Tire/Level Suggestions?

swoleymammoth · April 23, 2018

Hey y'all,

Just picked up a new 2018 LT Z71 Crew Cab Short Bed. Really excited to be in my first ever new truck and a huge upgrade from my 2004 Dodge 1500. Anyhow, I've got a couple of questions for you guys as I look into modding my new truck for hunting/camping:

1. Does anyone run 265/70/r18 tires on their truck? How do you like these size? How does the mpg differ from stock? I plan on sticking with P rated tires. Also, thinking about picking up Goodyear Wrangler Adventure All Terrains in this size, anyone have any experience with these tires?

2. Looking at leveling my truck but I don't want it to ride like crap like my old dodge. Any recommendations on keeping the ride as stock as possible? I was looking at the Rancho Quicklift, anyone have any experience with these shocks?

3. Finally, any tips for a new Silverado owner? I'm loving this truck so far and would love to hear any advice you guys have with these new trucks.

Thank you guys in advance for the replies and I look forward to contributing more on this forum!

Hooper_c4 · April 23, 2018

Hey y'all,

Just picked up a new 2018 LT Z71 Crew Cab Short Bed. Really excited to be in my first ever new truck and a huge upgrade from my 2004 Dodge 1500. Anyhow, I've got a couple of questions for you guys as I look into modding my new truck for hunting/camping:

1. Does anyone run 265/70/r18 tires on their truck? How do you like these size? How does the mpg differ from stock? I plan on sticking with P rated tires. Also, thinking about picking up Goodyear Wrangler Adventure All Terrains in this size, anyone have any experience with these tires?

2. Looking at leveling my truck but I don't want it to ride like crap like my old dodge. Any recommendations on keeping the ride as stock as possible? I was looking at the Rancho Quicklift, anyone have any experience with these shocks?

3. Finally, any tips for a new Silverado owner? I'm loving this truck so far and would love to hear any advice you guys have with these new trucks.

Thank you guys in advance for the replies and I look forward to contributing more on this forum!

As far as pointers, all I can say is get the tuner first (Diablo or blackbear or whatever) and get rid of the afm! As well as a good custom tune, not the canned ones. If the new ones are anything like the nnbs they're miserable to drive until they get tuned and afm is disabled. Mines not tuned yet and it's a sluggish turd. Just my .02

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BlueSilvyZ71 · April 24, 2018

Go out and get your truck coated with the Xpel paint protection film. The paint is something else. :/

amxguy1970 · April 24, 2018

15 hours ago, Hooper_c4 said:

As far as pointers, all I can say is get the tuner first (Diablo or blackbear or whatever) and get rid of the afm! As well as a good custom tune, not the canned ones. If the new ones are anything like the nnbs they're miserable to drive until they get tuned and afm is disabled. Mines not tuned yet and it's a sluggish turd. Just my .02

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So wait, you do or you don't have a new truck? You say if the new ones are anything like the NNBS they suck to drive (not true but ok) so that means you don't. Then you say yours isn't tuned ye, how can you make recommendations if you haven't had it done? So you are assuming the new trucks and NNBS are the same? I promise they aren't. Guess you aren't a fan of warranties? Tuning it will lose the warranty for your most expensive parts, maybe the OP wants to keep that intact?

Either way OP don't worry about a tune, nothing wrong with the stock truck and it gets up and moves just fine, even better with some miles on it. Drives great for a truck, they will never be enjoyable to drive or fun like a car. AFM helps save gas and works as advertised and is imperceptible when it switches back and forth. Enjoy it, search around the forums as most anything has been covered, including all your questions extensively in numerous threads. Check out the leveled thread with tons of info in it as well.

Tyler

JerryCanada · April 24, 2018

1) If you stick to P rated tire changes in mpg should be minimal but going bigger will still affect your mpg. If you're going to drive on gravel roads or tow anything regularly I'd suggest to go to a LT tire. This will affect you mpg quite a bit more but will add stability and reduce the chances of making a flat.

2) Any type of lift or level will affect the stock ride. They all change the geometry of the truck. Mine has a 2" RC front level. Made it stiffer but I'm ok with it.

3) Those a good truck with a solid powertrain. Only had 1 real issue with my 2015 so far which was an electrical issue (power brake module got water in it). So if you take good care of it it'll last.

swoleymammoth · April 24, 2018

Thank you guys for all the replies! I really appreciate all the help! @amxguy1970 I don't plan on getting a tune for the exact reasons you stated. I really don't want to void the warranty and I really enjoy the truck as is, I don't even notice the AFM at all, the technology that has gone into it is pretty amazing. The truck has plenty of power for my daily driving and I love it so far!

uofmeet · April 24, 2018

Technically, a tuner does not void a warranty. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act deals with this. Basically they would have to prove the tune caused the problem. if it went that far. I did put a hyper-tech tune on mine and makes the drive a lot better, less sluggish etc. And me personally would only get a hyper-tech. But then again I know the guys who makes most of the tunes including the one for my truck.

L86 All Terrain · April 24, 2018

Use the search, or google search. There are literally THOUSANDS of tire size/level threads out now as the truck is in its last year of production.

As far as P rated tires go, I wouldn't put them on Colorado. Go to an LT tire in a D load range if you don't haul anything but don't want flats every time you leave the pavement. P rating "Passenger vehicle" LT rating "Light Truck". The only reason GM is using P rated tires is to keep the mpg's down for the EPA testing and certification, realistically they are inadequate for a full size truck IMO. If you never leave the pavement and don't haul and are only concerned about mpg, then I would consider a P tire. But a pine cone will give you a flat with those rubber bands they call a tire.

Brown4x4 · April 25, 2018

I have a 2014 Silverado 5.3 with 3.08 gears. I went with a 2.5 inch Rough Country leveling kit. Make sure and get an alignment done after the install. The ride is still good and not much loss in mileage. I have 275 70 18 BFG KO tires, had them on my previous truck too and are great the in snow. The heavier aftermarket tires with the 3.08 gears made the stock transmission shifting even worse. I went with a tune from Black Bear Performance to correct the speedometer, shut off afm and fix the lazy stock shifting. With the tune the truck is much more fun to drive and shifts like it should. I would look at Bilstein 5100 shocks too, a lot of good reviews on them.

Hooper_c4 · April 25, 2018

I have a 2014 Silverado 5.3 with 3.08 gears. I went with a 2.5 inch Rough Country leveling kit. Make sure and get an alignment done after the install. The ride is still good and not much loss in mileage. I have 275 70 18 BFG KO tires, had them on my previous truck too and are great the in snow. The heavier aftermarket tires with the 3.08 gears made the stock transmission shifting even worse. I went with a tune from Black Bear Performance to correct the speedometer, shut off afm and fix the lazy stock shifting. With the tune the truck is much more fun to drive and shifts like it should. I would look at Bilstein 5100 shocks too, a lot of good reviews on them.

Hmmm its funny you say that, looks like I'm not the only one. I suggested something very similar about shutting off afm and a tune for transmission and got some big long drawn out blah blah speech as a response [emoji23]

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Kubs · April 26, 2018

On 4/24/2018 at 5:38 PM, 10SierraA.T. said:

Use the search, or google search. There are literally THOUSANDS of tire size/level threads out now as the truck is in its last year of production.

As far as P rated tires go, I wouldn't put them on Colorado. Go to an LT tire in a D load range if you don't haul anything but don't want flats every time you leave the pavement. P rating "Passenger vehicle" LT rating "Light Truck". The only reason GM is using P rated tires is to keep the mpg's down for the EPA testing and certification, realistically they are inadequate for a full size truck IMO. If you never leave the pavement and don't haul and are only concerned about mpg, then I would consider a P tire. But a pine cone will give you a flat with those rubber bands they call a tire.

The load ratings in a large P-metric tire is more than enough to handle the load of a half ton truck. An LT tire will just add weight. If you are popping tires on pine cones maybe you're not buying quality tires...

L86 All Terrain · April 27, 2018

On ‎2018‎-‎04‎-‎25 at 7:59 PM, Kubs said:

The load ratings in a large P-metric tire is more than enough to handle the load of a half ton truck. An LT tire will just add weight. If you are popping tires on pine cones maybe you're not buying quality tires...

I live in the country. Our back roads are made with screened pit run, not crushed 7/8", so there are rocks as big as 3". You get flats with P rated tires, trust me. After two short trips to the bush after buying my 15 I got a flat each time with the Goodyear SRA's. I switched to a quality LT33x12.5r20 E load tire (diesel truck tire), now I have no worries. I understand that is overkill for a lot of people, but a LT in the D range is a quality tire. A P rated tire is not a quality tire, what ever way you look at it. They are made light with little ply for one reason only, maximum gas mileage. There is a reason an LT tire weighs nearly double an average P rated. More rubber, more plies, better ride, safer ride. You can run a P rated tire if you want to, just be prepared to be fixing flats if you do anything besides pound pavement with your truck. If one thinks for a second the stock P rated SRA's are a "quality" tire, then one obviously doesn't leave the mall parking lot too often.

Slabsides45 · April 27, 2018

In my 2015 crew, when I went to 285/70's, lost to around 15.5-16ish mpg. Then I lost my mind and went to 285/75/18's, and now I get an incredible 14.5mpg. Were I to go back, I probably wouldn't make that last tire size jump. All of this on a RC 2.5" lift kit, ride is still pretty close to stock. Power, that's a different thing....

Loco-diablo · April 27, 2018

On 4/24/2018 at 10:08 AM, amxguy1970 said:

So wait, you do or you don't have a new truck? You say if the new ones are anything like the NNBS they suck to drive (not true but ok) so that means you don't. Then you say yours isn't tuned ye, how can you make recommendations if you haven't had it done? So you are assuming the new trucks and NNBS are the same? I promise they aren't. Guess you aren't a fan of warranties? Tuning it will lose the warranty for your most expensive parts, maybe the OP wants to keep that intact?

Either way OP don't worry about a tune, nothing wrong with the stock truck and it gets up and moves just fine, even better with some miles on it. Drives great for a truck, they will never be enjoyable to drive or fun like a car. AFM helps save gas and works as advertised and is imperceptible when it switches back and forth. Enjoy it, search around the forums as most anything has been covered, including all your questions extensively in numerous threads. Check out the leveled thread with tons of info in it as well.

Tyler

I agree. I have no issues with AFM with my 2017 5.3. I don't even know it's there. Absolutely no reason to immediately jump into a tune.

I do agree with getting XPEL on a Z71 with the painted front bumper.

Kubs · April 27, 2018

1 hour ago, 10SierraA.T. said:

I live in the country. Our back roads are made with screened pit run, not crushed 7/8", so there are rocks as big as 3". You get flats with P rated tires, trust me. After two short trips to the bush after buying my 15 I got a flat each time with the Goodyear SRA's. I switched to a quality LT33x12.5r20 E load tire (diesel truck tire), now I have no worries. I understand that is overkill for a lot of people, but a LT in the D range is a quality tire. A P rated tire is not a quality tire, what ever way you look at it. They are made light with little ply for one reason only, maximum gas mileage. There is a reason an LT tire weighs nearly double an average P rated. More rubber, more plies, better ride, safer ride. You can run a P rated tire if you want to, just be prepared to be fixing flats if you do anything besides pound pavement with your truck. If one thinks for a second the stock P rated SRA's are a "quality" tire, then one obviously doesn't leave the mall parking lot too often.

I can see how in your case long term durability comes into play, and an LT would be more suited to that environment. While the OE tire is most likely geared towards fuel mileage, the aftermarket has lot of quality tires that are P-metric. I have tested lots of them from many manufacturers. LT tires do have more rubber and larger steel in the belts, but they have the same number of plies as a P-matric. Back in the days of Bias ply tires the truck tires used the play rating for higher load range, but today's radials are all 2 play bodys and 2 steel belts.