So I'm sure there's a thread on here but when I tried to search I got an error message and I didn't see a sticky. I'm new to the forum so be gentle if it's out in the open and I didn't see it. My wife and I just picked up an XJ as a trail toy. It currently has 32x12.5x15 tires that are beyond shot. We're looking for something that can handle 50% road 50% trail with mostly snow and trail as far as conditions. We will be doing some half day road trips but road noise doesn't really matter to us....it's a lifted jeep, we'll take the WRX if we want comfort. Any recommendations? This is a whole new world for me so I don't know where to start. Our budget is about $700 total. Thanks in advance! Some pics to make the thread worth while =)

 

D**N nice jeep, i wish i had it intead of mine lol good luck with it.

 

I love my duratracs, they handle great on road considering how aggresive they are offroad. Plus they were cheap You could probably run 33s on that easily from the looks of your 14 feet of lift you got going on there lol.

 

haha.....6.5" lift according to the previous owner but definitely feels like 14 feet compared to my lowered subaru, I don't know about 33s on these rims but will definitely look into it!

 

Go to tirerack.com. Find yourself a set of tires on there that you like and can afford. Add a set of 4 to your cart and then take a screen shot of the price. Then head down to your local Discount Tire and they will match the price. Saves you the cost of shipping. Only other costs are mounting and balancing. Thats what I did and saved around 130 for the cost of shipping.

Edit* I was looking at 33in Duratracs as well for my rig for my next set. If i remember correctly the price was right around 650 for all four

 

I would say go to Treadwright.com... also you are setting a little low in the rear

 

Duratracs are pretty pricey but will do very well for snow. I ran them for a season and loved them in the snow, great dry road manners, and do fairly well off road. Only complaint i had is they wore pretty darn fast for me.

Mickey Thompson MTZs are my current tires and i probably wont run anything else. They are awesome in snow, amazing off road, and have great on road manners. Duratracs probably have a slight edge in the snow but thats only because they are siped more. Again these are going to be a bit more in price, mine were about $950 installed. Wear has been awesome so far.

The tire you currently have on your Jeep looks like a BFG T/A KO All Terrain. Those are damn good tires. I ran those on my jeep when it was 3.5" and loved them. They did surprisingly well off road and amazing in the snow. Of course on road manners were great as well. Wear was awesome.

Its gonig to be hard to get a good snow, trail, and road tire in the size you are looking for, for $700 or less. Might want to look into slightly used tires. I run 33's on a 15x8 which are great on my jeep with all the tires listed above.

Hope that helps and best of luck.

Will

 

Dont get the bfg at way over priced tire for what they are. If you thinking of them just save a little more and get the km2

 

thanks for the replies guys! To clarify, the 700 is just for the tires, not including balance, mounting, etc. I realize this is still limiting but after all, this is just the trail/winter beater =). Also....I'm definitely sagging in the back but since new tires are on the "to buy" list that's low priority to fix for now.

 

IMPO if he is going to be driving this in snow i would not suggest buying the KM2s. Myself as well as fellow 4wheelers did not have good mannerisms from the KM2s in the snow. Off-road trail snow they werent bad but on road snow driving they were definitely lacking. Especially for the guys that were locked up. Again just my experience and others i ride with. I do agree that the BFG ATs are over priced for what you get but i cant deny that you DEFINITLY get what you pay for. They were great tires for me. But out of all the tires i have owned, i have to say my Mickey Thompsons, for the money and the abilities they give me, you cant beat them.

 

Duratracs. Would suggest treadwrights but you'd have to get 16's if you want tires larger than 31's.

 

Very nice looking Jeep. I gotta vote for the bfg km2s. I've had pretty much the exact opposite experience of the above poster in the snow. We get a lot of snow around here and I am very impressed. My friend's parents run them on both their daily drivers and his father plows in the winter and runs them on their plow trucks. And he got 40k miles out of a set. In total I know of 8 sets of them on friend's rigs, whether street drivers or wheelers and haven't heard one complaint. Any truck with a locker is going to be a disaster in the snow.
I bought the 35s for my driver/weekend wheeler and they are incredible. Very nice road manners, balanced out real easy like every bfg I have done, and work very well off road.
For your height I would get the 33x10.50s. The slightly narrower version will make them even better in the snow. You're gonna go about $100 over your budget but it's worth $100 to do it right imo.

 

A locker in the snow a disaster? Definitely not my experience.....

 

so went around today.....as far as what's available and price it's between the Duratracs and Cooper Mud Claw. Both are the exact same price. Thoughts?

 

I went with duratracs and they are perfect for what I use my jeep for. Winter and strictly offroad for the summer. I have had them in feet of snow and mud, on rocks and sand, they haven't let me down. They aren't getting chunked up or wearing down funny (dispite only having a driveway allignment). I am concerned about the sidewall when they are aired down on rocks, I wish they had a thicker sidewall ply. Great tire for the money though!