2012 f350 4x4 - factory 18" wheels
will be due for new tires in the fall,
trying to choose and buy the new tires so they
ready when time comes.

ive got 44k on the original michelin ltx at2 tires,
they are at about 25% remainging.

so i estimate ill run them until the fall about 50k miles.
all around they have been great tires, id like to go up maybe one size though and would like a bit better traction plowing.

anyways, a couple years ago i was looking for a cheap option on some all terrains for another older truck i got, decided on nitto's terra grappler.
they where the cheapest all terrain i could find at the time, and they have
been surprisingly fantastic tires on that truck. they ride smooth , are reasonably quiet and have excellent traction.

so based on that, im thinking about some nitto tires for the 2012 truck.

im looking at terra grappler g2 in 285/75r18
or exo grappler in 285/70r18

not sure which to choose?
i tow heavy daily 10k trailer with couple k in the truck bed.
plow with it in winter--limited plowing duties. i do some limited highway travelling loaded, but mostly around town , gravel drives etc..
the extra heavy rating and tri peak winter rate of the Exo model seemed perhaps a good fit.

price and sizing seem pretty similar between the 2 tires,
and it looks like they will fit the factory rims just fine

any input on these different tires?

thanks

 

I would go with the new Exo. It is more heavy duty and has the snowflake rating, that is a bonus. I feel the size of the 285/70 at 34" is a great fit for the 6.2 with 4.30's. Your current tires are likely 275/70(33") or 275/65(32") so either of the Nittos will be taller and in turn changing the effective rear end ratio. Since you tow daily I would stick to the 34" as opposed to the nearly 35" 285/75. I have not had Exo's but my tire shop has sold a few with no complaints.

 

thanks desert,

thats a good point on the size --i hadnt considered.
it has 275/70r18 now, michelin says 33.2" h,

nitto site says 33.98" for exo in 285/70r18
34.84" for terra g2 in 285/75r18

truck is already bit under powered ,should probably stick with a close to stock height.
maybe thats a negligible difference?

the exo line also specs deeper tread than the terra line, should one assume then a little bit longer life?

 

I think you will still be ok going up to the 34". I know when I went from the 31.5" to my current 33" my 3.73 suffered.

 

New tires came in,
Got the exo grappler in the 285/70r18 size

They are a good deal beefier and more aggressive than I had expected.
Took I pic with one against the factory Michelin tire for comparison,

This tire is about 1.5" taller than the worn Michelin.

Gonna run the michelins couple k more then swap em,

 

Jbrianrs: I am in a somewhat similar situation as you, except I don't tow but I do haul a truck camper, and travel a lot in the Mountainous Northwest USA. I have a 2015 F350 SRW with 6.2 and 4.30 gears. I would like to have a little more margin on my tire's weight rating, but I don't want to give up much for gearing by going to a too much larger diameter tire. I also like the fact that these tires have a stiffer sidewall then most LT tires. These Nitto Exo Grappler AWT LT285/70R18 tires look very interesting. How are they working out for you?

 

 

I am still trying to sort out buying my next set of tires. Right now I am focusing on the Nitto EXO Grappler. I am wavering between getting the current tires size I have, i.e. 275/70R18 or up sizing to the 285/70R18. I like the added weight rating of the 285 and, per tiresize.com online gear-ratio-calculator, this would only change my gear-ratio from 4.30 to 4.23.A few questions if you don't mind.You mentioned that you plow. Do you have the snow plow option package? It is my understanding that this package lifts your front end a little bit and as such gives you more room for a larger tire. I do not have this snow plow option package, and I ask because of any clearance issues.Ford states in the manual that you should not use snow chains with 20” wheels (Ford does not give a reason for this statement). Your 285/70R18 tire height is slightly more then half way between 275/70R18 and the Ford factory 275/65R20. Have you put chains on your 285/70R18 tires? If so, front tires and / or rear tires? If so, did you have any clearance problems with the tire chains when mounted? (F.Y.I., I don't plow, and don't get snow often. But, when we do get snow, it is wet and usually freezes after. We live on a steep gravel road and with my last truck [1999 f350 dually 4x4] I had to chain up on all 4 wheels to get up our road.)Based on your comment “id say the only down side is they do make a growl sound while driving typical of most all terrain Type tires. Far more noise than the Michelin’s. Perhaps a bit less then bf Goodrich at.”, knowing this noise level, would you buy another set of Nitto EXO Grappler tires?Thanks much in advance for your help with this. I truly appreciate it!

 

yes this truck has the snowplow prep package, beyond that I do not know the answer to your question, ive never run tire chains on this, but I will say there appears to be plenty of clearance on the front
that I could still go another inch taller tire with no trouble.
regarding noise level, this truck is mostly a dedicated work truck so yes I would look at buying these tires again if the price was right. however if it were a different truck used for more personal use and highway
driving then no I would look at other options. the noise dosnt really bother me, however on a road trip to pickup a trailer with my father in truck -he commented how noisy they were