Okay, I am going to take the plunge and try and buy a new CRD today. I have seen quite a few complaints about the factory tires. Should I replace them ASAP? I will probaly get a better trade in value on them if I head staright for the tire dealer after I buy the Jeep.

Any suggestions for tires? I am in Colorado, so I need something that will perform nicely on snow and ice covered roads. I will drive this vehicle about 100 miles per day, mostly on the highway. Something quiet would be nice (maybe the nice diesel noise will drown out the tires anyway ). I plan on doind a little bit of mild 4-wheeling, but my biggest concern for tires will be day to day comfort and performance on the road. Decent tread wear would be nice too.

Two ways to do it...make a deal at the dealership to replace the tires so they are included in your finance package...or go to a Goodyear Store and get credit toward tires. I have heard of each working.

_________________
Founder of L.O.S.T.
2006 CRD Sport
Mods: GDE Hot Tune w/ 364#@2000rpm/Air Box /3" Str8 Exhaust/ASFIR Alum Skids/245-75R-16 Cooper STT PRO/OME LIFT w/Clevis & 4 Spring Isos/AirTabs/Rigid 10" S2 LED/4xGuard Ctr Matrix Bumper
Drag Strip:Reac=.1078_60ft=2.224_1/8=10.39@64.8mph_1/4+16.46@80.8mph

No idea how to get the most from the G'years but I live in CO and have been running Yokohama Geolander HT/S for a while.
Good in the snow, not loud. Had over 30k on a car I sold to get the CRD and they were about half gone. Discount Tire Direct has them for less than $100 shipped plus $11/per for install makes them a good value. Since DT sells G'year you might get a trade there. I haven't priced them in the store, just online.

Steve

Check out my post "Concerning Upsizing of Tires" here:

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... php?t=9074

I concur on the 255/70-16 size, and would recommend Goodyear Silent Armors (what I have), Bridgestone Dueler Revos (I've had in the past) or BFG All Terrains (also had in the past). All three look great and perform great.

_________________
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD, Provent CCR, 2.5" lift

Actually, I have a real life scenario for you.

I thought the same thing coming onto these boards. "Oh the tires, they're awful, anytime you hit water you skid out and die...."

I was scared. Heading into winter I tried to put together the funds to buy new tires. Well, several house projects came up, and I braced for the worse. I had to stick with the stock Goodyears.

First came the rain, and I babied it, even had her in Full-Time. Then, I had more confidence, and tested without Full-Time. Still felt very stable, gripped the road in the rain just fine, as a matter of fact, it did great.

Then came the snow. Snow traction was great. In Full-Time, we took the Jeep out in fresh snow. She loved it, gripped very well, never once did I feel afraid.

Are there better tires out there? Absolutely.

Are the stock Goodyears ST's really dangerous? Not at all. They are still rolling strong, and grip wonderfully. It has rained a few times already, and the Jeep is the best handling rain vehicle I have ever driven. Very balanced.

Here is my advice. Wear the Goodyears out. Then buy Revo's or whatever you want. Don't drive the Jeep like a sports car in the rain, and you will be fine. I have never broken traction in the rain ever, this is in 2WD. Don't buy into all the board hype. Not all of us have $500 to plop down on new tires because the internet thinks they suck.

_________________
2005 Liberty CRD

i'd love to do that too but i've got 2000 mi on the current stockers. am i too late to get a decent trade in credit?

_________________
2005 CRD Sport
Rotella T 5W-40
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 245-70/16

Depends on condition I would assume...it never hurts to try. Don't know aboput running 255/70/16s on stock suspension but 245/70/16s fit...they might barely rub the front sway bar when the wheel is completely turned to the passenger side...otherwise they were fine on my 2002 (don't know about the KJ after they were lowered)

I also agree with the above posts that states the stock Goodyears are not that bad...The only weak point is wet braking...but with ESP and ABS I feel allright with them.

_________________
Founder of L.O.S.T.
2006 CRD Sport
Mods: GDE Hot Tune w/ 364#@2000rpm/Air Box /3" Str8 Exhaust/ASFIR Alum Skids/245-75R-16 Cooper STT PRO/OME LIFT w/Clevis & 4 Spring Isos/AirTabs/Rigid 10" S2 LED/4xGuard Ctr Matrix Bumper
Drag Strip:Reac=.1078_60ft=2.224_1/8=10.39@64.8mph_1/4+16.46@80.8mph

I'm kind of with JCL_05_CRD on this one.

This is the first SUV that I've ever owned...I've always driven smaller, sportier cars and like to drive fast. I have been very surprised by how quiet this Jeep rides on the highway and how well it holds the road for being as tall as it is. This vehicle wasn't meant to do fast, tight corners at high speeds anyway...it does o.k. for what it is. I don't do any off-roading, so I can't tell you about their performance in the mud or on rocks. On the road, though, I think they do fine for everyday driving. I have spun the tires a few times on wet pavement, but that was when I very first got the Jeep and I really wasn't used to how the throttle responded yet.

My suggestion is that you drive on the stock tires for a while unless you have the money sitting around to change them. If the dealer will do it for free or cheap, then go for it.....but I wouldn't get all upset about it if they don't. These tires really aren't all that bad. I'm sure there are much better ones (they are Goodyears, you know...).

I've found my biggest headache with them is trying to get protectant on them evenly. The textured outer wall makes it hard to rub it on. I'd spray them, but I hate how that stuff spins off.

Good luck.

_________________
2005 liberty Sport CRD

Must not rain much where you are. I spend $170 total mounted and installed for 4 new P255/70R16 Bridgestone Dueller A/T Revos after the $300 trade in credit for the 4 new stock tires and Bridgestone $70 purchase rebate. So no $500 upgrade 'board hype' here.

More than 2x the tread life as the stock tires and WAY more traction. Either trade them(stock tires) right away, or keep them until their bald.

Ditto on trying to do something about changing out the tires at the dealer as part of the deal. If you're going to a goodyear store for a possible credit and changeout, I would call first to get some general info. I wouldn't expect much, though.

_________________
2006 Liberty Limited CRD Bright Silver Metallic (NOW SOLD)
All Recalls Performed
100k extended warranty
Fumoto Oil Drain Valves (Oil Pan & Transfer Case)
V6 Airbox Mod
New Driveshaft, New EGR
2003 Wrangler Sport 4.0L, Bright Blue
2007 Wrangler Sahara Unlimited 4 Door, Red Rock Crystal Pearl WOW!!!

That would be a false assumption, as the average rainfall is 41 inches a year, 1 inch more than Indianapolis. Sorry.

Funny thing is, someone always chimes in and pulls the rain card.

I have the stock ST's. I have driven in the rain many, many, many times. I have NEVER felt afraid. Maybe I am not doing it right though. Maybe I should floor it off boost in a corner and try to drift. Maybe I should panic stop 3 inches from a red light. I just don't drive that way. I am driving an SUV, not trying stunt maneuvers to impress anyone. Maybe if I were to drive like a maniac, these tires wouldn't suit me.

Anyway, bottom line, if you can get the dealer to swap them, cool. If you can find some magical coupon combination that nets you tires for a few hundred, do it.

But if you are a normal driver, who lives in a normal world, just drive on the darn stockers.

_________________
2005 Liberty CRD

What JCL_05_CRD and IndyCRD say. If you are a racer, perhaps a mountain winter sports type or a serious off roader wear the stocks out unless you can get a great trade.

_________________
Dave

'06 CRD Limited, Lt. Khaki, MOPAR Slush Mats/Skids, DrawTite Front Hitch, Mag Lite, Yakima Bars, Thule Bike Rack, Fumoto, ORM, 245/70 Revo 2

Wish list: Lift, Boulder Bars, Something Bigger in the Front and Back, More Lights

The rain thing was a joke, get it? It's clear your location below your userid. But thanks for the rainfall data, I've always wondered how much rain I was getting ever since I left the Valley of The Sun...

My own review that I quoted from the FAQ section was about upsizing. Nothing about safety, or traction in rain, snow, or whatever. All I said was you will get more traction. Do you need it? NO. Is it nice to have? In some ways.

My wider tires have prevented my mileage from going up as the engine breaks in. Stick with the stock tire size and you may have a chance at the ever elusive 30mpg mark.

To re-quote myself:

If you check the specs at tirerack.com, the Goodyear stockers have a treadwear rating of 300. Only thing that means is you won't get 60K miles out of them, they're a low mileage tire.

But I'll second your opinion of the stockers. I've never had any reason to complain or doubt them. Only thing I haven't tried them in is snow. Just drive with half a brain and remember that 4WD is not a magic "get out of jail free" card when it comes to driving in bad conditions. Put it in 4WD and drive like it's in 2WD.

_________________
Mitchell Oates
'87 MB 300D Diamond Blue Metallic
'87 MB 300D - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Sport CRD Stone White
Provent CCV Filter/AT2525 Muffler
Stanadyne 30 u/Cat 2 u Fuel Filters
Fumoto Drain/Fleetguard LF3487 Oil filter
V6 Airbox/Amsoil EAA Air Filter
Suncoast TC/Shift Kit/Aux Cooler
Kennedy Lift Pump/Return Fuel Cooler

Words of Wisdom!

_________________
2006 Liberty Sport 4x4 CRD
Inferno Red
Skid Plates, Security Group, Towing Group, OEM Cargo Mat, Fumoto Oil Valve
(Boulder Bars Coming Soon)
2003 Honda S2000
Sebring Silver

Speaking of soft rubber tires, has anyone noticed their rig leaving black tire tracks while turning on a cement drive or parking lot? I have noticed mine will leave tire tracks while turning on our drive, just wondered if it was a normal thing or the front end is ready for a R&R. LOL. The tires are not cupping or chopping so I figure the alignment must be ok, if not I guess the Dealer can take care of it. :) (3400mi. on the clock)

_________________
Flame Red 2005 Rubicon Unlimited, 4.0L, 6sp, dual tops, Amsoil ASL 5W30 engine oil and EAO42 filter, IPF 920hc head light conversion with PIAA Xtreme White plus bulbs, Sylvania Silverstar H3ST fogs, Armadillo front/rear bumper caps and pretty much loaded.A few pics of my rig. http://www.gwkweather.net/id5.html

The stock Goodyears stink. Just wait to you get the wonderful Goodyear "hop" The KJ hops around like a dang bunny from the tires being out of round. Just over 25,000 on her and she has been hopping like this for almost 10,000 miles. Never had a set of any Goodyears to make it till they were worn out. The hop has always gotton so bad I had to replace them while they still had lots of tread left.

First, get rid of the stock st tires. The st stands for "sh--ty tire". They are, in a word, awful. I live in NH and got rid of them after the first snow. They slipped in just rain. When it snowed, I could not even get out of a parking lot in 4wd. Other cars with fwd were fine.

I put Michelin 245/70 LTX on the Jeep. They are great and saved me during a very snowy trip last winter. The size does not rub at all. I had the dealer change the computer to record the new size and checked speed on my hand held gps. MPH is within 1%.

My father and I both got Liberties last summer within a month of each other. I got a new 05 CRD, he got a new 05 with the 3.7 V-6. Both are similarly equiped and both are Sports. They both came with the same Goodyear ST's in the same size.

I found the tires to be absolute JUNK and yanked them at 800 miles. Poor handling, poor wet traction when the turbo engaged. I never gave them a chance in snow but I suspect they would NOT have been good. To my eyes these tires do not even look heavy duty enough for a reletively heavy, stout little 4x4 SUV that the Liberty is....they look like passenger car tires. I replaced mine with Kuhmo Road Venture AT's from the Tire Rack and have been thrilled with them. Great traction in ALL conditions and suberb traction in snow. I upsized to 245/70/16 which I understand is the largest size you can go on the stock suspension without rubbing, and I have never had any rubbing.

My father on the other hand has been completely satisfied with the stock tires on his 3.7! He is much less a demanding and particular driver than I am, and he mostly does highway, whereas I do almost all short trips. I even gave him a heads up about my dissatifaction with the stock rubber and he still said that he has no complaints with them. When I suggested to him that he may want to think about swapping the stock tires, his reply was "Are you crazy?"!!

So, I have my pulled set with only 800 miles on them stored in the garage and they will become his second set of tires for his 3.7....since he seems fine with them!!

To each his own...and I guess this shows that every driver can have very different opinions on the same subject!