Tread Design?

M

madkaw

Senior Member
Bought an old CJ and am getting it ready for winter and need to buy tires. I've been all over the various Jeep forums and have learned there are as many tread designs as there are posters,, and they are all the best...

Most of my driving is on 2 lane state highways or less. We get a fair amount of snow and those roads often become pretty much hard packed snow for weeks at a time. Don't do any mod_boggin' or severe hill climbing, it's not lifted and don't intend to, just a daily driver with some hunting and call it moderate trail riding.

The off-roading is not my concern, it's more staying on the road, this thing is skittish enuf! Any suggestions??
 
dieseltrooper

dieseltrooper

Inactive
Is it a CJ5 or CJ7? For sure no mudders for what you describe. All-Terrain's for sure. 235/75/15's, 30x9.5x15's or 31x10.5x15 should fit a stock CJ.
 
Hamilton Felix

Hamilton Felix

Inactive
Really open, aggressive treads are for mud. They try to be "self-cleaning" with varying degrees of success. They are noisy and wear out quickly on the highway.

Today's winter tires are not as aggressive as those of the past. I still like a fairly aggressive tread if I'm bulling through deep crusty snow. But many tests have shown that on packed snow and ice, it's having lots of tread edges that will do the trick -- that and using modern hydrophilic rubber compounds.

I definitely do NOT like wide tires in winter. Hit a bit of slush, and it's uncontrollable toboggan time, even at surprisingly low speeds. Actually, the 6.50-16's one might find on an old Jeep would make good winter tires.

Although I have liked studs on ice and hard packed snow, they appear to be on the way out. Here's something a bit different, and possibly worth considering:

http://www.greendiamondtire.com/overview.htm

Here's a good FAQ on winter tires:

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/faqs.html

There are plenty of good winter tires out there. I'm guessing your CJ would be find with 235/75R15 tires, though it may well have come with slightly smaller rubber.

Good Luck.
 
M

madkaw

Senior Member
it's a 74 CJ5, got it from the 68 yo original owner! thanks for the link to the green diamonds, looks like studded tires wo/ the noise and calendar limits,, just ordered 4 :)
 
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