is running regular street tires against the rules in a gladiator?

[gentlejax]

I have a fairly decent set of off road type tires on the gladiator. its currently at shop getting some last minute work done before i actually own it.

was wondering if I picked up a set of wheels and tires that look like normal truck tires, would that be too bad ? I just thought I would run those during the day in the city. save my aggressive tires for when I need them .

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[Bandit’s Lair]

That’s a very good idea. You’ll probably save a good bit on fuel with the road tires. I’d do the same if I could find some extra wheels that would work for it. If you already have the wheels it’s a no brainer. Go for it!!!

 

[mdyucca]

I kept my original wheels and tires to do just that, change out when taking a long road trip. Now after five years I still have those like new take offs taking space in the garage. Anyone need a set of wheels/tires let me know.

 

[GladLad]

What's your goal, to save money or to have a smoother, quieter ride?

If the latter, go for it. As long as you're willing to go through the hassle of swapping out wheels whenever needed. Your frequency and patience would determine that hassle.

If the former, you'll have to do some math. Road tires are typically cheaper, have higher mileage life, and slightly better mpg. But does that outweigh the cost of buying another set of wheels/tires?

If you drive a lot, you may end up saving because you put the abuse into the cheaper, longer lasting, better mpg tire.

If you don't drive a lot, your tires may age out before you get full life out of either set. The general recommendation is 6 years, but dark storage could prolong that. Though some use is better than just sitting for years.

That's the safety recommendation, though I've certainly gone longer. Even driving on some 20 year old tires in a limited fashion.

Me personally, I just drive All Terrain tires full time. They wear well, aren't noisy in my opinion, and work for the type of offroading I do. I'm guessing you're an infrequent offroader, so likely good for the type you'd do too. Plus, I just don't like the look of street tires on my trucks, but that's me.

Also depends on what's currently on there. If they're super aggressive, then it's clearly something you don't need or want.

 

[Guns_N_Rosaries]

I saw someone in a Gladiator riding on Michelin Defenders, and it looked perfectly fine.

 

[WILDHOBO]

That’s a very good idea. You’ll probably save a good bit on fuel with the road tires. I’d do the same if I could find some extra wheels that would work for it. If you already have the wheels it’s a no brainer. Go for it!!!

Agreed.

 

[ShrimpHappens]

Uncommon, sure, but it's your Jeep: do what you want (except angry grille).

 

[ALT2870]

I have a set of smaller Wranglers for the off season here in Colorado and put the 35's on once the season begins. In Colorado we have a long off season so it makes sense to protect the 35's for long periods of time. Plus fuel mileage is a lot better.

 

[gentlejax]

my jeep will be in city most of the time. I dont mind buying a set of and or changing the wheels/tires if I want to go play. not a big deal.

 

[gonemad]

I’m angling for a set of Michelin Defenders at some point. I’ve run them on two other 4x4 trucks and they did what I needed. I’ll probably drive the tread off the Wild Peaks first.

 

[JTGuy]

Defenders are great tires. I have a set of 295-70-18 that are 34.25 diameter almost new. They are silent and ride smooth. Not sure how they would do on 4.88 gears. If they came in 37s I would get them. At 15PSI they would work fine for desert.

 

[Superbike1]

I took off some almost worn out Falken wild peak 285-75-17 and put on the size on the door jamb. 245-75-17. Way smaller and with the leveling kit, almost comical. I use my Gladiator for 98% highway so the tires I put on are highway tires. The other 2% is maintained dirt roads during hunting season. My mileage changed maybe 2 per gallon but way quieter and smoother for what I do most. My 4 wheel drive is to get me out of situations that I didn't anticipate. (Rarely happens) I just like Jeeps and trucks. A taser made the speedometer correct so no issue there. 2 sets of tires and wheels would be awesome.

 

[JmattNYC]

some of my best tire i've had are the dueler tires stock tires. Still running on stock duelers on my current max tow gladiator and planning to potentially buy the new dueler accents versions or stay with dueler RH-S in either standard or load C. Not the sexiest tires but very good and underated. Could care less about what people think.

I believe many people make mistakes in builds because they are worried about looks and what other's think instead of form and function. F what others think my friend

 

[Fishpilot]

I’m currently running Michelin Defenders LTX MS2 on my 2022 Sport S. Great tire and the are rated Extra Load which is a bit better than standard load rating that usually is found in non LT tires.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Even if the street tire/ wheel setup was free (likely not even close to that), I don't think you'd save as much as you think. Unless you're going down several tire sizes, which then looks goofy every damn day. Same size or even slightly smaller street tires might save .5-1 mpg over aggressive ATs or even MTs. I'm also the type to take impromptu "let's see where this dirt road goes" adventures. It wouldn't be worth 1 missed opportunity to save a few dollars. What would likely happen is I'd head out on this type adventure on the street tires. 1 flat from the thin street tires eats months worth of the "savings" of running crap tires. 1 bad stuck from the street tires eats hours of my time and maybe a $500 minimum tow bill. "Saving"? And all that potential risk to drive a truck I no longer enjoy looking at everyday? Hard pass. Not saying it can't work for someone else, but there's no way the negatives don't outweigh the positives for me.

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