Tire Opinions

[apukareem]

I need some advice on tires for my KJ.
I have a 2003 with the stock 235/70/R16's running Cooper Discoverer ATRs.

The 2 types I have been looking at so far are the

General Grabber HTS

and the

General Grabber AT2

I do all highway driving, 80 miles round trip daily on the interstate, and winter is about to end, so I am leaning toward the HTSs, but I have not heard many reviews for them.

I really just want something that will be reliable and will last a long time.
Opinions and reviews are appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[tommudd]

neither

 

[Ry' N Jen]

If your KJ is your everyday vehicle and you do not go off road with it at all, then
the HTS would be a good choice.
If do some light trails/off road then go for the AT2.
It all comes down to how much you want to spend and what you expect out of
your tires!
Personally I wouldn't buy either.

 

[apukareem]

Indeed, they don't seem to be getting great reviews.

What would you guys recommend/have experience with?

 

[ridenby]

Look at Treadwright.com

 

[osufans]

Toyo Open Country AT's.....they wear nice, have good traction in the rain/snow, and are rather affordable. Toyo also makes an HT, if you feel the AT is too aggressive. I also like the look of the Kuhmo SAT KL61's...but I'm not up to date on their reviews.

Another suggestion would be the Yokohama Geolander tires. They make an HT and an AT, depending on your needs.

Toyo Open Country HT

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Toyo Open Country AT

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Kuhmo SAT KL 61

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Yokohama Geolander AT

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[Ry' N Jen]

Indeed, they don't seem to be getting great reviews.

What would you guys recommend/have experience with?

That all depends on what you use your Jeep for.
Perhaps you can give us more information as to what you use your KJ for...

1. Strictly a daily driver/pavement pounder
2. Daily driver as well as some light off roading.
3. Daily driver as well as moderate off roading.
4. ...
I think you get where I'm going with this!

osufans posted some good choices.

 

[LibertyTC]

I would look for a treadwear rating of 450 or better ( harder compound) for a heavy AT SUV daily highway driver.
All highway driving in a heavier suv= rotate what ever tires you buy frequently, and keep the alignment fresh, twice a year.
Goodyear's silent Armor and MTR both have great thick sidewalls and are Kevlar belted, but expensive.

 

[J-Thompson]

I would go with the Yokohama's
that is what we ran on the KJ when we moved and
had a 75-80 mile commute

 

[Jeepman56]

I don't have a very long commute but I love my General Grabber AT2s. I do not think they would be great choice for someone who drives as much daily as you though as there are better tire options for that. My recommendation would be to look into the Firestone Destination LE. I know a few people that have run or are currently running them and they have done very well. My father included. They are a more highway oriented tire but do well when called upon for light off road duty such as on frozen lakes for fishing or through logging trails for hunting. Good luck with your search and let us know what you decided to go with.

 

[Pappy John]

How many miles have you gotten out of your current Coopers? Have they been problematic?

I put Discoverer HTs on two years ago and their tread is still great. No problems in mud and snow, yet they're very quiet. Love 'em.

 

[TruLiberty]

i have 10k miles on my AT2's and I LOVE them...the sloppy weather we had this winter was handled superbly. I will say i lost some MPG...but the wear is good so far and i think it was totally worth the money...they look GREAT and perform awesome in the rain too.

 

[apukareem]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Right now I am leaning toward the Geolander AT's, but am still torn about the HTS'.

The Cooper's haven't been problematic, but they are what came with the vehicle. They had a decent amount of tread when we got it, and I have driven it about 18k miles till now.

Realistically, if both model tire would wear out around the same mileage, I would rather go with the more aggressive AT.
But, if the HTS being designed for highway driving last longer, I would rather go that route, and get more life out of the tire.

 

[osufans]

Well, they both have the same Wear/Traction/Temp rating of 500/A/B, so they "should" wear similarly. I'd go for the AT's if you think these tires will ever see any snow.

 

[J-Thompson]

I would not base it on any thing but real world
take my F250
Came with a highway tire rated fir something like 50k
barely got 45k
Right now I have Firestone transforce AT's with 25k on them
Another guy has GY AT's ,the 10ply version of the AT-S not sure
what they are called
Rated with a higher tread wear and less than 20k they are far more
worn than the Firestones
He will be lucky to get 40k I will easily get 50
He paid over $1200
I paid under $900

 

[osufans]

I would not base it on any thing but real world
take my F250
Came with a highway tire rated fir something like 50k
barely got 45k
Right now I have Firestone transforce AT's with 25k on them
Another guy has GY AT's ,the 10ply version of the AT-S not sure
what they are called
Rated with a higher tread wear and less than 20k they are far more
worn than the Firestones
He will be lucky to get 40k I will easily get 50
He paid over $1200
I paid under $900

So here's the thing, and correct me if I'm wrong, but once you go to an LT tire, they no longer have wear ratings, but rather load ratings (Load C,E).

I've seen/heard of examples where trucks, (diesels esp) will chew up a "50K mile" tire in 25K miles, because the tire wasn't really applicable to the load that the truck was putting it under. However, you put that same tire on a Ford Ranger, and it will go 50-60K miles. That's why most LT tires don't offer tread wear warranties.

So I guess the same would apply to passenger tires, but if the manufacturer is going to offer a tread wear warranty on a P-rated tire, I'm gonna bet they account for the load range at which a specific tire is going to operate at, and try to make sure it is capable of lasting close to the indicated wear. That's why a P235/70R16 tire that is rated for a load of 2149@50PSI and 50K miles has 13/32" of tread, whereas once you go up into the LT tires, you start seeing 16-18/32" tread. (specs from Yoko Tire - http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/spec.aspx?tire=GEOLANDAR A/T-S )