tires for 2WD 86

[thejum57]

Hi guys, I have 225/70/15's on my truck and need a new tire (used) for inspection sticker. An older post said some trucks came with 195 tires. Could those be mounted on my wheels? And if I got 2 for the front, could I leave the 225's on the rear?   Being smaller / cheaper tires, I would really consider getting 2 new ones, then 2 more a little later on.

Thanks!

 

[Eagle]

195/75-15 (not 70) was the smallest factory tire size for the '86  XJ and MJ. Will 195/75s fit on your wheels? That depends on what you have for wheels. If you have factory Jeep base wheels, which are 6 inches wide, the 195s will fit fine. If you have 7-inch rims, 195s will go on but they are not recommended for that size rim. 195s should not be mounted on 8-inch or wider rims.

 

Keep in mind that an inspector may not give you a pass if you have mixed tire sizes on the vehicle.

[gogmorgo]

If you're looking used, 235/75/15 is one of the most common tire sizes, and can likely be picked up cheap, and they will fit whichever rims you have.

[87Chief]

Yes, I would get a set of matching 4 tires. You never know with the inspector (although SC you don't have to be inspected), but I think it's safer with a matching set.

[Eagle]

None of the factory sizes on the XJs and MJs were 70-series, they were all 75-series. And the 70 vs. 75 does make a difference.

 

{Edit}Correction: I think the Briarwood XJ might have had 70-series tires for a year or two. And my wife's 2000 XJ Classic has 70-series 16" tires, 225/70-16 that are exactly the same size as a 225/75-15.{/edit}

 

A 225/70-15 is nominally 27.4" in diameter. To match that, it falls between a 205/75-15 (27.10" diameter) and a 215/75-15 (27.7" diameter). But I would not expect an inspector to be that knowledgeable about tires and tire sizes. I would expect that he's going to want to see four tires of the same size, because the vehicle came from the factory with four tires of the same size.

 

Dunno how tight money is for you. Last autumn I picked up a set of five Kumho ATs, with about 50% to 60% tread remaining, already mounted on Jeep rims, for $200 from Craigslist. You can often get really good prices on used tires from junkyards.