Need tire Advice

Kamyoon · June 28, 2003

I am looking to replace my stock tires on a GMC Sierra Z71 4.8L 4x4 after 58K miles.

Can I replace the 245/75R16s with 285/75R16s without needing a lift or causing rubbing?

Can I use the same rims?

I can get a good deal on BFGoodrich T/A KOs, but do not know much about them. Does anyone have any experience with these tires? I am looking for highway & off-road tires (60-40 split).

Your input will be greatly appreciated....

99silveradoz71 · June 28, 2003

Well asking for tire advice on here, you're going to get a list of about anything and everything. Some will swear by BFG's, others Michelin. I replaced my 265/75/r16 Wilderness AT's with a set of the same sized Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo's. They offer a smooth and quiet ride, exceptional wet and snow traction, and they weren't too pricey either. So far so good, and I've got about 12k on them. I do mostly highway/suburban driving, but we also had probably one of the snowiest winters lately up here in Cleveland, so I got a good chance to check them out in a variety of conditions.

frdfandc · June 28, 2003

The BFG All-terrains are an excellent all around tire. Great in the snow, very good in the rain, fair in the mud (if its too thick, you need super swampers, lol). I had a set on my 88 F-150. Now I rotated them every 5k miles and got almost 80k miles out of them.

frdfandc · June 28, 2003

The BFG All-terrains are an excellent all around tire. Great in the snow, very good in the rain, fair in the mud (if its too thick, you need super swampers, lol). I had a set on my 88 F-150. Now I rotated them every 5k miles and got almost 80k miles out of them.

KonradSayek · June 30, 2003

It's my understanding that 285's WILL rub your bumper or fenders at stock height. This can be rectified by adjusting your torsion bars, which will make your truck ride higher. Keep in mind that there will be a loss of acceleration/power and gas mileage with larger tires if your gear ratio is lower(or higher, depending on how you look at it) than around 3.73.

bbviper · June 30, 2003

I ran 285's on my Sierra with stock wheels for awile. They fit on the rim but did rub the fender wall, but barely on sharp turns. I was told differently about the gas mileage though. BIgger tires=more wheel travel=better gas mileage. I got around 20 Highway. My speedo is off a little . I need some advice on how to correct it.

GDN · June 30, 2003

I ran BF Goodrich 285's on stock wheels on my 2000 for 3 years - no rubbing - no problems. So far - sticking with the factory 265's on the 2003. The onlyl problem I had with the BF Goodrich tire was keeping them balanced - I don't know if it was the tire or place doing the work (Discount Tire). They got a new machine a few months before I traded it and it balances the wheel and tire - almost separately. Things seemed to really be much better after that.

With the new machine they actually put the mounted tire on the machine - spin it - and get measurements - they then break the tire down and rotate the tire on the wheel for optimum balance. They air it up and put it back on the machine again - spin it and then add weights as necessary.

Professor · June 30, 2003

I feel the 265s will look and work better with stock wheels and no lift kit. You are going to take a big perfomance hit with the 4.8 and 285s, the wheels are a bit too narrow and they are going to rub slightly.

DeezBlueZ · June 30, 2003

Taller tires "should" yield you more gas mileage, but some folks look at things a different way. Taller and bigger tires have more rolling resistance and weight ,wich gives you crappier mileage. Some also say that the effective gear ratio change , due to the taller tires will consume more gas. I guess it takes more gas to get the big skins rolling compared to a lower gear ratio.

When it comes to tires and gearing there are always pros and cons to each different scenario. I would suggest Michelins LTX's .

DeezBlueZ · June 30, 2003

Worktruck · July 1, 2003

I have 265's on my 02 1500 w/ 4.8. The bigger tire and the small V8 = lower gas mileage, trust me. It's not that bad though, I went from about 17 to around 15 mpg. The bigger tires are a little harder to get rolling so if you do city driving I'm sure your mileage will be less. But if you are on the highway alot you probably won't notice a change. BTW I have BFG's and love them. I plow snow and these tires love to bite into it!

bigtruck21 · July 1, 2003

Getting bigger tires will lower the effective gear ratio in the back. Lower ratios are better if they fit with the engine rpms on the highway and usually yield more mpg. But bigger tires have a larger rolling mass which consumes power and wastes gas. If you put your foot into the vehicle and/or do a lot of city driving, you will lose more mpg with the larger tires. Also if you don't reprogram your speedo, larger tires will make your speedo say it's going slower than you really are. If you don't take this into account, you will actually be going faster than you mean too and the faster you go, the more gas you use.