Greetings,

Just picked up a E and it's still running the OEM Wranglers, pretty severely worn. So, I need new rubber and have spent the past week reading and rereading the forum, hoping to gain some in sight into tire selection. The forum has an awesome amount of info, possibly too much info. My mind is spinning with all the recommendations. I thought I'd post with my specific desires and see if some of you driving in similar locales could narrow the field for me.

So, who has a solution for 8 months of rain, 2 months of occasional rain interspersed with great bits of sun, and 2 months of black ice? No flames, I love the NW but my main driving concerns are around a good tire for our rainy conditions and the few days we sometimes get snow. I get a little off the beaten path now and then, and certainly prefer the agressive look of the all terrain tires but I don't need something for climbing mountains or crossing mud bogs.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Come to the bbq this Saturday (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36101) and check them out in person!

yes You can see my toyo's235/65 r/16. ask me how good they are! junebug and I are also mm and I think thinkpower is magnisium metallic too!

BBQ sounds great, unfortunately I'll be winging my way to Texas. I'll have to keep my eyes open and see what I can find. Thanks

Dang, maybe next time. I have Cooper Discoverer somethingorotherers but don't ever off-road and have 2wd so I'm not sure it's a perfect comparison. paulj has the same ones, IIRC, so maybe search for his posts and Discoverer to find his comments - he takes the Element more places than I do!

quite a number of PNWers (and a few displaced ones like me) love the Nokian WR-SUV

I'm hoping I'll make the next one also Junebug. I had Cooper Discoverer's on an Exploder and liked them. Way better than the Wranglers that went on it next. I noticed the Nokian's were also popular. What size are you running? 225s or 235s? Sure appreciate the help.

I have the Discovers ATR in the 225 width. While I can fit snow chains over them, I would not want to go any wider.

Cooper tires tend to have square shoulders, i.e. a wide tread relative to their section width. When I first brought the Element home, the difference in tread width between the Wranglers, and HP category Coopers (actually, their Mastercraft label) on my RAV4 was obvious (same size tires, 215/70/16).

When I got my ATRs, Cooper only offered the HP category in the 215 width. Now several sizes are available in that size, so I don't think there is a strong reason to go wider than stock.

paulj

What size are you running? 225s or 235s? Sure appreciate the help.

I'll have to look tomorrow and hope to remember to post!

Paulj - Help me out, what's HP category? I have the Wrangler HPs on the E now. I didn't realize it was a type of tire across different manufacturers. The Coopers I had on the Ford were AT's I believe. Thinking back what I liked about their appearance was the square shoulders so that's good input on the size vs. chain clearance. The Coopers were excellent in the snow.

I should have written 'HT' rather than 'HP'. One is more 'highway touring', the other 'high... performance'.

What I had in mind was the Discoverer HT
http://www.coopertire.com/html/products/tires_suv.aspx?page=discoverer_ht
This is the one that is supposed to replace OEM highway-allseason tires like the Wrangler HPs (do I have those letters right?). It's a good solid tire, long treadwear warranty, more circumferential grooves than the Wranglers, and not as prone to going bald on the shoulders. Also generous siping (for winter). Note the Cooper site has a good 'comparison matrix', giving an idea of the relative performance of their tires in various areas.

I have Mastercraft Courser HTR on my RAV4, and have no complaints about them.

Cooper now has a Sport HP in Element sizes. They give it better wet traction ratings, but poorer snow. That is because it has good directional water evacuation grooves, but not sipes. Dry traction is better, but at the cost of treadwear.

ATRs have good wet traction due to deep lateral grooves, but they are not as quiet, and don't have as good dry traction (as the HTs). In Seattle area you see plenty of Toyo or Open Country tires with a similar tread pattern. The ATR replaced an earlier AT model (all-terrain).

If you really want the offroad look, the S/T in 225/75/16 size might fit. Note though that its wet traction isn't great. Its winter traction isn't quite as good either, due to lack of sipes. However, deep snow requires a different tread than ice.

If you needed to drive in the mountains a lot in winter, the M+S model is an option. Actually you may have to choose the Mastercraft Courser MSR to get the 215/70/16 size.

paulj

Thanks for all the great info Paulj

Greetings,

Just picked up a E and it's still running the OEM Wranglers, pretty severely worn. So, I need new rubber and have spent the past week reading and rereading the forum, hoping to gain some in sight into tire selection. The forum has an awesome amount of info, possibly too much info. My mind is spinning with all the recommendations. I thought I'd post with my specific desires and see if some of you driving in similar locales could narrow the field for me.

So, who has a solution for 8 months of rain, 2 months of occasional rain interspersed with great bits of sun, and 2 months of black ice? No flames, I love the NW but my main driving concerns are around a good tire for our rainy conditions and the few days we sometimes get snow. I get a little off the beaten path now and then, and certainly prefer the agressive look of the all terrain tires but I don't need something for climbing mountains or crossing mud bogs.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

I've been runnin' Michellin LTX M/S on "da lunchbox" since 1/08/07. (that was right around the crazy snow/wind/ice times.) the LTX's plowed right through EVERYTHING with NO PROBLEMS. I'm also an avid snowboarder that heads up to the passes at least twice a week and I can tell you from my personal experience that these tires are pretty damn good.(I've also ran these on my 95 Jeep Grand in the past.)

I'm runnin' 225's and after months of calculating and documenting gas mileage. I'm around 22-23 mpg (not great but acceptable. I'm about 50/50 on city and hwy drivin'.)

another good tire is the Goodyear Tripletreds, I'm runnin' those on my girl's 07 pilot; nice tire, handled great in the crazy weather also. I picked up both of my sets from Discount tires at Northgate.

I assume that, generally speaking, a wider tire give better traction, but increases fuel usage? Is there a big difference between a 215 and a 225? Oddly, the 225/70-r16 Michelin LTX M/S is actually $15/tire cheaper then the 215's at Discount Tire. That doesn't seem to make much sense to me.

Changing the tire width changes the shape of the contact patch, but does not necessarily change its area. There is tirerack technote discussing how the handling of a wider, shorter contact patch compares with a narrower, longer one. I question whether the average driver could tell the difference between a 225 and 215.

paulj