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.

 

215/65-16

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.

 

Winterforce tires

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


Cheers

Tony

 

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?

 

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.

 

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.

 

tire size and actual speed diff

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.

 

good point ktek01

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

 

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

 

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.

 

Website

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...

 

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.

 

205/70R16 winter tire for the Patriot 16'' wheel



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).