Hi everyone,


I have come here many times for some general maintenance advice, tips and the occasional panic attack when a light comes on but this time I need some sound advice. I bought my 2011 JK about 4 years ago, when I got it, it had newish 285/55R20 Mickey Thompson Baja All Terrain tires but now they need replacing. I'm looking for suggestions on new tires that won't break my bank and keep me safe in snow and rain. It's my daily driver and I do go mudding occasionally in the fall, but I just don't think I need MT Baja's since I don't go off roading too much. I do live in the Northeast with snow and rain.


Thanks for reading and thanks for all the previous posts I've read that have helped me!

 

Welcome to JK Forum. see you have 20s on your ride. I'll start the Opinions.. 1 get an All Terrain with the Three Peak Rating which signifies that the tire should perform in all weather including Snow. Shop on line for pricing and then get with your shop that will install.. Look in the Marketplace - Vendors for listing of supporting companies.

 

thank you for the advice!

 

I have no experience with 20 in rims, however have used Yokohamas, Pirellis, Dunlops, BFGs, Toyos, Bridgestones, and Michelins on various vehicles including the JK. For general use I recommend the Toyos (which we have on our current vehicle) however we have never used them in snow. The JK came with LTXs and initially I was unimpressed and planned to change when they wore out, however found that for 70% highway/30% unsurfaced they performed well (and did see snow).

 

Not having a whole lot of snow experience, but I think the difference between snow and mud tires is significant. I think actual on the road snow tires your after sort of thin tires that have higher ground pressure for traction and tires that can be studded?, whereas mud tires you want big ole wide tires for low ground pressure and flotation.
I think it being a daily driver that’s used very little for mud, that it’s likely your better off with all terrain tires, maybe a second set of real off road mud tires on rims should you really decide to go heavy that way in the future from time to time?

 

thank you very much for the information! I've narrowed my choices down to Toyo and Yokohamas all terrain.

 

I see you are listed as being in Charlotte. 3 peak tires may not be as common in the stores there compared to places like Aspen. The deal with the 3 peaks is this - if you are in an area that gets serious snowfall, the authorities will sometimes restrict access to heavily covered roads and only allow vehicles with 3 peak rated tires to use them until the roads get cleared. That's not likely to happen in the Carolinas. It might happen in places like upstate NY, VT or NH. It's likely to happen in places like CO. Not all mud & snow rated tires carry the 3 peak rating. It's a specialty rating for serious snow.

The best tires for snow performance varies with the type of snow. If you are driving through freshly falling snow on a highway, skinny tires cut through it & grip the pavement. If you are off road in 4' deep snow pack, you want big fat tires that float on top and don't get you high centered.

For best rain performance, you want tires with straight groves through the tread & a lot of little squiggle cuts in the tread (siping)

For best tire wear in warmer climates, you want harder compounds of rubber. Winter tires are sometimes a little soft for the warmer climates. Hard tires often don't get great road traction in very cold weather. (don't ask me for details)

For the mud, you want aggressive treads. The modern mudders work a whole lot better than the stuff we had when I was a kid.

For a quiet ride on the pavement & a little better fuel economy, you want highway tires.

There are a variety of different all terrain & all season tires out there that mix & match various performance aspects rather than optimizing for a single one. What's best for you will vary with your intended use. Most people who do occasional trail work & don't like a ton of road noise will go for AT class tires. Most hard core off road guys get MT class tires. Most ski freaks get 3 peak tires. Most rock crawlers get 10 ply tires that are hard as a rock & don't cut easily. Most guys who drive in a little snow now & then but do mostly road driving will go for all season tires. Guys who drive in soft sand usually like big bald tires. Guys who air down a lot, like tires with tread that wraps around to the sidewall. Guys who air WAAAYYYYY down like bead lock rims.

20" rims are optimized for road tires. 16 or 17" rims will give you more room for sidewall and you will generally find a wider variety of off road tires available in those sizes for lower prices.

Guys in tire shops are often (but not always) pretty good about being able to help you select something that makes sense for your usage. If nothing else, they tend to know what they carry, unless you get the new guy who just started.

Oh yea, I almost forgot - Big monster mudders look cool.

 

Hello need suggestions - I have a 2017 JK Sahara two-door and finally replacing the stock tires. I am looking at the BFG KO2 All Terrain Tires but would like to know if anyone has thoughts on how they do in the rain, have heard there are issues with them hydroplaning. I’m generally a street and highway driver but liked the look of the KO2’s. Any suggestions on a comparison tire that might be a better choice than the KO2’s? Much appreciated.

 

The KO2's are a good tire, but my experience with them hasn't been positive. I had a set on my Liberty and they were LOUD for an AT. My son has KO2 in 37's on his JL and he regrets getting them. But they are a popular tire and get generally good ratings.

I just went with a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs in 35" on my JK. I was running Cooper STT Pros in 37", but I didn't like the performance and they were extremely dicey in the snow. The MT's are 3-peak rated, well siped, super quiet, have a very comfortable ride, and are considered a "hybrid AT" like the KO2. However, the MT's are asymmetric with the inside different from outside - but not "directional". The middle is a very "KO2-ish" AT-type tread. The inside is a little more aggressive with deep lugs. The outside is very aggressive with Mud-Terrain type lugs and big sidewall lugs. I've been beating them on everything from rocks to sand and I'm very impressed. But I live in Arizona and it's been very dry, so I'll have to go with other reviewers who said they perform well in the rain (or snow - none this year so far). The downside is they are a bit heavier than the KO2s.

 

I am really curious how you feel going from 37s to 35s? I have really put some thought into this recently. I've been running Toyo Open Coutry 37x13.5 for some time now (Nitto Trail Grappler 37x12.5 before that). I simply do not use the jeep the same way I used to. I'd love the pavement performance gain I'd get from dropping back down to a 35, but I sure do worry it might look odd to me on a 3.5" lift with flat fenders. It would also mean i have to change tires on my trailer......so 8 tires total going down to 35s .