Long time lurker here on this forum....I have learned so much from you guys over the past 6 months I thought I might as well join with my 2 cents:
Thank you POTE for your insight regarding the tires! I researched tires for my CRD for a month now and your comments pushed me into the Nokian camp.
Here is what I found:
1) The tire in question is
Nokian Vatiiva A/T which is a Mud/Snow rated tire
2) NOKIAN is a well respected Nordic tire
company based in Finland. Nokia is a cell phone manufacturer. (surprising how many people confuse this)
3) These tires are not low end or bargain tires like the Uniroyal Liberators, which I also seriously considered. Some people have received excellent deals on them but here in Western Washington they are sold exclusively through The Tire Factory which is a chain of independent franchises and they ain't particularly cheap. However, they are less than the "competition" and considering their performance they are indeed a "bargain"..
4) The
245/70/16 size fits superbly on my Liberty - no issues at all.
5) These tires are indeed quieter than my NEW stock Goodyear wrangler ST highway tires! I was VERY skeptical of this claim after seeing the aggressive tread on these things. However, I compared them on the same stretch of roads in the same conditions 2 hours apart and they were noticeably quieter. I got rid of my Wranglers because they lousy in all conditions. They also seemed to go flat all the time - twice the damage was through the tread and was large enough to be unrepairable and once through the sidewall which is never repairable.
6) These tires corner as well as my stock Wrangler STs. Not better, but the same. Which, again because of the tread surprised me.
7) These are, by far,
the best gripping tire I have ever owned - and this includes some Blizzaks I had for a while. Once again, I took them up an identical stretch of road I have driven many times. This road has everything: Mud, gravel, some small rock play and now that it is winter, it heads up a steep hill into the snowline. This is a superb tire that is an excellent balance of all worlds. I did not know what this CRD was capable until I drove it last night! It was almost like driving one of those little 4 wheeler ORVs. Conditions at the snowline were heavy Cascade cement snow. As I moved up higher it got deeper and deeper until I was finally stopped on a steep grade due to the Jeep high-centering on a mound of snow I had been plowing in front of me. Keep in mind this was deep, wet, slimy snow. I was a good mile past the last of the monster truck tracks.

These tires have a
60,000 mile warranty, which is exceptional for a tire like this.
9) Need I say more? After agonizing over the endless online debates about tires, I seem to have found the right ones for the way I drive which includes: Every condition imaginable on a regular basis. The only stuff I don't drive is limited by the fact that my CRD is completely stock. I really do need a hybrid tire for what I do. Specialty tires would definitely be better in their respective areas: For example, I would not expect these would perform as well as swampers in the mud. (BTW: Nokian makes superb versions of these too) However, I simply cannot afford the time or money or patience to constantly swap out tires for each occasion and I enjoy being able to hear my radio as I drive down the highway instead of an over amplified swarm of bees.
Bottom line: These are THE tires if you need a hybrid tire for most any conditions. My wife has a CRD as well and I will be putting a set on her car as soon as I can afford it.
Cost: $550 out the door.
- Chris
Deep, heavy & fun:
