Nitto Terra Grappler Review Notes

 These are my notes over the first 3,500 miles or so of having the Nittos on my truck.

First impressions:

The return trip home from the jobsite was about 40 miles or so of primarily highway driving on asphalt. Ambient air temperature was about 53 degrees. Handling was well-mannered. I've driven a buddy's lifted Suburban years back where he was running something 33+, maybe even 35s; I'll have to check. I wasn't yet as much into trucks as I am now. Anyway, he had some very aggressive M/Ts on there, and you could feel every...single...lug as you rode along. The sound from that big rubber more than hummed, it darn near roared at times...which I of course thought was awesome at the time being a naïve young man. But more sensible considerations of minimizing further degradation of fuel economy and also concern of the longevity of the tires themselves (given the typically high capital investment) has imbued me with a  greater level of concern for rolling resistance and suitability for the terrain which is to most likely be encountered by the vehicle.

Bearing that all in mind, it is a truck. If I were greatly concerned with fuel economy, I'd drive a Leaf (trying to stay in the Nissan family). So I do feel a truck should feel and perform like a truck. (There are other ways a driver of a truck can still be an environmental steward: for example, consolidating several errands/trips into one, carpooling, limiting idling time, etc.) That being said, a more alto-toned serenade could be heard from the tires once I reached highway speeds north of 60mph. It was a more pleasant, harmonic tone than the baritone drone I recall from my buddy's Suburban. In no ways was it deafening. In fact, I only noticed it because I deliberately had the HVAC off, radio silenced, and windows up to listen for any perceptible road noise. (By comparison I did this periodically with the truck when new so I could be attuned to what the truck sounded like when operating at presumably peak mechanical performance when new versus after years of service. It was a bit quieter). And once the stereo was brought to level 7 (far lower than my normal listening setting), the tone all but faded into the background. I anticipate that over time, with wear, this will all but cease to be present. For me, it was not objectionable at all. Again, this is the kid that LIKED the drone of mud tires. As an adult though, I'll make that tradeoff either by dragging the M/Ts in a trailer, hauling in the bed, or just finding a more local mud hole to romp in to minimize time on paved roads. Any M/Ts I get will not be a full-time set unless a manufacturer is testing a longevity compound in their new tires and I get another opportunity to be a tester.

After about 1,000 miles:

I got the tires mounted during a Saturday work shift on 12/15. Drove the 40 or so miles home and largely sat that weekend as I didn't have anything planned besides chores around the house. That next week, it rained more often than it didn't. Temps ranged between 43 and 60.

The tires handled very well in the wet. I felt very confident in turns and curves. My stock tires had done well, until about the 30K mark. Maybe it was psychosomatic; I had read that around that point, the tires could be downright dangerous. Many on the forums attributed the poster's remarks to driver error. However, I can attest that, upon entering an intersection at less than 10 mph coming from a stop at a red light, by back end fish-tailed out like I was an extra in the latest installment of Transporter 4. It had been a light but persistent rain for maybe an hour or so at that point. Given that I generally am a pretty conservative driver and the amount of weight I have in the back, I found it surprising that the back end broke free like that with the stock tires. Since then, I tended to drive even more conservatively in the rain.

With the new tires on, however, and the rash of wet weather we received, I intentionally reversed the trend to see if I could, this time, intentionally elicit that same response. Nothing doing. The Nittos grip the road surfaces with confidence.

On the day of my posting this update, 12/26/12, we received a bit of a wintery mix, approx. 2-3 inches of snowfall accumulation thus far now being topped with freezing rain. I went uphill, downhill, and through curves in 2WD with no issue on a quick run to McDonalds. Really, I was anxious to get out there ahead of the plows and salt trucks to see how they'd respond. No slipping whatsoever within the parking lot. I decided not to push it too much on the roadways, as there were a few sedans and coupes out being driven by drivers who ought to have opted to telecommute today. When I got back, I had hoped to tear through the parking lot, but a salt truck had started making its rounds by that point. Oh well.

First official review isn't due for another 2500 miles, but I thought it best to start compiling notes before I lose track of dates and observations.

Coming up on 3,500 miles:

It was starting to look as if I was not going to have the chance to review these tires in any other circumstances other than solely on paved roads. Other than a few bouts with slightly inclement weather, the previous notes were just accounts of fluctuating rates of fuel consumption and changes in configuration of the truck to try to squeeze out a few mpgs to get back to the baseline.

I stowed the Rhino Rack and valance in a specially-built compartment beneath the driver side toolbox. I also took off the rear tire carrier to reduce weight. All the same, I believe due to the added weight of the tires themselves, and the rolling resistance incurred by the more aggressive tread pattern results, on average, for me in a loss of about 1-1.5 mpgs. As with anything, it is a trade-off. Depending on the mix of terrain you will encounter, it is a trade in slightly less fuel economy in favor of much-improved performance.

While I could only previously speculate on what that performance might be, I had the opportunity this past weekend (1/19/13) to head up to Rausch Creek and truly put them through the paces. I had been trying since December to find a group amongst my current friends and acquaintances that would like to get into off roading. I went and perused through a few of the various Nissan owner affinity groups and found an outing being hosted by an Xterra group about a week prior to departure. I ordered the stock skid plates that come with the Pro-4X version of my truck and installed them the night before departure and fabbed up an additional plate to protect the mid-span of the undercarriage.

We were ready.

Rausch Creek Offroad Park is located in Tremont Township, PA. Although most of the drive was pretty mild and unseasonably warm, the last 20 miles or so, I started seeing plowed snow piled up on the shoulders of route 81 and the smaller secondary roads. At the park itself, there was complete coverage of snow and ice. It was a mixture of excitement and trepidation that morning when I returned to the park prior to getting out on the trail.

The conditions in the morning were a bit frigid as I worked to remove the mudflaps and air down the tires. The ground was largely frozen and many of the trails had a fresh 2-3 inches of snow coverage. The tires bit and gripped well. There was no wheel spin whatsoever. In fact, through much of the parking areas and the first couple hundred yards of the trail, I was comfortably in 2WD with no noted slippage.

Not far into the trail, we were confronted with the first of what would be multiple ice-water crossing and flooded portions of the trail from the cycles of freezing and thaw. The tires did not once falter entering and exiting the various watery obstacles and the submerged obstructions. The once instance where I got hung up, was more a factor of hanging up a part of the frame than an inability of the truck to gain traction. I simply threw the truck in reverse, changed the direction of the wheels, and easily ambled over whatever previously had hooked up the undercarriage.

As the day wore on, and the traffic on the trails increased, the conditions warmed up and the climbs changed from frozen tundra, to muddy slicks. There was, however, no change in the ability of the Nitto Terra Grapplers to grasp on and propel the truck up, over, and beyond the various obstacles.

I only was rejected once on the trail. It was a steep, narrow climb, deeply rutted in alternating pattern. It had previously been traversed by vehicles with a shorter wheelbase than my Frontier. The Xterra that preceded me kicked out increasingly more dirt and earth, leaving even less for me to link up with. The inability to traverse was less a factor of the tires and more a combination of a) driver ability (me), b) vehicle platform wheel base, c) extent of trail degradation, and finally d) the tires being less suited to mud than other types of terrain.

I was only slightly humbled by the rejection. If I felt so inclined, I very easily could have pressed my winch into service, but it wasn't worth the time and effort as the bypass was very easy to return to and negotiate in order to keep the convoy moving.

I nonetheless felt confident in the ability in the Nitto Terra Grapplers to handle a wide variety of terrain that one might more commonly encounter on or off-road. Our trail leader had stated that a good many folks get rejected on that obstacle unless they have locking differentials. He was locked and made it up. One unlocked X made it up, but with a great degree of difficulty and assistance from spotters (and a guy jumping up and down on the rear bumper). And then a third that may have also been locked. I and a fifth elected to take the bypass.

It gave me an opportunity to think about the benefits and limitations of the tires. The name of the tires is "Terra Grappler". They are designed to wrestle with the various types of terrain found on earth. The name does not suggest they will always dominate. These tires, will, however, put up a tremendous fight and will work valiantly to aid in propelling you over any obstacle you may encounter. The more extreme the obstacle, however, the more specialized of a tire you may need. They are not Competition Rock Crawler tires. They are not Redneck Yacht Club mud edition tires. They'll handle rocks. They'll work through mud. But if it gets too crazy, you'll either need advanced driving skill or press your recovery aids into service. Those specialty tires have their limitations in more tame scenarios. They are exceedingly expensive and wear quickly on pavement. They often do not fair well in the wet, where these tires perform quite well. Based on my usage of the truck, these tires offer a good blend of performance characteristics.

I'll be looking to continue to challenge these tires and have fun on the trails and out on the road.

Looking forward to telling the story of the next 3,500 miles.

Update #2 Posted 3/14/13

I’ve now logged well over 7,000 miles with the tires. The first post remarked on their capabilities in the rain, highway mileage, and trail usage up at Rausch Creek. We had some bouts of ‘snow’, to the extent that the mid-Atlantic typically experiences low-accumulation but high disruption of day-to-day operations. My jobsite location also switched to a project in the city; thus, much of my mileage has been city driving with stop and go traffic.

I have a difficult time drawing a baseline for my city mpg rate, as I’ve mostly done highway driving in the truck since purchasing it in late 2011. With the Nittos, I’m not quite making 15 mpg, but this could be owing to a number of factors due to aftermarket accessories and the additional energy expended getting a relatively heavy truck up to speed loaded with tools and then stopping a few short blocks later only to repeat the pattern over the course of about 45 minutes travel time. Tread wear appears even and consistent. I’ve not noticed any chunking, cupping, or degradation of the lugs, even when I do things like “urban offroading” to go over medians and such to avoid delays and traffic disruptions. The stares I get upon pulling off such maneuvers appear to be a mixture of both envy (for the capability) and disdain (for the obnoxious display).

There are a fair amount of potholes and steel road plates along my route. The ride is not unnecessarily harsh. The suspension is a bit stiff, but this is owing to the aftermarket suspension. In short, the tires suit the truck and it feels like a truck with them on.

The Nittos are mud and snow rated. An early season accumulation occurred not long after my first posting. I tested the tires on my street, accelerating to the cusp of prudent travel speed and then abruptly slamming the brakes. The ABS naturally engaged, but the stopping distance was a bit longer than I had anticipated. Basically this was a warning of what should be obvious: “Don’t drive like a maniac in the snow”. After the Rausch Creek trip in the first post, I was perhaps uber-confident in the tire’s ability in inclement weather. We had another minor snowfall (of 1-2”) on my way to band practice. I attempted to make a U-turn on my buddy’s street  at low speed and it turned more into a “J” as the front end broke free and was unable to maintain traction. I think the difference may have been attributable to either the presence of ice below the surface of the snow or the fact that the tires were not aired down as they were up in PA so there was less surface contact between the road and the tires. I had hoped to get more opportunity with the tires in the snow on pavement; however, last Wednesday’s (3/6/13) forecasted snow storm failed to materialize anything more than rain for much of my immediate region.

At another point, I was driving to work amidst storm warnings which again appeared to be unnecessary. The roads were in good condition and much of the precipitation had already abated. I finally experienced the phenomenon of ‘Bridges freeze before roadways’ while crossing the Memorial Bridge into DC. There are three lanes at this particular section. There were cars ahead of me in the middle and far right while I travelled alone in the far left at about 30 mph. Inexplicably, a car to the far right slammed their brakes and skidded a bit towards the center lane. Traffic in the center lane also came to an abrupt halt, and finally, courteous driver #4 darts over into my path of travel and starts to fishtail a bit. I apply the brakes, and the ABS actually pushed back. It didn’t feel like anything was happening. A bit frightening actually as there was oncoming traffic from the opposite side and I was very worried about careening over into them head-on. Despite the panic stop, all four tires tracked evenly and consistently and brought my truck to a stop well in advance of the other motorists.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any more snow any time soon. I am looking forward to taking the truck down to the Outer Banks during the next review period and getting the tires out on the sand. Until next time…

Update #3- Corolla, NC Outer Banks sand driving and Virginia Tech Road trip (c.a. April 2013)

I had the opportunity to get the tires out on some sand during this review period. I would like to try one more test of them in the sand as there was some rainfall in the area the morning we arrived. Things dried out the next morning as we left, but I would like to get these tires on some very dry, loose sand.

Given the above caveat, the tires performed very well. We had the opportunity to stay with a friend who had rented a home in the Four-Wheel-Drive area of Corolla north of where Route 12 deposits out onto the beach. The beach is the only road for the next 15-20 miles up until you approach the Virginia border which is fenced off. There was some ‘drift’ effect of driving through the ruts of prior vehicles which is customary with driving on sand. Whether I casually coasted to a stop or abruptly stopped (as was the case when my buddy’s D-ring shackle dropped off during one of our trips up the beach), I was always able to resume motion with no difficulty. We were there to also see the famed wild horses of Corolla which graze casually between the dunes and around the beach properties in the area. During our trip, we encountered some great pools of water along the sandy depressions that form the ‘roads’ for the residents of the area. We both were having fun fjording across these pools until they started becoming progressively deeper. My buddy’s Xterra, although lifted, is not equipped with a snorkel. My snorkel isn’t sealed (I will after this trip), but is fitted tightly enough that I felt it should afford modest protection as long as I didn’t stay submerged for prolonged periods. I therefore went ahead and put the truck in a few deeper pools before tapping out. The tires propelled us forward with confidence in a particular pool where there was a precipitous drop that suddenly sent water rushing up and over the hood. The Terra Grapplers were able to hook up with the submerged terrain below and pull us back up and out of what for a moment seemed like my truck’s watery doom. We got some great video of this actually.

The following weekend, I racked up some additional mileage taking the truck down to Virginia Tech to take part in the 6^th Annual Hogs 4 Hokies Spirit ride. I was participating as a support vehicle in the convoy at the invitation of Strength In Numbers (SIN) motorcycle club. There was also an opening for a band to perform; so, our group stepped up and we performed for the participants. Good, fun trip, and lots of new admirers of the truck were met along the way. We’re back now and I’ll be getting the tires rotated before my next upcoming trip in a week or so to Shoe Creek with the Virginia Xterra Club. I don’t know much about the terrain there. It looks to be gravelly trails, perhaps old logging road type terrain which is reportedly stock friendly although more difficult lines can be taken. I’ll include a synopsis of the terrain once I encounter for myself to be included in the next update. Until next time.

Two updates to post this time. The notes were ready, I just fell behind in logging these.

6/14/13 Updates #4 and #5

Update #4- Shoe Creek (c.a. May 2013)

The Shoe Creek trail offered a fun, stock-friendly blend of water crossings, rock gardens, gravelly climbs and descents, and some muddy slopes and embankments. The tires handled all but the muddy embankment very well, and the mud reasonably well. I really really really want to see about getting my locker situation resolved to see if that aids traction any to enable continued forward/upward momentum.  Fortunately, I only needed to traverse a short distance up the embankment to allow a convoy travelling from the opposite direction to bypass our group. Another Frontier was with us that was running 35s in another brand’s M/T offering. The larger diameter and alternate tread pattern favored him in this instance as he was able to travel significantly further up the embankment; later however, he suffered severe difficulties related to overheating which hampered our progress. Perhaps the extra weight from the tires he was running contributed(?). In any event, the tires grappled well. I made pretty good gas mileage down to Richmond to meet the main convoy for the newly re-formed Virginia Xterra Club (VAXC). From there we drove for about another hour headed to a strip mall about 15 miles out from the trail head where the rest of the group joined us. A lot of my driving is done over highways and the tires appear to be wearing well. I do like that I can go right from the highway, air the tires down, and hit the trail without needing to have a second specialty set of tires in the truck bed.

The tires have a hard time clearing/cleaning the voids; the mud accumulates and slipping starts.

I have another run scheduled for Gulches Offroad Park next month down in Laurens, SC. I’m looking forward to another instance of being able to put these tires through the paces.

Update #5- Tropical Storm Andrea (c.a. June 2013)

Unfortunately, the June run with Nissan Offroad Association of the Southeast (NOAS) was cancelled due to the landfall of the first named tropical storm of the season, Andrea. This trip would have capped off my next 3500 mile review. Alas, it never came to be. My driving during this period was thus entirely highway. I made a quick trek out to the Eastern Shore of MD to pick up some spare steelie rims from a fellow Frontier owner. From there I headed up to Philly for a function for my wife. A couple more trips back and forth to Philly were made during this time. What I’ve started observing is that the truck has been logging increasingly improved fuel economy over these last few weeks. I believe this is owing to the gradual wear of the tires and the reduced rolling resistance as the tread depth becomes a bit less pronounced. There is still plenty of bite, but I’m now approaching the range of 300+ miles per tank (as gauged by when the low fuel indicator illuminates). Early on, the indicator was illuminating as low as 240 miles on weeks where I logged more city miles than highway up to about 260 when the mix favored highway. I’m now observing ranges just shy of 300 miles prior to the indicator illuminating. This is good. The grip on some road surfaces is a little less tight. I generally operate the truck in a modest driving style, only accelerating rapidly when necessary. Early on, at most, I might here a brief or faint chirp if performing a tight turn. On the occasions when I may need to accelerate into traffic to make a quick turn, the sound is now more akin to a peel out. I still feel confident gripping of the road during wet, rainy weather, which is what is important to me. The sensation and response is evolving as the tires wear.

An unfortunate thing happened on my most recent trip to Philadelphia. I managed to imbed a pretty sizable (long) metallic foreign body in my right front tire. It registered rather promptly via the TPMS system. We were not far from a theater where we were planning to watch a feature. By the conclusion of the showing, I had a visible and pronounced loss of inflation which told me immediately which tire was likely affected. To be sure of no other potential punctures, I nonetheless checked the pressure on all 4. I swapped the wounded tire out for one of two spares (I had planned on leaving Philly to head to SC until Andrea officially caused the closing of the park) and had the tire professionally patched at an NTB location when I got home the next day. In the week since, I’ve observed no deleterious effects. The puncture occurred right at the high point of one of the lugs. I was definitely bummed when it happened.

Update #6- A bunch of missed offroading opportunities

Most of this update was highway driving. Fourth of July weekend fizzled out. I was to go to Mettowee Offroad Park in upstate New York, but my recent adoption of a rescue dog precluded me from going, as pets are not welcome there. I next targeted Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area with a Jeep group (Delaware Jeep Association) but they weren’t running any green trails and were in highly modified rigs with upsized tires; had to bow out and did not make the trip. The tire plug from my last post has held well. I have not had any loss of tire pressure in that time. The tires appear to be wearing evenly. I’ve not experienced any unpleasant road noises. My fuel economy continues to approximate stock values as there is a bit less rolling resistance as the treads wear. I am anxious, however, for my next opportunity to take the tires off road and see how their performance continues to fare as the miles wear on. Review period ended about 8/1/13.

Update #7- Toronto Carnival and Tennessee Road trip for East Coast Nissan Truck Meet

The good news about having missed some of those offroad opportunities from my previous update is that I had some available mileage in reserve to add a trip up to Toronto for Caribana. It was all highway driving on well-maintained roads up through PA, into NY, and finally across the border to visit our neighbors to the north. It rained quite heavily just as I approached the border and for the next 30 miles or so thereafter as I headed towards my destination. Maintained good traction throughout. The following weekend, I was again on the road headed down to Gatlinburg, TN for the East Coast Nissan Truck meet. Just across the border into Tennessee I encountered another heavy downpour, which was so intense, that a few drivers opted to come to a near stop in the middle of route 81. This is never advisable, and caused me to have to perform some maneuvering in limited visibility to avoid these hapless drivers. Again, highway traction in the rain was most excellent, even upon encountering a low-lying area where rainwater had pooled at near highway speed. At the event, I had hoped to see a variety of Nissan trucks; however, the event most prominently featured Titans, with my truck as the sole representative for the Frontiers and another gentleman who brought his 1^st generation Xterra out for the show and shine. We did an organized cruise up through the Smoky Mountain park road and through town. All of this was on paved roads though. It rained again quite heavily on the trip out of town. Fortunately, I’ll have the opportunity to return in September for the National Xterra Meet which promises some offroading excursions including a night ride in nearby (2 hours or so) Windrock Park. In the course of the past two updates, I’ve added a rear differential skid and some DIY rock sliders. My aim with these mods is to be able to introduce the truck more safely into some more gnarly terrain to gauge how the tires perform. I still will lack the capabilities, equipment, and ground clearance to attempt anything more than a blue trail, but will be able to attempt some obstacles with improved confidence of making it off trail largely unscathed. My next outing is in another week or so where I hope to make the trip to Scrubgrass OHV park in Templeton, PA.

Carnival participants

Getting 'petro' in Canada

Niagara Falls (Canada Side)

On the road home

At the border (or not far from it).

A couple of the trucks from the lineup at East Coast Nissan Truck Meet

 Update #8- Scrubgrass OHV Park (Templeton, PA); Big Dogs Offroad (@ the Cove, Gore, Va); National Xterra Meet (Windrock Park, Oliver Springs, TN); Rock Run Park (Patton, PA)

Well this update is just chock full of offroad adventures.

I went to Scrubgrass OHV Park in Templeton, PA solo; I didn’t have any takers. Although it is not prudent to go offroading alone, I was no longer content with allowing viable weekends to pass me by. The terrain was a bit muddy from prior rain showers earlier in the week. At one point I ended up on an ATV trail that wasn’t marked on my OHV map. The Nittos handled the climbs on the narrow passes surprisingly well. I did get into a bit of a sticky situation that I will chalk up to driver error. At the bottom of one such descent, the muddy embankment gave way and I found myself riding what remained of the embankment along the centerline of the chassis with neither side’s tires able to engage the terrain. All of the vehicle’s momentum was directed tangential to the this banking turn, which caused me to slide out and then over the edge of the bank. It was the type of mud and muck that one can scarcely walk in, let alone maneuver a 2+ ton truck through. I deployed the winch and tree strap, and after a brief tug to get the front end of the truck pointed back in the direction of the trail, I was able to give it gas with the tires grabbing and propelling me forward. I didn’t let this one mishap derail my adventure. I went to try to locate the Rock Garden, which led me on a long descent down towards the river bank along various switchbacks, some being of the same variety that caused me to deploy my winch. As I neared the elevation of the river, the trail became increasingly slick and the change in elevation increasingly more steep. At the next suitable turnaround point, I decided to make the attempt to climb back up and out. Again, the tires performed quite well under the circumstances.

A shot down by the creek. I added a rear leaf pack. 9/1/13

Departing from the ATV trail

Posing in front of the Scrubgrass House prior to departing for home.

My next adventure down to The Cove in Gore, VA was a bit impromptu; I had not planned on going to this event sponsored by Big Dogs Offroad. However, I had at least one confirmed attendee who encouraged my participation, and I figured that beats riding solo any day given the incident of the prior weekend. Despite seeking advice on the trail rating system, ultimately our selection of a Class 4 trail turned out to be ill-advised. The terrain was very, very rocky, and I lacked sufficient ground clearance for much of it. The tires engaged well and often. I deployed my winch some three or more times before finally getting hung up so bad at a latter point in the trail that I succeeded in snapping the winch line. There were other vehicles in our group with more appropriately built features and sized tires. I may have fared better had I opted for these same tires in 285 instead of 265 given my vehicle’s current platform. That would have afforded me a bit more ground clearance and aided my travel in some of the more deeply rutted sections where I simply could not position my smaller diameter tires in a manner that would allow them to engage the terrain. It is hard to follow in the footsteps of 35”+ rolling in 30”-ers. I nonetheless had tremendous time and earned a substantial amount of practice in vehicle recovery aiding my vehicle and that of my buddy who was about equally out-classed on this trail ride.

Not sure if I'm on 3 or just 2 wheels.

This is how the day started at least.

Following behind Josh F. He got me into this mess :)

We took an early exit and met up with our convoy at the end of the day.

Posing by the sign before heading home. All on 9/14/13.

I’m pretty sure the very next weekend was National Xterra Meet (NXM3) down in Windrock Park, TN. It rained and rained starting at about 2am when I finally rolled into town that Saturday morning. Many drivers opted to bail out on that day’s scheduled trail rides. I figured I hadn’t driven 10+ hours to not at least try the trails. I was a bit intimidated as some of the Xterras that chose to go out on the “moderate” class trails were considerably more built up than I am. The trail leaders advised that, with the impact of the weather, the level of difficulty on the trails could increase appreciably. I decided to invoke more of my fledgling journalistic spirit (as opposed to my more cautious inclinations) and again went for the gusto. The trails turned out to be not too bad in spite of the rain. There were a few modest rock gardens on the paths we took that day. I did manage to get a bit hung up on a descent where I steered my passenger side front tire towards a rock in order to “put a wheel on it”; however, the boulder broke free due to the sogginess of the surrounding terrain and slid forward2-3 feet before lodging against a larger rock and shifting in front of my lower control arm. I couldn’t power over it due to the minimal traction and could not reverse back up the incline under my own power. It took a quick tug to pull me back 3 feet to where my rear tires could hook up with a few of the larger rocks and I was able to reposition the front end around the shifted rock. That was about the only calamity I faced. I was most impressed with the performance of the tires on the last brief trail on the way back up to the campgrounds. It was technically a service road from the lower campgrounds up past the entrance and to the upper camp area. However, the runoff had been cascading down the steepest portion of this path for most of the morning. It was fairly slick and rutted, narrow, and characterized by abrupt turns during the climb. I was able to climb up the entire section without once breaking free. A couple of the other trucks had decided to bypass, leaving only three of us equipped with winches. I was asked to take the tail in case any of the couple trucks ahead of me needed to be pulled back off of a section, and effectively entrusting myself to be able to winch forward if I got caught up. Fortunately, this never ended up being invoked.

Found another Frontier and just hid over near his truck.

Out on the trail with the other Xs

Brief pause to check on one dude's suspected overheating. False alarm.

A portion of the roundup.

I had been tooling around with the idea for a few months and decided to make this next outing the inaugural run of my own offroad club, Frontier Off Road Club East (F.O.R.C.E.). I even managed to get two of my friends to sign up. We went to Rock Run in Patton, PA. On the morning of our trail ride, we were joined by two Jeeps carrying a total of 4 more people joining our little coalition. Again, there had been rain on the forecast which we encountered in pockets on the drive up. We primarily stuck on green trails and occasionally took blue trail connections to other portions of the park. At one point, I was coerced into crossing the mud bog, which was essentially a small lake (or a large pond). It was more water than mud. This is owing to my having a snorkel. Basically you cannot put a snorkel on your truck and not be expected to splash into anywhere featuring water. It is almost compulsory. I brought my waders with me and walked the path to confirm depth. Then away we went into the water. The Nitto Terra Grapplers linked up and propelled me all the way across the 300+ yard crossing without once losing traction. The trails were generally shorter but networked with other adjacent trails. In a 700 yard stretch, it was not unusual to have essentially been on three different trail number designations in that short of a jaunt. Trail #2 ended up taking my lunch money though. It was an extensive rock garden throughout interspersed with deadwood, tree roots, and tight squeezes of young trees (4-6” trunk diameters) that had sprung up seeming right in the middle of the trail. I made it out nearly unscathed, except I cracked a lens on my bed-mounted off road light and managed to push in a fist-sized dent on my rear driver fender well in two separate squishes on that same trail. The tires had no trouble engaging the rock, even the wet ones. The one area where we all got our backsides handed to us was on a new trail that a UTV driver had suggested as being passable by us OHV guys. It was not. The ‘creek crossings’ were wide, deep chasms, of the softest mud I’ve probably ever encountered. I was the trail lead; so, I generally was who found the worst parts to attempt to cross, and then once extricated, we found bypasses for the remaining drivers. Only one other Jeep, equipped with at least a locking rear, 35” M/T and lift kits, attempted my path, only to meet the same fate I had. So my inability to pass was not owing at all to my tire selection; there was just no getting through in conventional highway vehicles. The only other format that we did see pass this was a pair of swamp buggies rolling on 40”+ tires. They, however, are built to literally go anywhere, except the highway. I wouldn’t count that as a defeat.

First meeting up, north of the 270-70 Junction.

From the front ends.

A bit out of order chronologically, but this is an iconic shot of the 'fail'.

A portion of the 'mud bog' crossing.

She emerges

She finds another rock, and the DIY rock rails hold up to the challenge.

Posing in front of signs; it is what we do.

And though few admit this, scenery like this is a big part of why I go out in the truck and risk certain calamity.

Borrowed pic of me entering the bank of the bog.

Part of the extraction.

Badges of honor.

I’ve only got one more outing on the horizon for the season. I really thought I was done after Rock Run; however, there is an Xterra group going up to Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area in PA in November. As you may recall, I had previously attempted to go in July with a group of Jeeps. So I’m going to give it a go and then return to the garage to rework my vehicle format.

Update #9- GWNF- Peters Mill Run and a little bit of Kennedy Ridge Trail

The AOAA trip was cancelled due to some insurance liability issue. In the meantime, I stripped off my stock bumper, relocated the front receiver hitch to a higher location and incorporated it as the framework for a new pre-runner style front bumper with stinger. These moves improved my approach angle and will clear the way for me to run larger overall diameter tires (staying with a 16” rim; ideally moving up to around 33” in overall diameter, ca. 285/75/R16). I’ve logged a bit over 40,000 miles in these tires. I promised the promotional team at Nitto that I would run them hard and rack up mileage in the year that has elapsed since they arrived in my driveway. We are approaching that anniversary now as I write this (12/1/13). They arrived at my house on Monday, December 10, 2012 and I had them mounted that Saturday (12/15). The tread is noticeably less pronounced these days. There’s still plenty of rubber for highway travel, but I am a bit less confident offroad and in wet conditions.

On the approach to the trail head for Peters Mill, there is a steep incline as you depart the state road and start to travel dirt/gravel roads. On one such incline, the rear tires momentarily broke free long enough for my ‘Slip’ icon to illuminate. The tires linked up promptly without any additional intervention on my part. Peters Mill is actually pretty tame as far as OHV trails go. Pretty much any stock 4x4 could traverse the trail. The tires were fine and no noted deficiencies arose. It got dark early by the time I made it down to Big Levels another hour or south on 81 below Staunton, VA on the map. In the dark, I found the unmarked trail head to Kennedy Ridge Lane. It was little more than a leafy, overgrown break in the trees lining forest service road 42. I took a bad line right at the mouth of the trail and had trouble overcoming the crest to  get onto the trail. I reevaluated and essentially took the same line in 4Lo, was able to hook up with the terrain, but backed off because I was alone. I started home. And then I turned back. I now have two winches on my truck. I surely could go a half mile or so into the wilderness to see if the trail is better marked further in, right? Wrong. I got another 300 yards and the terrain became increasingly more questionable. I took some photos and notes and reported back to my club members to schedule an outing for more trucks to return for trail support.

One of the more tame sections of Peters Mill

Pristine mountain lake in GWNF

Shot of the new bumper on its first trail ride.

Finding my way in the dark to Big Levels from the South

Fighting my way onto Kennedy Ridge Trail in the dark. 

It has been a good run with these tires. I regret that we didn’t encounter much snow. The most I ran into was up at Rausch Creek in January when the tires were nearly new; however, the snow was not deep and much of it melted off by mid-morning. They performed well in sand. I had wanted to get them in drier, more arid sand, but the opportunity didn’t present itself. Beach driving is what I am more likely to encounter anyway, and they were good for that when aired down to about 15 psi or so. For general trail riding, I usually ran them at 20 psi. That allowed for good contact patch and conformity to rocks, stumps, roots, and logs that I encountered on more of the woodland type trails on the east coast. We didn’t run into anything equivalent to the slick rock in Moab, but down at the Cove in Gore, VA, the trail rated “4” offered plenty of boulders and rocky formations. The tires generally linked up well and the main difficulty was my lack of clearance due to the front receiver, which has since been modified. I think that pretty much covers the terrain that I’ve put them through from then to now. It has been a fun ride.

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