Non directional tires on a civilian Jeep

plym49 · Dec 17, 2010

Hi all, I'm new here, not new to life or machinery or MV, but new to this forum. I figure if you have a question, take it to the folks that should know.

I am considering Coker 7.50 x 15 non directional tires for my DD civilian Jeep. But all of my experience with these tires was in the Service, where we were driving at 2 mph off road, or at 15 mph on base, or on the highway in a convoy. Not quite the same as cut and thrust daily driving.

This is the look I am after:

What is the feasibility of using a ND tire on an every day vehicle? I realize that a ND tire would not have the absolute grip as a specialized on- or off-road tire. I am not concerned about the limits of performance, but do wonder if a ND tire will serve well in every day use.

BTW climate-wise I see hot summers and cold winters with a good mix of wet, dry, snow and ice.

Thanks in advance.

emr · Dec 17, 2010

U will soon hear all about the problems some have not understanding the type of tire they are driving and comparing it to a different animal, U seem to already know it is different, my opinion is based on quite a few thousand miles on Jeeps and much larger... NDCCs and NDTs , they are awesome for all u will need , unless u have a lead foot and drive a jeep like a car, ,this is the best way I can do a fast answer, airing up and down is the way to get the awesome ness out of them, but most people put highway air in and get stuck and blame the tire, driver error for sure, they look cool and are, they are hard core off road tires, and will ride and wear like it, that is normal, most do not get that either,they need to be rotated, they are good and i have the time behind the wheel to say it is true, in all conditions, as long as like said air up and down and know how to drive

or are willing to learn ... good luck,

.. oh there are better tires out there today for sure, but none have withstood the test of time these have yet, and there is always a give and take, as for what they are they are great, simple rules are narrow tall tires are better for mud and snow and wider tires are better for sand and rocks, the military uses wider big tires because we fight in sand and rocks just about all the time now, so it makes sense, but they wear terrible on paved roads, and the ndt families will actually wear better and carry a load under very low air conditions when the newer wider radials will have and have been known to have catastrophic side wall failures under heavy loads aired way down. , from my experiences..they are a great jeep tire,.

plym49 · Dec 17, 2010

emr said:
U will soon hear all about the problems some have not understanding the type of tire they are driving and comparing it to a different animal, U seem to already know it is different, my opinion is based on quite a few thousand miles on Jeeps and much larger NDCCs and NDTs , they are awesome for all u will need , unless u have a lead foot and drive a jeep like a car, , is the best way I can do a fast answer, airing up and down is the way to get the awesome ness out of them, but most people put highway air in and get stuck and blame the tire, driver error for sure, they look cool and are, they are hard core off road tires, and will ride and wear like it, that is normal, most do not get that either, they are good and i have the time behind the wheel to say it is true, in all, as long as like said air up and down and know how to drive or are willing to learn ... good luck,

We seem to be on the same page. Even though it is my daily driver, I drive it like a Jeep, not a hot rod or a Ferrari or a pickup truck. I am not too concerned about tire wear as long as I can get more than 10,000 miles out of them. I occasionally drive my Jeep 60-65 mph, and I am considering a cross-country drive with it next year, so I do want tires that will do all right on the highway and maybe in the wet. I am not talking about counting on the tire to take the place of driving talent. Just wondering if these Coker repops are more for parade duty than the real world.

rosco · Dec 17, 2010

They are a great "all around" tire. There are better ones today, for special purposes. As they wear down, their use on snow & ice becomes more related to the skill of the driver. That said, it was probably time to put the chains on anyway, and then the chains trump any tread pattern.

plym49 · Dec 17, 2010

rosco said:
They are a great "all around" tire. There are better ones today, for special purposes. As they wear down, their use on snow & ice becomes more related to the skill of the driver. That said, it was probably time to put the chains on anyway, and then the chains trump any tread pattern.

That's good feedback. You're saying that it's just that snow and ice performance degrades as the 'tread' disappears? (Makes sense.) So they are OK in rain or on the super slab?

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

BTT - Any more opinions? Still wondering if these tires work in the rain and/or highway for daily use.

FireFighterHill · Dec 20, 2010

Have you tried calling Coker and asking for an engineer or specialist?

kevin-m1008 · Dec 20, 2010

The experience I have with NDT's were with my M715 but do not think your experiences will be much different. A few years ago I put new Nanking NDT's 900,16's on my M715 and then used it for a daily driver for 6 months before the motor threw a rod out the side of the block. The tire's were not rain friendly at all on the pavement. I could lock up all 4 wheels at will when the roads were wet. and after a "first rain" it was scary in any kind of panic stop. They lasted ~8k miles. There are better tires for daily use, I would keep the NDT's for show

On he highway the tires worked good, you do get flat spots in the morning but that goes away in a mile or two. The tires are not that loud compared to the top and drive train noise.

YMMV

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

FireFighterHill said:
Have you tried calling Coker and asking for an engineer or specialist?

Actually, I did today. I did not want to call them without getting some forum insight first.

The tech rep stated that their NDT tires would wear crazy fast on the street, and that they are really intended for show or off-road in the dirt.

Sounds like a torpedo below the water line. Too bad.

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

kevin-m1008 said:
The experience I have with NDT's were with my M715 but do not think your experiences will be much different. A few years ago I put new Nanking NDT's 900,16's on my M715 and then used it for a daily driver for 6 months before the motor threw a rod out the side of the block. The tire's were not rain friendly at all on the pavement. I could lock up all 4 wheels at will when the roads were wet. and after a "first rain" it was scary in any kind of panic stop. They lasted ~8k miles. There are better tires for daily use, I would keep the NDT's for show

On he highway the tires worked good, you do get flat spots in the morning but that goes away in a mile or two. The tires are not that loud compared to the top and drive train noise.

YMMV

Your experience jibes with what their tech told me today.

So now the question is which 'civvie' tires to use.

FireFighterHill · Dec 20, 2010

What size tires can you put on the rims?

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

FireFighterHill said:
What size tires can you put on the rims?

The NDT's would have been 7.50 x 15 so I would have had to buy narrower steel rims with the right back spacing.

For the civvie tires, my wheels can handle 31 x 10.5 inch tires and that is what I will get.

FireFighterHill · Dec 20, 2010

To look up tire I need three numbers Like 31 x 10.5/15

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

FireFighterHill said:
To look up tire I need three numbers Like 31 x 10.5/15

Yes, that is the size.

BTW love your sig. TR is sorely missed.

FireFighterHill · Dec 20, 2010

There not cheap but I really like General Grabbers they look military and have an aggressive tread pattern. 31X10.50R15LT, General Grabber-RH1

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

FireFighterHill said:
There not cheap but I really like General Grabbers they look military and have an aggressive tread pattern. 31X10.50R15LT, General Grabber-RH1

That's a really interesting looking tread design. I don't have experience with that brand - are they good all-round dry, rain, snow and ice tires?

I have expensive experience running Bridgestone tires on my DD 4x4. But I have heard that in the smaller size I need for my DD Jeep they are not as good.

XanRa · Dec 20, 2010

emr said:
U will soon hear all about the problems some have not understanding the type of tire they are driving and comparing it to a different animal, U seem to already know it is different, my opinion is based on quite a few thousand miles on Jeeps and much larger... NDCCs and NDTs , they are awesome for all u will need , unless u have a lead foot and drive a jeep like a car, ,this is the best way I can do a fast answer, airing up and down is the way to get the awesome ness out of them, but most people put highway air in and get stuck and blame the tire, driver error for sure, they look cool and are, they are hard core off road tires, and will ride and wear like it, that is normal, most do not get that either,they need to be rotated, they are good and i have the time behind the wheel to say it is true, in all conditions, as long as like said air up and down and know how to drive or are willing to learn ... good luck, .. oh there are better tires out there today for sure, but none have withstood the test of time these have yet, and there is always a give and take, as for what they are they are great, simple rules are narrow tall tires are better for mud and snow and wider tires are better for sand and rocks, the military uses wider big tires because we fight in sand and rocks just about all the time now, so it makes sense, but they wear terrible on paved roads, and the ndt families will actually wear better and carry a load under very low air conditions when the newer wider radials will have and have been known to have catastrophic side wall failures under heavy loads aired way down. , from my experiences..they are a great jeep tire,.

i agree with you all the way except your view on narrow vs. wide

FireFighterHill · Dec 20, 2010

They seem to be all the rage in the offroad forums and magazines. Read some of the reviews they get. What I noticed really is how people say they dont have the HOWL like most tires with similar tread design. And you can find them as cheap as 120 on line but I would call around in your area to see what kind of price you can find.

plym49 · Dec 20, 2010

FireFighterHill said:
They seem to be all the rage in the offroad forums and magazines. Read some of the reviews they get. What I noticed really is how people say they dont have the HOWL like most tires with similar tread design. And you can find them as cheap as 120 on line but I would call around in your area to see what kind of price you can find.

Will do; thanks for the lead!

BFR · Dec 21, 2010

What model jeep?

Non directional tires on a civilian Jeep

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