Re: Winter tire in 33x16 size - Yokohama Geolander I/T+ or Bridgestone Winter Dueler?

I am running 33x9.5 BFG muds with a tread width of 7.5" and love them in the winter and in ice storms. We had a 2 week stretch here in Canada of ice storms this spring and I was in 4x4 the whole time. I work with a plumbing contractor, and he had me following him to jobs in my CJ7 with it's winch and straps to make sure he could get there and get out of there. It was nuts, you could barely walk to the vehicle, and those tires had zero issues!

Then add some snow, and well, the muds excel!

Your MTR's are softer than my BFG's I think??? You might want to try them up high before the snow hits where you live before changing them.

You can also get them 'siped' at some tire shops, Discount Tire maybe, or spend a couple hours and a few beer to sipe them yourself with a razor blade knife.

They put 1/4" deep slices across the tread lugs every 3/8" or so. Most folks just do the inside lugs on mud tires to avoid rock chips in the outside ones and avoid the leading and trailing end of the lug.

This acts like those ice tires with all kinds of biting edges.

Friends of mine have done it with their wider muds and swear by it, I haven't seen a need for it yet on mine or I would have done it.

We have 235 BFG AT's on our Cherokee that measure 8.5" on the tread and the CJ was better in that storm.

Had 31x10.5 BFG muds on the CJ7 before that measured almost 10.5" on the tread and they sucked in those type of conditions.

Not near enough psi on the 'footprint' so they spin like crazy or started 'floating' on top of slush and wet pack snow.

No matter the tread you go, watch for how wide they are. An 85 is thinner than a 75. Skinny rules in winter and on off road logging trails.... ;-)

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

John Davies wrote:

> Any Jeepers running either of these this winter? Seen them? Know > anything at all about them? > > I am looking for winter specific tires for my 80 Series Land Cruiser > that are 33 inch OD (285/75R16) - there are not too many choices in a > pure winter SUV tire that big ;( > > The Geolander I/T+ is available in sizes up to 315/85R16 (35 inch OD). > I have not read anything about tread wear and handling > characteristics. >
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for general info>
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for full sizes and specs.> > I don't really want the Bridgestone Winter Duelers due to their > excessive wear rate and squirrely handling on dry pavement, though > they reportedly stick to snow and ice "like a tongue to a frozen > flagpole". They are _apparently_ available in a 33 - the 265/75R16 is > shown as having a 32.7 inch OD - but I haven't been able to confirm > that OD. It does not compute to me that the OD and tread width would > be as large as is claimed for that size on the data page. Bridgestone > won't answer my emails, and my local dealers don't know squat about > this. >
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> Thanks - I would appreciate some help in this matter - I just moved > from the mild coastal region of Puget Sound to a hilltop neighnorhood > in this very snowy climate, and in a couple of months I will need to > get the MT/Rs off and some good snow tires on. > > John Davies > Spokane WA USA

I have considereed that, especially since Goodyear rates them 5 stars for snow. The folks I talked to at tire stores swore they were the greatest in deep snow, but that they sucked on packed snow and ice. Nearby Mt Spokane is 3500 ft higher than the city itself - I should be able to find some snow there well before it's a problem down lower.

I talked to the Discount Tire guys about that - it's only $7.50 per tire, so I may give it a try. But they can't control the circumferential spacing, only the width of the siped area. I was going to do just the center lugs and avoid the outer and inner lugs entirely. Should I have them sipe all the way to the inside edge of the tread (leaving the outer lugs untouched)? They told me my warranty would be screwed if I used a hot knife on it myself ;(

My experience with the A/Ts on my ex-XJ is that they do ok on packed snow, but no better than that.

My Cruiser is 6000 pounds, so footprint pressure is the last thing I worry about.

Thanks very much for the comments.

John Davies