[mophead]

I read a bunch of reviews on the Pirellis that praised them. Tire rack has a video review. But I kept seeing low treadlife complaints. The tread design is similar to newer gen snow/ice designs as are the Premiers. They also have oil for cold temps to keep them pliable. Like you I'm not so sure about anything but highway driving and concerned about the lower treadlife. I had the MS2's on a Ram 2500. I put a couple hundred pounds of sand bags in the back and it was still light in the rear even though I had it leveled. It was very good in 4WDH in the snow and ice on the road. If I overpowered it (a hemi) of course it would get squirrely. I drove it offroad through mud, loose gravel, wet grass and ice and snow and was never looking for more tire. The Defenders are "suppose" to be an improvement especially in stopping and more sipes for ice. I can't wait for the snow!

 

[mjodotcom]

I am happy to report that the tires have quieted down quite a bit which is good.

I am however noticing a decrease in gas mileage from the old OEM tires of about 1.5mpg. Is that expected when switching to a light truck tire?

 

[1stJeepGC]

Greetings,

The rule of thumb is, the heavier the tire the loss of mpg. Unless the tire is using the new softer compounds that you get lower rolling resistance.

The other important factor to consider is now that we are getting the winter blend of gas, you do loose mpg. You might pick mpg when they switch to summer blend later on. If you have access to pure gas such as a marina, you can try that to establish your mpg with new tires.

Best for now.

 

[mjodotcom]

Greetings,

The rule of thumb is, the heavier the tire the loss of mpg. Unless the tire is using the new softer compounds that you get lower rolling resistance.

The other important factor to consider is now that we are getting the winter blend of gas, you do loose mpg. You might pick mpg when they switch to summer blend later on. If you have access to pure gas such as a marina, you can try that to establish your mpg with new tires.

Best for now.

Thanks for the reply. I did think about the switch over to winter blend, but the timing was so lined up with the tire install I'm not sure

I assume this is considered a "heavier" tire than the OEM Goodyear?

 

[mophead]

Thanks for the reply. I did think about the switch over to winter blend, but the timing was so lined up with the tire install I'm not sure

I assume this is considered a "heavier" tire than the OEM Goodyear?

The Fortera weighs in at 33#
The Defender is 37#

4# difference. Not sure overall what that would do to mpg??? It would take more to get it moving, but would it make up for it in inertia??

Sprung weight does make quite a bit of difference, but materials and construction can mitigate that as far as ride and handling.

 

[1stJeepGC]

Greetings,

A 1.5 dip in mpg is not uncommon with these type of tires. But, with only a 4# difference in additional weight per tire, it should not be that dramatic.

mjodotcom, if you have not done any fuel cleaning service to the JGC, you might want to try that. General, this time of year, I lose anywhere between 1 to 2 MPG depending were I fill up here in the NorthEast.

Best for now.

 

[DriverDave]

Any new updates on the winter performance of the Defenders? I'm planning on having my dealer swap the OEM's (not sure if they will be the Bridgestone H/L 422 or Perelli Scorpion Verde) for the Defender LTX, before I even take delivery of my 2016. I'm hoping they will give me a big credit for the unused OEM tires...maybe $200-$300 out of pocket for the Defenders.

 

[mophead]

Any new updates on the winter performance of the Defenders? I'm planning on having my dealer swap the OEM's (not sure if they will be the Bridgestone H/L 422 or Perelli Scorpion Verde) for the Defender LTX, before I even take delivery of my 2016. I'm hoping they will give me a big credit for the unused OEM tires...maybe $200-$300 out of pocket for the Defenders.

Just had 37" of dry powder here in Md. which I did not even attempt to go out in because I was sorta plowed in by 6' mounds at the end of my driveway. I did venture out 3 days later. Most primary roads were one lane with some dry pavement. I found a couple country roads that had been driven on that had about a foot of compressed snow and a little bit of drifted untouched sections. The Defenders performed admirably, no slippage starting, stopping or turning. I stopped and looked at the treads and they seem to evacuate almost completely which the original Forterras did not do. I really didn't get a chance to drive in slushy snow so I can't comment there. In my opinion these are very good all season tires for snow. Having said that I think the Jeep itself is more of a factor and of course driving ability too. For what it's worth the Scorpions are rated highly for snow and ice too. They were my first choice when the Defenders were not available in a 265/50/20 size yet. Personally I would save the money and wear the Pirellis out then see what is on the market. jmho:thumbsup:

 

[1stJeepGC]

Greetings,

Another tire from Michelin to consider is the Premier LTX:

Michelin Premier LTX tires | Michelin US

This tire uses a softer compound similar to the Nokian. I still consider the WRG3 SUV over Michelin. For winter performance besides the tire compound, you must consider the tread block even if you do not go off-road. That is were, IMHO, the Nokian WRG3 SUV has the advantage.

Just my 2 1/2 cents.:lol:

Best for now.

 

[leadfoot4]

I live in the "snow belt" of western NY. Because of that, I went overboard, cost wise, and ordered the ORA II package, just to get the limited slip rear axle. A couple of days after I took delivery of the Jeep, I crossed my fingers, and removed the OE Michelins, and put on a set of the Nokian WRG SUVs.

As much as I'm big on dedicated snow tires for the winter, I'm getting a little too old to be lugging wheels/tires up and down from my basement, on a seasonal basis. So I decided to try the "all weather" Nokians. Up until last night, we have been experiencing an extremely mild weather, so I had no idea how these tires would ultimately perform in serious snow. That all changed this morning, as I went out to run some errands...........in the 10" of snow that had fallen overnight.

The road crews are usually pretty good about keeping the roads clear, but this time they fell asleep at the switch, and the roads were really pretty bad. Long story short, The Nokians performed admirably. I had absolutely NO PROBLEMS at all, getting through the snow, even in a couple of unplowed parking lots.

I'll give them "two thumbs up"!!

 

[1stJeepGC]

Greetings,

I know that member AAAA agrees with you.:thumbsup::thumbs:

Best for now.

 

[AAAA]

Greetings,

I know that member AAAA agrees with you.:thumbsup::thumbs:

Best for now.

For sure!

 

[Sharkfin]

any updates on how these have been performing after more miles? thanks!

 

[DriverDave]

I'm nearing 5k miles and my Defenders still look new and still run smooth and quiet...no problems at all. I would still recommend them 100%.

 

[Jsboening]

Just had Defenders put on our Sequoia. So far they are great tires. Good traction, quiet,and smooth running. Unfortunately Discount Tire damaged all four wheels installing them so wheel repair is coming out on the 23rd to repair them.


Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage

 

[silvermax04]

I have the 265/50R20 Defenders also, great all around tires. They are the ones that should have come on the GC from the start.

 

[AAAA]

any updates on how these have been performing after more miles? thanks!

30,000 miles on Nokian WR G3 SUV's. Slightly noiser now, but that's the price you pay for open tread design. Lotsa tread left! I would buy again.

 

[Sharkfin]

11/17/16 - Update

I put on the WR G3's yesterday at the Jeep dealer on the stock 17s, 245/65/17s were there only size that was close to stock. They look exactly like Blizzaks to me which is interesting. I'm driving 1000 miles today on a weekend trip to the mountains so I will let you know how they fare. Purchased them for $127.99 from Simpletire.com and they were delivered in 48 hours, great service.

I was also able to pickup the stock 18s and tires off of craigslist last night so I have something to run next summer. Go figure the day after I order the Nokian's for all season use I find these with Michelin Latitude Tours on Craiglists for a great deal along with mint condition OEM 18s.

Here are pics:

 

[Sharkfin]

Does anyone know where the best classifieds section is? I have one extra set of wheels/tires to unload. Thanks!

 

[Sweets13]

Just had the Nokian WRG3's (265/50R20)installed today to replace the Fortera's. Initial impression is they ride very nice, almost a softer ride than the Fortera's. Noticed a slight increase in road noise. We had some snow (2-3") last night so roads were wet and slick on way home from install. Jeep seems to sit a bit higher now but that could just be me. Jeep is a daily driver and I commute about 100 miles round trip daily. I'll keep you posted on updates and fuel mileage. Like majority of everyone else, I wasn't happy with the Fortera's after one winter so it was time to change. Read just about every thread here and the information educated me greatly. Happy to say I'm confident in the decision I made and look forward to the updates. Dark pictures below. I'll get some better tomorrow.