The tires supplied with the Sport are "all season" P205/70R16. Up here in The Great White North "all season" means spring/summer/fall only. So I'm searching for a P205/70R16 winter tire and not having much luck. To get close to the same O.D. = 27.3", I would have to go to 15" rims (P225/70R15 Goodyear Ultra Grip or P215/70R15 Bridgestone Blizzak). Now, getting an extra set of rims is what I usually do but it would be nice if I could use the existing 16" steel rims for snows and put the existing "all season" tires on some nice 16" alloy rims. Has anyone come across a P205/70R16 winter tire yet?

try a 215...

http://www.tiretrends.com

ask them about VWDOV (dubforums) and mention my name 'deltaboy' for a 10% discount

A P215/70/R16 has an O.D. = 27.9". That's tolerable (+.6") but getting within .1" of 27.3" would be better.

You could also step up to the optional tire size, P215/60 17, Michelin has the X Ice in that size.

There are plenty of choices for a 215/65-16 in winter tires (this would only be 0.2" smaller in diameter). You should be able to go up to the 215/70-16 also (all are smaller than the optional 215/65-17 Goodyear SR-A tire).

Wayne

P215/65R16 does seem to be the closest fit on 16" rims but I still find it annoying that Jeep picked such an uncommon tire size (P205/70R16) for the Sport.

Maybe next winter all of the tire carriers will have a better selection of winter "steelies" for people to choose from? At least you are lucking out with winter wrapping up in the next few months.

Wow - your really splitting hairs Needing true winter tires within 0.1 of Stock !! And +0.6 is only "Tolerable"

0.1 inch means 0.05 ride height difference You'll see that just from tire pressure changes.

The Jeep spirit is about being individuals I'm glad they picked an odd size - I'll never have to worry about having just another stock SUV -- it will always have "MY" choice in tires

Mine is getting Winterforce tires - 215/70-16 but they are also available in 215/65-16 for those who cannot climb that extra 0.3 inches into the cab

I have Winterforce on my Grand Cherokee and Wrangler - the directional tread works great in snow and on ice. And... they are cheap!!!

But take them off before summer- the soft compound wears pretty fast on dry pavement

It's not about height difference, it's about speedometer difference. 215/70-16 is 2% error on the speedometer. And it's not really about speedometer difference (honest officer, I was only going...) but about how the computer controlling the CVT will behave when fooled about the speed. I also recall something about more wear and tear on the brakes. It's usually best to keep these things as close to design spec as possible.

I have not driven on the Wrangler SRA tires. However, my XJ has the standard Wrangler RT/S tires. At least for me, they are a very good "all season" tire. I did not have any trouble in a recent blizzard that dumped 14" of snow, blowing about by 30 mile per hour winds, driving 50 miles to work at 3 AM. Most snow plows were still in the highway garages at that hour.

The nice thing with the RT/S--and probably the SRA tires--you don't need to switch from summer to winter. They are a good all around tire--even for mild off roading. Treadlife is amazing with the RT/S. The XJ has 242,000 miles and this is my third set of tires.

For my wife's JGC, I will probably switch to either the SRA or the Wrangler Silent Armor, from the current Wrangler ST tires she now has. The ST are very quiet, but they have worn extremely fast.

I ordered mine with the steel wheels...I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much extra for the alloy rims...I think I'll be able to get something better in the aftermarket soon...but I had always thought I would use the steel during the winter months...I'm worried about throwing off the computer or CVT with tires that are a different O.D. Does the dealership have to reprogram anything when you buy with the alloy vs steel wheels? or are they the same O.D. with different rim sizes?

A guy I know with a compass put on Nokian WR's and loves them - He lives in the great north as do I and I am looking at these for my escape (235/70/16) but they come in (215/70/16)

http://www.tirefactory.net/WRSUVSpecs.htm

Steel 16" all season use 205/70-16 = 27.3" O.D.
Alloy 17" all season use 215/60-17 = 27.2" O.D.
Alloy 17" all terrain option use 215/65-17 = 28.0" O.D.
Does the all terrain option require FD2?

No you can get the 17" and OWL 215/65/17 all terrain tires on the sport model without FD2 - its the option wheel and tires group.

toirtap

well you got me on the speedo thing - by mathematical calculation yes the 215/70-16 would be 2% bigger - and you'd be going 66.3 MPH when the speedo read 65

Most on-line calculators will verify this - because they are not real world

Almost all will also tell you
205/70-16 = 739 Revs per mile
215/70-16 = 724 revs per mile based on good old high school math

but check the manufactures numbers for some tires 215/70-16
uniroyal tp - 742
winterforce - 744
wrangler hp - 750
avon ranger- 753

That's a 1% difference for the same size tire from different mfg and all are significantly diff than the calculator - Why??

Because the tire manufactures use a number based on std air pressure and load. All tires "Squash Down" to a different rolling diameter based on their design. In fact there's an SAE spec telling them how to do it

so 1 % of the 2% can be made up by getting a squishier tire if you are really that concerned

then there's tread depth - Most tires have about 11to13/ 32nds depth That's .4 inches - more than the .3 you are worried about and will make up another 1% or so of variation as they wear

Do you really think that the CVT will be so sensitive it will be out of wack when the tread depth gets to 1/2 normal on stock tires??

My money is on buying the bigger tires - let a little air out for better traction in the snow - and take a good looking women along for extra weight (not too much)

combine those two things - and the real rolling diameter of the tires will be the same as the stock tires - the cops will like you - the cvt will like you - and everyone else will like the girl.

Does the dealership have to reprogram anything when you buy with the alloy vs steel wheels? or are they the same O.D. with different rim sizes?


We can usually re-program to any stock size with the Starscan. They were giving us non-stock sizes for a while, but took that option away. When we change it with the scanner it changes more then just pinion factor for the speedo, I believe it also affects ESP/ABS etc. The scanner doesnt just ask us the size, it also asks which brand and model tire.

good point ktek01

the fact they ask brand and model means the data base must take into consideration the rolling diameter the manufacturers supply

We can usually re-program to any stock size with the Starscan. They were giving us non-stock sizes for a while, but took that option away. When we change it with the scanner it changes more then just pinion factor for the speedo, I believe it also affects ESP/ABS etc. The scanner doesnt just ask us the size, it also asks which brand and model tire.
Ahhh, so that's how they do it. Good to know. Can the tire shops do this or do I have to bring it back to the Jeep dealer?

Thanksfor the headsup...I'll stick with factory size rims/tires to keep things simple..and the dealer can reprogram as necessary..but good to know..never thought about the esp..good point...Thanks:smiley_thumbs_up:

http://www.dunlop.ca/dunlopca/results_size.jsp

I think this winter Dunlop may be what you are looking for
GRANDTRECK SJ6 it comes in 205/70/16

what about this Dunlop GRANDTRECK SJ6 205/70/16
it says winter tire

http://www.dunlop.ca/dunlopca/results_size.jsp

It's not about height difference, it's about speedometer difference. 215/70-16 is 2% error on the speedometer. And it's not really about speedometer difference (honest officer, I was only going...) but about how the computer controlling the CVT will behave when fooled about the speed. I also recall something about more wear and tear on the brakes. It's usually best to keep these things as close to design spec as possible.

I wouldn't worry about that as the dealer can adjusted the spedo with their Starscan tool.


Cheers

Tony

So what does the dealer charge to adjust the computer for tire size? It seems that many of us will have to get re-scanned because of the goofy tire size on our sports when purchasing winter tires.

I find this site useful for calculating tire differences:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

I think that most of the size comparisons that you are talking about are negligible. Most speedometers and our interpretations of the speedometers are not that accurate.

I bought some Toyo Open Country A/T 215/70/16's this weekend because I just did not want those street tires for the winter here in WA. I wanted to go up to a 235/70/16 but my tire store told me I'd have to go to a wider rim than the stock one because the 235's are not designed to go on a rim as narrow as the stock patriot and might cause some premature wear. So this winter I'll use these A/T style tires and then buy some nicer rims(which I want to do anyway-thinking of Ultra's 44 Magnum's) and a good mud terrain tire.

so I want some hakkapelitta 2s on my sport riot - the post above suggests that 235/60/16 is too wide for the stock rims, which is unfortunate since that would be only a -0.7% decrease in diameter - how about 225/60/16s - a -2.5% difference - any thoughts?

this goofy tire size thing is turning out to be the most annoying thing about the riot...

The tires supplied with the Sport are "all season" P205/70R16. Up here in The Great White North "all season" means spring/summer/fall only. So I'm searching for a P205/70R16 winter tire and not having much luck. To get close to the same O.D. = 27.3", I would have to go to 15" rims (P225/70R15 Goodyear Ultra Grip or P215/70R15 Bridgestone Blizzak). Now, getting an extra set of rims is what I usually do but it would be nice if I could use the existing 16" steel rims for snows and put the existing "all season" tires on some nice 16" alloy rims. Has anyone come across a P205/70R16 winter tire yet?
I had the same issue with finding that tire size and it is just not common. What I did do was buy some 17" wheels and TOYO GO2 PLUS 215/65/17 tires (great tire for winter) they stand about 7/10ths of an inch taller and are a bit slower than stock which will bring your rpm's down by about 200 or so at 110 kilometers per hour.

The tires supplied with the Sport are "all season" P205/70R16. Up here in The Great White North "all season" means spring/summer/fall only. So I'm searching for a P205/70R16 winter tire and not having much luck. To get close to the same O.D. = 27.3", I would have to go to 15" rims (P225/70R15 Goodyear Ultra Grip or P215/70R15 Bridgestone Blizzak). Now, getting an extra set of rims is what I usually do but it would be nice if I could use the existing 16" steel rims for snows and put the existing "all season" tires on some nice 16" alloy rims. Has anyone come across a P205/70R16 winter tire yet?

Check this tire on http://tireeasy.com
Select size and category (winter tires)
Model offered
Dunlop
Grandtrek SJ 6 205/70 R16 97Q BSW

I'm using 235/65-17 on my stock Patriot wheels. They're Goodyear Ultragrip's. Fit is good and no rubbing on normal driving (for offroading I took the heat-blower to the plastic fenders to bend one notch in about 1/3 inch) and the speedo isn't off too much (actually now it's 'dead on', compared to the 10% it was off on the stock tires).

I decided not to sweat the computers and put on 215/70/16 Cooper Discoverer M&S (studded) on the riot. 2% speedo difference. Riot seems to drive straighter, it seems more "jeepy." Damn good tires, union made in the ol USA.
Of course, now it won't snow for another month...

I'm thinking about buying Winter Tires & Winter Rims - does anyone know what kind of alarm the Compass / Patriot has if it doesn't detect tire pressure?

Is there a chime? Does the chime stop?
Just an error message on the readout screen?

We had our first real snow of the winter today. I drove around in my stock Goodyear 16" tires and was very impressed with the grip. I'll just stick with these.

I also have the 16" steel Rims. I found that there is only one manufacture of tires that has this size for winter. Dunlop has the GRANDTREK SJ6 winter tire. I have 4 of them on my PAT and the traction is incredible. See this link for more information.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Grandtrek+SJ6

Happy Snowy Trails

I also have the 16" steel Rims. I found that there is only one manufacture of tires that has this size for winter. Dunlop has the GRANDTREK SJ6 winter tire. I have 4 of them on my PAT and the traction is incredible. See this link for more information.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Grandtrek+SJ6

Happy Snowy Trails
What is the exact size of your tires? Because my stock ones (Michelin HydroEdge) are 215/60/R17, and my winter ones (Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60) are 235-60-R16, so I don't think the only tire company that has a tire this size is Dunlop...

I just drove out to the farm. It's 10 klms. Whiteout. Over 30cms of snow and more to come. The road was not plowed. Went through 3 foot drifts to feed the horses. I'v got the Goodyear Express M/S that came with the Pat. Works for me.

What is the exact size of your tires? Because my stock ones (Michelin HydroEdge) are 215/60/R17, and my winter ones (Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60) are 235-60-R16, so I don't think the only tire company that has a tire this size is Dunlop...

The size is P205/70R16 that came from the factory. with goodyear all seasons.

Riot in snow = AWSOME! Nuff said...

Riot in snow = AWSOME! Nuff said...

I gotta tell ya, I was a bit nervous after reading about the less than stellar experiences folks have had with the Goodyear Wrangler SR-As, Frankly, mine are awesome. Granted I reserve the right to see if they are still awesome many many miles from now but at 8000kms in heavy snow and slush - awesome!

I got the Firestones on the car unfortunately...but they will get me thru the winter...we just got 2700mi on the car...in the summer maybe some new wheels, if not, some good summer tires, and then some blizzaks for the winter...we shall see...

Not to impressed with the wrangler SR-A's. Even in 4wd still got stuck in packed snow. Gues it's time for the Nokian's and a lift from rocky road.;)

How do you like them in the snow and ice? Gorge in White Salmon, WA

For all the Canadian Pat owners there is a Markeplace Report on CBC TV at 7:30 pm on Wednesday Jan. 30. They will be testing winter tires. I always found Markeplace to be a good program when they do test reporting.

I did my snow tire testing today, with 6" of wet sticky Vancouver snow that compacts into ice quite quickly.

The drive to work today (on the 17" SR-A with 1000 km wear on them) was unbelievable boring! The Patriot just stuck to the road, up and down hills and went exactly where I pointed the wheels. I didn't need to put it in 4X4 mode at all, and was pushing slowly through bumper high snowbanks.

I'm quite impressed with the snow performance of the Pat.

I just wish it would do donuts in the parking lot, but no luck. AWD and stability control won't allow it, even if I turn off the ESP.

Put ice-x on new Patriot Trail Rated and they are totally awesome. We live on dirt road in snow country (got 3' in 30 hours the other day) and tha Patriot is outstanding. I've never used these type of tires before. always had AT's or snow tires with studs. These tires act like they are on rails.

I just wish it would do donuts in the parking lot, but no luck. AWD and stability control won't allow it, even if I turn off the ESP.
You can drift and do donuts... Just turn the 4x4 lock on, and hold down on the ESP button for 5 seconds until it says ESP OFF. ;)

what a pain tires are for this vehicle....i have an 08 patriot north edition and it seems only good year makes the right sized tire......any one else find any other brands????i would like to try something other than the eagle LS 2 that came on stock

Try going up or down a size 215/65/17 is a stock size and have quite a few different makers now.

Or if you've got 16" wheels try 215/65/16 or 215/70/16 all have quite a few tire makers.

There are other choices, I think Heckler has a post where he lists all the tires that fit, based on other folks putting them on their Pats.

Here's the thread you want to look at, there's another one for 16" wheels too.

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19625