Truck tire questions...

[Tony]

My truck is a 2001 Silverado 2500 Duramax/Allison. They come with wheels (245/75R16) that kind of look out of proportion to the wheel-well.

Some people suggest a 265/?? for filling the wheel-well visually and, some say, for improved handling. Depending on the second number (aspect ratio) it would be a little wider and have a little bigger diameter. Questions:

1) Will a slightly larger tire unduly confuse the engine's computer?
(I don't mind a speedo/odo varience, but do not want to harm the engine's "mapping".)

2) Will a larger diameter tire help or harm the rear-end gear ratio...for a mostly two-lane/highway truck?

3) Is traction/handling or fuel economy affected?

4) What size (not brand!) tire would you recommend for the afore-mentioned above?

Thanks!
Tony

[Trueser]

Tony,
I changed my GMC Yukon XL 2500 to a 265 and they work and look great.

I gained a few MPH on the Speedo. I'm not sure its worth reprogramming

Michelin LTX M/S

I have a set on my old Yukon xl that has 125000 miles and the tires are in great shape.

[MOP]

Tony ditto on Mikes LTX's reco, I have them on my 97 2 wheel sub they are a great handling tire also very good in the ice & snow.

Phil

[vonkamp]

Triple ditto on the LTX's. Best street tire on the market. :yes:

[osur866]

Make that 4 on the LTX's, 2002 2500 hd, went with same size as stock though the 245's. Depending on how you take care of them and rotate often they will last a longtime. On my 2nd set purchased in spring, Steve

[CHACHI]

My F-250 likes the LTX's pushing 80K on them and plenty of thread left.
Ken

[BUIZILLA]

I have a 2006...

I went on eBay and bought some 2007 17" rims for a good deal

then I bought Pirelli STRa 265-70-17 E rated tires

probably the best tire I have owned to date, these are #1 consumer and industry rated over ANYTHING on the market right now, perfectly round and balanced with very little weights, extremely quiet... I just can't say enough good about these tires, i'm about to get another set for my Tundra, and then my F250...

these fit the wheelwells much more proportionate on GM's

it made a night and day difference on this truck in handling, it's a completely different driving vehicle, I had it up to 118 last weekend, solid as a rock...

while I DO like the LTX's, *my* experience has been that they have somewhat weaker sidewalls, and the stability or wiggle is slightly more pronounced over a Duravis, Pirelli, or Flamestone AT's.. I have had about 8-10sets of them on various make vehicles and they wear like iron with a good ride, if your towing HEAVY loads you don't want them...

[22zxla]

Ive got a 2002 gmc 2500hd and just went to the 265 tire. Speedo is off about 4mph and i lost 3mpg with the 6.0 liter gas engine. With the diesel not sure if you will lose that much mpg.Have read on other site that the 4:10 rear changes to about 3:73 but just hear say. I went with the bridgestone revos and i am very happy so far. The look aggressive but are quite and smooth!

[gold-n-rod]

Ive got a 2002 gmc 2500hd and just went to the 265 tire. Speedo is off about 4mph and i lost 3mpg with the 6.0 liter gas engine. With the diesel not sure if you will lose that much mpg.Have read on other site that the 4:10 rear changes to about 3:73 but just hear say. I went with the bridgestone revos and i am very happy so far. The look aggressive but are quite and smooth!

Did you factor in the speedometer difference when figuring your gas mileage? Losing 3 mpg seems excessive for such a small increase of tire diameter.

[22zxla]

well i do know im going further per revolution but how far? maybe coupe inches? If the speedo says 62 and im really doing 65/66 then im only gaining abouy 3 miles travel per hr. well at 75mph ill go thru a tank in four hrs cause now im getting 300 miles on a 30 gallon tank. so that means im really going 312 miles whick really isnt enought to matter. in my mind it makes sense but not sure if i relayed the logic correctly. Believe me i not to happy to lose 3mpg ,thank god the the corvette gets 20/28!

[Tony]

There's a tire calculator here, (http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit) which is pretty cool in that it gives exact differences in width, diameter, speedo error pct., etc.

According to the calculations, the speedometer will read 3.879% slower with 265/75 tires compared to 245/75 tires. They will be 1.18" larger in diameter, and .79" wider.

Doesn't the tread style determine fuel economy rather than size? With the odometer off, you are being deceived when you divide your miles by your gallons...because your miles are wrong. But, a larger size does affect the rear-end ratio slightly, I just don't know which way. Which leads me to ask question #4 again:

Does a larger-diameter tire give you a better highway gear ratio, or better low end, torquey power?

[gold-n-rod]

Does a larger-diameter tire give you a better highway gear ratio, or better low end, torquey power?

Better highway gear ratio.

[BUIZILLA]

this should be helpfull, you'll notice the BFG AT's are sooooo farrrrrr down the list, they must be prehistoric relics, or relegated to tractor duty, in that they aren't even consumer/buyer rated anymore... :popcorn: :nilly: :boggled: :bonk:

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=HAS&VT=null&sortValue=17

you can click on >SORT BY< for four different review category's

then go to >REVIEW BY MY SIZE< and see what people are buying in YOUR size, and specific reviews by size, each size seems to have personality quirks by brand...

now this is by no means a scientific review, but it holds merit on what people are ACTUALLY spending MONEY on...

[Carl C]

I had new Michelin LTXs on my last truck and liked them. My "new" truck has Toyo 800 Plus tires. They are made in Japan. They're not even on Jim's list; Are they junk? I kept the LTXs and think I'll put them on at least for the winter.

[BigGrizzly]

Just b e careful of those lists. They are consumer responces and some testing by bias companies, none tests all the tires under same condition. I have been part of them when I worked at Honda. But if its the only gage you have then that is the one you use. Normally I am in the Mitch camp.