Tires... always a compromise

[guitarzan]

After a few more days of rain here I realize I can NOT stand these stock Goodyear pieces of junk any longer. I've been burning up the search engine here looking at everyone's tire reviews, debates on what will fit and what won't, and trying to get a feel for what will work well for me. So how 'bout some suggestions for some new shoes for the ol' KJ.

My stock height '07 KJ Sport is primarily a daily driver, and rides on stock steel wheels. I don't do much city driving at all, mostly highway. I'm in the midwest where we get a lot of rain. We sometimes get a pretty good snowfall, but that usually turns to slush pretty fast. I hunt and fish a lot and encounter a lot of silted in, muddy, steep, boat ramps. I don't do any super serious offroading. Mostly it's trail riding stuff where I encounter loose dirt, mud, but I don't try to take deep holes in this thing.

I'm thinking a pretty aggressive A/T might work well. I'm plenty fine with sticking with the stock size as long as they get the job done. Any suggestions are worth considering.

 

[eyehatetofu]

You should totally get a set of these, good all around tire:

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[kb0nly]

Kumho Road Venture KL78

Available on TireRack.com and that's where i got mine. Mine sees pretty much the same use as yours daily... Its a good year round A/T tire. I have had mine in heavy rain, mud, sleet, ice, and now snow like crazy! And they haven't dissapointed me. I took it on a 600+ mile round trip right after putting on the new tires and i'm well satisfied with their ride and overall ability.

Second suggestion...

Firestone Destination A/T... A lot of guys on here are running them, cost more than the Kumho, also available on TireRack.

 

[loves_off_roading]

What kind of Goodyear tire do you have? I have ST. People said they were crap but they have impressed me for the most part. They have only slipped once and that was because they were brand new. They got me through the snow the other day without any trouble. I will admit there not the best tho.


If your looking to upgrade I do hear Michelin's are pretty good. Thats from consumer reports.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

I had Hankook Dynapro ATM's on one of my work trucks and they are a really good A/T tire.
Excellent on road and work exceptionally well in sloppy wet gravel and West coast mushy snow.
http://www.hankooktire.ca/Product/product_main.aspx?pageNum=1&subNum=1&ChildNum=1&FnCode=01
Our KJ had Hankook Dynapro A/T tires as well and were very good up until I installed the lift and new Goodyear's.
Or:
BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO
I've had these on my old F350 4X4 and were good all around tires as well.

I've also driven a few 4X4's on General Tire Grabber AT 2's, Firestone Destination A/T.
Wern't bad, but the BFG A/T's are better in my opinion.

 

[RageOfFury]

Firestone Destination A/T(biggthumpup)

 

[Warren.fischbeck]

guitarzan we're from the same neck of the woods so I think I know what type of road conditions you face every year... My SilentArmor has been a great tire for the metro area. It has been great on the unplowed nightmare of 270, handles the mushy mess that spews from the rivers during the spring and summer, I've taken my Liberty on a couple of rock crawls around the family farm and they've done better then I've expected. They've even kept me on 94 when the road is covered by water by west Alton.

 

[MickityMike]

guitarzan we're from the same neck of the woods so I think I know what type of road conditions you face every year...

And I make three - I'm actually in O'Fallon, Missouri.

I've got General Grabber AT 2 on mine. They went for less than $90 each on tirerack.com. I love 'em!

 

[guitarzan]

What kind of Goodyear tire do you have? I have ST. People said they were crap but they have impressed me for the most part. They have only slipped once and that was because they were brand new. They got me through the snow the other day without any trouble. I will admit there not the best tho.


If your looking to upgrade I do hear Michelin's are pretty good. Thats from consumer reports.

I have the ST's. They seem VERY slick in the rain to me. Haven't had them through any snow yet.

I did have a set of Michelin LTX's on an old 4Runner and they were seemed pretty decent in the rain and ok in the snow. They weren't worth a dime on anything else. Besides they're PRICEY!

 

[guitarzan]

And I make three - I'm actually in O'Fallon, Missouri.

I've got General Grabber AT 2 on mine. They went for less than $90 each on tirerack.com. I love 'em!

Howdy neighbor!

The AT2's are some I've looked at.

 

[AtoB]

And I make three - I'm actually in O'Fallon, Missouri.

I've got General Grabber AT 2 on mine. They went for less than $90 each on tirerack.com. I love 'em!

i'm running grabbers too.... they were great on the little snow we had the other day. they are quite on the highway. the only thing that disappoints me a little is how poor the grip is in RWD on wet roads... and even dry.... it doesn't take much the spin the wheels free... i'm guessing it is all about the compound of these type of tires... i had BFG TAs and MTs on my other jeeps with the same complaints....

 

[Warren.fischbeck]

i'm running grabbers too.... they were great on the little snow we had the other day. they are quite on the highway. the only thing that disappoints me a little is how poor the grip is in RWD on wet roads... and even dry.... it doesn't take much the spin the wheels free... i'm guessing it is all about the compound of these type of tires... i had BFG TAs and MTs on my other jeeps with the same complaints....

The only time I've broken my rears loose is when I try too and even then it has only been on cobblestone and when it's raining. I've had my tires since last winter and I had trouble breaking them loose to do donuts. It was actually frustrating.

 

[AtoB]

The only time I've broken my rears loose is when I try too and even then it has only been on cobblestone and when it's raining. I've had my tires since last winter and I had trouble breaking them loose to do donuts. It was actually frustrating.

these things break pretty easily... must be because of the couple extra ponies from my MBRP exhaust!

 

[Warren.fischbeck]

these things break pretty easily... must be because of the couple extra ponies from my MBRP exhaust!

I hear you get a few extra ponies when you make cool engine sounds too, maybe I should try that later today. lol3.gif

 

[Midgear]

General Grabber AT2's is what I'm goin for as soon as the funds become available.

 

[speedracerbubba]

goodyear mtrs are working quite well for me so far. They are a stiffer tire (E load) so a rougher ride and much more responsive steering come with em. Don't know what sizes are available, but to keep from rubbing I did a small daystar lift (wishing I had done it properly with rancho/ome, but live and learn. Popular opinion is popular for a reason)

On my old pickup I had dueler revos and they were excellent all around tires.

 

[MickityMike]

i'm running grabbers too.... they were great on the little snow we had the other day. they are quite on the highway. the only thing that disappoints me a little is how poor the grip is in RWD on wet roads... and even dry.... it doesn't take much the spin the wheels free... i'm guessing it is all about the compound of these type of tires... i had BFG TAs and MTs on my other jeeps with the same complaints....

Hmm, I've never had too much trouble with them breaking loose. Maybe every once in a while starting on a hill on a rain-slicked road, but then I get around that by not mashing the gas down!

 

[KYLiberty]

Here's my experience with a KJ that sees rain, snow, ice, occasional very light offroading at the farm, and ski trips.

Mine came with 235/70R16 SRA's (terrible) that I replaced with 245/70R16 Cross Terrains that had a very nice ride on the road and surprisingly good traction in rain, snow, and ice. The were very good on road only tires. I replaced them with 245/65R17 Destination AT's on '05 17X7.5" rims and Monroe Sensatrac shocks and struts. They were almost as smooth riding as the Cross Terrains, and had better traction. That combination handled a lot better, but a lot of things changed besides the tire that contributed to that. The Destinations tread lasted longer than the Cross Terrains. I replaced that setup with 245/75R16 Load C Wrangler Silent Armors on '05 Rubicon 16X8's. The suspension went to a Frankenlift II Premium with OME HD's all around and Al's arms and a Detroit Truetrac in the rear. I really like this setup. It handles snow and ice that I can't even walk across. It rides and handles very well for a lifted Jeep too. There is a drop in gas milage with the last setup though. They're getting ready for their 3rd winter. I'll be replacing them before next winter even though they still have very good traction now, it's not what it was 2 years ago. I'm thinking about getting the Duratracs next.

 

[tommudd]

I'm thinking about getting the Duratracs next.

I like the DuraTracs a lot! Way better than the stockers, Destination ATs, Kumho KL78s, BFG ATs that I have on the KJ so far

 

[guitarzan]

But are they worth 45% more $$$?

I like the DuraTracs a lot! Way better than the stockers, Destination ATs, Kumho KL78s, BFG ATs that I have on the KJ so far