Fuzion 245/65-17 Tires...

[AZKJ]

A week or so ago I posted a question asking if anyone has heard of, or has had experience with Fuzion XTI all terrain tires. I presume no one has since I only got one response to my post.

Well, I guess I'll be the first to try them out and post a review after I get some on and off road miles on them.

Here'e how I came to buy Mopar 17" wheels and Fuzion XFI 245/65-17 tires...

I bought an '06 KJ Sport a couple of weeks ago. It came with the basic 225/75-16 Goodyear tires and IMHO, the dreaded stock steel wheels. My first order of business was to go shopping for new wheels, all terrain tires and full skids.

There are not that many wheels out there that I liked at a reasonable price, so I headed over to the local 5-Star Chrysler/Jeep dealer. They had Mopar chrome and polished 5 spoke 16" wheels @ $1,150 for five wheels. They also had some graphite 6 spoke 17" wheels for $950 so that's what I bought.

Next came tire shopping. It has been reported several times within this board that the choice and availability of 17" all terrain tires is very limited (most were out of stock or had to be ordered online through TireRack) and that ain't no bull. The only 245/65-17 tires I came across were:

- Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor @ $141.00
- Pirelli Scorpion ATR @ $129.00
- Firestone Destination A/T @ $119.00
- Yokohama GeoLander A/T-S @ $110.00

and a new brand under the Bridgestone/Firestone umbrella

- Fuzion XTI @ $96.00

None of the prices above included road hazard insurance, stems, mounting and balancing, free 5k rotation and flat repair. I bought the Fuzion's with insurance etc for $600.00 out the door, which came to $120.00 per tire.

The Fuzion 245/65-17 tires fit fine and seem to have an aggressive enough all terrain tread that will see 2.0 to 3.0 rated trails. Here are a few pictures I took....

Mopar 17" graphite wheel and Fuzion 245/65-17 XTI tire (the license plate is a photoshop version of the plate I ordered)...

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Close-up...

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Front clearance...

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Rear clearance...

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Rear head-on...

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Comments on my selection of wheels and tires are welcome.... \/

 

[hyde]

Ok, well.. I am still trying to figure out why you got 17" wheels while most of are struggling to find good tires for our 17" or wondering why DC didn't make better looking 16" rims.. Well you made your choice, and a good one with the looks, but if you were hunting for rims, why not go aftermarket with different, possibly wider 17" or 16"s You could have gotten a much better selection of tires, but all done and gone.

First of all tires look great, it is the first time I am hearing these tires, and anytime I see people post about new tires makes me think that they got it for free, and trying to promote the new product. =;

Hey you forgot to post the tread pattern shot.. As far as I can see, they have nice teeth like treads from the side, and sidewall resemble Wrangler HP, I am not sure how soft/hard they are, how long have you driven so far? Can you also check full turn clearance of fronts, since you got 245 instead of stock 235 (which I haven't had the guts to go and get) I wonder how much space it left you with. Rears should be no problem, unless you are about to flex the hell out of them.

Aside from why you went with 17"s, they actually look very good with your color. Enjoy those tires, and keep us posted about the performance on loose surface and wet pavement.

=D>

 

[Marlon_JB2]

The tread pattern is on Tirerack.com.... reminds me of the Firestone Destination A/T

Fuzion XTi

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Destination A/T

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[AZKJ]

I thought I explained it in my original post how I ended up with 17" wheels. Short story... I couldn't find any 16" wheels that I liked at a good price so I went to see what the Jeep dealer had. They had some chrome and polished 5 spoke 16" wheels for five rims @ $1,150. They also had the graphite 6 spoke 17" wheels that I liked and bought for $950 for a set of five.

As for tires avalible in 16" v.s. 17" sizes... there are just about the same amount of brands, but with a wider choice of sizes in the 16" tires. Again, price and avalibility were a concern. Except for the Fuzion, most tires either had to be ordered online or were out of stock and special order in stores here in Phoenix.

I just got the new wheels and Fuzion tires, so no report other than they feel good at highway speeds (the speed limit here in Arizona is 75 mph and most people travel at 80 - 85). They do not rub at all.

No, I'm not promoting anything. I'm just and old US Air Force retired MSgt, who is enjoying life without being told what, when, where and how to do everything. I work 3 to 4 days a week driving an 18 wheeler around town making deliveries and do as I want. I just came across the Fuzion brand and they fit my wheels and came at a good price at the shop where I get the TJ worked on. They were $600.00 for five out the door, mounted and balanced, hazard insurance that is not prorated, flat repair and 5k rotations. The Liberty will not see that rough of a trail to warrant big BFG's or more expensive tires etc. Hopefully the Fuzion XTI 245/65-17 will suit my needs and hold up pretty good.

Here is the tread shot of the tire you asked about...

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[Dave]

They look good from the pic's but I can't see the entire tread. I never heard of them before . I like your rims.

I almost switched to a 16" rim to get a better tire selection though. I like my 17's but I knew they were going to be a problem with tires when I bought the KJ. I was just hoping there would be more options down the road. The TPM system I have complicated my decision too.

Put up a straight on pic of the tread if you can.

Keep us updated on how they are both on and off road.

Dave

 

[hyde]

No, I'm not promoting anything.

Of course, I was just saying what I generally thought with these new tires. The commercials, ratings, and reviews guide us blindly, always to brand-name products.. That's all. Otherwise I am sure you went with your guts on this, and to be honest, they look very nice.

 

[AZKJ]

The tread pattern is on Tirerack.com.... reminds me of the Firestone Destination A/T

Fuzion XTi

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Destination A/T

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Yes, the Fuzion brand falls under the Bridgestone/Firestone umbrella. The shop I use for the TJ and now the KJ sells them and I get very good customer service, so I went with the Fuzions.

I'll keeo everyone updated on how they hold up on and off road...

 

[Dave]

They look good........disregard my prior post as I wrote it before the tread pic was posted.

I was in the USAF also.

Good luck with your tire choice and don't forget to let us know how they are both on and off road.

Dave

 

[AZKJ]

Dave... thanks. I did go with my gut to get the best tire at the right price for what the Liberty will be used for. My TJ has BFG M/T's for the harder trails... =P~

I'll keep everyone updated on how they hold up on and off road...

 

[AZKJ]

Fuzion tires are part of Bridgestone/Firestone group. As Marlon stated above, the Firestone Destination and the Fuzion XtI tires are almost the same.

For what it's worth, here is how TireRack rated the Firestone... #3. I hope the same holds true for the Fuzion tires I put on the Liberty yesterday.

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[Jeger]

I read up about the fuzion....the even list the UNI-T features that bridgestone has. I bet they are nothing more than rebadged, cheaper \/ Bridgestone/Firestone tires. I bet they do you right, keep us updated.

Oh, and I like the sidewall on those better too!

 

[hyde]

OK..
Wow!

Today I spotted a honda truck with black rims, silver lip, very sharp. With 245/65/17 tires.. I could spot the tires from distance, nice pattern, looks a lot like the wrangler hps, feels like those. I come close, there is no brand, just wavy pattern.. I come even closer, and there it is. FUZION.

I said "HMMMM.. I remember these from somewhere" and after a search this topic and other ones came up, by AZKJ.

I had never seen them in person, only above pictures. But they looked awesome with those black American Racing wheels, they were 17. Very nice.

So I check the price. 96 a pop. Not bad at all, can leave some room for new rims like those.

So, AZKJ, my question to you, after few months of driving, how are they? I think you got the Tribal Tattoo sidewall, and there is flame version, which caught my attention.

I doubt any one of the dealers in my area will have any good tires.. I would love to get them at a dealer so I know the tire shop won't break my TP sensors.

 

[AZKJ]

OK..
Wow!

Today I spotted a honda truck with black rims, silver lip, very sharp. With 245/65/17 tires.. I could spot the tires from distance, nice pattern, looks a lot like the wrangler hps, feels like those. I come close, there is no brand, just wavy pattern.. I come even closer, and there it is. FUZION.

I said "HMMMM.. I remember these from somewhere" and after a search this topic and other ones came up, by AZKJ.

I had never seen them in person, only above pictures. But they looked awesome with those black American Racing wheels, they were 17. Very nice.

So I check the price. 96 a pop. Not bad at all, can leave some room for new rims like those.

So, AZKJ, my question to you, after few months of driving, how are they? I think you got the Tribal Tattoo sidewall, and there is flame version, which caught my attention.

I doubt any one of the dealers in my area will have any good tires.. I would love to get them at a dealer so I know the tire shop won't break my TP sensors.

Good eye... yes, I have the Tribal Tattoo sidewall showing. The tire also comes with a Flame pattern on the other side. You can pick whatever one you want.

So far I'm pretty happy with the Fuzion tires. On road they seem to grip pretty good on wet and dry pavement. They provide a smooth ride with very little or no road noise.

As for off road... I just got back from a trip doing two days of off roading on mostly washboard dirt roads, sandy trails and hard packed sand river beds. I had no problems. I did not air down and the Fuzion tires provide a smooth ride on the washboard roads and got me through all the sand.

Conclusion... So far I'm very happy with them and think they are a great $$$ value. I would say the Fuzion XTI A/T tires are a good tire for pavement and mild trails. I think they may be on the soft side. For the 2.0 - 2.5 rated trails my wife's KJ (HER daily driver and MY weekend toy) will see, they will do just fine. If I were going to be doing harder trails and planned on airing down below 20 psi, I would go with a more aggressive tire like the BFG M/T's that I have on the TJ.

I'll post another update after I get back from Silverton and Ouray, CO in September, where most of the trails are rocky with a lot of shale and are rated 2.5 - 3.5. I think clearance will be more of an issue than the Fuzion XTI A/T tires.

Here are a few of the trails I did in the TJ that we'll be doing in the KJ this time around:

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[hyde]

Thanks.. BUT today I just stuck my hand behind the front and rear tires, I mean anything wider would be almost touching suspension on the inner sidewall. It looks almost impossible to buy anything wider (ie 245) Have you checked your inner sidewall? Maybe these new rims you got are a bit wider, so keeping the tire away from suspension? I am going to try to take some clearer pictures and add measurement on it, and I had a picture somewhere here showing that there could be some rubbing already with stock tires. This just blew my plans.

 

[AZKJ]

hyedipin...

I haven't noticed any rubbing on the inside of the tire, but I'll take another look when my wife gets home from work this afternoon and let you know.

The tires I have are 245/65-17 mounted on OEM Mopar 17" rims.

 

[hyde]

Ok thanks. I know you got the Mopar rims from the dealer, and I have similar 17" rims, but my thought was that they made the newer rims (yours) wider or "sticking out" for lack of better word, as opposed to mine, which are from 2003/4. I can consider getting spacers with new tires to avoid it, but I still didn't get a straight answer from anyone as to disadvantages or risks of running on spacers for long time. Edit: Found an interesting topic with some posts that made sense to me: http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tires-and-wheels/16949-wheel-spacers-are-they-safe/ I guess I just need to make sure 245s will fit nicely, or keep my tires at the same size as stock setup.