Diesel Power + Nitto Tread = Winning Combination

• September 18, 2020
• Story By
  Mike McGlothlin

We’re always blown away by the sheer amount of trucks we see on Nitto tires at diesel events, and this year’s Scheid Diesel Extravaganza was no exception. From the sled pull track to the drag strip to the show ‘n shine, Nitto held a commanding presence in 2020. In the dirt, one thing was for sure: Mud Grapplers are back! We watched as a multitude of trucks put the extreme mud terrains to good use, digging their way to front-pack finishes throughout the weekend.

Over on the concrete, we couldn’t help but notice that the NT420V had infiltrated the ranks of diesel drag racing. On top of that, it was apparent that the Terra Grappler G2 remains a solid choice for bracket racers and daily drivers. Heck, even the world’s fastest L5P Duramax cruises around on Terra Grappler G2’s, so it’s clear that the tire manufacturer who claims to be "fueled by enthusiasts" is doing something right in the world of diesel performance.

Six Diggers

A host of Limited Pro Stock trucks (trucks that are permitted to run dual rear wheels) were sporting Mud Grapplers all the way around at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. In this category, an 8,000-pound weight limit is observed, a 3.0-inch (76mm) smooth bore turbo rule is adhered to and many of the engines produce in excess of 1,400 hp.

Field-Tested

Evan Rusk has been racking up wins all summer in his Pro Street Class Dodge, a truck he calls “In Line Hustle.” Even though the Mud Grappler tends to shine on looser tracks, Evan swears by running them up front on hard-packed surfaces. After a Fourth Place, 309-foot hook during the first afternoon of action qualified him for the evening show, it was clear that he was right. That night, while up against 11 of the hardest-running Pro Street trucks in the nation, Evan took Fifth Place overall.

Front-Pack Finishes

The Mud Grapplers mounted on the front of Lane Aldrich’s “Smokin’ Goat Reloaded” Dodge dug him to a Second Place finish in the Friday night finals. His Pro Street class second-gen would also turn in a Fourth Place effort the following evening. With qualifying and finals included, “Smokin’ Goat Reloaded” hooked four times on the weekend and a Sixth Place distance was its worst showing. Not bad for competing against 37 other top-caliber trucks!

Megatron

Hey, if a truck named Megatron is sitting on Mud Grapplers, maybe your truck should be… The Limited Pro Stock Mega Cab Dodge campaigned by Jason Wayman has found the winner’s circle a time or two, and his nasty, common-rail Cummins kept all six Mud Grapplers spinning well past the full-pull mark. After qualifying seventh with a 326.6-foot distance, Jason took sixth that night in the finals (out of 26 trucks).

In Good Company

Some 62 Limited Pro Stock trucks signed up to compete at this year’s Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, a very sizeable field, and one that would have to be sorted through in terms of qualifying in order to pit the best of the best together during each night’s finals. Above, Matt and Holly Poduska’s “Bad Company” Dodge claws its way to a 298.81-foot distance during Friday afternoon’s qualifying session, courtesy of half a dozen Mud Grapplers.

NT420V’s in the 7’s

We are beginning to see more and more diesel truck owners give the Nitto NT420V a chance at the drag strip. The all-season 420V’s large outer tread blocks provide more contact surface area which means optimum traction. This Dodge Ram 2500 owner was using the 420V’s to propel his 7,400-pound Quad Cab through the eighth-mile in high 7-second intervals (i.e. its’ a 12-second truck in the quarter).

Daily Drivers On NT420V’s

This sharp-looking daily driver was also putting in work aboard a set of NT420V tires. Out on the track the owner was chasing a 9.64-second dial-in—and the big, four-door fourth-gen Cummins had no problem getting off the line in hurry while going from point A to B. It seems word is getting out that, in addition to the 420V being one of the quietest tires on the market, this tread has plenty of grip.

World’s Quickest L5P on Terra Grappler G2 Tires

Wehrli Custom Fabrication brought its “shop truck” out to the Extravaganza, which happens to be the fastest L5P Duramax-powered Silverado on the planet right now. With a BorgWarner S400 in place of the factory VGT, a 12mm CP3 sitting in for the factory Denso pump and several other goodies onboard, the truck sends more than 900 hp to the Terra Grappler G2 tires. At the track, the WC Fab shop truck has been as quick as 11.58 through the quarter-mile despite suffering converter lockup issues.

All Terrains In ET Bracket

Coming off the ET Bracket win at the previous ODSS event, the Rocky Top Diesel Shootout, Ken Phillips came into the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza to attempt a repeat. His third-gen Dodge Cummins relies on Terra Grappler G2’s for traction and he is always right on top of his dial-in. But while Ken wasn’t able to get the W at the Extravaganza (the competition was fierce, trust us!), he is sitting in Fourth Place in the 2020 points chase.