Nitto Recon Grappler vs Toyo AT3

Read detailed review: https://comparethetire.com/toyo-at3-vs-nitto-recon-grappler/ When it comes to all-terrain tires, the Nitto Recon Grappler and Toyo Open Country AT3 both bring unique strengths to the table. They are both worthy opponents, outperforming each other in some key areas. So, it's important to consider your specific needs to determine which tire is the best fit for you. And that's exactly what we are going to find out in this video. Let's take a quick look at their designs, and then we'd discuss how these tires perform on both highways and rugged terrains. Design The Nitto Recon Grappler features a distinctive design, with staggered shoulder lugs and large mud scoops that provide exceptional off-road traction. Its dual sidewalls give the tire added durability and form thicker lugs on each side. However, its shoulder blocks lack intricate features, having only small notches and simple rectilinear siping. Though in the middle, things get a little interesting. As here you see two triangular ribs joining multiple blocks together within. These blocks have sharp edges, in groove biters and full depth siping. And they make wider interconnected lateral grooves connecting the outer zigzag circumferential channels. On the other hand, the Toyo Open Country AT3 features a compact tread structure with S-shaped lugs in the middle surrounded by those with F shaped geometry. These blocks are designed with notches facing in all directions, providing grip from multiple angles. Though with packed up shoulder lugs having connectors in between, and missing notches, they aren't capable of delivering much off-road bite. Same goes for it's outer edges, where although you get similar mud scoops, the sidewall lugs are not thick enough, so even with lowered air pressure, they don't get to provide as much bite in comparison. But on-road there aren't any complaints with this tire. On-Road Traction On smooth pavements, there are two main things to consider, the directional grip and handling. Directional grip tells you about the tire's ability to brake and accelerate while rolling straight and it depends on the central part of the tread. And since Toyo Open Country AT3 has narrower grooves over there, it gets to provide a larger contact patch with the ground, and this results in shorter braking distances. The tire also does better with handling, as it features a firmer design, yielding a better quality of contact between the tire's shoulders and the ground. When the tire turns, the majority of the weight is transferred to the edges, and the tire's ability to handle this weight and maintain stability is critical to overall handling performance. That's why Nitto Recon Grappler with a heavier weight and softer tread compound is lacking in this performance section. It's tread blocks are more susceptible to bending, and this results in under- and over-steering, which negatively impacts its overall handling capabilities. Tread and Fuel Usage Additionally, the Nitto Recon Grappler with heavier construction and wider tread voids exert extra strain on the tire's lugs, causing more wear and tear over time. This results in a shorter tread life and reduced fuel efficiency. The larger weight basically gets divided on a smaller tread area, and its blocks rub against the surface with relatively greater friction. On the other hand, the Toyo Open Country AT3 with its stable lugs allow for a more effective transfer of energy into the overall tire's movement. In other words, on Toyo AT3, less energy gets wasted in to bending of its lugs, like seen on Nitto Recon Grappler. Road noise Noise gets generated with air. Which mostly comes through the shoulders, and hit the walls around the tread, creating unwanted sound waves. The Toyo Open Country AT3 features a superior whisper groove technology that restricts air flow, reducing the amount of air that enters the tread and creates noise. This leads to a much quieter driving experience. Basically two things are happening with these whisper grooves, or you can say connectors between the shoulder blocks, one, they act as air blockers, killing noise at the source, and two, they offer superior dry handling and steering response, as we saw in its respective section. The Recon Grappler, on the other hand, features variable pitch technology, in which the tread design incorporates slight variations in block geometry. When air particles hit these different parts of the tread, they create distinctive tones and frequencies a long the way, that try to cancel each other out. However, despite this technology, the tire is still louder compared to Toyo Open Country AT3. Please make sure you subscribe to our channel if you haven't done so and visit comparethetire.com to check out all the other comparisons including this one. Till next time. #offroader #4x4 #jeep #mudtires #allterrain #offroad #toyo #nitto