Tire Pressure Suggestion???

For snow and ice-covered roads, you want to make sure the tires are not underinflated which would increase their footprint size. That would make it harder for them to dig through the surface snow to better traction below. The smaller footprint is important, and is why in such areas, tall skinny tires are what work best.

I would try 33 psi or so, or as high as the pressure can be taken that still leaves the edges of the tires barely touching the surface. A business card should fit under the edge but when on a concrete (smooth) surface, you should not be able to insert it in more than about 1/4".

Jerry

Hi Steve:

Factory door sticker on my '02 TJ with the factory 30" tire group says 29 pounds. I put 31 x 10.5 x 15 BFG AT's on over a year ago, and have been running 28 pounds all year. Seems fine for both winter and summer. No unusual wear patterns at 28 pounds.

I used my GPS to check my speed after installing the 31's and it is almost perfectly accurate. The speedo was reading a little fast at any given speed with the original factory 31's. You probably won't have to change a thing.

Tom

Also, check for rubbing at full lock turns. My 31's do not rub at all, but some do. If so, it's an easy steering stop adjustment you can see here:

Oops, should have read "original factory 30's"

Jerry

Thanks for the input. I'm going to start with your suggestion and see how things work. Most likely will try to find some middle ground between your suggestion and Tom's. The town where I work does a great job of plowing the streets but a lousy job of applying sand or salt so the place is a skating rink.

Tom

Thanks for your input too. I found a calculator somewhere on the net this morning that calculated when changing from 30's to 31's resulted in 55mph turning to 56.something mph. Not enough of a difference to mess with changing speedo gears

Thanks again Guys!

Steve: Hi Jimmie Here. Just one state below you here in IOWA. Hey my brother John run's 28 P.S.I. in his T.J. 2ooo and I looked at them this Friday and it's sure looks like he could stand to run them at 25 P.S.I. You have to remember that Jeeps don't hardly weight anything. I've seen tire dealers put in way to much air because most vehicle's weight in more than Jeep's, CJ 's ,YJ 's and T.J's do. Back when I was running 31's on my C J. I always ran them at 25 P.S.I. Heck I 'm running 33= 12:50= 15's on her now and I run them at 18 P.S.I . I run them at highway speed's and in town and have been for about 3 1/2 years or so and they are wearing just right. In fact I'm always getting people asking me how I get all the mileage out of my tire's and it's all in the air pressure. If you start out at 25 P.S.I you'll be glad you did. If you try it you'll see with I mean. It is way more important to run higher pressures in vehicle's of heavy weight's and also narrower tires do give better snow traction on most unit's. Good Luck; Jimmie; V.P. North Iowa Off Road Club

"Steve in Minnesota" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...

CJimmie

Thanks for the input. I still have't taken the time to see what Sam's put in them for pressure. We're getting all kinds of snow today....It's pretty easy to finds all kinds of "errands" that need to be done when you have brand new tires and brand new snow! :-) I am completely amazed at how well these things ride that the 30" GSA's that came on the vehicle.

Where is the North Iowa Offroad Club based out of? I'm in Rochester.

Steve in Minnesota '02 TJ

Hi Steve,

Gotta agree with Jimmie here. Jeeps are light. I run 33x10.50 BGF muds at 24/22 psi (front/rear) on 15x7 wheels on my XJ. I get a nice contact patch with very even tread wear. When the snow and ice settled in, I aired up to 32/30 psi but I didn't notice any appreciable increase in traction, so I dropped back to 24/22. My snow traction is decent with the muds, so you should be laughing with the ATs, even at a lower pressure.

If you do go with lower pressure, remember to air up a bit when you load extra passengers and/or cargo.

Steve

CJimmie > Steve: Hi Jimmie Here. Just one state below you here in IOWA. Hey my

I run 25 lbs.