Tires or what ?

[Johnmw1017]

Stupid question……. My box stock 2002 Liberty has this habit of going outta control when there is ice and snow on the ground. I mean about 10-15 mph turning onto a side street, it spins about 2 times and end up straddling the island in the middle of the road. Didn't even feel the slightest hint of traction, just spun around and kept sliding.

Let me assume that this is tire related ?. The Liberty has a newer ( less than a year ) set of Kenda “ Klever S/T “ Local tire shop claims that the “s/t” stands for “slippery tire “

Opinions ?

 

[Deb'nKJ]

Decent proper Winter tyres (look for the "3 peaks" symbol).

Yokohama BluEarth-Winter (V906) (without spending Michelin/Pirelli/Nokian money) are probably a good bet.

If you want off-road capability too, choice is pretty limited, perhaps Cooper Discoverer AT3 All Terrain Snow 106T or General Grabber AT3 (there's also a more specialised Snow Grabber, but don't know about sizes or availability)?

 

[Jeremy-WI]

I would avoid the Firestone Winterforce 2 as I have had them for a few months and they are garbage on snow, must be the worst tire ever with the 3MS snow rating as the Hankook Dynapro I had were really good

 

[KJowner]

Was this a sheet of ice? If so without studs or chains any tyre will struggle.

 

[LibertyTC]

When it comes to winter, "all season tires" should only be used as a tire swing !

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You may find that the mud & snow rating (with snow flake symbol) to be more aggressive, & well suited for winter conditions.

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Is your KJ a 4X4?
If so, Do you have a selec trac or command trac transfer case ? Using 4x4 mode will increase traction.
Some even had a clutch based - trac loc rear diff that needed a 4oz bottle of mopar friction modifier.
Get your build sheet here for free, by typing in your VIN # Link: https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing

 

[Johnmw1017]

Was this a sheet of ice? If so without studs or chains any tyre will struggle.

Nope, snow and a bit of sleet. Folks sitting there in their focuses and other sedans watching me and a liberty sliding along. kinda embarrassing

 

[KJowner]

Nope, snow and a bit of sleet. Folks sitting there in their focuses and other sedans watching me and a liberty sliding along. kinda embarrassing

Don't feel too bad, I had a Range Rover with massive tyres, I had to drive like an old woman if there was a suggestion of ice, it was like a pair of ice skates!
If those tyres are Chinese they may be the problem, my Jeep is really good in snow and ice, I've only got Yokohama AT's on so not proper winter tyres.

 

[derekj]

Looking at the spec for that tire it looks like it is designed for good tread wear life - has a tread wear rating of 600. This means the rubber is going to be more resilient to wearing (aka harder) and will not provide the optimal grip when temperatures drop and the road surface gets slick. Having lived in a mountain town for 25 years I only run dedicated snow tires on my vehicles in the winter. Also I don’t cheap out either - the lower price point may be attractive but you will find on some less expensive tires the siping will start to disappear when the tread is 50% worn, thus turning your snow tire back into a mediocre all season tire. Of course this all depends on how much snow you get where you live.

 

[Ksat]

You might want to have your alignment checked.

 

[mercdudecbr600]

Stupid question……. My box stock 2002 Liberty has this habit of going outta control when there is ice and snow on the ground. I mean about 10-15 mph turning onto a side street, it spins about 2 times and end up straddling the island in the middle of the road. Didn't even feel the slightest hint of traction, just spun around and kept sliding.

Let me assume that this is tire related ?. The Liberty has a newer ( less than a year ) set of Kenda “ Klever S/T “ Local tire shop claims that the “s/t” stands for “slippery tire “

Opinions ?

You probably have trac-lok lsd in the rear in combination with highway tires. When I first got my KJ and was driving in snow (highway tires + lsd rear), even if I was careful I would go sideways in snow. A open rear is actually safer in the snow than lsd, ironically.