Best Tires for our CRD

racertracer · **Posted:** Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:52 pm

The tires that are on my vehicle now are 245 70r 16 Goodyear Fortera installed by the previous owner.

According to the Local tire shop, they are the wrong size for the vehicle.

He said that stock tires were 225/75r 16 and I could take it up a knotch and install 235/70r 16

What is a good tire size for efficiency and handling at highway speeds.

jinstall · **Posted:** Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:55 pm

I have been running 245-70-16 for some time now with no issues. If you really want to work on getting better milage then start looking for light weight wheels. Konig Britelites, and some light weight tires. This will help your handling, MPG and braking.

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:22 pm

I have been running 245's since like oh I don't know October so something like that. No issue here, in fact I like the tires I have much more than what came on it. I had Good year Silent armor 235's cus I found out the original buyer pushed the dealer to upgrade him right after he got it new cus the Wrangler ST were junk as we all know. The Silent armour may have been better but were all but wore out for me.

RTStabler51 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:36 pm

Tire Rack shows 225/75 as being stock tire size with an option 235/70.
I went with the stock 225/75 TreadWright AT tire and love'em so far.

geordi · **Posted:** Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:19 pm

Your tire shop guy is full of crap. The limitations are "does it fit within the wheel well without rubbing" and "does it support the loading of the vehicle with a solid safety factor" He is going by the lawyer-approved book that most chain places are using now. Ask on here what sizes people have that work, and you will figure out what fits and is a "proper size" for the CRD. And you might want to find another shop that cares what YOU want, not what their book says. Costco / Sams club are just bad choices. You will be lucky to end up with anything OTHER than the stock Goodyears. Trust me, I know from experience.

225/75 are an OK size to start from, but I have seen on here where people are running much wider, and then there are a few like me who run 215/85 - narrow and tall.

This is how to read a tire's measurements and understand them:
215 / 85 / R16 LRE

215 is the width of the tread in mm
85 is the percentage of that width, that makes up the sidewall height.
R16 means it is a Radial tire for a 16" rim. (Some trailer tires are a Dx, which is Bias Ply - More rounded profile of the tread)
LRE means Load Range E for the tires, with a specific weight capacity on the sidewall.

Stronger tires (higher load range) on our trucks are doing less work, so will last longer and run cooler than a fully-loaded tire that is right at its load limit. A fully loaded tire can also flex more on cornering or sudden moves, which is harder to predict and could lead to a loss of control.
Taller and narrower tires put less friction onto the roadway, which can offer better MPG. Some would claim that narrower tires make stopping distances longer, I have not experienced this.

If you tow, heavier load range tires can prevent overloading and over-flexing of the rear tires, which will weaken them and could make them fail. (I would NEVER tow with the stock Goodyears... Those things SUCK even when unloaded!)

Hope that helps you out. BTW: I'm running the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A in that 215/85/16 size, currently have the "Traction" style and love them. Most tires have only about 14/32-16/32 of tread depth to start with... The Tractions have 18/32. VERY good value for the money and at least a 60k mile tire!

MOSFET · **Joined:** Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:40 pm **Posts:** 295

My 245/70R16 fit fine with no lift. The diameter is almost exactly the same between a 245/70 and a 225/75.

dgeist · **Posted:** Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:15 pm

You've seen the calculations. Here's how all three of the most common (that fit perfectly without trimming and with no lift) line up:

diameter (smallest to largest):
235/70R16 -> 225/75R16 -> 245/70R16

width (smallest to largest):
225/75R16 -> 235/70R16 -> 245/70R16

245/75/R16 is probably the most common next step up for folks with a lift. At full lock or when stuffed, they can rub slightly in the front wheel wells. Each tire does vary, though. The more aggressive the tread and "square" the cross-section, the more rubbing.

I personally like my Dueler Revos for good all-weather road performance and decent off-road traction, but there are a lot of good ATs to fit that same bill and lots of threads discussing them.

Dan

vtdog · **Joined:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 11:27 am **Posts:** 640

Have had 245s on for almost 6ok miles. No issues

DocB · **Posted:** Thu Apr 22, 2010 12:42 am

You might want to take a look at the CTS tires in my sig.
They are the best all around tires I have ever owned.
Since I was the first one in NE PA to give em a try, I really didn't
have any reviews to go by, but they are doing everything they are
supposed to AND they are wearing like iron.
One way trip for me is 148 miles on the interstate then 1 mile on dirt-
OR 1 foot of mud OR 1 foot of snow.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:41 am

racertracer wrote:

The tires that are on my vehicle now are 245 70r 16 Goodyear Fortera installed by the previous owner.

According to the Local tire shop, they are the wrong size for the vehicle.

He said that stock tires were 225/75r 16 and I could take it up a knotch and install 235/70r 16

What is a good tire size for efficiency and handling at highway speeds.

He is correct. 245/70-16 is not a factory size.

Having said that.... 245/70-16 IS exactly the same diameter as the factory 225/75-16 that came on your Jeep. The 235/70-16 tires are actually a tad shorter. Why Jeep did this...we'll never know. So 245/70-16 is a PERFECT replacement size for the CRD.

255/70-16 is one tick up from factory diameter. My speedometer is now 2% off (GPS verified). No big deal.

DynoPax · **Posted:** Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:40 am

... And to help you make a sound decision, based on your preferences but with respect to tire size ratio, use the following link:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

It's a very helpful tool. You could even consider going with bigger wheels (17" and over) if you like, with proper tire size that respect the original size ratio of the vehicle. I for one will probably go for bigger wheels eventually. Since I mostly do highway and city, I fancy the handling, feel & look of a higher-sized tire, with slightly negative offset to expand overall width footprint of the Jeep...

Hope this help!

racertracer · **Posted:** Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:35 pm

DynoPax wrote:

... And to help you make a sound decision, based on your preferences but with respect to tire size ratio, use the following link:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

It's a very helpful tool. You could even consider going with bigger wheels (17" and over) if you like, with proper tire size that respect the original size ratio of the vehicle. I for one will probably go for bigger wheels eventually. Since I mostly do highway and city, I fancy the handling, feel & look of a higher-sized tire, with slightly negative offset to expand overall width footprint of the Jeep...

Hope this help!

That is a super helpful site.

Thank you for posting it.

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:02 pm

Id say the stock GoodYears. They got me as high as 37.8 MPG on the highway drive from Nashville to Seattle.

stoutdog · **Posted:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:01 pm

CRD Joe wrote:

Id say the stock GoodYears. They got me as high as 37.8 MPG on the highway drive from Nashville to Seattle.

The problem, I gather, with the stock Goodyears is that you are sacrificing a lot of safety/stability for better fuel economy. When I buy new tires (the current tires were brand new from the last owner), I will be looking for the most fuel efficient tire possible that still gives me the necessary stability and braking distance to feel safe on the road.... I've never driven with the stock Goodyears, but my understanding is that they do not provide the feeling of safety that most desire.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:20 pm

stoutdog wrote:

CRD Joe wrote:

Id say the stock GoodYears. They got me as high as 37.8 MPG on the highway drive from Nashville to Seattle.

The problem, I gather, with the stock Goodyears is that you are sacrificing a lot of safety/stability for better fuel economy. When I buy new tires (the current tires were brand new from the last owner), I will be looking for the most fuel efficient tire possible that still gives me the necessary stability and braking distance to feel safe on the road.... I've never driven with the stock Goodyears, but my understanding is that they do not provide the feeling of safety that most desire.

To take this a step further...if you take a stock Goodyear Wrangler ST tire off a KJ and play with the sidewalls by hand, you'll see that they are about as thick as a piece of notebook paper. It's unreal that Jeep put such a flimsy tire on a diesel SUV rated for 5,000 lbs. towing. Not only are they extremely flimsy (i.e., dangerous)...they also have no grip whatsoever in foul weather. A browse through the ratings for the Goodyear ST at tirerack.com will shock you. It's one of the only tires on the website that consistently gets horrible ratings from users.

As he said, the ONLY advantage is the economy they provide because of their light weight.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:42 pm

I drove 245/70 Toyos for 50K miles. I didn't like the grip all that well in snow though but clearance was never an issue. The stock 225/75 were crap. I never had tires that I got so many flats with, then of course there was the failed side wall that Goodyear would not warrant. Said it was from a rock even though it obviously blew from the inside out while driving on pavement.

I just replaced the Toyo's with Bridgestone Revo 2's which consistently are rated high for everone in both traction, stability and driving on the road, off the road to some extent, and in snow and rain. You can get a $100 rebate card from Bridgestone on the Revos if you purchase by May 1. Can't tell you about mileage but they are certainly heavier than the stock tires (so is tissue paper) so they will not improve it over stock simply by virture of the weight. They are quieter than my Toyo's were.

FineDining · **Joined:** Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:17 pm **Posts:** 21

I'm in the market for tires also

Currently considering the Michelin Latitude tour and the General Grabber HTS in 245 70 16. Do you guys have anything to say about these. I'm looking for on road handling (little off road driving) and mpg.

Geordi: I'm interested in what those skinny tires look like on the jeep, got any pictures?
Also how tall can you go with tires, can I fit something taller in there?

Thanks

stoutdog · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:02 pm

FineDining wrote:

I'm in the market for tires also

Currently considering the Michelin Latitude tour and the General Grabber HTS in 245 70 16. Do you guys have anything to say about these. I'm looking for on road handling (little off road driving) and mpg.

Geordi: I'm interested in what those skinny tires look like on the jeep, got any pictures?
Also how tall can you go with tires, can I fit something taller in there?

Thanks

I've got the Michelin Latitudes. The ride is a Jeep, the handling is great, and the fuel economy seems to be pretty good (see my sig)

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:27 pm

geordi wrote:

Your tire shop guy is full of crap. The limitations are "does it fit within the wheel well without rubbing" and "does it support the loading of the vehicle with a solid safety factor" He is going by the lawyer-approved book that most chain places are using now. Ask on here what sizes people have that work, and you will figure out what fits and is a "proper size" for the CRD. And you might want to find another shop that cares what YOU want, not what their book says. Costco / Sams club are just bad choices. You will be lucky to end up with anything OTHER than the stock Goodyears. Trust me, I know from experience.

225/75 are an OK size to start from, but I have seen on here where people are running much wider, and then there are a few like me who run 215/85 - narrow and tall.

This is how to read a tire's measurements and understand them:
215 / 85 / R16 LRE

215 is the width of the tread in mm
85 is the percentage of that width, that makes up the sidewall height.
R16 means it is a Radial tire for a 16" rim. (Some trailer tires are a Dx, which is Bias Ply - More rounded profile of the tread)
LRE means Load Range E for the tires, with a specific weight capacity on the sidewall.

Stronger tires (higher load range) on our trucks are doing less work, so will last longer and run cooler than a fully-loaded tire that is right at its load limit. A fully loaded tire can also flex more on cornering or sudden moves, which is harder to predict and could lead to a loss of control.
Taller and narrower tires put less friction onto the roadway, which can offer better MPG. Some would claim that narrower tires make stopping distances longer, I have not experienced this.

If you tow, heavier load range tires can prevent overloading and over-flexing of the rear tires, which will weaken them and could make them fail. (I would NEVER tow with the stock Goodyears... Those things SUCK even when unloaded!)

Hope that helps you out. BTW: I'm running the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A in that 215/85/16 size, currently have the "Traction" style and love them. Most tires have only about 14/32-16/32 of tread depth to start with... The Tractions have 18/32. VERY good value for the money and at least a 60k mile tire!

X2 on 215 85 R16

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:55 pm

FineDining wrote:

I'm in the market for tires also

Currently considering the Michelin Latitude tour and the General Grabber HTS in 245 70 16. Do you guys have anything to say about these. I'm looking for on road handling (little off road driving) and mpg.

Geordi: I'm interested in what those skinny tires look like on the jeep, got any pictures?
Also how tall can you go with tires, can I fit something taller in there?

Thanks

I will see what I can do about posting a pic of the shoes I have on it currently. This is what it looks like with the Commercial T/A Highway tread:

Interestingly enough, the tire shop I was getting the Traction ones at had two Goodyear LRE 215/85/16 tires sitting on the floor. I had to check the numbers twice, they looked so narrow compared to the ones that I got. Wild difference in tread width appearance, for the same size tire.

As for fit: The 215/85 BFG Commercial are a 29.5" diameter tire, which adds about an inch over stock, and pulls off around 30 revolutions per mile. The Traction version, with deeper tread, takes off another 20 revs or so from that. The specs are all on BFG's website. When I was getting the highway tread versions (2 years ago, and just now replacing the front ones that still have tread!) I asked them to fit the 235/85/16 version onto the front for giggles.

I wanted to see if they fit when turning. I had just bought the truck about a month or so before. The 235 DID fit, and looked AWESOME in the wheel well. HOWEVER, the tire did contact ever so lightly onto the pinch weld and the plastic behind the fog light. (rubbed the dust off when the wheel was turned lock-to-lock) I wasn't about to beat on the car I just bought... So I didn't get them. Maybe someday, when these Tractions wear out, since I now have a full set of them in 215/85.

Best Tires for our CRD

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