoflife

wayoflife

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42" NITTO TRAIL GRAPPLERS - An Exclusive First Look Thanks to EVO / What do Ya Think?

I don't know how he does it but somehow, Mel always has a way of getting his hands on all the cool stuff and way before anyone else! Hell, he even got a brand new set of 42" Nitto Trail Grapplers before he had a Jeep ready to install them on but hey, his loss is our gain. Being the good friends we are, Cindy and I allowed him to twist our arms and let him install these awesome new shoes on our Jeep Gladiator and to do some checks and testing for clearance on their lift. Anyway, here are some pics that I took that I think you might enjoy. :cool:

Okay, this first pic is far from accurate but I'm showing it anyway because the difference between a 42 and a 40 feel about this much.
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Looking at the tires head on like this is a much better way to show the difference between 40" and 42".
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Here's what they look like side by side and mounted on our Gladiator.
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I hate to admit it but up on the rack like this... with as much clearance between the fenders and tires... I kinda think it looks cool :crazyeyes:
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But in reality, I still prefer a much lower stance and for all the obvious reasons. Here's what it looks like with all 4 on the floor.
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Here are a few initial shots backed out of the shop.
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Close up shot of the KMC Grenade.
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The voids on the tread are YUUUUUGEE!
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Like all our Jeeps, we've always tried keeping our stance as low as possible and our Gladiator is no exception. Even with our 40's, we still just kiss the fenders at a full flex and so there was no question that we would rub them big time with these 42's. But in spite of what we knew, we just had to take them out for a spin, as is and here are a few pics that I took out on the trail.

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Here are some night shots we took just for fun.
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Hope you like what you see! :cool:
 
Okay. Cliff notes.
The JT is just an exceptional example of a quality build.
40’s are big... 42’s are FUCKING huge
The new KMC’s are just. Wow.

Looks so good guys. Looking forward to seeing more.
 
Unreal... I could see the want to lift it a couple of inches... but I'm with you... keep it lower. I think the Rugged ridge lights and removing the black part of the fenders would make it perfect. Looks Bad Ass.
 
Looks awesome. How big of a difference does all the extra weight and bigger circumference affect drivability gearing steering power etc ?
 
HighwayTrout said:
Love it!
....
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They really are sweet! :yup:

RESURECTIONJK said:
Okay. Cliff notes.
The JT is just an exceptional example of a quality build.
40’s are big... 42’s are FUCKING huge
The new KMC’s are just. Wow.

Looks so good guys. Looking forward to seeing more.
Click to expand...

Before seeing them in person, I was expecting them to be bigger but seeing them next to our 40's, they really do look HUGE!

Hoping to have a video out on them soon. :cool:

J&k_overland said:
Damn those are big
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Sessoms14X said:
My goodness those things are huge! Looks awesome!
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They really are big :crazyeyes:

benatc1 said:
Aside from the fact they they look awesome, they certainly make a 40 look small lol
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I think part of the reason they look so much bigger than 40's is that they really do measure up to being close to an actual 42".

jjlong said:
Looks incredible!!!
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I think there are gonna be a lot of people who will be wanting a set. :yup:
 
TrailHunter said:
Unreal... I could see the want to lift it a couple of inches... but I'm with you... keep it lower. I think the Rugged ridge lights and removing the black part of the fenders would make it perfect. Looks Bad Ass.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what we're thinking. Trim more of the black trim or remove it altogether and then add an inch more lift to help if needed. Glad you like what you're seeing. :cool:

JT@623 said:
Looks awesome. How big of a difference does all the extra weight and bigger circumference affect drivability gearing steering power etc ?
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So, there is a difference for sure. You can really feel it at the pedal. 5.38's were just enough for 40's and clearly, not enough for 42's. You can also feel it in the brakes. Fortunately, our UD60's have massive brakes that work great but you can definitely feel them having to work a little harder to stop these monsters. We have a PSC ram assist so you don't feel it in the steering at all. Drivability on pavement is fine even at 80 MPH. Smooth as glass and in some ways, better on turns being that there's less sidewall than a 40 with 17" wheels.

WJCO said:
Looks awesome. How the hell did you get the spare up there?
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LOL - we left it off. For now anyway. :D
 
42s are perfect for the gladiator. It no longer looks “too long.”


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE
 
The Gladiator looks great on these 👍👍

Not that it was bad on 40s, but this is a whole new level.

That said, the 42s look about 4" taller than the 40s.
Maybe that is the new math at work🤣🤣
 
holy mother :eek: those are massive! but damn, they look good. :thumb:

ummm...where's the pic of you standing next to it?
 
Damn those 42’s look great! Curious to see once all trimming is done and ride height is adjusted just how good they do on the rocks. Would think that it would help the JT almost get to a Moby status minus the length. lol
 
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