Tire rot. ...

[ttuseth]

So I have been mindful and worried about my tires since buying my cj. .. PO said it hadn't moved much in 10 years. Went to run a short errand today and noticed a weird feel to the road and an odd area sticking out from the tire. I immediately turned around and put it back in the garage.

It still has air but appears to be split all the way across.
Tires are bfg 32 x 11.5 x 15.....
What sizes should I be looking for on Craigslist and eBay for replacements? Would like to not break the bank, I don't do much wheeling and won't until I get quite a few more things fixed and addressed.
I have a 4 in lift.

Anybody ever seen this?

 

[caveman]

I've seen it before but not as bad as that. A 32 or 33 inch all terrain would probably work good for you if you don't do much wheeling.

 

[CJAKE7]

I have a bit of the same issue and like you don't have an extra grand around to replace them. I run BFG ATs as well - good all around tire and not too expensive comparatively. 32" are hard to find used. 31" & 33" are more popular. If you can get lucky and find a good full set used - great. If not, find a replacement single tire now and drive mismatched till you are further along in your project(and till you can save up some money- I have been saving for two years for a gear swap which will be happening soon). Just make sure you have a good spare and a jack if another tire decides to let you down.

 

[Petescj]

I wouldn't be going anywhere on those tires. From the looks of it you dodged a bullet once already. 33s will fit with 4 inches of lift , finding 32s is harder now alas most tire manufacturers go right from 31s to 33s. If you have the stock gearing in your axles I'd drop down to 31s before going to 33s. I just priced some M/T Coursers at Jack Williams tires 31/10.5/15 for $145 each. There's a pic below. I'm leaning toward them if I can't find 32s for my Scrambler.

 

[Turbogus]

Years ago I was rolling up I-5 heading back to base in a lifted '77 Chevy Blazer running Buckshot Wide Mudders, when one of them got a chunk tore out of the lugs and instantly went flat. Boogien around 65 it took some doing to get it to the shoulder safely in the wall to wall traffic around Olympia.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Petescj-If you see allot of rain where you live. You will hate that tread pattern.
They look very close to BFG's mud tire, and they were the worst tires in the rain I have ever driven.
LG

 

[ttuseth]

I've seen other mentions of going with 31 instead of 33.... what difference in feel or ride will I have when changing from these rotten 32?
You mention gearing, if I'm not doing to much offroading why would that matter?

 

[Hedgehog]

It is likely that you won't actually feel any difference, but your speedometer will notice. I am a firm believer that 31x10.5x15's are very good CJ tires. They are a little bigger than stock, they are plentiful and can be had in a number of tread styles. I've always run 31's on my jeeps and never felt that a bigger tire would help get me where I wanted to go. Also the bigger you go in tire size the heavier the tire is which takes more driveline to properly control. I'm running Coopers on my CJ, time will tell on them.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

I've seen other mentions of going with 31 instead of 33.... what difference in feel or ride will I have when changing from these rotten 32?
You mention gearing, if I'm not doing to much offroading why would that matter?

Takes more HP/torque to turn the bigger stuff.
You don't want to be lugging the engine.
What R&P ratio do you have?
4" lift will clear 33's with ease.
LG

 

[Petescj]

Petescj-If you see allot of rain where you live. You will hate that tread pattern.
They look very close to BFG's mud tire, and they were the worst tires in the rain I have ever driven.
LG

They are pretty close to the 1st generation BFG M/T. I had those on my 78 CJ5 and they were a great tire on road and off... with the caveat you mentioned. My CJ5 had a 360 and I was younger and less experienced with the skinny pedal. I turned it around once in the rain and a few times in the snow.


I should've mentioned I'm looking for tires for the Scrambler which are much more forgiving due to the longer wheelbase . Plus it won't be driven in snow or even rain purposely.

To the OP , your axles will have letters stamped in them that will verify what R&P you had from factory. Odds are yours are 2.72 but you may have the slightly deeper 3.31 ratio. If you get under the Cj facing your head to the rear diff the steps letter or letters will be on the diff left side online with the axle tube.

D=2.72
DD=2.72 trac lock
B=3.31
CC=3.31 trac lock

This only works if no one regeared your Cj. If they barely changed tires I'd say odds are good you have stock gear ratios.

 

[ttuseth]

Aaahhhh, spent 3 hrs wrenching on it today including under the back end then I came in and read your post.
The nice thing about being near Houston is what I have access to via Craigslist I can find locally:

31x10.50x15 (2657515)
Lanvigator Catchfors A/T---$440
lanvigator MT $500
Buckshot M/T $500
Kenda Klever M/T---$540

32x11.50x15
comforser MT $540
Kenda Klever M/T---$600


33x12.50x15
Advent A/T $540
Falcon Wildpeak A/T $650
comforser MT $580
Mudstar N889 M/T---$620

Anyone have any favorites or recommendations on any of these?

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Never heard of them. Where are they made?
You don't want or need a "D" load rated tire on a CJ.
LG

 

[Woolyworm]

Buck shots have been around forever. Kenda has been making dirt bike tires for a long time. Falcon is new on the scene but seen to be good tired from what I've seen. BFG ATs are a great tire for all around use - better than all other ATs in my opinion. They wear very well and aired down to 12 lbs or so will get you most places you need to go.


Wooly

 

[Woolyworm]

I've got a AMC 304 with 3.54s and 33's with a T-18 that has a 6.32:1 granny and a 3:1 first. First is fine most of the time but on steeper starts I use the granny to avoid slipping the clutch too much. You probably have s T-150 tranny in yours which has the 3:1. I can't imagine running 33's with a 3:1 first and any thing less than the 3.54 R&P. Typically 3.54 is the lowest you can go without changing the carrier in the axles as well as the gears. A swap to 3.54 is going to cost you about $1000 installed and lower would be more due to the carrier. You could probably find axles with lower gears in them already for less.


Wooly

 

[007]

I have Firestone Destination AT's on my Expedition and I love them. Quiet, great in snow and off-road.

I liked them so much I put 31x10.50x15 Destination MT's on my CJ and they're awesome. No regrets.

Both sets look good, don't look like everybody else's and get the job done.

This conversation is a lot like motor oil, everybody has an opinion. I'm not saying these are the only good tires out there by any means, but I stand by the tires that I have and what I've said about them.

 

[Petescj]

Never heard of them. Where are they made?
You don't want or need a "D" load rated tire on a CJ.
LG

The "D" I was talking about is one of the codes for ring and pinion.

 

[ttuseth]

Took everything into consideration and bought myself 4 new 32x11.5x15 (same size as the ones I'm replaceing) for $580 with tax.

Since I am putting on new rubber I'd like the wheels to be cleaned up.
I think they should be blasted and painted but I've been told that I should just have them coated in plasti dip...
Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations.
The 4 regular wheels are in decent shape.

The spare looks pretty rough

 

[Lumpy Grits]

OP-get the BFG/AT.
Couple cans of spray paint will fix the wheels. Get a deck of cards and stick then around the tires bead where it meets the rim to control overspray.

Petescj-The "D" I spoke of is the load rating for the first tire in the OP's list.
Lanvigator Tires Catchfors A/T LT285/75R16 122/119S D

LG

 

[Petescj]

u

Took everything into consideration and bought myself 4 new 32x11.5x15 (same size as the ones I'm replaceing) for $580 with tax.

Since I am putting on new rubber I'd like the wheels to be cleaned up.
I think they should be blasted and painted but I've been told that I should just have them coated in plasti dip...
Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations.
The 4 regular wheels are in decent shape

What tires did you end up with? I'm looking for 32s as well.

 

[ttuseth]

They are called comforser and they came in the 32x11.5x15 that I was replacing.
Good thing I did this one of the other tires began to split and the other 2 showed lots of dry rot cracks in the treads.