Tires for a CRD

Jimbob · **Joined:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:05 pm **Posts:** 160

Ok this is my DD not my trail vehicle so I need some decent tires. Ran the BFG long trails (I know) for a long time on one of my old TJ's with good snow slush traction (most common in DC metro area). Should I go with the P rated or LT rated?

Might still be convinced to go with the AT (have them on my CJ8) but not sure it is necessary (right tool for right job).

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:53 am

I also have had the long trails on a number of my Jeeps, I would recommend them in half a heartbeat for the KJ.

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:51 am

Especially for an on-road KJ like mine, with the rare foray into the mud...

BFG Commercial T/A LT 215/85/16 LRE 50k mile all steel tires. These are load range E, so you will have LOTS of available capacity left over, which translates to the tire is doing less work than it is rated for, and should last longer. I have mine aired up to about 60psi right now (80 sidewall max) and they run great. I'll admit, I like a firmer ride so the handling is a bit more crisp however. The rears on my KJ are currently at 45psi b/c I was trying to diagnose a buggy tire sensor, which seems to have cleared itself yesterday.

Those tires were $112 each, mounted, at Sams... And don't rub at all with a stock KJ (no lift) and the next size up, 235/85/16 fit, but wanted to rub just a little on the plastic and the pinch weld. Maybe I'll get a 2" lift and get those next time.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 12:08 pm

DD and you probably still want to keep good mpg numbers...

You need to get a tire that doesn't add too much weight but has a bit higher "load rating". Bigger (too tall and/or much heavier) tires can kill mpg!

I went with a 235/75/16 that was about 3# more per tire than stock and had a weight rating of 2205#...

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:49 pm

DarbyWalters wrote:

DD and you probably still want to keep good mpg numbers...

You need to get a tire that doesn't add too much weight but has a bit higher "load rating". Bigger (too tall and/or much heavier) tires can kill mpg!

I went with a 235/75/16 that was about 3# more per tire than stock and had a weight rating of 2205#...

Darby has a good point, load range E is too much for a DD KJ.

I will be going with BFG 245/75/16 Long Trail Load Range D here in about 25k miles when my "standard load" lang trails finally give our(read thats about 85,000 miles from a set of tires, and I think the load range D will improve that some).

salopez · **Joined:** Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:52 pm **Posts:** 32

we jst went with bfg at tkos...love them.

pierce1979 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:36 am

I replaced my Bridgestone revos with Goodyear Silent Armors, amazing quiet :shock:

and grip like a B... in the snow!

Uffe · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:00 am

Went with a set of Cooper Discoverer ATR tyres in 235/75 R16. They fit without rubbing. Well, not 100% no rub, but they only rub when you brake/reverse and turn the wheel about 10 degrees. And so far only left side pinch weld is affected.

fastRob · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 6:52 pm

Well I agonized over this quite a while, did a lot of reading, asked a lot of questions and requested many prices.

Was still unsure between the Michelin SUVs and LTXs, towing and mileage are my highest priorities now, even though we are fast becoming a third world country.

Went with the 8 ply LTX M/S 225 75 16's inflated @50lbs, they were cheaper and had a nice tread pattern.

blake1827 · **Posted:** Sat May 24, 2008 1:29 am

Quote:

Uffe Said:
Went with a set of Cooper Discoverer ATR tyres in 235/75 R16. They fit without rubbing. Well, not 100% no rub, but they only rub when you brake/reverse and turn the wheel about 10 degrees.

Ditto but I rubbed out the plastic on both sides of pinch welds running @ 40 psi.

yakers · **Posted:** Sat May 24, 2008 1:51 am

salopez wrote:

we jst went with bfg at tkos...love them.

This is the tire I plan to go with in the near future. I have a set on a Jeep XJ and it is terrific off road, wears well and rides OK. It did lower fuel mileage. But on my KJ I will be going on a long off road trip and I expect to tow a trailer a lot later on. Otherwise I would be looking at long trails or Michilen or something with more of a road focus.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sat May 24, 2008 3:48 am

yakers wrote:

salopez wrote:

we jst went with bfg at tkos...love them.

This is the tire I plan to go with in the near future. I have a set on a Jeep XJ and it is terrific off road, wears well and rides OK. It did lower fuel mileage. But on my KJ I will be going on a long off road trip and I expect to tow a trailer a lot later on. Otherwise I would be looking at long trails or Michilen or something with more of a road focus.

My vote is still for the long trails.

I take my XJ off road alot with them and they always serve me very well.

Always nice to see ya postin here. Take it easy.

RabidRdKill · **Posted:** Sat May 24, 2008 9:34 am

Just went with the Nokians a couple months ago on my DD. Very happy with them - though I was looking for more of an AT than you since we do live in the country and get washed out and in some spots very muddy roads when it rains. Fuel mileage doesn't seem to have been impacted much.

And on top of everything they were $100 cheaper (for 5) than the cheapest of the BFGs, Silent Armor, LTXs or Long Trails - I don't remember which of those was the cheapest. Can't speak to their treadlife yet but when I rotated them last week they measured only about 1/16" less than the then unused spare.

AZ CRD · **Posted:** Sun May 25, 2008 8:15 am

I've put Yokohama Geolanders on mine in 245/70R/16. Had 'em about a year. 90% DD and 10% fairly serious off road. Couldn't be happier.

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

Most people are recommending ATs, and I have ATs on mine, but where I using the CRD for a daily driver inside the beltway and wanted good mileage and handling, I'd go with 225/75/16 in a highway rated tread pattern (like the new Toyo AT's). Advantage of AT's are more agressive lugs and sidewalls (though less so than mud terrains) which means better traction in deep snow. I live in DC for 5 years, only saw deep snow once. Ice and slush was much more common, better to have something with lots of siping (to grip ice and hard packed snow) and deep grooves to displace water and slush.

geordi · **Posted:** Sun May 25, 2008 8:05 pm

You would want narrower tires for punching through the snow and ice to get back to the pavement underneath. Think of it as driving on pizza cutters. I know I suggest these tires a lot, but I've recently gotten confirmation on another board from an OTR guy that yes, these are great tires for the KJ if you are looking for long life and mileage. They aren't bad off-road in mud, but I wouldn't go play in loose sand with them.

What am I suggesting? BF Goodrich Commercial T/A M+S 215/85/16 LRE. 30.5" diameter, no rubbing on the stock lift. Made in the USA, these are great tires. I haven't had to test them on ice or snow yet, but a proportionally similar width on my 2nd RV did just fine in a North Carolina ice storm - crushed right through about 2 inches of packed ice in a truckstop parking lot, and found the pavement. It may have helped that I was following some of the semi tracks, but I quickly learned to stay on my own "fresh" path b/c the semi ruts were PURE ice and wouldn't break.

I got mine at Sams Club for $112 each, and I love them.

fastRob · **Posted:** Tue May 27, 2008 11:18 pm

geordi wrote:

You would want narrower tires for punching through the snow and ice to get back to the pavement underneath. Think of it as driving on pizza cutters. I know I suggest these tires a lot, but I've recently gotten confirmation on another board from an OTR guy that yes, these are great tires for the KJ if you are looking for long life and mileage. They aren't bad off-road in mud, but I wouldn't go play in loose sand with them.

What am I suggesting? BF Goodrich Commercial T/A M+S 215/85/16 LRE. 30.5" diameter, no rubbing on the stock lift. Made in the USA, these are great tires. I haven't had to test them on ice or snow yet, but a proportionally similar width on my 2nd RV did just fine in a North Carolina ice storm - crushed right through about 2 inches of packed ice in a truckstop parking lot, and found the pavement. It may have helped that I was following some of the semi tracks, but I quickly learned to stay on my own "fresh" path b/c the semi ruts were PURE ice and wouldn't break.

I got mine at Sams Club for $112 each, and I love them.

I thought about these quite a bit.
With my OMEmu springs and resulting lift, done to prevent bottoming from jeep weak springs, and the use of my Liberty for towing, larger diameter tires were not a good idea.
Wider than 225 would have increased drag but increased lateral stability, a good idea for lifted vehicles.
The narrower 215 are great for snow and fuel mileage.
My favorite van, Dodge Sprinter has the 225 75 16's on a van I looked at..

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue May 27, 2008 11:53 pm

Quote:

Wider than 225 would have increased drag but increased lateral stability, a good idea for lifted vehicles.
The narrower 215 are great for snow and fuel mileage.

That is a big misconception,wider tires have been proven to be better in all situations.Yes they cause more drag and decrease mpg's but the benifits out weigh 1/2 mpg loss."Pizza cutter" tires give less traction on all surfaces and allow the vehicle to "sink" through the surface(mud,snow,and such) which is bad since you are now trying to drag your axles and such through the stuff and wider tires will allow you to "float" on surfaces maintaining ground clearance allowing to go more places and have more traction.Wider tires are also more stable on road and widen the stance for better handling and preventing rollovers and such which "pizza cutters" increase.

If you look a the big rigs they have been running "pizza cutter" tires for years,but now most are switching to "super single's" which increase load capicity and stability from a wider tire that the "pizza cutters" do not give them.

Uffe · **Posted:** Wed May 28, 2008 2:59 am

tjkj2002 you want really really wide tires to be able to float on top of mud and snow. That's just unrealistic. You will be plowing through that anyway, so to get better traction of the material underneath you need pizza cutters to get a firmer grip.

What you're comparing are 32" WIDE tires with 8" wide tires instead of more reasonable 10" wide against 8" wide.

fastRob · **Posted:** Wed May 28, 2008 11:35 am

It was, it is, still a dilemma. 6, 8 or 10 ply
My 2 favorites were 215 85 16 and 235 85 16, Ha!
225 75 16 8 ply was the middle as far as I was concerned since I could not find 225 80 16's.

Tires for a CRD

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