Top 10 Best Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee: Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

Last updated: June 19, 2020 by Tire Deets

The premium SUV category seems to abandon real off-road ability in favor of on-road dynamics – we’re looking at you Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Lexus. Luckily, there are some that stay true to the real SUV roots, like Jeep, for example. Their most premium vehicle, the Grand Cherokee, competes with the best when it comes to on-road handling and dynamics, yet it still offers outstanding off-road ability. That’s why this American SUV is still very popular with buyers, especially thanks to the rising popularity of real off-roaders in recent years.

That said, while the Grand Cherokee is certainly a good buy, not all tires available for it are. The Jeep is a vehicle that demands a lot from its tires – it has a powerful engine, it drives all of its four wheels, it is heavy, it can be driven in harsh off-road conditions, and it should also keep its occupants comfortable while doing all those other things.

Choosing the right set of tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee can be a daunting task, especially with all the options available on the market right not. You not only need to choose the brand, but also the type of tire. Oh, and to make things worse, tires today are divided into several different categories. The most obvious one is climate, but also the driving style of the owner, and the type of terrain the vehicle is used on.

That’s a pretty tall order, we know. Obviously, that’s the reason why we prepared this article as well. Here we will not only show you the 10 best tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee – we will divide them into several different categories so every owner can choose one for his/her liking. Oh, and if you don’t know what type of tires you need, don’t worry, we got you covered as well by explaining everything there is to know about tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Touring and Highway Tires are the Best Choice for Most Grand Cherokee Owners

The most popular tire types for Grand Cherokee owners are touring and highway tires. Both are pretty similar in a way that they are primarily designed to be used on the road. The main difference between both of them is that touring tires aren’t designed for high loads like for example towing, while highway tires are better with hauling and towing. This also means that a set of touring tires will be better to drive when the SUV is unloaded, and it will offer better comfort, too.

That said, both touring and highway tires are primarily designed to offer a mix of good handling abilities, high-speed stability, strong braking, high levels of comfort, and durability. In reality, they offer a compromise in the performance categories, especially when compared to high-performance tires. However, for most drivers, a good set of touring or highway tires will have sufficient traction, grip, and braking for a completely safe and reliable driving experience.

Perhaps more importantly for Grand Cherokee owners, touring and highway tires offer outstanding levels of comfort. With these tires, your SUV will simply glide over bumps, and it will also be supremely quiet on the highway. As a matter of fact, touring and highway tires are the quietest of all other tire types, and that’s why they’re loved by drivers that cover a lot of miles and families alike.

Another great advantage of touring and highway tires is that they last for a very long time. That’s specifically true for treadlife, which in the modern premium touring and highway tires sit at around 70,000 to 80,000-miles. That’s higher than any other tire type, including high-performance tires and all-terrain tires.

What If I Own a Grand Cherokee V8 or SRT?

Then, a set of touring or highway tires will do no good for you. These tires might be good for the average driver and less-powerful versions of the Grand Cherokee, but certainly not for the extreme ones. If you own one of these vehicles, then the best tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee are high-performance tires. As the name implies, these tires are made for high-performing vehicles with a lot of power under the bonnet.

The best high-performance tires for SUVs will improve the responsiveness of your car, and it will immediately feel much quicker to turn and more dynamic in the bends. These Grand Cherokee tires also have much better traction, which is very important for drivers of the most powerful versions of the Grand Cherokee. They also offer high levels of grip in the corners, and also offer much better braking performance than touring or highway tires. Simply put, they are way better in the driving department.

However, these tires also have disadvantages. The biggest one is durability – due to the softer rubber compound, high-performance tires don’t last nearly as long as touring or highway tires. They are also not as comfortable, nor as quiet. Still, these are compromises that Grand Cherokee V8 or SRT owners should be ready to make if they want to extract all the performance from their vehicles.

What If I Want to go Off-Roading?

Then a set of proper all-terrain tires will do the job just fine. The reason we recommend these tires is because they work equally well on the road and for off-roading. Imagine them as a combination of a highway tire and a true off-road-focused tire. Of course, this also means that there will be compromises on both fronts, but we think that Grand Cherokee owners will be willing to accept them. For example, a proper mud-terrain or off-road tire might be better in the wild, but it will also be much worse on the road in terms of comfort and overall safety, while highway tires can work only on gravel roads and not much else. All-terrain tires are pretty safe to drive on the road, yet offer enough traction for light off-roading. Last time we checked, not a lot of Grand Cherokee owners use their vehicles for extreme off-roading – Jeep has both the Cherokee and Wrangler for that.

What About the Climate?

After you chose a set of Jeep Grand Cherokee tires that will suit your driving needs, then you also need to choose a set of the best Jeep tires that will suit the weather in your area. Right now, there are four different tire types according to their working temperature that might interest Grand Cherokee buyers. The most widespread option is all-season tires. These tires are designed to work in a wide temperature range, starting from the freezing point of water to hot summer days. However, while most of them are usable in dry and cold weather, they don’t work as well in the snow.

If you live in areas with harsher winters, then a proper set of winter tires is a must. These tires are designed to work only in colder temperatures and thanks to that, they offer vastly better grip, traction, and braking performance in sub-zero temperatures. They are also much, much better than all-season tires in snow due to the higher number of sipes and deeper treads. However, winter tires don’t work in warm conditions – they not only lose in the performance department but degrade quickly as well.

Summer tires are the opposite of winter tires – they are designed to work only in warm temperatures. Thanks to that, they will give you absolutely the best responsiveness, grip, traction, and braking in the summer – much better than even all-season tires. Today, summer tires are almost exclusively offered in the high-performance category although there are some touring models available as well. Oh, and as expected, they are not usable at all in the winter.

The 10 Best Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee You Can Buy: Buyer’s Guide

1. Michelin Premier LTX

Best Touring Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Michelin Premier LTX might be a touring tire for SUVs and crossovers, but behind the wheel, it feels almost like a high-performance tire. Okay, we’re exaggerating a bit here, but you get the point – the Premier LTX is surprisingly good to drive.

First of all, it is more responsive than any other tire in its category, which will improve the overall dynamics of any Grand Cherokee. It also offers very high levels of grip on dry surfaces, and ample traction for even the Grand Cherokee V8 models. Braking is also one of the best in the category, as is high-speed stability. Michelin achieved all of this with Total Performance Technology, which not only improves performance, but it also lowers the fuel economy.

The Premier LTX is also the best touring tire in the rain thanks to the Expanding Rain Grooves around the circumference and Emerging Grooves across the shoulders. Oh, and it is also supremely quiet and comfortable over long journeys, more so than probably any other tire in this category.

That said, the 60,000-mile treadwear warranty seems very low, especially given the high price Michelin asks for the Premier LTX.

2. Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus

Best Touring Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

As a direct competitor to the Premier LTX, the Bridgestone Dueler might not offer the same handling prowess, but it improves upon comfort and durability. More precisely, this is probably the quietest and most comfortable tire for Grand Cherokee owners thanks to the symmetrical tread pattern optimized for enhanced comfort. It simply eats small and big imperfections on the road, and it is almost inaudible at highway speeds. The Dueler H/L Alenza Plus is also one of the most durable SUV tires – it comes with outstanding 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is better than almost any competitor out there.

Don’t worry, the Bridgestone is also usable in almost every condition you encounter. It provides the driver with ample grip and traction on dry surfaces for everyday driving, and it breaks excellently. High-speed stability is also very good, almost on a level with the Michelin Premier LTX. Wet traction and grip are also excellent – this is a very safe tire when it rains. The Bridgestone even has traction in light snow, something that most touring tires can’t brag about.

3. Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus

Best Touring Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

Pirelli is always on the forefront when it comes to high-quality tires thanks to its blend of performance, durability, and comfort. The Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus is a perfect example of that. Thanks to Pirelli’s know-how in the racing industry, the Scorpion Verde is surprisingly responsive in the corners, improving the already good handling abilities of the Grand Cherokee. 

Thanks to the silica-enhanced tread compound molded into an asymmetric tread pattern, the Pirelli also provides the driver with excellent high-speed stability, high levels of grip and traction, and astounding braking performance. The four circumferential grooves help in the wet conditions – the Scorpion Verde resists hydroplaning very well, and it also works on damp pavement. Overall, this is one of the safest tires in dry and wet conditions. Pirelli even increased the number of sipes for improved snow traction on this model, and we can confirm that this works.

Despite the main focus on drivability, the Scorpion Verde also provides low-rolling resistance. This will improve the fuel economy of your Grand Cherokee without having an adverse effect on performance. The Pirelli is also very quiet and comfortable over long journeys, almost on the level of the best in the category.

That said, we would’ve liked the warranty to be longer – at 65,000-miles, it is beaten by its closest premium competitors.

4. Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology

Best Touring Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Continental CrossContact LX20 is another excellent touring tire for the Jeep Grand Cherokee with a blend of qualities that match the best in the category. One of the main advantages of the Continental is EcoPlus Technology, which provides low-rolling resistance for better fuel economy and lower emissions.

This tire is also pretty responsive in the corners and provides a very good steering feel. Mid-corner grip is also excellent, while traction is sufficient for Grand Cherokee V6 models. Braking is also up there with the best in the category. Like most Continental tires, the CrossContact LX20 has outstanding wet traction and grip, and it even works in light snow. Like most premium touring tires, the Continental is also very quiet and comfortable.

The CrossContact LX20 is offered with 70,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is lower than the best touring tires, but still higher than the competitors from Michelin and Pirelli.

5. Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max

Best Touring Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Assurance CS Fuel Max is another excellent touring tire from a premium manufacturer that provides Grand Cherokee drivers with almost everything they need for a safe and comfortable driving experience. Like most touring tires the Assurance CS Fuel Max improves the fuel economy and emissions thanks to the fuel-saving tread compound.

Apart from that, the Goodyear is also very responsive in the corners and provides high levels of grip and traction due to the Dry Tread Zones on the inboard and outboard layers. The central Wet Tread Zone, on the other hand, improves grip and traction on wet surfaces, while the Dual Aquachannel grooves add resistance to hydroplaning for a safe drive even in heavy rain. The Goodyear is also usable in light snow thanks to the increased number of sipes and biting edges.

The Assurance CS Fuel Max is comfortable and quiet, albeit not on the level of the best touring tires. Also, the 65,000-mile treadwear warranty is lacking when compared to some.

6. Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Best Highway Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

If you plan on towing with your Grand Cherokee, then there is no better tire than the Michelin Defender LTX. Specifically designed to withstand a lot of weight on its shoulders and still provide a safe driving experience, the Defender is a great companion to trailer people.

Like most Michelin tires, the Defender LTX delivers on all fronts. It offers very good traction, grip, and braking on dry surfaces, and it is also very usable in wet conditions. Braking is one of the best in the category, even when towing large trailers. The Defender even works in light snow, and it provides the passengers with high levels of comfort and quietness.

The 70,000-mile treadwear warranty is also very good for a tire that will be used for towing. That said, the Defender LTX is also the most expensive highway tire right now.

7. Firestone Destination LE2

Best Highway Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

If the Michelin Defender LTX is too expensive for you, then the Firestone Destination LE2 is a great budget option. The price of the Firestone might be lower than the Michelin, but it’s hard to notice that behind the steering wheel. Stability, traction, grip, and braking are very good both on dry and wet surfaces, and the Destination LE2 is even usable in light snow.

Like the Michelin, you can use these tires for towing large trailers without worrying too much about safety. Unlike the Michelin, though, the Firestone can be a bit noisy on the highway, and less comfortable as well. Also, the 60,000-mile treadwear warranty is far from the best in the highway category but perhaps expected given the price.

8. Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2

Best Winter Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

The French company Michelin consistently brakes new ground in many tire categories, including winter tires. Its SUV, crossover, and truck winter tire called the Latitude X-Ice Xi2 is a perfect example of why.

The company utilized its FleX-Ice silica-based winter tread compound on the tire, which helps the tire stay pliable at lower temperatures. The directional tread design helps with traction over wet surfaces, while the Cross Z-Sipes provide multiple biting edges for snow and ice traction.

Now, like most Michelin tires, the X-Ice Xi2 is expensive, specifically when you compare it to other alternatives. However, Michelin also provides a 40,000-mile treadwear warranty on the tire, compared to zero warranty from other manufacturers. This feature alone might be enough to persuade you to put these tires on your Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But wait, there is more! The Latitude X-Ice Xi2 consistently beats the competition in almost every winter test. Handling and braking in dry and cold conditions are among the best of any winter tire. Wet performance is also excellent – the X-Ice Xi2 has good traction and grip, and exceptional hydroplaning resistance.

Additionally, the Latitude X-Ice Xi2 works tremendously well over snow and ice. In many tests, the tire comfortably beat the competition in snow traction, braking, and handling. Moreover, the tire performs outstandingly well over ice and slush. In other words, a perfect winter score.

9. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2

Best Winter Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Blizzak DM-V2 is one of the best choices for Grand Cherokee owners that live in areas with very harsh winters thanks to the NanoPro Tech Multicell compound that has a water-loving hydrophilic coating. This coating takes the water out of the snow, improving traction and braking performance greatly along the way. It may seem silly on paper, but trust us, it works. Apart from its amazing snow performance, the Bridgestone also provides the driver with excellent traction, grip, and braking on dry and wet surfaces when the weather is very cold, thanks to the Multicell compound. That said, the Bridgestone doesn’t come with any treadwear warranty.

10. Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport Summer

Best High-Performance Tires for Jeep Grand Cherokee

Even though it is not precisely a high-performance tire, the Bridgestone is one of the best tires for V8 versions of the Grand Cherokee. It has predictable handling with high levels of responsiveness, excellent grip in the corners, and outstanding traction. The Dueler H/P Summer is also outstanding in the braking department. If you wondered, it also works in wet conditions, both in light and heavy rain. It is also much quieter and more comfortable than high-performance tires, and longer warranty at 40,000-miles. That said, this version will only work in the summer, but you’re free to choose the AS (all-season) version if you want the added winter capability.

Final Thoughts

As you’ve probably noticed by now, we included Jeep Grand Cherokee tires only from reputable manufacturers. The reason for that is simple – premium high-quality tires are much safer than cheap Jeep tires. They are also twice as durable as some very low-cost options, which means that they might be cheaper in the long run. And even if you don’t choose a set of Jeep Grand Cherokee tires from our list, be sure that you buy them from a manufacturer with good reliability and quality record.