Tires Again!

caddy39 · November 24, 2008

Hey folks. Im not on here too often but I have a question about tires. I know there are a TON of tire posts but this might be a bit different.

I have the 20" rims and the owners manual says I can't go play offroad with them. Frankly, I see where they are coming from, not a lot of tread. I mainly use my truck for on-road activities.

I am looking for a set of snow tires right now and I am curious If I could get ones that I could off road in the summer with. Make sense?

Basically, If I know I am going to go play in the Mud/offroad, I'll just take the 20's off and go have some fun. I just don't want to have 3 sets of rims/tires around.

Any suggestions? Keep in mind that I dont want massive tires. If I can get away with doing something like this, then great. If not, I'll suck it up and dish out the cash.

Thanks,

Michael

Couple pics of the new truck

sfriesen · November 24, 2008

I have the 20 inch rims on my Silverado and eventually bought a set of Bridgestone Dueler Revo ATs to handle both winter driving weather and off road use in the summer.

Don't believe everything you read in the manual - it isn't gospel.

I was looking for a set of winter tires, but couldn't make the leap because the vehicle is already a 4x4, and didn't want to shell out all that $ for something I would use part of the season. I also wanted something I could off road with.

With the Revos though, I have taken my 20s through some pretty rough terrain, and found that they have handled difficult road conditions better than I expected, largely due to ride stability and rebound control.

It all depends on how aggressive you want to be when you say mud/off road use. I wouldn't go any bigger than the 20s though because they look like pure street or racing tires, and are more meant for appearance or Friday night sporting on a dragstrip rather than serious trucking - I mean hauling trailers, getting in and out of back country trails for hunting and fishing, climbin' mud/gravel hills. No problems doing all of this with 20's.

If you are into serious (I mean serious) off roading, you would be best to use something with dual axles for better wheel articulation and handling with mud tires that have a lot of rubber to avoid scraping rocks.

For the user that hunts, fishes, skis and snowmobiles (like me), I have found that the 20s with a good set of ATs (e.g., Michelin MS, Duler Revos, Pirelli Scorpions) have suited my requirements just fine.

caddy39 · November 24, 2008

I have the 20 inch rims on my Silverado and eventually bought a set of Bridgestone Dueler Revo ATs to handle both winter driving weather and off road use in the summer.

Don't believe everything you read in the manual - it isn't gospel.

I was looking for a set of winter tires, but couldn't make the leap because the vehicle is already a 4x4, and didn't want to shell out all that $ for something I would use part of the season. I also wanted something I could off road with.

With the Revos though, I have taken my 20s through some pretty rough terrain, and found that they have handled difficult road conditions better than I expected, largely due to ride stability and rebound control.

It all depends on how aggressive you want to be when you say mud/off road use. I wouldn't go any bigger than the 20s though because they look like pure street or racing tires, and are more meant for appearance or Friday night sporting on a dragstrip rather than serious trucking - I mean hauling trailers, getting in and out of back country trails for hunting and fishing, climbin' mud/gravel hills. No problems doing all of this with 20's.

If you are into serious (I mean serious) off roading, you would be best to use something with dual axles for better wheel articulation and handling with mud tires that have a lot of rubber to avoid scraping rocks.

For the user that hunts, fishes, skis and snowmobiles (like me), I have found that the 20s with a good set of ATs (e.g., Michelin MS, Duler Revos, Pirelli Scorpions) have suited my requirements just fine.

Excellent Info.. I am definitely not going any larger than the 20's. I took a look at the Bridgestone Dueler Revo ATs and they look like a decent tread. By off-roading I didn't mean huge hills/massive rocks. More just playing around. The tread on the OEM tires just doesn't look the greatest for that.

Looks like I will be searching for some At's.... Now.. how are At's in the winter compared to actual Winter Tires?

Treasure · November 24, 2008

For what is worth...my friend and I both have 08 4x4 cc...his 5.3 mine is vmax...we both have the 2" RC leveling kit...he got the 285/50/20 bfg's and they fit fine and are great offroad...and he has used it hunting...ive see pics...ive got 275/60/20 cooper zeon ltz on the way

jeff

97SierraGMC · November 24, 2008

you could put a leveling kit on and some bigger tires so when you do decide to go off road you wont have to worry about getting stuck / hung up or something ... just something to think about.

caddy39 · November 24, 2008

I plan on doing a 3" lift in the spring. I think I am going to suck it up and hae 3 sets of tires(Women need shoes,I'll buy tires)

Just out of curiosity. I have the opportunity to buy a set of TOYO open country winter(G02's I think) tires. They are 17" but they are 285's! Thats a bit wide for the winter isnt it? I can't see them being a very good winter tire. Any thoughts?