Idaho

Factory tires are only there to protect the rims

Monster696

Thanks guys. My mind after did wonder what would have happened if my 8 month old was in the jeep with me. That did wake me up
But being by myself all I could worry about at the moment was my 11 month old rubicon
FYI the general tire 285/70r17 are the tallest studable winter tires I've found. There is one from Nokian that is slightly taller for a 16 " rim

Monster696

Put these tires on. They measure 32.7" tall. Winter tires with studs
Spare when on barely and tight
No more messing around. Bring it in winter

Sahara_Steve

Wow scary story to read, glad you and your Jeep are alright!
So I'm not that knowledgeable on tires, and currently do run the stock Rubicon BFG Mud terrain tires. These are bad in winter?? I drove a fair distance with them in snow and they seem good but i'm assuming your referring to when it comes to stopping?

Appreciate any info as know i'm wondering if i need winter tires haha

JKBANDIT55

Glad you are ok. Any M/T is not going to be good with slick roads in winter. Ya, when your driving in 5+ inches of snow they would be unstoppable. But as soon as the roads get plowed and your driving on slick icy snow they are going to be horrible. With no siping, they are useless. Kinda like a hockey puck gliding on ice. All rubber no siping. You put some siping on the hockey puck and it's not going to travel as smoothly

Monster696

Just bandit summed it up. Sipping is key. The Sahara come with all seasons and have siping which don't make it as bad as the mt tires. A strictly winter tire will have a lot sipping and a softer compound that stays soft in colder temperatures. Note that if u run these soft compound during the summer it will wear rapidly and u wont get the full lifespan u should
ill be switching back to my MT in spring
Winter tires are not usually as wide so that there is more pressure per square foot grabbing the ground below. ( I have heard contradicting stories on this) but when I ran a wide 12.5 tire I felt I was floating and couldn't get the traction I wanted.
Though 4wd will help you stay in control while driving, it doesnt help u stop any better. That is when the rubber meets the road really counts.
This is in plowed roads and icy conditions. In deep snow the Mt would be better due to the wider tread gaps. So I plan to get some chains to put on my new winter tires when I head to the mountains.
Search all terrain tires vs winter tires in you tube. I found some good info there.
Hope this helps

Rednroll

1st off Thank God you're ok.

Next off, while having the proper tires is a good idea this is not the main reason as to why you almost slid into harms way. So, my suggestion would be to worry less about what tires you have on and to address the main problem. The main problem sounds like someone needs to tell you how you're supposed to stop at an intersection during slippery conditions. The proper way to stop at an intersection when the roads are in a slippery condition is that when you start to approach an intersection, you need to stop PRIOR to reaching the intersection, and THEN you slowly drive up to the intersection. That is the way in which you totally avoid the situation that you originally described. The way to fix the problem is to NOT buy new tires and air down during slippery conditions. That only puts a bandaide on the main problem.

I've been driving in Michigan winters going on 25 years now. I was taught that simple lesson by my father when I was 1st learning how to drive. I have NEVER found myself in the same situation that you described, just by following that one simple rule. However, I have witnessed many intersection accidents which happened in front of me in those Michigan winters when people drove without following that simple rule. Too many people fall into the habit of rushing up to an intersection and then stopping on a dime if the light is red or turns red as they're approaching it. Everybody is always in too much of a hurry to save 30 seconds of commute time, when the proper way to drive in slippery conditions could save something much more important. Your life.

It's sounding like if you would have followed that one simple rule, then this rule can save your life as well as saving you some money from going out and buying new tires which will only assist you in stopping sooner, but does not address your main problem of needing to improve upon your improper driving habits in slippery conditions. When you get new tires with sipping that does not fix the main problem at all, because what happens is that your driving habits start to adapt to the new tires and you start to think you can stop quicker...so your driving habit adjusts to that quicker stopping. Then you run into the same problem when you hit a much more slippery condition.

Summary: Fix the source of the real problem by learning to change your driving habits....not your tires.

ldstruckn

I am just a little south of you in sandpoint Idaho...I have never had any issues with the stock rubi tires however I do have to say that the 35in MTRs I run now run like they are on pavement no matter the snow conditions

mshahwan

The stock rubicon tires are awesome in snow, ice, mud and pavement. The problem is not the tire. The problem is the bullshit 37 psi that the sticker in the side of your door recommends. I drive in -40 degree c icy conditions all winter long and used to do 180 degree stunts all the time. Then i aired down the tires.

Jeep recommends 37 psi , which over inflates the tires slightly but tend to give you a 1-2 mpg more milage.

Air down your stock rubicon tires to 35-36 psi and take it for a spin in in the snow and ice in 2 wheel drive and you will notice a HUGE improvement in traction. A way better highway ride and you will lose the 1-2 mpg which is livable.

You would not think that 1 psi would make much of a difference but it was a huge improvement for me. My abs rarely kicks in now and when it does its not as abrupt. Also i was finally able to use the ELSD i've heard so much about but was never able to use. Now i just point the jeep to an icy incline and i let the tires and ELSD do the rest.

Hope this helps.