My 2000 Short bed Z71 is finally ready to retire the Firestone Wilderness 265-75x16 tries. Sams Club has Michelin X LT
285-75x16 tires for only $20 more for the set of 4. I know the wider tire will look better and it will alter my speedometer calibration slightly(they're 1in. taller). My concern is, I think that I saw a comment on this group that the steering was more difficult. Please share your insight and I will make a more informed decision in my purchase. STOVEBOLT
I ran with Dunlops on both my '88 C1500 shortbed standard cab 350 and my '95 extended cab shortbed with the 6.5L diesel. Great handling but soft compound (good grip but wore out fast). After Dunlop stopped making the tire I liked in the size I used, I switched to Goodyear Wrangler GSA's - the absolute worst tire I ever had on any truck - period. Could not keep them in balance at all, even after having them balanced multiple times over the course of one month all at different dealers. I will never buy those tires again.
After that I purchased a set of Michelin X Radial LT's at Costco and they drove, handled, and wore better than any tires I ever owned. I put over
40,000 miles on the set I had on the '95 before I sold the truck (and got my
2004 2500HD) and they still looked like new. My wife also has an SUV with Michelin's on them and after more than 25,000 miles the tread is also still like new and when I went to have them balanced and rotated the tires needed very little weight and all had excellently even wear on them (unlike the my old GSA's which cupped and wore so quickly no matter what I did). The Michelins also handled very well in wet weather (a big concern for us here in Central Florida). I can tell you without hesitation that when the stock tires on my current truck need replacing, I'm going right back to Michelin no questions asked.
Good tires. Long wearing. I have 66k on mine and they still look great. They are quiet, handle well in wet weather. Ok in snow, as they are not agressive.
The rubber ages before the tire wears out, mine are 5 years old. And are developing side wall cracks.
I put these tires on my 1990 C-1500, Toyo Proxes S/T---275X60X15 in 9 years and 4 different brands of tires I have never had a better tire, also much heavier wall and higher tire pressure.You may not want to use the 60 Series but I enjoy the better ride.About $110 a tire worth every dollar. Have run Dunlops, Uniroyal,BFG,
I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I have had a very similar experience to everyone else in that these tires never seem to wear out. However I did NOT experience good traction. These tires were the worst in wet weather or snow. They never wear out because the compound is hard. If your an average driver I think they are a good choice. However if you really need to grip the road I wouldn't recommend them.
I had these on my 96 1500 Z71 with the Votec 350 V8. Spin. That is all they did at red lights on anything other than pure dry pavement. This drove me nuts. I now use BF Goodrich KO's. They have a much softer compound which wears out in about 35k to 45k miles but which has great grip on wet and snowy roads. They are also very expensive but so in auto insurance. Hard rubber compound tires are not for me but lots of people like them. So it really depends on you.
I just bought my 8th set of michelin's(4 vehicles), I wouldn't buy anything else. I couldn't wait to wear the tiger paws out on my astro. I put michelins on it, My wife said it never drove better.
If they are no wider, I really don't see the point. What with throwing off the speedo calibration and the extra trans slippage from having to turn a taller tire, I don't see the advantage. Not a put down, just my point of view. H
Actually, according to the numbers you give the tires aren't the same width. The 285's are 20mm (about .8 inch) wider at the tread than the 265's. The telling number is the aspect ratio. For example, if you are running
285/75's then the tread width is 285mm and the sidewall height is 75% of the tread width (or 214mm). If you are running 285/65's then the sidewall height is 65% of the tread width (or 179mm).
Another interesting point is that if a new tire is 1" taller than the old tire, then the height above ground at the center of the axle is only 1/2" (not taking into account the "squish" at the bottom of the tire).
A lot of things affect steering difficulty - footprint (how much tread is in contact with the ground), distance between the tires, and rolling resistance. If you're using the same rims then I don't think any change in turning difficulty will be very noticable, and you probably won't be changing your turning radius by more than a foot or two at worst. Also check with each manufacturer and see how many revolutions per mile each tire is listed for. The difference will give you some idea just how much your speedometer will be off. For example, if your old tires are listed at 450 revolutions per mile and the new tires are listed at 475 revolutions per mile, then your speedo will be off by roughly 5% slower.
One thing that has been mentioned here and elsewhere when changing tire sizes is now your ABS won't work the same (may activate earlier). That is one reason why you should consider taking your truck to the dealer and have him reset your computer to the new tire size after you get them installed. If they're not busy, it should only take about 15 minutes total and if you've got a good relationship with them they might not even charge you for it.
almost, but not quite... the 265/285 is the SECTION width, (i.e. the width of the tire at it's widest point, usually 1/2 way down the trad wall), not the tread width. I've seen Dakota A/T tires in the same size as my BFG AT/KO's and their tread width is much smaller than my tires.
Howdy Stovebolt. What I've been running on my '97 Tahoe for the last few years are Michelin XLT 275/70-16 on a Custom OW Chrome 8"x16" 3-spoke rim. I've been very happy with the tires. they bare giving me good service, and are a good. all-around tire.
These same tires, and the exact same size were coming factory stock on late '90's Toyota Landcruisers.
I've never had any rub, and never will. My vehicle is stock ride height.
One way to recalibrate for custom tire sizes in a jiffy, would be a Hypertech programmer for the onboard computer (Not cheap though).
With this, you can get a little bit better engine performance/tuning, alter redline RPM, alter shift points, and shift firmness, modify the top speed on the vehicle (Most Chevy SUV's/Trucks are limited to 99MPH) And also recalibrate speedo for possible future gear changes. Stock settings can always be reset easily if need be, and they are stored in the Programmer (Air pollution test, or Dealer Service) Just a thought. Mark
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