F*ing new guy with a noon question.

IW17 · January 29, 2016

Hey wanted to introduce myself. My names Drew. Just recently purchased a 2011 gmc Sierra sle. My first nice truck and I'm looking to make a few upgrades. I'm about to order a 2.5" rough country leveling kit and a set of cooper discoverer St maxx tires. My truck has 265/70-17 at the moment. I'm pretty sure once the leveling kit is installed I'll want larger tires. I know this is possible with the leveling kit, but I'm not sure what sizes will work. I'm interested in 285/70-17. Anyone know if this will work with the clearance I'll have? I don't want it to rub, but at the same time I don't want the tires to look small on the truck.

Thanks for any advice. This is all very new to me and I'd hate to make a $1k mistake.

slj2008 · January 30, 2016

Hey wanted to introduce myself. My names Drew. Just recently purchased a 2011 gmc Sierra sle. My first nice truck and I'm looking to make a few upgrades. I'm about to order a 2.5" rough country leveling kit and a set of cooper discoverer St maxx tires. My truck has 265/70-17 at the moment. I'm pretty sure once the leveling kit is installed I'll want larger tires. I know this is possible with the leveling kit, but I'm not sure what sizes will work. I'm interested in 285/70-17. Anyone know if this will work with the clearance I'll have? I don't want it to rub, but at the same time I don't want the tires to look small on the truck.

Thanks for any advice. This is all very new to me and I'd hate to make a $1k mistake.

when you go bigger tires - WILL it fit In the garage, clear the door opening ?????

IW17 · January 30, 2016

No garage, so yes?.

99silveradoz71 · January 30, 2016

Welcome.

IW17 · January 30, 2016

Sorry for the title goof. Meant to say noob. Auto correct can suck.

Big Whiskey · January 31, 2016

Yes, 285/70/17's will fit just fine with a leveling kit. You can probably even run them without any mods at all. If keeping the stock rims, 295/70/17 or 285/75/17 should also work, but will be about the limit, if you don't want any rubbing at all.

IW17 · January 31, 2016

Awesome thank you. I thought it would work but that's a lot of money to drop without being 100%.

Big Whiskey · February 1, 2016

No problem. Like I said, all of those will work if you keep your stock rims. If you go with aftermarket rims with crazy negative offsets, you might run into trouble. And, just FYI, most tire shops will let you test fit a tire before you drop all that cheddar on a full set...if you're buying local.

Brent Lake · February 1, 2016

Hey wanted to introduce myself. My names Drew. Just recently purchased a 2011 gmc Sierra sle. My first nice truck and I'm looking to make a few upgrades. I'm about to order a 2.5" rough country leveling kit and a set of cooper discoverer St maxx tires. My truck has 265/70-17 at the moment. I'm pretty sure once the leveling kit is installed I'll want larger tires. I know this is possible with the leveling kit, but I'm not sure what sizes will work. I'm interested in 285/70-17. Anyone know if this will work with the clearance I'll have? I don't want it to rub, but at the same time I don't want the tires to look small on the truck.

Thanks for any advice. This is all very new to me and I'd hate to make a $1k mistake.

Hey Drew. This is my 15 with a 2 inch RC level kit and 285/70/17's on stock wheels. I think the tire size is perfect, doesn't look too small yet still doesn't rub. Good luck with whatever you choose..

IW17 · February 1, 2016

Great thanks for the picture. That does look nice. Exactly what I'm looking for. I'm at the age where I want something that looks nice, but doesn't look over the top, and still functions well. What tires are you running? Anyone have any negatives about the cooper st maxx? Obviously what tire is the best, is a pretty open ended question. But if anyone an impart some wisdom, I'll take all I can get. I need something that drives nice(as nice as to be expected from an aggressive tire), and can handle thick mud, snow, and the occasional ice. Snow and mud being most important.

Brent Lake · February 2, 2016

Great thanks for the picture. That does look nice. Exactly what I'm looking for. I'm at the age where I want something that looks nice, but doesn't look over the top, and still functions well. What tires are you running? Anyone have any negatives about the cooper st maxx? Obviously what tire is the best, is a pretty open ended question. But if anyone an impart some wisdom, I'll take all I can get. I need something that drives nice(as nice as to be expected from an aggressive tire), and can handle thick mud, snow, and the occasional ice. Snow and mud being most important.

I'm running BFG A/T KO2's. One of the better priced tires in this size. Looks aggressive without howling like most mud terrain tires that I've had on other trucks. Probably not the choice for heavy mud use, but pretty good everywhere else.

IW17 · February 2, 2016

I've looked at those and really like them. From what I've found they cost a bit more than the St maxx in comparable sizes. If I found the right price I certainly wouldn't be opposed to them.

Big Whiskey · February 3, 2016

It's going to be really difficult to find a tire that's really good in snow & ice, while also cleaning out well in thick mud. All terrains, such as Toyo AT2, General Grabber AT2, Cooper Discoverer AT3, BFG All Terrain K02, etc. are going to be great in the snow & ice, but not so great in thick mud. And, mud terrains, like the Toyo MT, Nitto Trail Grappler, BFG Mud Terrain, etc. will do a lot better in mud, but probably won't provide the traction you want in icy conditions. Hybrid tires, such as the Cooper ST Maxx, Toyo Open Country RT, Goodyear Duratrac, Goodyear Fierce Attitude MT, Kelly Safari TSR, etc. would probably be the best option for you. They're kind of like the swiss army knife of tires...they're not really super awesome at any one thing...but they do a pretty good job on a lot of different things.