1500 HD tires

dwd · February 6, 2005

I have a 2005 1500HD with Quadrasteer. I just sold a 1999 Chevy Z71. I hate the tires on my new truck. They are LT245/70/16R. The tires are so small! The truck riders very rough. I would like to put bigger tires on the truck and was thinking of P tires. I had P265/75/16R on my Z71 and the ride was very smooth. I do not do any hauling, only a little off road for hunting, mostly do alot of city driving. What are the risks of bigger tires with my Quadrasteer and how big can I go. And what are the risks of P tires versus LT. Any suggestions on the size tires and type for a smoother ride??

Jacqson · February 6, 2005

I have a 2005 1500HD with Quadrasteer. I just sold a 1999 Chevy Z71. I hate the tires on my new truck. They are LT245/70/16R. The tires are so small! The truck riders very rough. I would like to put bigger tires on the truck and was thinking of P tires. I had P265/75/16R on my Z71 and the ride was very smooth. I do not do any hauling, only a little off road for hunting, mostly do alot of city driving. What are the risks of bigger tires with my Quadrasteer and how big can I go. And what are the risks of P tires versus LT. Any suggestions on the size tires and type for a smoother ride??

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I swapped my LT245/75/16 tires off my 02 Sub(Before I installed a lift kit) for a set of Bridgestone Dueller LT265/75/16 tires with no problem.You don't even have to calibrate the speedo. You should be able to swap over those 245s for LT265s with no problem and I would stick with the LTs as they have a stronger sidewall than the Ps and since you like going off-road occasionally I think the LTs would give you better piece of mind.

dewfpo · February 6, 2005

What air pressure are you running in your 245's on the 1500HD? When I picked up my truck it rode very hard, I checked the tires and they were pumped up to 80 psi. I cut them back to 45 psi and the ride is much smoother. I'll pump them back up when I tow, but for now.... 45 psi is the way to go.

DEWFPO

93Stocker · February 6, 2005

There has been a very recent discussion on P vs. LT tires on this forum. As of now, it's on page 2 titled "LT tires, what's the difference?". The URL will be the same as this one except it ends in "showtopic=37832" instead of 38204. I'm not very familiar with the 1500 HD. After a quick check, I believe your OE tires are actually LT245/75R16 LRE? If so, they have a max. load of 3042lbs. at 80 psi cold inflation pressure. I don't think you'll be able to find a P-metric tire, especially one designed for 6.5 in rims, that will have close to that load carrying capacity. From what I've read on tire related websites, the tire pro's say not to use a tire with less load carrying capacity than the OE tires on the door placard have. Also, for passenger tires used on light trucks, the load capacity on the sidewall has to be reduced. Divide the sidewall number by 1.10 or multiply it by 0.91 to get the reduced load.

2003chevyz71 · February 6, 2005

As far as tire size, I drive an '03 Chevy Z-71 that came with a P rated 265/75/16 on it. I thought the tire looked small on my truck so I put a LT-rated 285/75/16's on it last week. I absolutely love them. I don't have nay problem with them rubbing or anything.

The only thing that I have found so far, is that at 60MPH my speedo is off ~4MPH. My speedo reads 56, but I am really going 60. I got someone to drive on the side of me and set their cruise at 60, so I could find this out. That issue isn't that big of a deal to me though, but I think you can have the computer re-programmed if you want. The bigger tires are a little noiser too, but the radio covers that up.

I got BF Goodrich All Terrain's. It looks really good on that truck.

Good Luck

99-2door · February 7, 2005

I have a 2005 1500HD with Quadrasteer. I just sold a 1999 Chevy Z71. I hate the tires on my new truck. They are LT245/70/16R. The tires are so small! The truck riders very rough. I would like to put bigger tires on the truck and was thinking of P tires. I had P265/75/16R on my Z71 and the ride was very smooth. I do not do any hauling, only a little off road for hunting, mostly do alot of city driving. What are the risks of bigger tires with my Quadrasteer and how big can I go. And what are the risks of P tires versus LT. Any suggestions on the size tires and type for a smoother ride??

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I swapped my LT245/75/16 tires off my 02 Sub(Before I installed a lift kit) for a set of Bridgestone Dueller LT265/75/16 tires with no problem.You don't even have to calibrate the speedo. You should be able to swap over those 245s for LT265s with no problem and I would stick with the LTs as they have a stronger sidewall than the Ps and since you like going off-road occasionally I think the LTs would give you better piece of mind.

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You definately need to have the speedo calibrated from a 245 to a 265. About 1.2 inches in overall height difference which means 3.7 inches difference each rotation.

Jacqson · February 7, 2005

I have a 2005 1500HD with Quadrasteer. I just sold a 1999 Chevy Z71. I hate the tires on my new truck. They are LT245/70/16R. The tires are so small! The truck riders very rough. I would like to put bigger tires on the truck and was thinking of P tires. I had P265/75/16R on my Z71 and the ride was very smooth. I do not do any hauling, only a little off road for hunting, mostly do alot of city driving. What are the risks of bigger tires with my Quadrasteer and how big can I go. And what are the risks of P tires versus LT. Any suggestions on the size tires and type for a smoother ride??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I swapped my LT245/75/16 tires off my 02 Sub(Before I installed a lift kit) for a set of Bridgestone Dueller LT265/75/16 tires with no problem.You don't even have to calibrate the speedo. You should be able to swap over those 245s for LT265s with no problem and I would stick with the LTs as they have a stronger sidewall than the Ps and since you like going off-road occasionally I think the LTs would give you better piece of mind.

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You definately need to have the speedo calibrated from a 245 to a 265. About 1.2 inches in overall height difference which means 3.7 inches difference each rotation.

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No you don't need a speedo calibration because going from 245 to 265 is less than a 10%(actually the tire change is about 5%) diameter change which is within the limits allowed by the computer. Your 245 tire at 45mph is turning at about 680 revs per minute while the 265 is turning at about 654 which is approximately a 5% change. Before I changed from 245 to 265 I checked with the dealer and they told me that as long as you stay under the 10% threshold from the original tire to the larger tire there is no need to adjust the computer. My speedo works fine and is accurate with the 265s. If you don't agree go check with the dealer or a reputable tire store.

My1stGMC · February 7, 2005

I have an '02 1500HD and I prematurely wore my stock tires down running them at 45 psi instead of 80 psi. I only have 38,000 miles and I need new tires.

Ric · February 7, 2005

I have an '02 1500HD and I prematurely wore my stock tires down running them at 45 psi instead of 80 psi. I only have 38,000 miles and I need new tires.

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currently running 305/70/16 bridgestones on my 1500hd with a little crankup of the torsion bars, all is ok. MINE IS NOT QUADRASTEER, so I dont know what the implications will be there.

mcreyaufmiller · February 7, 2005

Remember everyone, he has a quadsteer truck. my advise is to email tirerack.com and ask them, they have all the specs.

Bill55AZ · February 8, 2005

Typical tire pressure for P rated is 35 psi, for LT rated is 50 psi.

I think it is a mistake to put P rated on any truck heavier than the regular 1500. If it comes with LT tires, you should run them.

Air Biscuit · February 8, 2005

I agree. Safety is number one. Don't forget that there are different LT rates. A 1500 (including HD) could get away with C rated LT tires that have a max pressure of 50 PSI (run them at 40 - 45). Tougher sidewall with a bit of a softer ride. You can also tow quite a bit with those. If you're worried, go to a D. I really don't think you need an E until you get to the 2500s and 3500s.

Just my $.02

Typical tire pressure for P rated is 35 psi, for LT rated is 50 psi.
I think it is a mistake to put P rated on any truck heavier than the regular 1500. If it comes with LT tires, you should run them.

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SS Crew · February 8, 2005

I've got an '04 2500 (same as a 1500HD) with the Q-steer. I put some 305-50-20's on my truck. You gotta fill them big rear wheel wells. I put some Michelin Cross Terrains on the truck. They come with a 65,000 mile treadwear warranty (they won't last that long), so you'll at least get a pro-rated repurchase. I had a Wester's reflash done to my truck's computer. A speedo recalibrate was included in the reflash. I wasn't too impressed at first, but after about 500 miles, wow, what a difference!. It won't break those big ol' meats loose, but man, it really moves now... and my gas mileage has gone up about 1 mpg. I would definitely recommend Wester's.

As far as a rough ride - it's a pick up, not a car. If you want a smooth ride buy a Lexus.