Our Overland with the ORA II package was delivered with Michelin Latitude Tour tires, which are characterized by Michelin as an All Season SUV/Crossover tire.
The Jeep info, and the window sticker clearly state "P265/60R18 OWL On/Off Road Tires". I was expecting something like the LTX A/T 2, which is a much more expensive tire.
Are the Latitude Tours what everyone else with the ORA II package received? I'll be following up with the dealer Monday.
Yup. I have those on my Laredo X w/ ORAII and Quadra Lift. Tires look like garbage and from what people say.... aren't worth anything in the snow.
I'm also not a big fan of the 18" painted wheels.
Thinking about upgrading to a more aggressive AT wheel/tire combo. Not sure about 17" or 18"....
I have lots of questions about what wheel/tire could fit... but that's another story.
yep.. ORAII group comes with Latitude Tours. They're not bad tires for what they are, but i went ahead and swapped them out for some ATs that were a little bit bigger.
You are right. The Michelin LTX A/T 2 would have been a much better fit with the ORGII package. Wouldn't hurt to mention this to your dealer (I have to mine).
IMO Jeep should not be watering down their off-road capabilities, and tires are a big part of that.
First thing I did (well 17 miles after leaving the dealer's actually) was to switch the tires and there started the ordeal. 17 inch Ronin wheels with lovely 265/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratrak tires would not fit. They do NOT clear the calipers on the Hemi equipped OVL. They MAY clear the calipers on a Pentastar engined WK2 dunno? Goodyear Duratrak 285/65R18 will NOT fit because of tire contact both in the wells and almost touching the bolt from the upper ball joint. Settled for Goodyear Silent Armor 265/60R18. They have been pretty decent but would have preferred the Duratraks had they fit.
Back in the day before really large diameter wheels were fitted for bling purposes, a larger diameter was usually an indication of bigger brakes, a desire for a lower sidewall, or both.
So what you are saying about the 17s makes total sense.
My last XJ came with Goodyear Wrangler HP tires as standard equipment. Not a full All-Terrain, but they had a reasonably aggressive tread, not a touring tire. I would have preferred something closer to that.
My new overland also came with Michelin touring tires in the adventure package. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth asking for a credit since the package was supposed to come with off/on road tires instead which I believe are much more expensive. What was the result of speaking with your dealer?
I have a Laredo X package with the ORA II and a Hemi and it came with the Latitudes. I had my Jeep off roading in the mud a little bit already and the tires did just fine. It was nothing crazy and only some mud and some slippery muddy hills but they did good. When these wear out I will be probably getting the Nitto Terra-Grappler tires, I like how they look. I don't know about wheels though, I don't like any of the wheels on Tire Rack when they are displayed on the vehicle. Hopefully in a few years when I am ready, they have more wheels and maybe a lift available for some bigger tires.
I have a Laredo X package with the ORA II and a Hemi and it came with the Latitudes. I had my Jeep off roading in the mud a little bit already and the tires did just fine. It was nothing crazy and only some mud and some slippery muddy hills but they did good. When these wear out I will be probably getting the Nitto Terra-Grappler tires, I like how they look. I don't know about wheels though, I don't like any of the wheels on Tire Rack when they are displayed on the vehicle. Hopefully in a few years when I am ready, they have more wheels and maybe a lift available for some bigger tires.
I have to drive off road for work at times so I told my dealer that he had to swap out the tires to make the sale- they did and based on TireRack.com I had them put on the Goodyear silent armor ATs. Very good tire!!! I have 50K on them now and I'm sure I can get another 25k on them. I used to have the Terra Grappler's on my 4Runner and they were SWEET!!!! Looked aggressive but also handled very well.
Not legal for winter use? Wow. The last time I heard of any laws around here pertaining to winter use tires said that you could be ticketed if you got stuck on a snow emergency route unless you had tires that were designated by the manufacturer as "snow tires" or if you had radial tires. That was back in the 1970's in Maryland. Since virtually all tires sold today are radials, any tire should be legal according to that outdated law, but I've never heard of any law introduced since then that would have updated it.
Note that "Rage" is in Canada where the laws are somewhat different. Given their amount of cold weather and snow, I could see how they may need to legislate against stupidity (people running summer tires) as a matter of safety for those sharing the roads.
Our Overland with the ORA II package was delivered with Michelin Latitude Tour tires, which are characterized by Michelin as an All Season SUV/Crossover tire.
The Jeep info, and the window sticker clearly state "P265/60R18 OWL On/Off Road Tires". I was expecting something like the LTX A/T 2, which is a much more expensive tire.
Are the Latitude Tours what everyone else with the ORA II package received? I'll be following up with the dealer Monday.
For those who asked, I have not heard anything useful back from the dealer. The dealer's sales manager said he called the zone rep for Jeep, who took my info and said he'd "take care of it". When I followed up with the sales manager this week, he related the above and was surprised I hadn't been contacted, so he will follow up again. He also suggested I call the customer hotline, which I plan to do as a backup.
Clearly if they are shipping thousands of vehicles with the Latitude Tours, I doubt Jeep will want to set a precedent by swapping tires for a customer. It does sound like the sort of screwup that can end in a class-action suit, but I certainly don't plan to pursue such a thing. It's just a bit of an annoyance.
Yes it's a major annoyance, and kind of hard to understand, considering that they used to ship off road tires with "upcountry" or "off road" packages.
As it is, it looks like I'll be out over $500 to swap out the tires (in fairness, $110 of that will be road hazard insurance which certainly did not come with the original tires.)
I'm trying to look at the "big picture" and realize that the extra hassle is worth it in light of all the good qualities of the WK2. But I still think Jeep messed up on this one.
For what it is worth I have been in contact with my dealer salesperson and I am waiting for a response. I doubt they will do anything but I thought I would give it a try.
In part here is what I sent to them.
"The Latitude Tour tire is an All-Season tire and not an On/Off-Road tire as stated on the sticker. The All-Season tire rating is stated on the Michelin web site"
My Overland with the Off Road Pkg. is in D1 but I was also thinking about upgrading the tires.
More I thought about it I decided to sit tight. For the percentage of time I am actually going to be off road the Latitudes are probably OK. Comfort, fuel efficeincy and tire wear are going to be better.
I'm going to pick up a good set of snow tires next season.
The smart thing would have been for Chrysler to offer a tire upgrade option along with the OR package. That would have satisfied everyone.
From reading reviews of the LTX AT/2 vs the Latitudes, I suspect that there will be very little difference in comfort or wear; I'll concede a minor loss of fuel efficiency and probably a little more road noise.
..The smart thing would have been for Chrysler to offer a tire upgrade option along with the OR package...
They did - it is called the Off Road Adventure Group and you pay for it. It does say right on the receipt that you paid for "off/on road tires" and Jeep should not be allowed to get away with it. STREET tires on a JEEP with OFF ROAD PACKAGE? Holy crap! What is happening to the Jeep brand? (I will love the luxury part of my upcoming Overland and street tires are fine for Jeeps that never leave pavement, which most never will, but don't call it an off road package if you put street tires on there.)
My ORA I came with the Lattitudes. Nice quiet tire and they performed well in the Sierra snow so far. Off-road tires they ain't though. They should definitely upgrade the tire if they are going to call it an ORA package...that's just blatant misrepresentation and miserly penny-pinching. Off-road means "all terrain", not "M+S". Come on Jeep...
Performed well in the Sierra!?!?! I definitely do not agree with that. My first two weeks with the new WK2 and two weekends up to Tahoe made me change those tires. The latitudes were worse in the snow than some well worn Pirelli P6 on my Audi.
Needless to say, even the Bridgestone Dueler ATs that come stock on the JK were way better in Sierra snow this weekend! :thumbsup:
I will be getting a set of Wrangler Silent Armor's as soon as I pick up the GC. These Latitude TOUR's are definitely not an Off-Road tire of any sort.
I've had awesome experience with the Wrangler SA's. I use them on my GMC Sierra and have never had an issue in many driving conditions throughout Northern Alberta....WAAAYYYY north of the border. Ice, snow, mud(not real deep) all have been no problem to navigate. And the dry performance has been as good as the street radials my truck came with. All in all I think they are the best bang for the buck and they don't look horrible. Plus they are about the same price as the Latitudes, and are winter rated.
Great choice! I am loving my Wrangler SilentArmors so far. Amazing tire!!! Though they are noisier than the Destination A/T's I had on my Liberty. But the traction is far superior.:thumbsup:
Well I just ordered a set of Goodyear Silent Armor tires. Getting them installed tomorrow. I will try and sell the Michelin Latitude Tours on Craigslist.
I am paying $948 with a Goodyear rebate of $160 so the total cost is $788. That's out the door with mounting, balance and tax.
I may add Goodyear's Road Hazard for $98 for the set.
I have not heard back from my dealer after being told that "they will check". The $180 rebate is over in a week or so and I didn't want to miss that.
Well I just ordered a set of Goodyear Silent Armor tires. Getting them installed tomorrow. I will try and sell the Michelin Latitude Tours on Craigslist.
I am paying $948 with a Goodyear rebate of $160 so the total cost is $788. That's out the door with mounting, balance and tax.
I may add Goodyear's Road Hazard for $98 for the set.
I have not heard back from my dealer after being told that "they will check". The $180 rebate is over in a week or so and I didn't want to miss that.
I am still having a heart ache with the Off Road II coming with MICHELIN Latitude Tour tires. They only rate a 5 of 10 for Off Road.
Performance Ratings: What's This? Wear Life 9 Fuel Efficiency 10 Off Road 5 Braking 9 Comfort 10
Even if they would have put the LTX A/T2 on which are almost the same price in most places, they are rated much higher for off road but less for comfort.
Performance Ratings: What's This? Wear Life 8 Fuel Efficiency 8 Off Road 10 Braking 8 Comfort 7
I am still having a heart ache with the Off Road II coming with MICHELIN Latitude Tour tires. They only rate a 5 of 10 for Off Road.
Performance Ratings: What's This? Wear Life 9 Fuel Efficiency 10 Off Road 5 Braking 9 Comfort 10
Even if they would have put the LTX A/T2 on which are almost the same price in most places, they are rated much higher for off road but less for comfort.
Performance Ratings: What's This? Wear Life 8 Fuel Efficiency 8 Off Road 10 Braking 8 Comfort 7
Got my Goodyear Silent Armors installed on Thursday. Sold my Latitudes the same day so with that and the $160 Goodyear rebate it worked out pretty well for me.
Of course my dealer never called be back after I complained about the tires that came with the off road option.
The Goodyears are a bit noisier but not bad at all. Now I just have to wait until June for my trip out to Utah.
As I recall, the sales brochure listed the tires for the package as being Touring, and not an A/T tread. For those looking for a less expensive, but competent tire, the Firestone Destination A/Ts have worked well for me, at about $50 less per tire than the Revos or the Michelins.
Well, my INVOICE and WINDOW STICKER both say "P265/60R 18 BSW ON/OFF-ROAD TIRES". The latitudes do great in the rain but it isn't what was supposed to be on the jeep as Michelin calls it an all season tire.