New Rubicon, time for tire decisions

[cdnabn49]

well I finally switched over from 33" BFG MT's (old school) to 265/75R16 Cooper ST Maxx's on my 04 Rubi and am in definite love... I am a real fan of the BFG's and after 3 summer's and 2 winters they were to long in the tooth to make it a 3rd... I am now also doing double the commute to and from work - old man winter is on it's way and I wanna be prepped before it happens... so I looked and read - youtube'd etc... I finally decided on the Cooper ST Maxx which seemed to fit the bill for my now driving style - blacktop and gravel - the muck is gone for a bit... gotta say the ride is smooth and quieter - a little hum at highway speeds but other then that all is good. I guess it really boils down to you preference, needs and likes... they're a good looking skin as well...

*internet pic*

 

[BobA]

My Goodyear duratrac's got me across the UP in all the sand and mud I put them through. Not noisey on the highway either. Great all around tire.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

JIMBO is right 4.56 is not enough. Try to find someone with a 6 speed and 4.88s or 5.13 gears and go for a test drive. Yours is a 4 door? I have friends with 2 doors and 4.88 gears that say 6th gear is barely usable.

My 2010 4-door with 4.10's and a 6-speed is perfect with 315/70R17 TreadWright Guard Dogs. 6th gear pulls fine as an interstate cruising gear, even while pulling my tent trailer. Hardly a noticeable difference compared to stock on the highway, but 1st gear is much more usable around town now. With the stock 255/75R17 tires, 1st gear was so low I never really used it; I would simply start off in 2nd.

Sure, I downshift when heading uphill into the mountains, but that's the whole point of having a multigear transmission. Maximized fuel economy when possible, with a gear for every other situation.

The 3.6 is reportedly more forgiving of bigger tires, but I think the #1 reason that the 3.8 got such a bad rep is that the 4-speed auto is horribly mismatched to the gearing and the engine's power curve. You don't hear owners of 6-speed equipped Jeeps complaining anywhere near as much as automatic owners do, especially when equipped with the Rubicon's 4.10 gears. I've driven my buddy's 2008 automatic Rubicon on 315's, and it's a night-and-day difference compared to my otherwise-identical Rubicon, the only difference being the transmission. His is a slug even in first gear, while I can bark the tires going into 2nd gear.

I firmly believe that the 4.10 gears in the Rubicon were designed specifically with 35's in mind. Sure, you can improve acceleration by gearing it down just as you can with any performance car, but that sacrifices fuel economy and increases engine and transmission wear. 3.21 gears on lesser models with stock-sized tires are still geared taller than 4.10 gears with 35's.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: Ypu're making true statements, but

My 2010 4-door with 4.10's and a 6-speed is perfect with 315/70R17 TreadWright Guard Dogs. 6th gear pulls fine as an interstate cruising gear, even while pulling my tent trailer. Hardly a noticeable difference compared to stock on the highway, but 1st gear is much more usable around town now. With the stock 255/75R17 tires, 1st gear was so low I never really used it; I would simply start off in 2nd.

Sure, I downshift when heading uphill into the mountains, but that's the whole point of having a multigear transmission. Maximized fuel economy when possible, with a gear for every other situation.

The 3.6 is reportedly more forgiving of bigger tires, but I think the #1 reason that the 3.8 got such a bad rep is that the 4-speed auto is horribly mismatched to the gearing and the engine's power curve. You don't hear owners of 6-speed equipped Jeeps complaining anywhere near as much as automatic owners do, especially when equipped with the Rubicon's 4.10 gears. I've driven my buddy's 2008 automatic Rubicon on 315's, and it's a night-and-day difference compared to my otherwise-identical Rubicon, the only difference being the transmission. His is a slug even in first gear, while I can bark the tires going into 2nd gear.

I firmly believe that the 4.10 gears in the Rubicon were designed specifically with 35's in mind. Sure, you can improve acceleration by gearing it down just as you can with any performance car, but that sacrifices fuel economy and increases engine and transmission wear. 3.21 gears on lesser models with stock-sized tires are still geared taller than 4.10 gears with 35's.

With the proper regear on the 3.8l/JKU/auto--you get much more power/performance/towing improvements and --BETTER MILEAGE--as soon as you realize, it's notta engine swap and you don't need to FEEL THE POWER every time !

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO