Hello all! Just bought my first Jeep, a 1997 TJ 2.5L manual. The Jeep came with 16” rims outfitted with Goodyear Wrangler 265/75R16 tires. My question is: using a GPS speedometer I can only get going about 70mph with the pedal to the floor and my gas mileage is atrocious on the freeway. Is there a better tire as far as getting improved freeway speed and gas mileage? How bad are the wheels that I currently have hurting my performance? My main objective with the Jeep is a fun summer vehicle with the top off that I can take from southwest MI to norther MI often on the weekends and therefore a lot of freeway driving between those two points. Don’t plan on doing much hardcore off-roading. Thank you in advance for your recommendations!
Wheel and tire recommendations
- Thread starter 1997RedTJ
- Start date
Rubicon88
TJ Addict
well....
Any tire that will fit in stock height isn't the problem.
It's the engine.
2.5 4 cylinders really lack on power.
A 31" tire almost renders 5th gear useless (assuming you have a manual)
Your best bet to get the most out of your situation.
235 75 15 tires or it's 16" equivalent. Thats about all you can do to help that 4 cylinder out.
A 235 70 16 tire is nearly identical to the 15" size i mentioned.
Honestly if I'm not mistaken the oem tire with package Jeep would've been 215 75 15
So if you really want the most performance from the 2.5 engine look for some 215 70 16 and keep the wheels.
Good luck
Any tire that will fit in stock height isn't the problem.
It's the engine.
2.5 4 cylinders really lack on power.
A 31" tire almost renders 5th gear useless (assuming you have a manual)
Your best bet to get the most out of your situation.
235 75 15 tires or it's 16" equivalent. Thats about all you can do to help that 4 cylinder out.
A 235 70 16 tire is nearly identical to the 15" size i mentioned.
Honestly if I'm not mistaken the oem tire with package Jeep would've been 215 75 15
So if you really want the most performance from the 2.5 engine look for some 215 70 16 and keep the wheels.
Good luck
Last edited:
Great advice. And don't worry about monster tires and big lift kits. Go through all the Jeep's systems thoroughly. Clean and flush the drivetrain components, radiator, power steering, flush the brake system. Then just enjoy your Jeep. See what it can and can't do. Read up in the forum. It can answer many of your questions.
I second (or third) that ... as a new TJ owner and someone basically new to 'wheelin in general, I've mostly been occupied catching my new-to-me rig up on basically normal maintenance/repair/replacement to make sure I've got a good baseline while I learn about the platform and upgrade paths to avoid bolting whistles and bells onto a way more expensive problem. I could undoubtedly spend every cent of every paycheck on my Jeep (happily), so its not like there's a short to-do list.
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