Quote:
Originally Posted by thecheese429
Today I went to take the jeep and pick up some firewood, and as I got in, something caught my attention. There was a bubble sticking out of the sidewall of the front tire.
I don't blame the high inflation pressures for much (running 65, sidewall 55) but rather the old age of the tires.
Bad news: I have to replace one tire, so I might as well replace all of them (they all probably need it). What a shame, so much tread left.
Good news. I get to replace my tires! Now I can shop around for some good long wearing LRR tires. What would you guys suggest?
I must admit that I am not a storehouse of information when it comes to picking a "good" tire. Do I want skinny, wide, bigger/smaller than stock, etc? I don't use my jeep for off-roading, so strictly street tires are fine for me. I plan to put at least another 100K miles on this vehicle.
My rims are 15 inch, and the stock sizes (according to tirerack.com) are 235/75 OR 225/75. The inflation sticker in the glove compartment lists several sizes from P195/75 to P225/75. Well, looks like I get to chose what size I want.
Do I want LT, P, T, or ??? tires? Passenger would be cool (more to pick from, I speculate), and because my truck weighs 3500 pounds (less than many sedans out there) I'll bet I could get away with that. Also, I would not be surprised if the front axle had more than 2000 of that. The back is really light.
I'm thinking that if I get tires that are smaller, I will sit closer to the ground, reducing drag. However, that will also effectively change the drive ratio to be a little shorter.
Comments/suggestions? |
You're right about tire height. Shorter will be closer to the ground, but drop the effective drive ratio. So, what's the ring & pinion ratio in that beast? Can the engine pull a little taller tire comfortably? Do you drive on the highway a lot?
Tires are like so many other things on the car: they're a compromise; where do YOU want to put the emphasis? Price? Tire life? Rolling resistance? Cornering? Noise level?
Skinnier tires will have a little less rolling resistance (drag racers use 'em on the front for that, as well as weight; and will 'step down' to a narrower tire in back if they don't need to haul a monster like a 14X32W because it slows the car down to have more than is needed to prevent wheelspin on launch).
Skinnier tires will also wear faster. Some of what you save at the pump, you'll spend at the tire store.
My advice as to what
I'd run would probably be a little different than most guys on this forum; I'm not as hard-core about gas mileage as a lot of guys here. I like to be able to drill the brakes and bomb around corners (or swerve around obstacles), and drive everyday through downtown city traffic. As far as I'm concerned, modifying a car I'm going to actually use as a car (as opposed to a toy) to where it makes it less useful as a car... not too attractive to me.
If it were my car, I'd go looking for another good set of 235/75-15 tires, or maybe even see if I could find deep deal on a set of 16" rims and step up to 235/85-16LT (for the height, not necessarily load capacity) tires if I did a lot of highway miles.
And when I buy tires, I try to stay away from those with the huge, high lifetime treadwear ratings. What good is tread depth if the tires' carcasses fail? I like 'em soft enough to grip good; am not happy if they last more than 40,000 miles of in-town use; that means the compound is too hard, and the things are generally not that 'grippy'.
Remember, I tend to be a little outside the profile of the regular ecomodder forum guy.
IMHO LT tires on a 1/2T truck is a joke. Those tires are made for real loads, and are built with tough, heavy sidewall and tread construction. Unless you're putting a bunch of weight in that Jeep... passenger tires will be lighter, ride better, and cost less - if you never use it as a truck. If you haul where you'd be nearing the limits of a passenger tire, then an LT tire is a smart idea.
-Bill