New Tires on 4.3

Mountaineers89 · October 22, 2018

I have a 2015 Silverado with the stock 255/70/17 Bridgestone tires. The truck has ~35,000 miles and the tires are to the wear bar and are very slick when wet. The truck is a 2wd with the 4.3 engine. I don't drive in the snow much or drive off road too often, but I did get stuck several times last year in snow and mud, so I would like to switch to an all terrain tire. I also wanted to get larger tires, but do not want to significantly slow down the truck since it only has the 4.3. I was thinking about going with a 265/70/17, but can go larger as I have Bilstein 5100's on the .75" setting (one setting up from stock). I thought staying with a P tire would help since they wont weigh as much. I have been searching the forums and have narrowed down the following tires and wanted to see if some were recommended over others. These are in the 265/70/17 P tires, but may be willing to go larger if people have not noticed a big difference with the 4.3. If there is a difference I would be willing to stay with 255's.

Nitto Terra Grappler G2 ($156)- Saw some comments saying these are not good on wet roads and become slick.

Goodyear Duratrac ($190)- Some comments said these were loud compared to others.

General Grabber AT2 ($149)

Toyo Open Country A/T II ($170)

L86 All Terrain · October 22, 2018

Seems like you have made a good choice in size and tire weight if you want to maintain the stock drivability. Not a big fan of P rated tires but if a P tire is adequate for your needs then it will suffice just fine. Keep in mind it is not always the tread pattern that determines your traction in snow, it is just as often the overall section width of the tire or the rubber composition. You would get more winter traction with a bald 245 tire vs. an aggressive 305 tire. A skinnier tire puts down more ground pressure, meaning more traction in snowy conditions. The 12.5's on my All Terrain make it impossible to move on a snow covered backroad in 2wd because they displace too much weight to get down to the road under the snow, a hydroplaning effect if you will. If i had a 255/265 i would have no issues.

I dont think the 10mm you choose to upsize will impact your drive negatively, a 265 seems to be the sweet spot for today's half-tons. Of your choices, i have experience with the Wrangler and Toyo and i would choose the Toyo personally if within $30 per tire, but either are a great choice. The Toyo's have held up the best on my work trucks, just got a set of BFG's to try on the 2018.

Donstar · October 23, 2018

I faced the same dilemma with my '15 4.3. We experience all weather conditions where we live and I have made a habit of replacing my oem tires early with Michelin "all seasons" from Costco for the past 20 years. The product or store have never let me down. I chose the Michelin Defender 255/70r/17. A 265 (or 245) width tire will not make a significant difference in looks or performance so I chose to stay stock. On my last truck I chose to go with the LT version with a one size increase in width. The loss in performance with my 5.3 was noticeable at the pump.

Mountaineers89 · October 26, 2018

Thanks for the responses. I actually ended up getting a deal on some BFG KO2's in 265/70/17 load C. They are ordered and will be installed the end of next week. The place I got them from is running a deal on Pro Comp wheels ($120 each). I haven't seen any negative reviews on this brand and I saw a few models I was interested in. My question now is will I rub if I get these. My original wheels are 17 x 8.5 (stock) and the new ones are 17 x 9. One set has a 0 offset and one has a -6. I'm not sure what the offset of my original wheels are. I have Bilstein 5100 shocks lifted to the .75" setting. I could potentially have the shop raise them up if needed, but I dont know how much this would cost. Does anyone this size tire with these offsets that can tell me if they rub?