back to stock

Well, the last of the LT 235's that I had stolen from my old Ram Charger are gone. At the end of February I put some nice cheap $35 P225's on the front axle (remember, it's 2WD) and yesterday I picked up a nail right on the sholder of one of the 235's left on the rear. So, this morning the rear axle got a pair of 225's, as well.

Way back when, when I got the XJ it had a mix of 205's and 215's. I was selling the Ram Charger so I stole the LT 235/75R15 ATR's off of it. They lasted a looong time on the XJ, but in the end they were a bad fit for a pavement pounding DD. The main problem, especially with the open D35 rear, is that once the LT's wear down a bit, with the light curb weight of the XJ, they become as slick as greased pig snot with even the slightest rain.

Granted, the new tires aren't TOTL - they're just Discount Tire's base model $35, 40,000 mile, P-series radial. Hopefully, though, they'll give me a bit more traction on wet pavement - at least until I get an LSD or auto-locker under the heep.

The long term plan is to keep this one a stock DD and find a '97+ SelectTrac to build up. But, we've got to get the wife into a new ride first. Ah well. Now that I've got the 225's on I guess it's time for another milage tracking thread. The 235's ran 18mph with essentially zero variance over twenty-something tankfulls. It'll be interesting to see if the 225's make any difference.

I made the switch from 235's to 225's myself about two weeks ago so I'm looking forward to seeing if there is any mileage gain. I replaced the original 225's a few years ago when the OE tires wore out and didn't track the mileage too carefully then so I'm not sure if it got worse, same or better.

Theoretically there should be a slight mpg improvement as the 225's have less contact patch and therefore less resistance against the pavement, and the 225's are lighter to boot (both sets of tires are very similar all season radials).

One benefit I have already noticed is the engine doesn't lug quite as bad before downshifting. The height difference is small, but I can feel a small benefit in this area. But I've yet to see a mpg difference. We shall see.

2001XJeep,
Here is my chart up to tank #20. This is all LT 235/75R15 ATR. Otherwise stock. Next fill-up I'll start another chart. Theoretically, the 225's could put me into a more efficient RPM range. Just have to wait and see.

p.s. That was weird. I thought that link would go right to the post but it went to the page where the post is listed. Scroll down for the tank #20 chart. Sorry.

The engineers at Jeep aren't fools, the stock Jeeps tires look dorky, but work well. I have a set of 30 X 9:50 MT's that I took off, because the guy at the inspection station was being a ( ), and said they were too big without a speedo gear change and then a cetified test of the speedo for acurracy. I'd had them on for two years.
I had a set of rims that I just had Powder coated and decided to put on an antique set of 215's (Wrangler AT's) that have been in the garage forever. I was planning on switching back to the 30's after inspection. We had a moderate snow before I switched back and to make a long story short decided to leave them on for the winter (glad I did, it was a long snowy winter) and switch to the MT's in the spring (when the ground gets muddy).
The tall (and often fairly soft) sidewalls of the 235's (I ran them on another XJ for like 15 years). doesn't add anything to stability and actually causes problems, especially when the front end parts start to wear. If it wanders at all, it usually wanders worse with 235's 75 or taller.
The taller *wider* tires, get poorer traction in the snow. I've tried all sorts, Wrangler MT's, Wrangler AT's (in 235), Kumho MT's. Michellin AT's. None of the wider, taller tire performed as well as the 225's or the 215 in snow.
Though the 225 70 R 16 are a close second and don't look nearly as dorky as the stock 215's or 225's. They actually work better on dry pavement and at higher speeds.
What works on snow and ice often works well with wet also, though a newer (fresh) MT does pretty good in the wet. Something else to keep in mind, the older my Goodyears got, the harder the rubber got. Michellins are often harder out of the box than many other tires, but do last well.

8Mud said:

Though the 225 70 R 16 are a close second and don't look nearly as dorky as the stock 215's or 225's. They actually work better on dry pavement and at higher speeds.

Click to expand...

When the mother of our son's friend needed a new soccer mom ride on a slim budget I recommended a Grand Cherokee with a 4.0L auto. She found one at the local honest used car dealer. When she brought it around for inspection I warned her to keep an eye on her wheels. She's got 245/70R16's. They look nice on her GC and I keep thinking they'd look b!tchin' on my XJ - plus, they'd be free! No snow here so I don't figure they'd be too wide, or would they rub? Only one way to find out :laugh3: