new tires arrived

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Nokian Vatiiva 235/65/17, $145 per tire mounted, balanced, lifetime flatfix, rotate, balance.

Jeepman56 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:55 pm

WOW! Those look great! Nice addition hyedipin.

djformi · **Posted:** Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:51 am

how many mercedes are in that driveway?

spoonplugger1 · **Posted:** Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:12 pm

I've had the 245/70s for over a year now, I sure you'll enjoy them as much as I have mine. Seem to be holding up very well wearwise also.

kj in a tight spot · **Posted:** Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:04 pm

Is that some sotra AT or somethin??

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Thanks guys. Only two benzs there.. It is not officially AT but it is capable. It says All Weather on it, and it is supposed to have great snow and winter traction.
So far, It is quieter inside, a bit louder outside. I don't know how that works, but that's how it is. I can hear it flapping when I lower my window, but inside it is much quieter than my 40k wrangler HPs. Those things started to give me the feeling that I was running on wires, with the whirrrring noise.

These might have a bit worse dry traction, that's what I felt like, it could be that the PSI is low on them, but exact same corner, they were not catching as well. Once I adjust them all into same PSI later today will post back with more info. I am taking it slow since I am not familiar with these.. and no rock crawling for me in the city..

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

These tires do not perform like I thought they would. From stop to take-off, they spin, whereas my old goodyear HPs didn't. For example at red light, once I accelerate, these tend to spin at the same spots HPs did not.

These also have funny way of handling potholes during a curve on the road, these tend to hop sideways if I am accelerating.
However, they are quiet and very soft so they take regular bumps better than others. I think these have kinda softer compound, yet they are supposed to have better treadlife. I did not expect this kind of results from tires that have been praised on many different sites, either goodyear wranger HPs weren't that bad, or these are just solely meant for winter driving with snow traction as priority. I expected less steering control with deeper and beefier treads, but this was uncalled for.

Pote · **Posted:** Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:41 pm

I'm putting a set of those on my Jeep in the morning...I just posted about wanting some more info on them. they DO get rave reviews as you said, and my supplier said they go head to head with any AT, Revo, KO going. I did a bunch of "googling" on it today and everything I've found has been in line with that. Yours is the first "less than stellar" review I've seen. I hope they break in better for you over the next few weeks. I will post back as to what my experience is too. They sure do look nice and the price I got for 5 (including them buying my unused Wrangler on the rack) was a no brainer for me...then again, I had THE WORST tires in the world on my Libbey as it stood, so factoring in price, warranty, load ratings, head to head comparisons with the the most popular ATs, aggressive looks with a squared shoulder and deep treads, and finally stepping up in size a bit for $515 OTD (5 tires) mounted, balanced, road hazard and lifetime rotation made the decision easy.

I hope they work out for me, I'm not a big wheeler and my yearly challenge is tons of snow for 6 months and commuting 72 miles round trip to work. I had to make some concessions with that style of driving..you know, wanting a more aggressive look while keeping it pleasant on the highway (about 80% of my driving). I guess these puppies really shine in the deep snow and polished ice tests, and get high ratings for the rest of it. We'll see.

Good luck with yours and follow up if you find any improvements or other concerns. They look great on your ride though!!

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Yeah, let us know, Pote.

I found the article JeepJeepster mentioned where it states:

Quote:

Tires are comprised of many layers of rubber, steel and fabric. Due to these different components, your new tires require a "break-in" period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a "release lubricant" is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together. It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you "low tread depth tires respond quicker." Don't be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.

NOTE: Be careful whenever you explore the capabilities of your new tires. Remember that every tire requires a break-in period for optimum performance.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=5

I didn't have this issue on my Jeep when I bought it at 7 on odometer, but I guess that's due to the fact that it was outside for a long time, and I was probably much easier on the gas when I had it first..

These just tend to get pulled to sides when I ride over stretch of uneven lines, or straight patches on the pavement. These get affected by that pretty easy, I guess that's due to the tread depth and that oily stuff on them. I noticed some stuff peeling the other day, and it is not spinning when flooring on dry surface anymore. I just spun them senseless on rain today. I kept it floored and it kept spinning, moved for about 20 feet, then I let it go. I am beating the heck outta these tires and will try to put more than 500 miles in the next week to wear that little grease off of them, then will make my judgement if I wanna keep them or not.

Too bad I can't test their snow traction.

Update after about 700 miles: They are a bit better, and when driving in 4x4 FT they are much better, but who wants to keep it in 4x4 all the time and deal with slack.. It is still getting affected by uneven surfaces, and it is less responsive than GYers.. I have to make up my mind if I wanna go down to less aggressive tread to get my control back.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Update:
After about 1000+ miles with these tires, %50 4x4 and %50 2WD, what a difference. These tires lost that first layer of whatever it was and they are gripping very well. I started taking corners and turns faster, gradually, and these show their ability. It is a bit jumpy since I like to keep them at 36psi cold, but I like them. I already complimented them on their quietness. My only problem is they are bit slow to response, that is probably because of this:

Otherwise, I have to say that there was something on these tires, (thanks to JeepJeepster's link to that tire article concerning the greasy/waxy material on tires), which washed away or melted after riding them. I hope I will be glad that I kept them when winter comes.

I also drove through rain last week, they are great on rain.
They still get affected by puddles and what not, but they still handle better than goodyears on rain.

Pote · **Posted:** Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:42 pm

hyedipin wrote:

Update:
After about 1000+ miles with these tires, %50 4x4 and %50 2WD, what a difference. These tires lost that first layer of whatever it was and they are gripping very well. I started taking corners and turns faster, gradually, and these show their ability. It is a bit jumpy since I like to keep them at 36psi cold, but I like them. I already complimented them on their quietness. My only problem is they are bit slow to response, that is probably because of this:

Otherwise, I have to say that there was something on these tires, (thanks to JeepJeepster's link to that tire article concerning the greasy/waxy material on tires), which washed away or melted after riding them. I hope I will be glad that I kept them when winter comes.

I also drove through rain last week, they are great on rain.
They still get affected by puddles and what not, but they still handle better than goodyears on rain.

Awesome Hyedipin...I was wondering about the psi myself. It took me a while to see on the sidewalls the max psi. (could they make it any smaller? LOL) anyhow, I found it odd that the max pressure on these is 35 pounds. I was expecting to see at least 44 for an AT. did that seem strange to you too?? I am running them right at 35 psi. They riding pretty good at 36 huh? When a tire this big is rated max at 35 psi, what is that indicating about the construction of said tire? Is it a better designed tire or is it a thinner constructed tire? I don't know the engineering behind maximum and allowable psi, so any info will help me understand the relationship between the max psi and a tires construction.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Pote, 17"s have MAX 44 PSI written on them. I am not sure about 16s.

new tires arrived

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