browns329
New Jersey
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Any suggestions for tires for my 2003 Yukon XL 2500 4x4? I will need to replace all 4 by the end of the summer.
I do not go "off-roading" with it, with the exception of occasionally going through campgrounds, farm fields, etc. I want something that will handle well in all seasons and will be good for towing, fuel economy, etc. I would like something with some tread (as opposed to a highway tire), but I do not want a noisy tire (I know some all terrain tires with aggrssive tread can be noisy).
A friend suggested going to a tire bigger than the stock 245 to make it look a little beefier, but another friend who is in the tire business suggested sticking with the stock size. The tire guy said that, with our large trailer and high tongue weight, taller tires can have more sidewall flex.
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 (3/4 ton), SLT, 4x4, 8.1L, Autoride, 4.10 gears
Putnam XDR, Equalizer 1400#, Tekonsha P3
2008 Jayco Eagle 314BHDS (Bunk house double slide)
Me, DW, 2 DD, lots of pets
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carringb
Corvallis, OR
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Joined: 07/28/2003
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A lower aspect ratio tire (like a 65 series) will have better lateral stability/less sidewall flex than a comparable 85 series tire. Assuming the rim width is appropriate (too narrow will make the tire less stable laterally, and reduce its capacity). The overall height is less of a factor than the aspect ratio. Your tires now are a 75 series (the middle number in the tire size). Problem with going any taller, is your stock rims aren't really wide enough for a larger tire (unless you use a higher aspect ratio like 235/85R16). If you want taller, I recommend upgrading to 17" wheels and going with 265/70R17 tires. Since you will need a wider rim, you might as well go slightly larger so you can have a lower aspect ratio.
Keep in mind going with a taller tire will also reduce torque at the rear wheels, so acceleration off the line and max gradability will be reduced.
That said, it sounds like you want a mild All-Terrain tire like Open Country A/T or Nitto TerraGrappler. I'm sure there's others also. BF Goodrich makes a good true AT tire, but I suspect may be a little noisy for you.
Bryan
2000 Ford E350 DRW Wagon (14-pass all captains chairs)
V10 w/ Banks PowerPack, Diablo Predator, 4.56 LS, 230,000+ miles
Had: Weekend Warrior 41' FSW (still looking for its replacement)
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ChrisGene
tennessee
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Michelin LTX MS. If you want the security of a little more off road traction the LTX AT2 is great as well. I have owned several sets of MSs, and this last set is AT2s. The AT are still quite on the road, though I only have about 2k miles on them now. Both come it E load range.
I would not consider any size but stock diameter. It is possible to get away with slightly wider tire when used with the right wheel. A lot of people put way too wide tires on stock width wheels and destroy handling.
2005 Ford Excursion 6.0 PSD 4x4
Looking for TT
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wayne_tw
South Dakota/Georgia
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My suggestion is to be sure to get "LT" rated or light truck tires instead on "P" rated or passenger tires. Much less sidewall flexing which equates to more stable towing.
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8.1 Van
Millstone NJ
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I have Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G053 LT265/75R16E's that are highly rated in the size and price range. That size comes standard on Chevy SRW 3500HD pickups.
FKA PSDExcursion
2002 Chevy Express LS 3500 8.1 155" WB passenger van 3.73 posi (GT4/G80)
41 Ft 2003 Thor Citation 41-ZBSR TT w/ Hensley Arrow
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crashpilot
Green River, WY
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Go ahead with the 265's. You will not be disappointed with the looks and you do not limit yourself due to weights, etc. A little more $$ to purchase them, but I've always thought the the 245's just didn't belong and they looked goofy on those trucks. The 265's do amazing things for the appearance. You will not be disappointed.
Straight Board -
2008 Chevy 4X4 Z71 Crew Cab K2500HD LTZ Duramax/Allison
2005 Jayco JayFlight 31BHDS
2007 Kawasaki BF 650 4X4i Camo (mine)
2007 Polaris X2 500 EFI Deluxe (hers)
The mountains of Wyoming as my backyard.
Powder River, Let 'er buck!
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BigToe
USA
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Joined: 08/01/2005
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Bryan (carringb) hit the nail on the head when it comes to matching wheel rim width to the tire.
Assuming you have the popular stock forged aluminum GM RPO PYO 16" x 6.5" wide rims, then the widest tires recommended for that rim are 245s, due to the 6.5" rim width. 265's require a 7" to 8" rim width.
Untrained tire jockeys (who may not know any better) often follow insistant customer requests to mount 265 tires on to 6.5" stock rims, and the problems with this set up are not limited to insufficient "shoulder" support of the wider tire by a rim that is too narrow. Good tire shops won't do it.
There can be excessive heat build up in the side wall that is forced to bulge over and curve in more to a rim that is narrower than what was designed for that tire. Multiply these continuous flexion cycles by 650 times per mile.
Road hazard and collision avoidance handling, highway cloverleafs, moutain twistys, and trailer towing are amoung the list of driving situations that usually do not impvrove with a mis-matched/mis-sized tire and wheel assembly.
The stock LT245/75R16 tire is 30.5" in diameter. The oversize LT265/75R16 tire is 31.5" in diameter. As mentioned already by Bryan above, this is like changing a gear ratio, although with the low end of the big block 8.1 combined with a 4.10 rear end, the loss of torque multiplication at the tires will not likely be as noticeable. In fact, the taller tire may reduce your highway cruising rpms a bit.
It was pointed out above that the 265 is the stock tire for the GM 3500HD (SRW) pickups. I'm not sure why this point is made? Maybe it is assumed that the 3500HD is no different than a 2500HD which is no different than a 2500 and therefore should fit fine. Wrong on all counts. The 3500HD (Single Rear Wheel is only fitted from the factory with STEEL wheels, not the aluminum ones found on the 2500s and 2500HDs. The 3500 HD SRW wheels are in fact 7" wide, and therefore they can be fitted with 265" tires. The 2500HD wheels are only 6.5" wide, and therefore can only be fitted with 245s.
The 3500HD may also have driveline joint geometry optimized for the taller tire, whereas the 2500HD driveline joint geometry may be optimized for the 245" tire. Joint geometry can be affected by carrier bearing brackets, spring blocks, spring seat angles, cardan joint design, propshaft type, etc. The point is that all important pinion angles at the anticipated load are engineered to avoid vibrations and other issues. Tire size plays a part in this engineering. Why undo the engineering that you already paid good money for?
Speaking of taking advantage of the engineering you paid for, General Motors has added another layer of engineering evaluation when it comes to tires. This is kind of a neat performance testing service, since there are so many tires out there to chose from, even in just the stock LT245/75R16 size alone.
This evaluation code is embossed right into the sidewall of the tire, just like the DOT numbers and the tire size itself. It's called TPC Spec, short for Tire Performance Criteria Specification, which will be followed by a 4 digit number, which will sometimes be followed by an MS, for Mud & Snow, if the tire is an all season type.
For the 2003 model year 2500 Suburban/YXL 4x4, General Motors has issued seven GM part numbers for seven different LT245/75R16 replacement tires, as follows:
GM Part # 89037232 = Bridgestone Duravis M773 120R TPC Spec 2310
GM Part # 89000709 = Bridgestone V-Steel Rib R265 120S TPC Spec 2012MS
GM Part # 88926892 = BF Goodrich Commercial T/A Traction 120R
GM Part # 89028846 = General AmeriTrac TR 120Q
GM Part # 31016086 = Michelin LTX M/S 120R
GM Part # 31016133 = Michelin XPS Rib 120S
GM Part # 88928578 = Uniroyal Laredo HD/T 120R
But of these seven LT245 tires listed immediately above, only the first two tires (both Bridgestones) have been issued a TPC Spec rating. Read what GM has to say about tires that have been issued a TPC number:
"Whenever available, GM strongly recommends replacement tires with the same Tire Performance Criteria Specifications (TPC Spec) number as the vehicle's original equipment tires. TPC Spec tires are designed to provide for proper endurance, handling, speed rating, traction, ride, and vehicle safety during normal vehicle use. GM has not evaluated or tested non-TPC Spec tires or their performance on GM vehicles."
There are 40 pages in the 2003 Suburban owner's manual dedicated to the discussion of tires on this vehicle, and over 25 of those pages are devoted exclusively to discussing the selection of replacement tires. Worth a read if you get the chance. Section 5, pages 5-63 to 5-103.
Also, here are a couple of independent industry reference resources (that don't sell wheels or tires) for more information on matching the correct rim size to tire size:
- Tire Industry Safety Council
- Rubber Manufacturer's Association
Note that all seven of the tires listed above have a load rating of 120. However, the speed ratings vary. The lowest speed rating is "Q", the average speed rating is "R", and the highest speed rating is "S".
Matching the rim size, overall tire diameter, Speed rating, Load rating, TPC rating, Mud & Snow rating with the list of GM part numbered tires above, the Bridgestone V-Steel RIB R265 120S TPC Spec 2012MS appears to be the most optimized for your 2500 Suburban and the intended use that you stated. Which just so happens to be the original equipment tire.
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Peg Leg
Anderson, IN
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Joined: 06/20/2004
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After having a blowout on my truck I got to thinking about being able to get tire adjustments while traveling. I have had maybe 5 flat tires in the last 30 years. I thought Wal-Mart has stores every where. BIG MISTAKE. They are slow a getting work done and have tire people that know little to nothing about tires. One tried putting a P rated tire on my truck.
Years ago I used to work at in a local tire shop. Every thing from recap snow tires to 10.00x20 truck tires. I know that the tires I got from Wal-Mart had 1st rate prices and a name brand, Goodyear. I didn't get a 1st rate product. I ended up with 7 of 8 tires that had belt separations.
My BIL has the same truck as I do and a heavier 5th wheel trailer. He has over 220,000 miles racked up. He like Michelins but has been getting real good service with BF Goodrich tires.
I'd stick with the original size unless I needed more weight handling capacity. I was so fed up with tire problems that I went to a commercial tire that should out last the truck. I don't plan on spending any more time waiting to get a tire adjusted. Go to a regular tire shop.
KA9ATV
K2500 7.4 3.73
Michelin 245/70R19.5 XDS2 on Vision Type 81's
31' Dutchmen
Yamaha EF3000iSE
retired gadgetman
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BenK
SF BayArea
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Joined: 04/18/2002
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browns329 wrote:Any suggestions for tires for my 2003 Yukon XL 2500 4x4? I will need to replace all 4 by the end of the summer.
I do not go "off-roading" with it, with the exception of occasionally going through campgrounds, farm fields, etc. I want something that will handle well in all seasons and will be good for towing, fuel economy, etc. I would like something with some tread (as opposed to a highway tire), but I do not want a noisy tire (I know some all terrain tires with aggrssive tread can be noisy).
A friend suggested going to a tire bigger than the stock 245 to make it look a little beefier, but another friend who is in the tire business suggested sticking with the stock size. The tire guy said that, with our large trailer and high tongue weight, taller tires can have more sidewall flex.
What most don't understand is that to change tire class (P, LT, commercial)
and size is to re-engineer the suspension system at the tire.
The suspension system, as is all automotive systems, are systems
with interdependencies. The old "Food chain", or "a chain is only
as strong as it's weakest link".
Change one component and it affects the whole system. Even other systems,
like the ECU and tranny computer if you change the tire dia....best to
use 'rev's per mile'. As these computers count rev's per mile vs time
to manage the system they control.
Changing the wheel rim width and offset has significant impact on
the suspension and other systems. Even lug centric vs hub centric
mystifies too many or that they don't even know which their new
wheels are vs the OEM they are replacing.
Larger dia tire will effectively change the diff ratio. If you then
don't reprogram the computer to tell it now has a larger dia tire, it
will continue to manage by the old tire dia.
Wider/narrow rim will mainly affect the sidewall bendback and that
affects the tires rolling characteristics. From how much the sidewall
bends, therefore how much heat it generates to the slip angle.
Not just slip angle, but the T&T (toss and tuck) characteristics of
that tire. This is the turn the steering wheel, wait for the tire to
react (toss), change the direction of the wheel, which changes the
suspension, which then changes the vehicle direction (tuck).
If the pressure isn't correct for the conditions (weight, ambient temp,
road surface, etc, etc, etc), the tire will roll over more onto it's
sidewall. I've seen some sidewalls touch the pavement in town when
cars with too low pressure for their loading goes around a corner.
If you go to a 'bigger' tire size, make sure you understand the above
and that you will have the computer reprogramed. A change from LT245/75R16
to LT265/75R16 isn't that much of a change. So the computer really
doesn't have to be changed. BUT the rim is outside of the recommendation
from the tire OEM.
Unless you also get a 10ply rated 265, it will/might look beefier,
but it's not going to be as tough as the smaller, yet higher rated
tire. Not just weight carrying, but how stiff and strong the side
wall is. Load range C (6 ply rating) vs Load Range E (10 ply rating)
are very different. Most 265's will be either C or D load range and
you will find out that an E load range in a 265 will cost & weigh
significantly more. Ask yourself why?
Amazing how much margin is in tires these days, as too many change
tire sizes with little to no understanding that they are re-engineering
their suspension system. They do serve reasonably well, but then,
all things engineered/designed is for the bad day out there, that
very few cross. On the good days, just about anything will do.
Also note that the pressures on the glove manual and various labels
are for the OEM size/type/etc tire. If you change to a different size
and/or class, that label/manual info does not apply. You have to refigure
the proper PSI for whatever loading you are carrying.
There was a time (when worked my way through college as a tire monkey)
when tire shops actually knew enough about tires and had management
willing to tell a customer they would not sell 'that' tire/wheel
for 'that' vehicle. Seems few and far between them these days.
If you decide on the LT265/75R16, make sure to go load range D or E
and wider wheel that is lug centric and good for min 3,000 lbs per wheel.
A lot depends on how you drive, where you drive, what you tow
and how you load'm both up.
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
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8.1 Van
Millstone NJ
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BTW I use HD 16x8 American Eagle alloy wheels rated at 3,420 lbs each with my LT265/75R16E's.
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