Bullwinkle Gladiator Build

Mike Pierson said:
Ray, a word of warning with the Ridge Grapplers in the rain. In my experience, when in rain they do tend to hydroplane, but about the same as the KO2s I used to run. However, I have lost traction in the rain and slid at only 35mph, the anti-locks kicked in and I rolled into an intersection. Of course, it was a red light camera controlled one too. 🤦‍♂️ Anyway, just give yourself a little extra room to stop.
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I have not yet encountered any significant issues in the rain, or unexpected issues with water on the road. In fact the tires seem to adhere a bit better to wet pavement than the factory BFGs.

I am worried about snow/ice performance though. It would be annoying if I can not safely get up/down the driveway.
 
cozdude said:
The ridge grapplers perform well in the snow in my experience. Have had zero issues with getting moving or stopping.

Set up looks good Ray! Now get them on the jeep!
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I am glad that someone reports that they do work with snow.

I have driven distances on the highway in extreme rain (can barely see where you are going) where there is surely water on the road and we did not encounter any traction events. But of course I am very careful.

Even driving on the very flooded streets of Roswell did not produce any noticeable hydroplaning, although the amount of water spraying out from the front fenders was very annoying.
 
Bullwinckle said:
Dang that doesn’t sound too promising. Seems like they only really perform well in dry conditions. Definitely let me know how they do. I guess if I don’t like how they perform I will be switching up to something different later on. You planning on keeping these same tires next time around or going a different tire?
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having owned trucks in the past including in snow states when studded snow tires were available, a truck's ass end is light and will lose traction easily, throw some weight in the bed over each wheel and they'll grip.
 
Bullwinckle said:
Dang that doesn’t sound too promising. Seems like they only really perform well in dry conditions. Definitely let me know how they do. I guess if I don’t like how they perform I will be switching up to something different later on. You planning on keeping these same tires next time around or going a different tire?
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Sorry, not trying to rain on your parade. Lol. The jury is still out on snow performance. We snow wheel a lot, as much as anything else. When I was running the STT Pros, i laughed at snow. I routinely broke trail for our runs. I broke trail for one of the extreme runs at winter fun fest for the trail guides in 2023. Those tires were awesome in the snow, good or bad. Two runs on these RGs and it’s 50/50. This will be my first full snow season with them so we’ll see. As for rain, this is a big storm with a lot of rainfall; probably just driving too fast. All in all, I REALLY like these tires, they’re excellent on asphalt, gravel and rocks, and probably as good as any tire in rain and sand. You’re going to love them as well.
 
Mike Pierson said:
Sorry, not trying to rain on your parade. Lol. The jury is still out on snow performance. We snow wheel a lot, as much as anything else. When I was running the STT Pros, i laughed at snow. I routinely broke trail for our runs. I broke trail for one of the extreme runs at winter fun fest for the trail guides in 2023. Those tires were awesome in the snow, good or bad. Two runs on these RGs and it’s 50/50. This will be my first full snow season with them so we’ll see. As for rain, this is a big storm with a lot of rainfall; probably just driving too fast. All in all, I REALLY like these tires, they’re excellent on asphalt, gravel and rocks, and probably as good as any tire in rain and sand. You’re going to love them as well.
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Ambient temperature can make a big difference regarding "snow" performance. Behavior at 30 degrees may be much different than 5 degrees. Softer compounds which provide the best traction at normal temperatures could become rock hard below 10 degrees.
 
bobfriesenhahn said:
Ambient temperature can make a big difference regarding "snow" performance. Behavior at 30 degrees may be much different than 5 degrees. Softer compounds which provide the best traction at normal temperatures could become rock hard below 10 degrees.
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Which had the softest compound, STTs or RGs?
 
Mike Pierson said:
Sorry, not trying to rain on your parade. Lol. The jury is still out on snow performance. We snow wheel a lot, as much as anything else. When I was running the STT Pros, i laughed at snow. I routinely broke trail for our runs. I broke trail for one of the extreme runs at winter fun fest for the trail guides in 2023. Those tires were awesome in the snow, good or bad. Two runs on these RGs and it’s 50/50. This will be my first full snow season with them so we’ll see. As for rain, this is a big storm with a lot of rainfall; probably just driving too fast. All in all, I REALLY like these tires, they’re excellent on asphalt, gravel and rocks, and probably as good as any tire in rain and sand. You’re going to love them as well.
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Haha 😆 no worries you’re not raining on my parade. I’m still loving them and feel confident in my purchase. I am happy you said something though because I do tend to like the skinny peddle too. It will make me more cautious. Not that I drive like an idiot in bad weather but will keep my guard up even more. 👍
 
Here they are all installed minus the spare. I’m loving the look! Now I can’t wait to get the lift installed in a few weeks. I will say it’s a huge difference in the feeling and how it drives compared to stock. I’ll get used to it quickly though. lol

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So what you guys think? Will I get a fix it ticket for not having mud flaps? 🤪

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Bullwinckle said:
Here they are all installed minus the spare. I’m loving the look! Now I can’t wait to get the lift installed in a few weeks. I will say it’s a huge difference in the feeling and how it drives compared to stock. I’ll get used to it quickly though. lol

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So what you guys think? Will I get a fix it ticket for not having mud flaps? 🤪

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California? Yes you'll get a ticket.
 
WJCO said:
I seriously don't know but was just assuming lol.
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lol yea I’m kind of thinking I will too but I’ll run it till I do. Will look around at some to keep just in case. Although I have seen a few jeeps running without them lately so hoping they are getting more relaxed on that.
Jsouder53 said:
That looks great! Sorry you live in gay California lol
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lol yup they get rid of the jaywalking law but can’t get rid of the stupid mud flaps requirement. 🙄
 
Bullwinckle said:
Here they are all installed minus the spare. I’m loving the look! Now I can’t wait to get the lift installed in a few weeks. I will say it’s a huge difference in the feeling and how it drives compared to stock. I’ll get used to it quickly though. lol

View attachment 416888View attachment 416889View attachment 416890View attachment 416891

So what you guys think? Will I get a fix it ticket for not having mud flaps? 🤪

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Looks awesome! No, you won’t get a ticket unless you come across a cop who is having a bad day.
 
Disciple Off Road said:
Looks great Ray. I've always liked the Ridge Grapplers and a machined wheel. Looking forward to getting your lift on. As far as getting tickets, I've been running no rear fenders and narrow fronts for about 8 years now with no issues. It's those dam highway trouts you have to look out for.........
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Thanks Jeremy! These next two weeks can’t come fast enough lol
That’s good to know you haven’t had any problems. I’ll have to watch out for them and try to stay hidden. lol
 
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