Hi folks,
Just joined the site after picking up our '12 Wrangler sport 2dr.
Loving it! 6 years since our CJ became too expensive to keep going, family practical cars since then. The first jeep was my wife's idea, so it wasn't too hard to sell her on this one.
Went with a pretty basic model, 2 door Sport, hard top as the only option we wanted, ended up with AC as well, given limited selection - we didn't order, just shopped the lots.
Looking forward to adding the extras myself, rather than the dealer having the fun.
Is there a good 16" tire out there? Ours came with a set of street friendly GY tires, looking for something a bit more agressive. Planning to do some light offroading, logging trails, small mud holes, hoping for a tire that will be good in the winter too, as it lasts about half the year in Kenora ( northwest Ontario).
Or, better to move up to a 17"?
Any advice would be welcome.

 

The Goodyear Duratracs seem to be rated as a great all around AT tire. I'm going to picking some up soon. I can't comment first hand, as I don't have em yet.

Congrats on the new jeep.

 

Hello and welcome.. I am from the Thunder Bay Area.. I ran Goodyear Duratracs in 315/75R-16 for one winter. Great tire, affordable and handled the winter just fine.. They are also studdable if you want a set for winter only..

There seems to be more variety in tires now adays for the 17" rim but its really up to you. Choose a tire then price them out for the 2 different rim sizes and see what you come up with.. If you do decide to stay with 16" but go bigger in tire you will need new rims anyway..

 

I too have a 2dr, 2011 Sahara though. Went with 16" 285 Dura Tracs and new rims with better back
spacing, (no spacers). Everything fit with no rubbing anywhere even with the stock suspension. Test
run her all the way to Maine and back (from Ontario) on some pretty roughed up roads and never touched down anywhere. I've since installed 4dr Rubi springs all round, my Sahara came with a dealer installed trailer hitch so I didn't get the heavier tow package ones that this Rubi had. The new springs will net almost an inch of extra clearance. Most guys will say don't waste your time doing this, just get a budget lift kit, but the guy with the Rubi wanted them out of his garage (aka free for the taking) and my buddy installed them for the cost of a 24 of beer.
IMO the cost difference between 16" and 17" tire, will also pay for the new rims, which will also cost
less by staying with 16" (as long as your not "blinging"). Dura Tracs would be my suggested option too,
good all year round tire, low noise and mine are showing almost no wear, (rotating regularly).

 

My guy came with stock Dueler ATs and I bought Duratracs on 16" rims as snows. The Duractracs are great in mud, and get lots of comments, but I found myself sliding through lots of stop signs on greasy Ottawa streets. I didn't feel as safe with them as I had with my Michelins (on the Camry, though, so whether it was the tires or the car I'll never know). The Duratracs are great in fresh powder and sand and can handle rock crawling too. I'd say they are more of an offroad tire than a street tire - I also hydroplane more with them. Still a perfectly good tire, but be prepared for a little more sloshiness than the stock Duelers (Duratracs have soft sidewalls). The Duratracs are immensely popular and often out of stock, so get 5 of them while you can. I wanted 15"rims but I had to compromise and take 16" because THERE WERE ONLY 4 LEFT IN ALL OF ONTARIO! :( I put the 5th on backorder and got it off the next production run.

My choice of 15" was based on off-roading possibilities. I wanted something I could air down to crawl with. The Duratracs are fabulous in mud. I chose black rims for a blacked out look. Have fun!

 

Hey folks,
Thanks for the advice. I'll keep my eyes open for any deals on the Duratracs, as I'm not in big rush to spend the extra $. Just added baby #2 to the family last week :)