Help with rims and tires for lifted/leveled 2014 silverado

[seansharley]

I did the R/C 3.5 with 20x9-12's wrapped in 305/55/20 grapplers, minor rubbing at full lock. I'm researching a different setup, I hate the way it hops over speed bumps, there's a few I have to go over everyday. I'm looking into replacement shocks/springs to keep the same height, but be functional as well.

[seansharley]

On a side note, I lost about 5mpg on the highway at 80, just a FYI

[ifixedit]

On a side note, I lost about 5mpg on the highway at 80, just a FYI

Ouch! Just an FYI and something not many are giving much consideration to as of yet, mainly because the tire manufacturers are also not talking a whole lot about it as of yet, at least concerning passenger tires (yes, your big mudders are considered passenger tires ). For anyone looking into new tires be it stock replacements or otherwise that cares about fuel economy, there's a new breed of tire that's been around the past few years more so on the commercial tire side called "Smartway verified" which equates to lower rolling resistance and an improvment in fuel economy. A half a mile gain to a trucker is a big deal when a fill-up runs around $1200 and they do it a number of times a week. The manufacturers have all been scrambling to meet the requirements and boast this feature in their newest offerings. Once tested and passed (with certification from the EPA), the tire in question is assigned a rolling resistance number, the lower the number the better. Although this is now trickling down into the passenger tire side, we haven't seen much of this in the passenger line of tires as of yet, but it's coming, mostly with the major big 3 manufacturers (Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear). If you're in the market for tires I would start researching any brand you are considering just to see if they mention anything about "low rolling resistance" or not, it's all for your benefit and should be coming to a place near you soon. The best general rule of thumb for now is if the paticular model of tire you are considering has been around a long time (like 10+ years or more) and you can't find much of anything or nothing concerning fuel economy about the tire, that would indicate it's pretty much the same tire they've been offering since day one and will be one you want to avoid if you care about saving fuel. The tire may wear decent but you may be killing your fuel economy by running them.

 

In the case here, I don't know about a 5 mpg reduction in fuel economy (unless there is something else really wrong) by going with a certain tire on a pickup as I've never seen that bad of a reduction even on a large commercial truck, but by going with whatever brand "X" of tire, a couple miles per gallon reduction could certainly be realistic. Also, best bet buy US made or at least buy major manufacturer, avoid anything made by the CH-ina company, there's a bunch of them out there now (o.k., the market is totally flooded with them). Look over the sidewall and it will tell you where the tire was made, this info on tires in the US is mandatory. There are a few very good made overseas tires like Hankook as an example which is currently also O.E. for many GM vehicles, most anything else made in Japan is also very good, but most others not made either in the US or Japan are trouble from the get go. I know, we've looked at and have tried them all. Besides poor fuel economy you could expect weird or rapid tread wear, an unexplained / unexpected failure, an out-of-round condition which will shake your truck apart, or worse. When it comes to steer tires in particular we have a saying: "Your life is in your hands!"