Tire reccomendations

[Ufatz]

Neighbor bought 2009 Silverado 1500. It has Bridgestone P265 65 R 18 RHS tires which he does not like. Says they are noisy and hard. He has another older truck that has fairly new Goodyear Wrangler LT 235 85 R16 load range E tires on it and he wonders about swapping the tires. He thinks the Wranglers will ride better and be quieter.I'm not a tire guy so don't really know what to tell him. I have never like Bridgestone tires but not sure he's going to change much here. I DO know that the P designation is for PASSENGER tires and they put them on his new pick up, which I think is total [PoorWordUsage].

Your thoughts?

[Valv]

Don't put LT or load range E on a 1500, they are too stiff and will not ride well. Besides Chevy tire monitoring system will display "Incorrect tire pressure" on the dash display every time you start the truck. You will have to push the erase button 4 times, since it's for each tire.

We made the mistake on installing Firestone E tires on our 2 2008 1500s, we have to keep them at 50 lbs and still are too stiff.

Get P tires or load range D

[jwhjr]

After the Bridgestones (P-rated) needed replacement on my 04 1500 Silverado, I switched to some Load Range C LT tires and couldn't be happier. Sure they ride a bit rougher, but they're more stable when towing/hauling. I don't have the tire monitoring system though, so I don't have to deal with that issue.

[Ufatz]

Okay! Thanks you guys. What WOULD you reccommend for a softer riding tire on a truck that is NOT going to used for heavy duty towing. This an old guy truck and he won't even use it much when snow comes......but I don't want him to be without an all-weather tire of some kind.

Personally, I am and have been a Michelin man for fifty years, but that's me!

[Jeremy airjer W]

*Bridgestone Rugged trail T/A - I really like these may be more aggressive than needed but Bridgestone offers less aggressive variations

*Dunlop Dueler A/T - more of an all season tire mud and snow

*Dunlop Dueler H/T - More of an all season highway tire

*Goodyear Wrangler - another personal favorite, you'll need to keep tabs on your front end or they will not last long on a chevy.

*Pro Comps - On my old Toyota, they have held up well.

*General Grabers - we mount and see quite a few and seem like a decent budget tire.

[zamboni]

Different sized tires other than recommended will throw off speedo, won't it?

[Ufatz]

Well, I did not KNOW this truck has the tire monitoring system. Seems silly to me, but I guess it IS there. I want him to look for the proper Michelin tires for the truck and told him to dig out the manual and read up on the tire pressure doo-dad. Maybe he can cut a wire here or there and do away with what I see as an unnecessary and frivolous device.

Putting P rated tires on a pickup truck seems counter-intuitive to me. It SHOULD be LT tires where I come from.

But then, I'm an old Powerstroke diesel guy.

[Valv]

LT tires have 10 ply construction, while P tires have 8 ply.

I have General grabber HTS on my Dodge 2500 and cannot be any happier, 25,000 miles so far an they are new still, they are e x c e l l e n t on ice and hard snow, I don't care about soft snow and mud since I don't go there anyway. I need safety and traction on hard surfaces.

[troutkingmaster]

There is no need to "cut wires" to get around the Tire Pressure Monitor system. If you take the vehicle to a good tire shop, they will have the tools/know how to reprogram the system based on what pressure the new tires need to run at. Also, TPM systems were govt. mandated in 2009 so the vehicle will have it.

[shizzy]

how is he going to swap 18" tires and 16" tires?

If he isnt happy with the tires, tell him to go uy 4 new ones and tell the salesman he doesnt want a noisey tire.

[Jeremy airjer W]

If you take the vehicle to a good tire shop, they will have the tools/know how to reprogram the system based on what pressure the new tires need to run at.

The new tires will be set at the pressure designated by the manufacturer of the vehicle. The tire pressure is not set to the tire. There will be no need to reprogram anything.

Even the load range E that where mentioned above don't need to be at 50 psi for that application. They would be just fine at the lower PSI the manufacturer recommends.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I always recommend Goodyear Wrangler ATs. I've had one set go over 100k, and I have 40k on another set with very little wear. They have very good winter traction.

[Whoaru99]

The new tires will be set at the pressure designated by the manufacturer of the vehicle. The tire pressure is not set to the tire. There will be no need to reprogram anything.

Even the load range E that where mentioned above don't need to be at 50 psi for that application. They would be just fine at the lower PSI the manufacturer recommends.

Yup, the pressure in the tire is dictated by the load it needs to carry, not by what the sidewall says for pressure. Of course, the maximum load and thus maximum pressure is contingent on the load rating of the tire (and also limits of the wheel).

Not sure of the load ratings, but on my 1994 K1500 it originally had the smaller 245 tires which I think called for 45 psi all around. After the original set wore out I put on the 265 tires which require (I think) 40 psi front and 35 psi rear. Point being a larger or heavier duty tire doesn't require higher pressure in a lower duty application.

[AngelinaJolia]

It's safe to say tires are probably the only thing besides the exhaust I overlooked when buying my car

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[deadeye]

I have been very happy witg my cooper s/t's. Otherwise i just plopped a set of wrangler silent armors on my pop's durango and they ride really nice.

I have a question about the tire pressure. What reason other than ride comfort (for a car that doesn't got tpms) is there for a person to not inflate to a higher psi (say 40 psi when the tire says 45 psi). I would think that with some sacrifice in ride comfort you would gain some mpgs. Obviously you don't want to overinflate but I would think if you were within the tire manufacturers specs you would be good right?

[Jeremy airjer W]

Higher inflation will give you less traction and increase your braking distance. It also will wear out the center of the tread faster. Proper tire inflation gives you the best comfort, tread wear, traction, braking, and fuel economy.

[vman11]

I am in the market for tires as well - either looking between the Dueller Revo II's or Cooper Discoverer ST's.

Looking for something good on the lake in the winter. I do a lot of gravel/minimum maintenance road traveling as well but try to stay out of the mud.

Any suggestions?

[deadeye]

Go for the coopers. I have owned both and by far the coopers have been better.

I have gotten much better treadwear with them and I really like the extra traction off road. They have worked terrific on the lake and on the logging roads.

[jeffreyd]

best tire every found was uniroyal no flat. it had a sealant inside the tire from the factory. we use to run them on the ambulances but have not seen them in a while. might be worth looking into.

[KatoMike]

You may also be able to set the pressures different in the front than the rear - my Ford SuperDuty sticker says 65lbs. front and 80lbs. rear and those are the pressures I run them at. Check the sticker on the truck to see...

[jeffreyd]

most trucks require the lower front and higher rear pressures. I usually run 5 lb less than the sticker simply so it is not riding like a tank down the road. when i have to haul, then i will add the 5 lb if i know i will be pulling or haulling a long way. tire pressures for any vehicle from car to dump truck need to go off the tag and not the tire.

[vman11]

Guys I'm still on the fence between Revo II's and S/T's

Revo II's are $250 less, best price vs. best price in Fargo. However, they are 4ply vs. 6ply, have less tire tread and are less agressive than the Coopers.

I have a hard time justifying the S/T's since most of the travel will be highway miles. Most of my offroad travel is gravel roads and lake ice. I generally stay out of mud that will get anyone in trouble and if the going gets tough on the lake I have chains to throw on.

I do pull a boat and a Ice Castle fish house a couple thousand miles per year. I am guessing the 6 ply would be better for towing, but I'm not sure they are necessary.

Any thoughts???

[jeffreyd]

buy a set of michelins you will go anywhere you want and they will last you. if you have to go where you should not be then no tire is going to help you only dry weather and spring will. i had a tow truck driver tell me that when i was a kid, drove down a country road got stuck in a huge snow drift, got hold of him on cb radio he told me spring was 3 months away and he would get it then. learned my lesson quick.

[Jeremy airjer W]

HMMMM, Snow in Arizona?

[aczr2k]

vman 11...I had a set of the Revo's on my new truck(08 GMC), I had to take them off, the tread will load up with rocks even on the highway then proceed to chuck them at the body. In a couple of thousand miles I had more rock chips than on my old truck with 80k. I made the dealer swap them for the ole stand by BF Goodrich All Terrain K/0. I've had many sets of them and they never let me down, usually get 50k or better miles. They do get noticeably louder as they wear, maybe because once they are properly balanced I never rotate them.