What size tires for the Wagoneer?

[WWI Flying Ace]

So, I am FINALLY picking up the Wagoneer tonight?It has 32" mud king tires and a 4? lift. It is an 81 Wagoneer with a 360 and lots of goodies. I bought it about a month ago on eBay, was a nightmare getting it delivered to me from Nebraska (because of the shipping company, not the seller, seller was great). Then I took it to my mechanic for a checkup to get a clean bill of health. It is finally ready! Getting it tonight! BUT?

My mechanic said that it bounces all over at speed because of the tires, and suggested that I get other tires for summer/street/non off-road days, and keep the big mud kings for when we take it off road on purpose, or for the winter. Obviously I am a noobie at owning a big Jeep so I want to ask the experienced owners...I may do nothing?I love the way the big tires look and I am not looking for sports car handling?hell, I bought a huge Jeep with a 4? lift for a reason, and that reason ain?t ?corners like it is on rails?. Are the mud kings just that way so I should just get used to it?

Or, does anyone have any suggestions for tires that would still look ok with the lift (I am assuming that 32? is a good size still) but would be a bit less floaty on the street? I?m wondering if there is a happy medium tire available that anyone knows about? Mind you, when I say ?happy medium?, I don?t mean ?medium sized tire??but rather style?I?d like to keep the 32? size if possible, or at least stay very close to it?too small tires would be pretty silly looking on a 4? lift?but are there any suggestions for a little more street but still could be mild off road fun tires?

Thanks!

[getlost4x4]

you probably just have some flat spots in the tires from all the time it sat in once place.

fill the tires to there maximum psi rating. take it for drive to get the tires warmed up. the flat spots should come out pretty good. i did that with the tires i have and it worked pretty good.

[WWI Flying Ace]

That is a great suggestion. I'll do that tonight when I pick it up. Thanks!

[Blue & Gray]

Mud Kings are pretty good tires, I have ran them in several different sizes on both of my jeeps over the years. They are a somewhat generic mud tire pattern that many manufacturers use, Mud King, Mud Cat, Power Cat, Mud Rover,Buck Shots, Mud Track etc, different flavors of the same tire. They all sound and act about the same on the road. If your rig is "bouncing" around on the road at speed I would be looking at something else besides tires, especially since your running only running a 32 x 11.50. That is a small tire really, your wag can handle it all day. You may want to investigate your steering dampner, if it's kaput the wag could be skating around a little, mix in some flat spots from sitting etc. How Fresh (treadwise) are the Mud Kings??

A kindler, gentler tire would be an A/T or All Terrain tire. The Brother to the Mud King is The Sport King A/T, which I run on my 97 Ram 4x4. It is a fine tire IMHO, as are B.F. Goodrich A/T's. These are less aggressive tires but can still give good on/off road service, especially compared to your average slick street meats.

[WWI Flying Ace]

Hadn't thought of the steering damper. Hope it isn't that...I don't want to put more $$ into mechanicals for a bit (just had to get the rear brakes done). But will do so if it is necessary. The tires are semi-new...they look ok but the guy I bought the Jeep from said he was thinking of replacing them this summer, so they are probably not in the "keep for years" category. I'll have to get some more time behind the wheel and see. The A/T tires are a great suggestion too...if I end up replacing tires this year I'll probably go in that direction. Thanks for the suggestions!

[ClovisMan]

Hadn't thought of the steering damper. Hope it isn't that...I don't want to put more $$ into mechanicals for a bit (just had to get the rear brakes done). But will do so if it is necessary. The tires are semi-new...they look ok but the guy I bought the Jeep from said he was thinking of replacing them this summer, so they are probably not in the "keep for years" category. I'll have to get some more time behind the wheel and see. The A/T tires are a great suggestion too...if I end up replacing tires this year I'll probably go in that direction. Thanks for the suggestions!

Do the sterring damper yourself. They cost like $35.99 at AutoZone and it's just a few nuts and bolts. (It's basically a short shock absorber.)

[WWI Flying Ace]

Good idea. I have a 4" lift. Is it a standard part , or is it something that might be a different part because of the 4" lift I have?

[smartass_kid]

i believe any that came with a kit might be stronger but a stock should still work. and not all kits came with new ones.

maybe order one from the company the lift kit is from?


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and so are your other post!

[WWI Flying Ace]

Right you are...here is the Beast!

http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=282&pictureid=1766

[djongeward]

Ahhhh, I was wondering about the 32's on a 4" lift. Usually you can only fit 31's without rubbing. You have fender cuts. You should stay with what you have or look into some general trail/street combos. From the looks of it, you could even go bigger if you wanted.

[WWI Flying Ace]

OK, I drove the beast today, first time I have had the chance to take it out and go somewhere...was getting the oil changed and tires rotated in the Solstice (the daily driver) and stayed home from work for a Dr appt. Went about 15 miles out and 15 miles back in the Wagoneer to the Dr...I'm keeping the tires...when it is time to replace them I'll get the ATs everyone is talking about...but for now, the mud kings don't handle that bad on the street and MAN they look GREAT!
Why did I wait so long to buy this Jeep? I LOVE this Jeep!

[Blue & Gray]

The Mud Kings look good on the wag. I favor a mud tire for something that does street/offroad duty. Some brands hold up better than others and you may find yourself let down if you get used to playing (wheelin') on the M/T's then later debut a set of A/T's.

The wag itself presents a very sweet "plain brown wrapper" appeal offset by the belt line chrome. Someone has edited some sheetmetal but it looks like a decent enough cut job. Go with a Rancho steering dampner from advance/autozone, they are pretty good units. Changing it out is cake work. Somebody here probably has good waffle grill for a little bit o' nothin' if you post up. Good luck with your new ride.