Sidewall punctures something to consider when replacing tires

Ruby Yellow

Ruby Yellow

Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2022
Messages
26
Location
West Chester, PA
Hi everybody, I am a newbie here and my wife and I just got a clean, bone stock 2004 Rubicon. It needs tires and since we plan to use it as a recreational vehicle where it will see some light off-road duty at an off road park in Eastern PA, I wanted to ask if I should consider tires that have sidewalls that are more puncture resistant than others. We have to drive about an hour and a half to get to the park so I would rather not have something so aggressive that the noise would be a problem and we don't plan to be using the real challenging trails so I am hoping to get some opinions here from people who have had experience off-road. Any help will be appreciated. I decided to stay with the stock size tires.
 
Welcome to the forum. Lots of threads on here about tire preferences. Pro Tip: If you use the Google Search feature, it works much better than the built-in search feature, and then you can read about everyone's favorite tires. But I'll let others answer about sidewall strength.
 
Tire size and, importantly, wheel size will have a good deal to do with sidewall integrity. BF Goodrich AT KOs 35x12.5x15 is what I have had on my jeep for years and do exactly the type of trail type riding you are describing and they have been very durable with no sidewall issues. I am about to get new tires and am thinking of trying some Falken Wildpeak or possibly some Patagonia Milestar M/Ts in the near future. I hear good things about those tires.
 
Mocephus said:
Tire size and, importantly, wheel size will have a good deal to do with sidewall integrity. BF Goodrich AT KOs 35x12.5x15 is what I have had on my jeep for years and do exactly the type of trail type riding you are describing and they have been very durable with no sidewall issues. I am about to get new tires and am thinking of trying some Falken Wildpeak or possibly some Patagonia Milestar M/Ts in the near future. I hear good things about those tires.
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on that first sentence? I think you mean that the tire size and wheel size need a certain relationship to be resistant to sidewall punctures? Just meaning that you don't want the sidewall bulging out and being more exposed?

OP said he's sticking with stock tires, but didn't specify which size.
 
I was not as clear as I could be. In my experience, more rubber around the rim is superior in off-road situations so the guys with the 20" rims on their trucks have more sidewall issues than the LJ's with the 15" wheels like mine. The smaller the wheel and the larger the tire = less sidewall damage even when aired down as a general rule. Stock tires...I missed that last bit. My bad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SSTJ
I am certainly no expert on the Milestar offerings and I just rediscovered this forum but I have owned my '05 LJ since 2007 and have ruined a tire or two along the way.
 
I wouldn't be too concerned about the sidewalls for your intended use. My father took his daily driver LJ all over Pennsylvania and surrounding states. He never had a single issue with the stock A/T tires. There is no tire that does everything well. If you will be driving the Jeep on the highways and through inclement weather I'd prioritize on road performance. If you are just using it for an off road toy then a more aggressive off road tire might be a better choice. I personally have been running Duratracs for several years. Some have complained they have a weak sidewall. I've taken them over lava flows in Oregon, trails in Arizona, and around Moab without issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tob
Doesn't sound like you plan on any hard wheeling so a good AT tire should be fine. When you get into areas where rock and wood hazards are likely reducing your tire pressure not only improves traction, ride, and wear on vehicle components it reduces the chance of getting a sidewall puncture.
 
There aren't allot of options in that size but any all terrain will work fine. I'd stay away from tires with an E load rating. I think Falken makes the Wildpeak AT3W with an XL load rating and that's probably fine. It's a good tire with a tough sidewall as far as all terrains go.
 
Mocephus said:
I am certainly no expert on the Milestar offerings and I just rediscovered this forum but I have owned my '05 LJ since 2007 and have ruined a tire or two along the way.
Click to expand...
Milestar is famous for its garbage tires and its naive, gullible defenders.
 
  • USA Proud
Reactions: TheBoogieman
Top Bottom
Back