Tires...

[SilveradoWV]

Well I've figured out cheap tires dont last very long at all on a Crew Cab 2500HD 4x4 8.1L. Its now time to buy new tires and I am wanting something that will last on a heavy truck. I have been hearing about a Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor but havent heard any long term reviews of them. I also see they offer a Pro Grade for larger trucks. I am wondering if they are automatically calling a Load Range E the Pro Grade or is the Pro Grade something completely separate. Got a quote today for 4 and I asked about the Pro Grade and they didnt know what I was talking about, I guess I should have asked to see one of the Load Range E's to see if it had Pro Grade on it. Anyway the Wrangler Silent Armor's mounted, balanced, with Road Hazard comes out to $960...A good chunk of change for sure...

[Shotgun]

My Dad is running the Silent Armor on his Dmax and he has about 25K on them. Looks like he'll get at least another 20k out of em. So far so good.

[Shaners]

An excellent tire in the same price range as the Goodyear you mentioned would be the Michelin LTX M/S. They have excellent traction in all weather conditions, and they last a long time! I had them on my last truck that I sold to my buddy. He has about 35K miles on those tires now and they still look like they are at least 50%.

[Haulin' 8.1]

My Bridgestones have lasted about 45K hard driving. Excellent tire.

 

On this subject I need some advice from the guys who've been in the HD truck scene longer than I have.

 

How necessary is the load range E for this truck? I can't think of any reason I'll ever load my bed that heavy. I do tow heavy trailers from time to time. Would D or C do? What about metric tires with a load rating higher than C? I ask because my REVO's are about gone but I'm not in the position financially to spend that kind of money to replace them right now. I'm looking for a value priced 265/75-16 A/T that will handle my crazy 115 MPH top speed runs without coming apart but not cost an arm and a leg. Seems a tall order, but the lighter load tires are speed rated higher in the lower priced segment.

 

Sorry to highjack thread but thanks for any advice,

Vernon

[vxaxv17]

I dont do much towing myself but i have a habit of using my 2500HD as a giant wheelbarrow for a ton or so of dirt. Its much easier to fill the bed once than to fill 50 wheelbarrows. Anyway, i've been running BFG A/Ts 265/75R16 i believe which i think are D range without any problems. I've gotten a little over 45k miles out of them and they withstood the load just fine. Keep in mind that you will want to keep the pressure pretty high for heavy loads. My local shop had mine at 60psi but i lowered them to 50 because it felt weird when driving on the highway. No problems here.

 

Side note: You have a HD with 15" rims?

 

-Jim

[95Sierra2500]

I'd suggest the General Grabber AT2's as a good all-terrain tires, load range E. They only came to $535 mounted, balanced, and road hazard. It's always good to have more tire than you need. Also, towing heavy trailers it's good to have a heavier duty tire.

[Haulin' 8.1]

Side note: You have a HD with 15" rims?

 

-Jim

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

No that was a typo, I have the factory alloy 16" wheels. I was like "Why did he ask that?" then I reread my post.

 

Thanks for the replys, I'll look into a lighter load rating. I'll just have to be sure that I don't overload it while they are on but I don't see that happening anyways.

 

Vernon

[Shaners]

A load range "D" in a 265/75/16 has almost an identical load capacity as the factory 245/75/16. So the answer is yes you can go down in load range if you are going to the larger tire (a little more air pressure would be useful when hauling those heavy trailers).