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tires, so tired of tires...

5K views 28 replies 11 participants last post by  um7267 
#1 ·
ok i have been searching the forums both here and google researching tires and havent came up with much except a headache lol
so these are a few of the tires i have kind of decided on and i will provide links in case someone is interested in some of them
1. Goodyear Wrangler Radial - 235/75r15, Both walmart and Flynns tire has them for a decent price 82 at walmart 109 installed at flynns(lifetime balance and road hazard included at flynns)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Goodyear-Wrangler-Radial-Tire-P235-75R15-105S-FREE-Shipping/4404150

2. Starfire SF 510 - 30x9.5r15 - summit racing, 125 each, i think they are the same as the Cooper At3's but have very little to back that up.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/coo-51017/overview/

3. Nexen Roadian At2, 30x9.5r15, Walmart and Flynns tire, 118 at walmart, 157 Flynns.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-13717NXK/19473272

4. Nankang FT-7, 30x9.5r15, Discounttire.com, 109 with free shipping
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=searchTiresBySize.do&fl=&pc=12110&counter=0&ar=950&rd=15&cs=30

5.Falken Rocky Mountain ATS, 30x95r15, Discounttire.com, 121 free shipping
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=searchTiresBySize.do&fl=&pc=18292&counter=0&ar=950&rd=15&cs=30

Of course I know most people on here recommend Tread write tires, but not to many people post back with how they are over the life of the tires, and BFgoodrich TA KO's, but im more interested to see what any has to say about these mainly the Nexens At2's.

for the purpose of the tires is mostly roads, very little highway, and some off road adventures during hunting season and camping, winter traction is very important since every years seems like it is getting worst i need something better than my crappy Dynapro AS tires, mileage wise i have had the Jeep since August and have put 3,500 miles on her so any tires i get will most likely have dry rot before the tread is dead.

thanks for the advice in advance
 
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#3 ·
Check treaddepot.com very low prices on tires I bought a set of cooper at3's for 440 w/ free shipping in a 265/75-15. I just looked and a 30x9.50-15 is only 110 a tire. Might be worth while to see if any other place besides summit willmatch prices that that have free shipping.
 
#4 ·
Thanks i will check that site out, the cooper at3 is a nice tire i found on discounttire.com for 135 free shipping i was trying to stay under 550 mounted and balanced thats why i picked those types but found little on any of them about how they perform on the xj
 
#5 ·
The other question i keep coming back to is this, are the 235/75r15's vs 30/9.5r15 are the sizes almost the same? most site list the 235's at 28.9 or 29 inches and the 30's are listed at more like 29.5 is it that much different really noticeable or not so much?
 
#7 ·
What does "mostly roads, very little highway" mean?

It sounds like you want a tire to mostly handle the road while also being capable of getting you around off the road and handling winter conditions. It sounds to me like you want an AT tire.

235/75r15 is technically 28.9" while a 30 should be 30". Real-world sizes vary, and even the specific dimensions listed by manufacturers may not be entirely accurate. Generally, a 30 will be 1" larger than a 235, and yes, the difference is worth being aware of. If you get a 30, get load rating C. If you get 235's, stick to P-rated and not LT.

  1. Mediocre tire based on old tech. Decent bang for your buck however. Beware when encountering lots of water or any mud.
  2. Not even close to the same as Coop AT3, I've never even heard of it (not a good sign), and it doesn't appear anywhere on Cooper's website. Yikes.
  3. Not a good tire. Simple as that really.
  4. An OK tire, I suppose.
  5. Tough, heavy, and often reported as noisy. In my opinion, there's nothing these can do that some other tire can't do as well or better for less money and/or weight.

First of all, the Wheel/Tire forum here has a thread devoted to 30" AT tires at http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f15/not-your-average-who-makes-best-thread-above-average-one-1527835/

Second of all, based on your choices, you're really trying to be quite thrifty. I can respect that, but, to a small extent, you get what you pay for. I'm not really sure how your research lead you to compile the list you did, but for little to no extra money outside of your apparent budget you can afford many excellent tires far better than any of these that you've listed.

I also don't know where you were getting your information, but "most" people around here don't use Treadwright. Many people do, but they're still a small minority. They're a great company, and people really should take them much more seriously, but based on your needs, they don't have the right tire for you anyway, so I'm not going to waste my time discussing them here. If you are interested in getting an idea of my thoughts on them, this thread contains a very informative back-and-forth between myself and Motorcharge on the subject http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f177/opinions-tires-1949049/#post19064842

I try not to spend more time than I have to addressing repeat questions, but I also do want to help, so here are posts I've made that are quite relevant to your current situation. You may notice that my opinion fluctuates on some tires. Kumho AT comes to mind as an example of a tire I've been on the fence with recently. My recommendations change per individual and as I learn/question new things. You're welcome to ask me specific questions to clarify things for yourself.
I agree that you do not need an LT. Stick to a P. It'll ride nicer and be cheaper. LT load C isn't much different than P-rated, though, so if that's your only choice with a particular tire, don't worry about it.

In no particular order, here is a list of good tires in your size that can be found for $150 or less that I feel are worth recommending (bold are ones I've driven on personally).
  • Cooper Discoverer AT3
  • Firestone Destination AT (to comment on this specifically for you, they're great everywhere except deep/thick mud, and can develop a slight hum as they wear down)
  • General Grabber AT2
  • Hankook Dynapro ATM
  • Hercules Terra Trac AT2
  • Kumho Road Venture AT KL78
  • Michelin LTX AT2
  • Nitto Terra Grappler AT
  • Toyo Open Country AT2
  • Yokohama Geolander ATS

If you encounter mud frequently...(the only real solution to mud is an MT tire, though)
  • Cooper Discoverer AT3
  • General Grabber AT2
  • Hankook Dynapro ATM
  • Hercules Terra Trac AT2
  • Kumho Road Venture AT KL78
  • Nitto Terra Grappler AT
  • Toyo Open Country AT2

If you encounter ice specifically (they're all quite good in snow), then I'd narrow it down to...(the only real solutions to ice are chains/studs/winter tires)
  • Cooper Discoverer AT3
  • General Grabber AT2 (studdable)
  • Hankook Dynapro ATM
  • Hercules Terra Trac AT2
  • Michelin LTX AT2
  • Nitto Terra Grappler AT
  • Toyo Open Country AT2

(See a pattern? Yeah, those five tires are very similar to each other and are very good.)
There's a whole, very long, thread on this exact subject here on the first page of the tire forum. There are MANY great choices out there. Maybe a little more info about what you're looking for would help narrow it down. The Kumho AT's are decent (especially considering the low price), but don't make the cut for me as being one of the best, and Falken Rocky Mountain/Wildpeaks are scary heavy with no special awesomeness to make-up for it. Anything the BFG AT can do, the General AT2 can do better for less.

Some (but not all) of my personal favs these days:
  • Cooper AT3
  • Hercules AT2
  • Toyo AT2
  • Hankook ATM
  • Nitto AT
  • General AT2
  • Nokian AT
  • Firestone AT
  • Yokohama ATS
  • Goodyear Duratrac
  • Goodyear Silent Armor

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f15/not-your-average-who-makes-best-thread-above-average-one-1527835/
I never understand how people think that using a 2nd set of tires for winter is that much more expensive. During the months that you're driving on one set of tires, you're NOT using the other set. They each last longer time-wise than they would have on their own, and they each get exactly the same life distance-wise as they'd get on their own. In the long run, you're not really spending any more $ per mile with some wiggle room if your winter tires are more expensive or shorter-lived than your summer tires, but any difference should be fairly insignificant. It's only "expensive" in the short-run because you have to secure a 2nd set of tires at a time you wouldn't otherwise have bought tires, but after the initial purchase, they should slide right into your budget with minimal negative effect. Throw the winter tires on some cheap old wheels and the only downsides become storage and the biannual swapping of wheel/tire sets which shouldn't be any more work than normal if you sync the swap up with a time you'd normally be doing a tire rotation.
 
#8 ·
ya i know i saw that thread and asked a question about different tires, not much of a do what everyone else is doing kind of guy. i admit most of those tires are good rubber, i waned to know about a few that are always over looked or mocked by people who have "their" brand and if you dont buy them your dumb stereotype.
and tires that work in texas, or california as good At's might not work where i am we get snow, cold weather, and more rain. thats why i asked a question, if this forum was not to answer questions than what is it here for? to post pics of rides? if that were the case the could just close all question threads that dont have a pic of a jeep.

-Side note found som Cooper AT3's set of 4 on CL, 31x10.5r15, i didnt really want to go to 31's yet(I have learn the more stress on parts the more problems) they are brand new still have blue lines on the tread he is asking 525 for all, my question about those is this, are they a true 10.50 inches wide? because the 31 inch diameter is more like 30.5 if you look it up
 
#9 ·
There are some "fanboys" in the world of tires, but that doesn't automatically mean that popular opinion is wrong or that any old unpopular off-brand tire will be a diamond in the rough. I'm the kind of guy that loves wandering away from conformity, but I don't do it blindly and especially not with something as important to vehicle performance and safety as tires. My recommendations are not biased by popular opinion one bit. I recommend good tires, and usually good tires become popular. I'm also well aware of where you live and am familiar with the same if not more extreme conditions. Many of us are.

You're entitled to ask questions around here. Some get asked way more often than necessary, and guys asking what AT tire is best for handling road, wet, offroad, and winter is on of those often repeated questions. Yes, I get annoyed that a question that common continues to elude so many people who claim to have done research. Let me be annoyed; it only hurts me. I'm still here helping you the same way I've offered my advice to so many others around here on so many topics.

I stand by the information I've given you. A highway/touring tire will not cut it for you offroad, and an MT tire will not satisfy you on the road. An AT is the way to go for you if you want one tire to handle it all decently. The lists above may not be totally inclusive of every single tire that I consider worthy, but it's a great start, and if you have follow-up questions/comments/needs, we can narrow things down for you.

Given your budget, I considered Treadwright Wardens (same tread as a BFG AT), but it's not a stellar tread for use in snow despite what many BFG groupies want to believe. It would get you around, but you seem to want more in such conditions than "good enough." Treadwright tires perform well over their lives--same as any other quality tire. Kedge grip is a gimmick of theirs with some merit but also the downside of shortened life; it's optional though, so you don't have to have it if you don't want to. Since you don't use this vehicle much, tread life is clearly not a priority for you, though. Their warranty is good, but not as good as some other mainstream manufacturers. I don't believe it needs to be--they're retreads that cost a fraction of the price (I went over this in some detail in the Threadwright-related link I posted to you earlier).

For what it is worth, if I had a gun to my head forcing me to choose from your list only, I'd probably be choosing either the GY Wrang Radials or the Falkens. The Falkens are quite capable despite being 10-20% heavier than most others, and the GY are so cheap that I think I could live with their shortcomings considering the bang:buck ratio. Fun fact: I have Goodyear Wrangler Radials on my work truck (2wd 95 F150)--not my choice, but they're there and I drive on them nonetheless.
 
#10 ·
For me the Goodyear Wrangler Radial is very hard to beat at that price point. It's old tech and has been around (tread design wise) since the late 80s. I've used them numerous times on several different vehicles and have zero complaints about their performance. Their snow ability is definitely above average for an at tire. They wear well, are smooth and quiet on the road and handle light off-roading with little or no fuss. For me it's a no brainer I just wish they made more sizes. I'm ordering my fourth pair today for my new to me XJ.

That said I've not used these exclusively I've tried General at. great tire, more money, more sizes available.

I've tried Interco TrXus MT excellent overall tire, but wears quickly and has limited sizes.

Goodyear Wrangler R/TS great overall at tire very quiet on road does well off road for what it is. Look for these on sale a lot of places.

Yokohama geolander. Pricier, wore very quickly for me and highway noise was the worst of all the tires I've used.

Goodyear GSA don't bother unless they're free

Goodyear AT/s now silent armor tread pattern. The old formula before the Kevlar was useless for me in almost everything but dry pavement.

In a nutshell the Goodyear wrangler radial will be hard to beat when you put numbers to paper for your use unless you are dead set on a 30" tire. Plus tire buyer.com has them for 83$ per with a 30$ off code of truck30.

Hope this helps!
 
#11 ·
I've been running the Nexen Roadian AT II's in 31x10.5-15's for almost two years now. They're made by Cooper and I used to run a daily newspaper route. It was rural with a mix of blacktop and gravel. I've got almost 70,000 miles on mine and they're still about one-quarter tread. They're not good in real DEEP mud but are okay in medium mud. It hasn't hardly snowed here but what little ice we have had this year, they did okay as long as you took it easy and stayed off the skinny pedal.
 
#13 ·
Yes the joy in snow is to stay calm and have fun lol, i like drifting but when the wife needs the jeep i want sometging i can count on especially with the np231, so what is the actual visual differences between 235 and 30s?

and by that i mean explaining how part-time works vs full-time
 
#14 ·
so what is the actual visual differences between 235 and 30s?

and by that i mean explaining how part-time works vs full-time
Huh? Were you just clarifying that you don't trust your wife to understand the difference tween part and full-time or that you need an explanation?

Here is a link to one of many tire size calculators. This link should immediately show you a comparison of 235 and 30. Real world dimensions vary from one tire to another. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php?tires=235-75r15-30-9.5r15

The 30 is 1" taller than the 235 and about 0.25" wider. The 235 can still be had in P-rated which tends to be more comfortable than LT. The lowest rating 30 can be found in to my knowledge is C. C-rated rides quite well under an XJ, but for anyone not doing any really rugged/heavy lifting with their XJ, I always advise going with the most comfortable option possible.
 
#15 ·
no i understand the difference but explaining to her that the Zj we had is different than XJ, because the transfer case, and i get that most 235's are around 28.9 or 28.8, but most of the 30's i have looked at have said the diameter is 29.5 or something around that, so is that .5 of an inch really noticeable when looking at it?

I dont know if i am explaining this the right way, sorry.
 
#16 ·
Back when me and my buddies had mostly stock beater rigs we all ran the Walmart Wrangler 235s, really hard to beat for the money. From owning 235s and 30s in the past I dont really notice much size difference between the two.

Personally if I was in the market for a tire that size Id buy 235 Duratracs. I have no scientific explanation behind that but they are damn good looking tires, and I hear great things about them.
 
#17 ·
I work at a ski resort in northern michigan we have 3 plow trucks( 99 diesel f250, 01 gas and 05 gas f250) all them run the at3s. I have seen how these tires work in the winter which is why I choose the get them for the xj. I highly recommend them. Our 99 f250 with these tires has no problem climbing the ski hills.
 
#18 ·
I have the Cooper AT3s on my 92 XJ and so far they seem to handle pretty well. I haven't had them in any really deep mud, just small mud holes left over from a few days of heavy rain. They performed ok in the mud(didn't get stuck) and tread cleaned it's self quickly. For most of my off road travel it's hard sun baked soil mixed with spots of sand and loose gravel and the tires seem to work well here. They ride nice on the road and don't vibrate or have excessive road noise. I have about 7,000 miles on them so far and they still look like they are brand new.

I had new tires put on my company truck last year and they put the Falken Rocky Mountain tires on them. I am not overly impressed with them. They seem to be unstable and the sidewalls roll in turns. They are noisy and don't seem to be any better off road than the Firestone ATs that they replaced with them. They also seem to be wearing out faster than the Firestone tires did. I think I have 10,000-15,000 on them and I think i'll be lucky to see 55,000 out of them.
 
#20 ·
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f15/...formance-reliability-issues-problems-2008977/

There's a whole thread about them. I think they're also discussed in the AT thread I linked earlier. Rocky Mountains are just a rebranding of Wildpeaks for DTD, so they're the same tire. Basically, they're very tough, quite heavy, get noisy as they age, and are very capable for most of their life until they turn into slick garbage well before they're technically worn-out because grooves and sipes don't got as deep as they could.

Rocky desert with daily driving? General Grabber AT2 hands-down in my opinion. The Generals would be perfect, but for the sake of providing other choices: BFG if you want to pay more for a similar but slightly inferior tire, Treadwright Wardens (identical to BFG AT) or Pumas if you want to pay less for a similar but slightly inferior tire; Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor for a tough, handle-anything tire; Goodyear Wrangler Radial for pinching the pennies while still getting the job done...or any other tire from my self-quotes in post #7.
 
#25 ·
does or has anyone ran Hankook Ipike w409, discount has them for 75 each, which is a good price, just dont know if they would be able to handle everyday use
 
#26 ·
I put the Goodyear Wrangler Radials on my XJ back in November and with the recent bouts of snow and ice we've had in this area, I'm pleased with how they have handled. Granted, just about everyone slides on the ice but I feel she's got solid contact on the surfaces and overall feels a lot more stable and sure-footed. So for me..these were a great buy; granted I work for Walmart so I paid a little less. I wanted the A/T's but those were out of my budget.
 
#27 ·
Jeez, much cheaper than normal and GY Wrang Radials would be free. You must have paid peanuts for yours. They may not be the best tire on the planet (I'm always paranoid about hydroplaning with them in my work truck), but for the few dollars you paid, the bang:buck ratio must be outstanding. I'd be a happy camper if I was you.
 
#29 ·
Well i found a deal on craigslist for 4 30/9.5r15's uniroyal laredo awt's all but one is in good shape one has wear on the inside tread or outside depending out the get mounted only paid 50 for all, so even if they last till summer ends its a good deal
 
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