vs_jk

I see several people on this forum asking the question about the maximum tire size you can put on a JK. I’ve had my 2008 JKU X for almost 6 years now (will be exactly 6 in a few weeks) and my tires were getting around the point I would need to replace them. The first week I had the Jeep, I changed out the stock tires with 265/75r16 BFG All Terrains. These tires have been great overall but they had a little over 67K miles on them! I ended up giving them to a friend so he could use them on a vehicle that he only drives in town. I bet he’ll get another year of use out of them. Those BFG AT’s definitely wear like champs.

Even after 6 years, I’m still smitten with my JKU and have no plans of ever getting rid of it. At the most, I’m hoping to move it from daily driver duty to more of a weekend toy within the next few years. Maybe at that time I may consider going to 35” tires. But my Jeep came with the lifetime powertrain warranty and I definitely want to retain that and not void it.

I do like to take my Jeep on easy to moderate trails but this is my daily driver so I wasn’t looking for a drastic change. I like the overall ride and the mileage I get with it but I did want to go slightly larger on the new tires. With the old tires during summer, I was getting around 16mpg around town and 19 mpg on the interstate doing 75-78mph. On highways where speeds were 60-65mph, I can get as much as 22mpg! **gas mileage is manually calculated as my x didn't come with the dash computer**

Also, another requirement for me was to use the stock 16” steel wheels that came with the x. Most people change these out but I really like the design. To me they fit the look of the Jeep perfectly. So I decided I wanted to keep the stock wheels and also not have to run spacers.

After doing a lot of reading online, I decided the Goodyear Duratrac were the ones I was going with.

old: BFG AT KO 265x75r16
diameter: 31.8", width: 10.5", D rating, weight: 54lbs

new: Goodyear Duratrac 285x75r16
diameter: 33.1", width: 11.3", E rating, weight: 54lbs

The Jeep looks a LOT better now with these Duratracs. They are only about 1.5” larger in diameter and just about 3/4” wider than my old tires. But what a big difference in appearance!

First thing I noticed is the the rubber compound on the new tires is noticeably softer than the old tires. I’m sure this will affect traction and wear.

The ride is a tiny bit softer now, I suspect because of the larger diameter and more tire wall as well as the softer compound. Under 45mph, the road noise seems to be the same. Over 45mph, the Duratracs are a little more noticeable but not bad at all considering how aggressive the tread looks. The steering is slightly heavier and I can feel the vehicle lumbering a little more to get going. But still, it’s very manageable and not bad.

On snow and ice there is definitely more traction than the old tires.

At full turn, the tires do have just a tiny bit of rubbing on the plastic air dam. It’s nothing drastic so I’ll trim this once it get’s a little warmer outside!

It’s now in the middle of winter here in Nebraska so mileage will be off because of the winter mix gasoline. But at interstate speeds of 75-78mph, the mileage seems to be around 17mpg. My guess is that during summer months, the mileage will likely be back to around 19mpg on the interstate.

Next, I'll be buying either a Flashcal or a Procal so I can calibrate the speedometer. Right now it's off by 4mph at interstate speeds.

Sahara_Steve

Awesome stuff! I too have been debating what my new tires will be and a huge weighting factor is to help keep loss of mileage to a minimal. I love aggressive looking tires but still can't decide between an A/T or M/T. It's nice to read a review that goes over real daily driving differences. Do you notice any difference in power loss when accelerating or passing on highway with these tires? Love the pic! Tires look mean! Especially on those rims, nice big sidewall

vs_jk

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, there was a little bit of power loss but not much different when passing on the highway. The 3.8L is slow anyway so not a big deal to me.
BTW, my jku has the 3.73 gears.

Sahara_Steve

Hahaha okay less of a loss is always good to hear. Do you have pics of your jeep with your old tires as well??? Two of the major tires I am considering are the BF Goodrich A/T KO and the Duratrac.

karls

What kind of space do you have in the rear between the sidewall and the rear sway bar links? It doesn't seem many people run the 16's but people with 17's claim that the 285's will rub. I can verify that the 285's on stock 17's do rub the control arms up front on sharp turns, parking lots, etc.

040jk

I am running the 285's on stock 17's with a 2 in hub centric wheel spacers. I love the setup. No rubbing and a wider trac. Looks better and feels more stable on the road

vs_jk

Sure, here is a link to some pictures with the old tires- https://plus.google.com/photos/11668...CNSpm_fpnKDxaQ

vs_jk

I'll measure it and let you know. Maybe that is really the slight rubbing that I hear on the front when turning sharp rather than the air dam. I'll have to double check it.

vs_jk

Looks great!

040jk

Thanks bud