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Jerry Crawford (Jcrawford)
| | Posted on Monday, January 06, 2003 - 07:50 pm: | 
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I've put off getting winter tires for two years and now the winter in Maine has caught up with me (that and my Michlin's are getting questionable). I have a set of four Disco rims dedicated for offroad/winter snow tires & want to get four new 235/70-16 which are standard, mostly so I don't have to buy a fifth rim & tire just for a spare (255/65-16 is the same ht so that is a possibility too) I believe I HAVE to stay within the same tire sizes for safe driving in case I need to put the spare on the ground.
The problem is I'm looking at that Dunlop Rover R/T that was recommended here for severe winter snow befor but it doesn't seem to come in the size I need. Am I missing something here? What are my options? |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Monday, January 06, 2003 - 10:44 pm: |
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Hi Jerry,
Well, I did what you probably did, which is go to the Tire Rack website to look at alternatives. I am very surprised to see that Dunlop doesn't offer the R/T in 235/75/16. They do have the tire in 225/75/16 which is slightly smaller in height and it's only $94 a tire. Could you get by for the winter using that size? Speaking from experience, the R/T's are amazing in the snow. I use 245/75/16's on my RRC and I can't believe what these tires have gotten me through.
Cheers,
Paul |
Jack (Jack)
| | Posted on Monday, January 06, 2003 - 11:03 pm: |
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Just my two cents, as I have not tried the Dunlop R/T's, but for severe snow and ice I don't think you can beat a true snow tire. From the high-end studless tires (Blizzaks, etc.) to the cheapest snow tire made, I've found they perform better than any all terrain tire, on snow pack and ice.
-Jack |
Jason Lord (Ronan)
| | Posted on Monday, January 06, 2003 - 11:24 pm: |
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Jerry - I recently purchased a set of the Pirelli Ice and Snows. They are a great snow tire. For what it is worth, they seemed to hold up quite well in the slop and mud on the one OR run I took them on. I definately recommend them if you are looking for a dedicated snowie.
Jason |
Jerry Crawford (Jcrawford)
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 04:31 am: |
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Well, I've ruled out the Blizzak cuz it doesn't come in the two sizes I want, but the Perelli and Nokian are loooking pretty good. There's a place over in Lebonon (NH) I can visit in the morning.
Switching gears here to non-winter highway tires, I want to add a set of QUIET highway tires for this year that are high mileage. What's the experience there? |
Dave M.
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 07:41 am: |
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Jerry,
Where are you coming from? I grew up in Lebanon, NH and now live just down the road. Small world.
I gathered from your title that you were in Maine though... Lebanon NH is a good 3.5 hours from Portland. Not sure where you are coming from.
I have the Dunlop RT's on my old Trooper and they have simoply ROCKED in all this snow. Great traction in deep stuff, slopppy stuff, and ice. |
joshua Frances (Joshua)
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 07:46 am: |
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Hey Jerry
Just thought I would add my opinion for you...My fiance is from Bangor ( dont worry she is a transplant) and I spend pretty much every other weekend doing the drive from Boston to Orono, bangor area. Then its the day trips to castene ( is that spelled correct?) and I just was there for the time between christmas and now...when we got all the snow.
I actually was in yoru same situation, and decided on the BFGR ATKO..I had them on my Jeepster when I lived in syracuse NY, and they did really well in the feet of snow we would get at a time.
I went to VIP tire, just because they had my size. BFGR sets the price on those tires, so no matter where you go its usually the same by a bucks or two.
They have treated me well also on my moose hunt this past season, and I bagged a 764 pound Cow. we were up in shin pond area of the county
Anyway, I have been totally satisfied with the BFGR...hope it helps your desition out.
Its like buying toothpaste. If there was 2 different kinds, it wouldnt be such a tough choice, but they had to go and make 30 different ones.
Josh ( moving to Portland soon) |
Jack (Jack)
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 09:07 am: |
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I'm running the Blizak Winter Dueler DM-Z2 on a D2. Good on hard pack, ice, and in slop. Squirmy on highway, espcially at speed. The Nokian and Pirelli might be better all around tires. The only positive attribute of the stock Wrangler HP is that it is a quiet highway tire, and fairly responsive.
Good luck!
Jack |
Jerry Crawford, 98 D-I
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 09:53 am: |
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Dave: I live in Alfred - bout 5 mi east of Sanford |
Dave M.
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 12:33 pm: |
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Oh. My wife is from Limerick. I've made many the trip between Lebanon NH and your area. :-) |
Jerry Crawford, 98 D-I
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 07:55 pm: |
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yeah - glad you survived Rt 111. bet. Sanford and Biddeford. That's the most dangerous 20 mile stretch of rural highway in Maine. I had a killer head on near Biddeford once that they had to cut the Toyoto 4Runner away from around me, and I had a good neighbor killed there about a year ago. Bad ass piece of real estate. |
Rich Lee
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 09:58 pm: |
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Jerry,
I assume you have a stock, unlifted Series 2 Disco, given your OEM tire size of 255/65-16. If that is the case, then your stock rims are too wide for many snow tires, and the second set you get should be 16" x 7" steel rims, which you can find from several of the vendors on DWeb.
Once you get those rims, here are my suggestions:
If you want REAL snow tires, get REAL snow tires.
Go no wider than 235/70-16, because on snowy roads, a skinny, linear contact patch is better. You will never generate the kind of G-forces that will benefit from a fat tire. If you search the archives here, you will find several eloquent explanations as to why this is true. You can usually run this size tire on your 8" OEM rims, but not any of the other skinnier snow tires. Probably the best snow-specific tire in this size would be a set of "Eco-studded" Nokian Hakkapeliitta 1 tires.
Better yet, consider the skinnier sizes of 225/75-16 (1/2" bigger diameter at 29.5") or even 215/85-16 (1.5" bigger at 30.5" and will JUST fit on an unmodified D2).You can find an ample supply of snow tires in these sizes. My personal favorite in these sizes is the 225/75-16 Dunlop RT, which is RMA certified for severe snow conditions and also does remarkably well in mud. It is also suitable for year-round use on dry roads. If you look on the door frame sticker of the D2, you will see that 225/75-16 is one of the OEM tire sizes listed for the vehicle (probably on narrower euro-spec rims). You can also fit these with chains on a stock D1 or D2. Best all-round tire IMHO. I have used them for 3 years now and am very satisfied. |
Jerry Crawford, 98 D-I
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 08:25 am: |
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I have a set of 7" wide 16" steel rims for the snow tires and I looked at the price of Nokian's WR yesterday - it's doable. I sold some tools on ebay recently so I can buy into some good rubber now. I'm less interested in "all-around" tires because, IMHO, there is always a trade-off somewhere and I'm not happy with the noise level of luggy tires on the summer highway. I have no interest in cutting out body work on the truck to accomodate huge tires either. I'm not an "off-roader" as most of you are so I can easily live with a less agressive mud churner and root riper and have a couple of sets of chains on hand if it gets REALLY bad here. Chances are if it's that much of a blizzard I'll have three feet of snow in my 400' long driveway (which has happened) and can't go anywhere. If the Nokian's fit they look pretty good right now. |
Bill Ross (Billr)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 10:40 am: |
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Jerry:
I'd recommend the Nokians. I use to drive the Airline between Bangor and Calais quite a bit when I lived in Halifax, NS and know to some extent the weather back that way. Pretty ugly sometimes.
I had Cooper Discoverers (or whatever they were called (225/75-16)) on my Disco that I had then and they worked OK, but when I moved to Northern Ontario and got my current RR Classic, I put Nokian Hakka 1 (235/70-16) on and they've been fantastic. The snow here is a bit drier and we have a bit more ice; but they work great on both.
Anyway, my $.02 |
Dave M.
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 11:49 am: |
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yeah - glad you survived Rt 111. bet. Sanford and Biddeford.
I always went up 202 up through Rochester NH purposely avoiding that deathtrap (111). It was worth the extra half-hour. |
Jerry Crawford, 98 D-I
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 02:07 pm: |
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Decided to go all the way and reshod the truck with a set of Hakk 1, with eco-studs on my steelies. Thanks guy's for your input and comments. Keep the rubber side down and be safe. |
Rich Lee
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 03:40 pm: |
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Jerry,
Good choice, given your priorities. I don't have enough continuous snow in me are to warrant them, but you do.
However, when it comes time to replace the summer tires, I would strongly suggest letting go of the Goodyear HP's....if that's what you have. If they aren't noisy and cupped, they will be.
If you have the Michelin XPCs, then you are lucky, and they are an excellent tire, but they are expensive, and rare ($175/ea).
We have just replaced the noisy Goodyear HPs ($132/ea)on our D2 with 5 Yokohama Geolander AT Plus II tires.
The size is 255/70-16, which fits fine in the wheelwell and on the spare carrier. They handle well on pavement, wet, dry and decent in mud. Haven't had them in snow yet, but the reviews are good. At $80 each, it's hard to beat. |
Dave M.
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 04:46 pm: |
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Good choice. |
Jerry Crawford, 98 D-I
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 07:51 pm: |
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The tires on the truck now are Mich. Alpine mounted on the OEM alum wheels. They have about 85K on them and still have tread left but they are wearing down and are noisy. I've been putting up with the road roar and have decided to do something about it come spring. In the meantime i hope we get enough snow to make these Nokina worth it. I also bought a snow blower this year and wish I had bought it years ago what with all the work it saves me. |
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