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Question about Snow Tires of same size as stock

Robellion

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Hi all- I'm a little confused about a snow tire search I was doing. I have a 2021 Sport S Unlimited and did some research about good snow tires and decided on:

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/wrangler-duratrac

My stock tires (these came with the Crystal Granite Wheel upgrade) are:

https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tire/dueler-at-rh-s/#

They work great, but I am in very snowy country upstate NY and was told to go more robust on the Winter tires. When doing a search for the exact size to match my stock (in this case on Walmart's website) the site said they are the wrong tires for my car. Though when I do the search on Goodyear's site, that caution doesn't pop up. Matching exact size as stock, which is 245/75/17.
So as long as it matches in size I should be good to go right? I believe the actual size that comes up on the Goodyear page indicates as:

LT245/75R17 - which is "Light Truck" and the "R" is radial.

Any help would be welcomed on this- I don't want to spend almost $1400 on the wrong tires!
And, I should get 5 correct?
Cheers

Eric
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R4D4R

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size for size, they should be OK
Also, the Duratracs are NOT a snow tire. They are a extreme weather rated AT. With that said, they do rock in the snow, Ive done 9 New England winters between 2 sets and they are almost unstoppable. However, they are NOT a snow tire. Side by side, a dedicated snow will outperform a DT all day. Ive never gotten stuck with my DTs, however, and Ive done some winter wheeling and powering through 12" of unplowed pow on the street without even blinking
 

ForeOSU

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Why would you need 5? They are a seasonal tire - only get 4 and save some cash.

Also, a true snow tire is a unreal difference from anything else. I came from a 440hp G8 GT before my Jeep and drove 10 winters with true snow tires on. That rear wheel drive beast was outstanding in the snow with those tires on. Bridgestone Blizzaks is what I had last (though I think those are more of a car tire vs our size for Jeeps).

If you’re going to spend the money, get a true snow tire.
 

R4D4R

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Why would you need 5? They are a seasonal tire - only get 4 and save some cash.
Duratracs are not just a seasonal tire. You can run them all year. If youre doing it, do get all 5, so you can rotate them all through and get more miles out of the set. Ive gotten 60-65k out of a few sets of them doing the 5 tire rotate
 

tk1700

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I have Duratracs on my 07 JKR. I run them year round. They are awesome on packed snow and deep snow. I've driven several miles on unplowed roads with 18+ inches of fresh snow. 4 Hi and about 20 mph, no problem. I am considering putting them on my Tundra and 2019 JL when they need tires. Also they have the 3 peak and snow flake symbol:

A three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol branded on a tire's sidewall indicates the tire meets required performance criteria in snow testing to be considered severe snow service-rated. Originally used as a designation for winter tires, the 3PMSF symbol is now featured on some all-season and all-terrain tires with snow performance that meets the testing criteria.

  • Testing measures a tire's acceleration traction on medium-packed snow only. Braking and turning on snow, along with ice traction are not components of the test.
  • Tires branded with the 3PMSF symbol are expected to provide improved snow traction beyond a standard M+S branded all-season tire.
Note: 3PMSF-branded all-season and all-terrain tires cannot match the traction of dedicated winter / snow tires in all winter weather conditions and should not be considered a replacement for where and when a dedicated winter tire is needed.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...nally used as a designation for winter tires,
 

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News2me

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You might want to check out General Grabber AT tires. I had a set on my last Jeep and they were fantastic. Very similar to the KO's but cheaper in price. And they are snow rated.
 

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OP: if your Bridgestone Duelers are doing the job, I wouldn’t swap them out. Especially just because someone is telling you to do it.

Bridgestone Duelers get underrated because they look boring, but they are quiet, comfortable, and surprisingly capable.

Duratrac is an excellent winter tire, but they tend to wear unevenly and get noisy by 15,000 miles.

If the Bridgestones are getting you through the winter, I’d just let it be and save the money.
 

aldo98229

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You might want to check out General Grabber AT tires. I had a set on my last Jeep and they were fantastic. Very similar to the KO's but cheaper in price. And they are snow rated.
Agreed. I am a fan on General Grabber ATX —and of KO2. They are both excellent all-around, all-weather tires.

Jeep Wrangler JL Question about Snow Tires of same size as stock F5231799-B143-4F2D-930E-CA036AFA848E
 
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Robellion

Robellion

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OP: if your Bridgestone Duelers are doing the job, I wouldn’t swap them out. Especially just because someone is telling you to do it.

Bridgestone Duelers get underrated because they look boring, but they are quiet, comfortable, and surprisingly capable.

Duratrac is an excellent winter tire, but they tend to wear unevenly and get noisy by 15,000 miles.

If the Bridgestones are getting you through the winter, I’d just let it be and save the money.
Gotcha- And thank you everyone for chiming in. I have property I would like to start driving up partially in deep snow, it's a gradual incline on a dirt road currently covered in 18 inches of powder with a 8-10 inch packed base. I actually got through a few dozen yards but chickened out as not to get stuck. I did have some lighter duty snow chains on the back...which helped. I figure with better snow tires in combo with 4H and stability control turned off, I might take the chance to go further plus having the better tires for off-roading in the future. I do like the Bridgestones for highway I'd have to say, and they work well on packed snow covered roads in 4H. I definitely need more hard-core snow rated tires......
 

Tank the Jeep

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I ran duratracs on a LJ / TJU years ago living in the mountains of NC. They were phenomenal in the snow. I got great wear and the duratracs never got noisy. I used the LT version which I think has a little bit more tread depth than the R version. I found the duratrac a great tire that I used all year long. I would have put them on my JLURD, but Goodyear does not make duratracs in 37.
 

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aldo98229

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Do you know if your Sport S has a rear LSD (limited slip differential)? That alone is going to help a lot in snow.

Also, if you are looking to replace tires for snow use, I’d go slightly wider. You can easily fit a 275 wide tire on stock wheels without rubbing.

Here’s a website I find useful for translating different tire sizes into something I can understand: https://tiresize.com/

On a stock Sport, you’d want to keep your tire under 33 inches tall and 285 mm wide to avoid rubbing.

1 inch = 25 mm. So for instance, going from a 245 to a 275 tire adds 30 mm, or 1.2 inches in width.
 

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When I lived in northern Idaho I had two sets of tires for everything. My winter tires came from a local tire dealership called Les Schwab tires. They have a re-tread snow tire that would accept studs. These tires were amazing, tons of traction. These were not all weather tires, I took them off in spring when things calmed down and the roads warmed up. I never got stuck in my C-101 Commando (1967), My 1996 Suburban or my Tracker, all 4wd. Never used chains.
 
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Robellion

Robellion

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Do you know if your Sport S has a rear LSD (limited slip differential)? That alone is going to help a lot in snow.

Also, if you are looking to replace tires for snow use, I’d go slightly wider. You can easily fit a 275 wide tire on stock wheels without rubbing.

Here’s a website I find useful for translating different tire sizes into something I can understand: https://tiresize.com/

On a stock Sport, you’d want to keep your tire under 33 inches tall and 285 mm wide to avoid rubbing.

1 inch = 25 mm. So for instance, going from a 245 to a 275 tire adds 30 mm, or 1.2 inches in width.
I was thinking about slightly wider tires, but then I also heard that thinner tires also work best in snow- not sure of the facts there! If anybody knows for sure, please chime in.

Not sure about LSD- is this something that is built in to every Jeep? or a trim choice?
Thank you to all who are participating in this thread- I really do appreciate it.
 

aldo98229

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Enter your VIN here and you can pull up the equipment that came on your vehicle from the factory: https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing

Anything that reads Trac-Lok or Limited Slip will be a clue.

Snow is a funny thing: narrower tires work better as long as they are in direct contact with the road. The moment snow starts to accumulate or your belly and axles start to drag on the snow, a wider tire is better because at that point you want the Jeep to "float" over the snow.

The same is true of all-terrain vs mud-terrain: all-terrain tires are more predictable in snow; mud terrains are pretty much useless unless there is a ton of snow, at that point mud-terrains are better.
Not knowing what kind of snow conditions you encounter, IMO a 275-285 wide all-terrain tire is going to give you the best setup for a wide variety of snow conditions.
 

01tj

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Agreed. I am a fan on General Grabber ATX —and of KO2. They are both excellent all-around, all-weather tires.

Jeep Wrangler JL Question about Snow Tires of same size as stock F5231799-B143-4F2D-930E-CA036AFA848E
Are those steel or aluminum? Either way I like the look.

I was thinking about slightly wider tires, but then I also heard that thinner tires also work best in snow- not sure of the facts there! If anybody knows for sure, please chime in.

Not sure about LSD- is this something that is built in to every Jeep? or a trim choice?
Thank you to all who are participating in this thread- I really do appreciate it.

Skinny tires perform better in snow and also most other situations you would put your Jeep in.

“Because there is low friction on the road, having greater pressure on the road is more important than having more surface area. Therefore, narrow tires perform better when the roads are covered with snow, since they can dig deeper into the snow, providing more traction”.

Check out some of the overlanding forums and read why they almost always favor skinny tires.

The limited slip is an option that IIRC also comes with the 3.73 gears and upgraded (D44) axle
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