This year in Moab, I had the Nitto Grappler 285/60/18 on mine. I absolutely loves the tires. The last two prior years in Moab I was running the Yokohama AVT 285/60/18. I loved those tires too.

Performance on the Moab slickrock was the same. They were both great.
In dirt trails, I expect the Nittos to be a liittle better just because the tread design is a bit more aggressive.

Road noise they are the same. There is none. What you hear is the what you would hear with any tire. That can be eliminated if you put in some sound damping material in the doors and floor board. I did not do that.

The only difference I could tell was on the highway. I did notice the Yokohamas felt like it was sticking to the road when I was on a corner. The Nittos feel like it rolls on the corner. I thik the sidewall must be stiffer on the Yokohamas.

It all comes down to the look. Do you want your VX to look like a Off-Road stud or a Street Stud?

Peace.
Tom