rgs80074

its me again everyone

i have a quesiton about the tires on my jeep.

i just bought this 1996 grand cherokee old jeep was a 98 grand cherokee.

the tires on the jeep right now are 235/70/16

i think the sticker on the door says it should be 225/70 or 75/16

one question i have is i was able to keep my two brand new tires from my old jeep but they are of a different size 225/75/15

is it ok to put them on the front of this jeep (can't image it would be better to have smaller ones on back) or should i stick to the same size tires all around?

i ask this becasue my old tires have like 1500 miles or less on them and are 80k mile tires retail at Firestone was about 180-200 each out the door.

the back tires on this jeep are also very new per the prior owner than had about 100 miles on them since they didn't drive the jeep often.

the only other thing would be that the tires on it are black rims and mine are the standard gray ones. not sure if there is a good way to remove paint from the rims or not (the tires are actually like mine but gray and gold) or i could just paint my old rims to black.

thanks

Radi

If you ever plan on using the 4X4 you want all 4 tires the same size.

Minndave13

Here's what I would suggest- stand the tires next to each other and compare the difference in tire height. You may be lucky and they may be identical in height. Now what you didn't say is what transfer case you have. If you have the 249 (interior bezel will say: 4Hi, N, 4 LO) then you HAVE to keep all four tires within 1/4 inch difference between all four tires (another words you should replace all four tires with new and of the same size). If you have a transfer case with the option of ONLY running in two wheel drive then in theory you could use two different sizes if you were only going to run them in 2 wheel drive.

Here's what I would do: use something to mark the center of all four tires. Roll the tires on the floor and measure between the marks- if they are close then use the tires (in two wheel drive).

As for the different rims, maybe you could plastic dip the rims using plastic dip spray cans. At least all the rims then would be the same color and if you don't like it you can always peel off the plastic you just sprayed on.

dave1123

Any difference in tire size, front to rear, side to side, is a killer of any 4WD system, ESPECIALLY the 249 t/case. Even running worn tires on one axle can put added stress on the t/case. With a 4WD vehicle, replace all 4 every time and rotate them faithfully, keeping the wear even across the 4. This is even true with the 231 or 242 where you run in 2WD most of the time.

On 2WD vehicles, I used to buy 2 at a time, putting the worn tires on the axle that wasn't driving. You should not do that with ANY 4WD or AWD vehicle.

OH! and make sure your spare tire is at least the same tire size as what you're running. With my '67 Camaro with Positraction, I burnt up the Posi by running a donut spare less than 50 miles.

rgs80074

Well the good thing (well some might argue) is i have 2wd.

i've not had any jeep that's been 4wd or awd.

I have no idea what transfer case i have, I assume its whatever one came installed on the vehicle.

Minndave13

Does the Jeep have the option to put it in 4 wheel drive?

Radi

If you don't have 4WD then you wouldn't have a transfer case. Just a single driveshaft from the transmission to the rear axle.

dave1123

In that case, you can run whatever fits under the fenders. 235/75s are fine. The 16" are aftermarket wheels. The standard wheel size for a ZJ are 15". If you keep the 15" wheels, you can run "inch" size tires later without going back to them. I'm talking about tires like 30X9.5X15. They are cheaper than metric radials and give you more selections on sizes and tread patterns. Although with 2WD, you might not want to do too much off-roading.

rgs80074

hello yall

The tires on the jeep are 235/70/16 the tire size listed on the door is 225/70/16 my new ones from my old jeep are 225/75/15. Really thinking about putting them on the front end when the current tires start to wear out. The ones on the back of this are brand new as well.

ryan

dave1123

Huh. Must be 16's came on 2WD ZJ's

Minndave13

My 1997 Grand Cherokee originally came with 16 inch rims. I bought it with 265/50R20's- yes 20's. I found the original rims in a junk yard and purchased 4 rims for $140. I am planning on putting on 245/75R16 on the original rims and then putting the aftermarket 20's on craigslist for $750. If I get the $750 for just the rims and tires then I will have purchased a running Jeep for $130 (I am not including the cost of rims or new tires). Not bad if everything works out.

Red River T

My '97 2WD has 15's (Laredo). I have the window sticker, I think it said 215-75R15 standard, but the "Laredo package" (LOL) upgraded to 225-75R15.

I bought some Wrangler 235's at WalMart for $74.50 + tax, etc. (~$390 total). If it lasts long enough to wear them out, I had looked and found some brand (I don't remember) that had an A/T pattern in 255-70R15. I think I'll try those next, unless I get in a "too cheap" mood.