GMC Sierra/Chevy Silverado - +07 with the 4.8/5.3

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I hate the big tires they put on newer trucks, mine has 17's and I wish they were 16's.

The tires cost to much, wear out fast and you can't get good truck tires in those large sizes. Also if you drive on unimproved roads a lot those big wheels put a lot of stress on the suspension since the tires don't have a lot of sidewall for flex.

But its all what you want.



Let's address each comment here....

1.) You hate the big tires. That's okay, your opinion is welcome here on BITOG and I can respect that. I, personally like the larger wheels because they fill the wheel wells better (looks better to me) and handling is improved. Now I don't like those huge 24+ inchers! I just like the factory 20-22" wheels.

2.) These larger sizes, especially the factory sizes like the 20's are not that expensive anymore. There ARE very good tires available in these larger sizes and tire wear is comparable. I've got a GMC Sierra Denali pickup with the factory chrome 20's. It looks great, the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS tires are a good rated tire, ride and handle well and are quiet. They lasted me 47k miles and those were not easy miles plus the truck is full time AWD...and I only rotated them once. I replace them with the same type and it was under $800. More than fair for the tire life, performance and good looks.

3.) In the case of factory installed large size rims/tires - they are designed and built to handle the SAME terrain/roads as the smaller 16/17/18" sizes. The additional stress, if any, is all factored into the design and validated to the vehicle. Now - with all these people going 24"+ on vehicles that were never designed to have these sizes, yes there are major drawbacks like you say, suspension stress, tire costs and such. I only "approve" of factory sizes in most cases. People going "plus 1" or "plus 2" with tire upgrades are okay..again the guys making Crown Vics look like 4x4's with 30" wheels..well that is a handling nightmare.

4.) Yes, it's all in what you want - good point.

Cheers!

 

[eljefino]

If you have a baby in the way check to see how the rear facing car seat fits in the back of an extended cab, and how easy it is to access. (From the pictures in this thread, it doesn't look bad.)

Your state may not allow a car seat up front, even if you can turn the air bag off, if there's a rear seat of any sort.

 

[cancov]

Well put GMBoy. While I am a fan of the larger wheels to, again, fill the fender wall with a little more wheel than tire, I do respect the opinions of those who like the smaller wheels. I completely understanding the smaller wheels if you were interested in larger tires for offroad ventures as those will have a better selection and perhaps price. I don't plan to do that anymore. Factory OEM 20" rims with factory spec tires would be my extent.

eljefino, I will have to attempt the rear-facing carseat in one of the extended cabs. North Carolina doesn't allow carseats up front, niether would my wife. I put the carseat in the '86 Mazda one time to go to church with a load in the bed, but ended up driving (2) cars. Baby magazines make simple things like that more.......involved.

 

[MNgopher]

If the dealership will let you, a test run with the car seat installed will let you know if the extended cab will work or not. As others mentioned, never had an issue with adults in the extended cab part for shorter runs, but car seats are another story. Thus my current supercrew...

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
I am still looking to downgrade to OE 17's but the 20's popularity fad with the Ram owners is changing and the 17's are popular again so I am having trouble finding a good deal.


You and me both. 20's are garbage- ride and handle like poop and you can hardly get a good LT rated tire in that size. I've been keeping my eye out for some cheap Ram 17-inch "takeoffs," but they're staying pricey as more people look to dump the stinking 20s. When my OEM 20" Badyear Wranglers are worn out (something that's not happening NEAR fast enough to suit me), the next tires will be 17s even if I have to buy aftermarket rims.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I hate the big tires they put on newer trucks, mine has 17's and I wish they were 16's.

The tires cost to much, wear out fast and you can't get good truck tires in those large sizes. Also if you drive on unimproved roads a lot those big wheels put a lot of stress on the suspension since the tires don't have a lot of sidewall for flex.

But its all what you want.



Let's address each comment here....

1.) You hate the big tires. That's okay, your opinion is welcome here on BITOG and I can respect that. I, personally like the larger wheels because they fill the wheel wells better (looks better to me) and handling is improved. Now I don't like those huge 24+ inchers! I just like the factory 20-22" wheels.

2.) These larger sizes, especially the factory sizes like the 20's are not that expensive anymore. There ARE very good tires available in these larger sizes and tire wear is comparable. I've got a GMC Sierra Denali pickup with the factory chrome 20's. It looks great, the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS tires are a good rated tire, ride and handle well and are quiet. They lasted me 47k miles and those were not easy miles plus the truck is full time AWD...and I only rotated them once. I replace them with the same type and it was under $800. More than fair for the tire life, performance and good looks.

3.) In the case of factory installed large size rims/tires - they are designed and built to handle the SAME terrain/roads as the smaller 16/17/18" sizes. The additional stress, if any, is all factored into the design and validated to the vehicle. Now - with all these people going 24"+ on vehicles that were never designed to have these sizes, yes there are major drawbacks like you say, suspension stress, tire costs and such. I only "approve" of factory sizes in most cases. People going "plus 1" or "plus 2" with tire upgrades are okay..again the guys making Crown Vics look like 4x4's with 30" wheels..well that is a handling nightmare.

4.) Yes, it's all in what you want - good point.

Cheers!

You can think whatever you want but the fact of the matter is you cannot get a good 8 or 10 ply off road tire in 20in size and when you find one and get lucky they cost a fortune, also they simply do not have enough side wall for flex, IE you can't let the tire pressure way down for crawling up rocks or in mud, and if you drive a lot on washboard it beats the heck out of the suspension.

Mercedes just found this out in the Outback when they took out 7 G500's and 6 blew the rear shocks out after 1100 kilometers of wash board, with there silly 19in low profile factory wheels. The only one that didn't was a military version with 16in wheels and proper off road tires.

For running around town and light off roading 20's are fine, as I said above its all what you want. Not everyone buys a truck to look pretty, some of us buy them to use them as trucks.

Tire

Here is a reasonable off road tire, look how much they cost in 20in+ sizes! NFW your putting those on a truck for $800.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I hate the big tires they put on newer trucks, mine has 17's and I wish they were 16's.

The tires cost to much, wear out fast and you can't get good truck tires in those large sizes. Also if you drive on unimproved roads a lot those big wheels put a lot of stress on the suspension since the tires don't have a lot of sidewall for flex.

But its all what you want.



Let's address each comment here....

1.) You hate the big tires. That's okay, your opinion is welcome here on BITOG and I can respect that. I, personally like the larger wheels because they fill the wheel wells better (looks better to me) and handling is improved. Now I don't like those huge 24+ inchers! I just like the factory 20-22" wheels.

2.) These larger sizes, especially the factory sizes like the 20's are not that expensive anymore. There ARE very good tires available in these larger sizes and tire wear is comparable. I've got a GMC Sierra Denali pickup with the factory chrome 20's. It looks great, the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS tires are a good rated tire, ride and handle well and are quiet. They lasted me 47k miles and those were not easy miles plus the truck is full time AWD...and I only rotated them once. I replace them with the same type and it was under $800. More than fair for the tire life, performance and good looks.

3.) In the case of factory installed large size rims/tires - they are designed and built to handle the SAME terrain/roads as the smaller 16/17/18" sizes. The additional stress, if any, is all factored into the design and validated to the vehicle. Now - with all these people going 24"+ on vehicles that were never designed to have these sizes, yes there are major drawbacks like you say, suspension stress, tire costs and such. I only "approve" of factory sizes in most cases. People going "plus 1" or "plus 2" with tire upgrades are okay..again the guys making Crown Vics look like 4x4's with 30" wheels..well that is a handling nightmare.

4.) Yes, it's all in what you want - good point.

Cheers!

You can think whatever you want but the fact of the matter is you cannot get a good 8 or 10 ply off road tire in 20in size and when you find one and get lucky they cost a fortune, also they simply do not have enough side wall for flex, IE you can't let the tire pressure way down for crawling up rocks or in mud, and if you drive a lot on washboard it beats the heck out of the suspension.

Mercedes just found this out in the Outback when they took out 7 G500's and 6 blew the rear shocks out after 1100 kilometers of wash board, with there silly 19in low profile factory wheels. The only one that didn't was a military version with 16in wheels and proper off road tires.

For running around town and light off roading 20's are fine, as I said above its all what you want. Not everyone buys a truck to look pretty, some of us buy them to use them as trucks.

Tire

Here is a reasonable off road tire, look how much they cost in 20in+ sizes! NFW your putting those on a truck for $800.


Well, atleast I was cordial....anyway for serious off roading, I just use my lifted Jeep CJ-7....

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
I am still looking to downgrade to OE 17's but the 20's popularity fad with the Ram owners is changing and the 17's are popular again so I am having trouble finding a good deal.


You and me both. 20's are garbage- ride and handle like poop and you can hardly get a good LT rated tire in that size. I've been keeping my eye out for some cheap Ram 17-inch "takeoffs," but they're staying pricey as more people look to dump the stinking 20s. When my OEM 20" Badyear Wranglers are worn out (something that's not happening NEAR fast enough to suit me), the next tires will be 17s even if I have to buy aftermarket rims.


Ah, the infamous Junkyear Wrangler HP's. One of the worst tires ever made. I can't fathom why Dodge continues to this day to use them when 99.9% of Ram owner's HATE them. They came off my 08 just as fast as I could afford to replace them( approx 3K ).

Yup, the people selling 17" take off's are asking crazy nuts prices for them.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I hate the big tires they put on newer trucks, mine has 17's and I wish they were 16's.

The tires cost to much, wear out fast and you can't get good truck tires in those large sizes. Also if you drive on unimproved roads a lot those big wheels put a lot of stress on the suspension since the tires don't have a lot of sidewall for flex.

But its all what you want.



Let's address each comment here....

1.) You hate the big tires. That's okay, your opinion is welcome here on BITOG and I can respect that. I, personally like the larger wheels because they fill the wheel wells better (looks better to me) and handling is improved. Now I don't like those huge 24+ inchers! I just like the factory 20-22" wheels.

2.) These larger sizes, especially the factory sizes like the 20's are not that expensive anymore. There ARE very good tires available in these larger sizes and tire wear is comparable. I've got a GMC Sierra Denali pickup with the factory chrome 20's. It looks great, the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS tires are a good rated tire, ride and handle well and are quiet. They lasted me 47k miles and those were not easy miles plus the truck is full time AWD...and I only rotated them once. I replace them with the same type and it was under $800. More than fair for the tire life, performance and good looks.

3.) In the case of factory installed large size rims/tires - they are designed and built to handle the SAME terrain/roads as the smaller 16/17/18" sizes. The additional stress, if any, is all factored into the design and validated to the vehicle. Now - with all these people going 24"+ on vehicles that were never designed to have these sizes, yes there are major drawbacks like you say, suspension stress, tire costs and such. I only "approve" of factory sizes in most cases. People going "plus 1" or "plus 2" with tire upgrades are okay..again the guys making Crown Vics look like 4x4's with 30" wheels..well that is a handling nightmare.

4.) Yes, it's all in what you want - good point.

Cheers!

You can think whatever you want but the fact of the matter is you cannot get a good 8 or 10 ply off road tire in 20in size and when you find one and get lucky they cost a fortune, also they simply do not have enough side wall for flex, IE you can't let the tire pressure way down for crawling up rocks or in mud, and if you drive a lot on washboard it beats the heck out of the suspension.

Mercedes just found this out in the Outback when they took out 7 G500's and 6 blew the rear shocks out after 1100 kilometers of wash board, with there silly 19in low profile factory wheels. The only one that didn't was a military version with 16in wheels and proper off road tires.

For running around town and light off roading 20's are fine, as I said above its all what you want. Not everyone buys a truck to look pretty, some of us buy them to use them as trucks.

Tire

Here is a reasonable off road tire, look how much they cost in 20in+ sizes! NFW your putting those on a truck for $800.


Even if you use a truck on road all the time the 20's are awful IMO. The ride is worse( rougher )due to such short sidewalls and they may handle well on dry pavement but in slippery conditions they handle worse. A wide 20"+ will slip worse on snow and ice than a narrower 17 or 18. I have driven truck with every size from 15" to 20" and I detest the 20's.

I am seeing a common misconception being repeated in this thread about 20" setups even after I posted the truth about it. Just because you have a 20" wheel does NOT mean with the tire on it will fill the wheel well better. You can get a 17" setup that actually is just about the same or is even taller/has a larger overall diameter than the 20" setup. Look back a couple posts and see where I posted the numbers. Even if the OE 20" setup is a little taller than the OE 17's you can easily upsize the tires to achieve the same basic overall size as the OE 20" setup. When you do the ride will be vastly improved due to the increased sidewall height. You will have better bad weather traction( if that matters ). And more than likely you will pay a lot less for the tire.

People get fooled by the size of the wheel itself and think it automatically makes the overall setup bigger. That is false. IT all depends on what the tire size is that is used.

 

[SteveSRT8]

NH, you are right on the money. The baloney about 20 inch wheels here is hogwash.

FACTORY 20 inchers are very tame and do not ride badly at all. All of our fleet trucks here that are Silverados came with 17 inch alloys and 265/70/17 stock, which are virtually the same overall diameter as any of the 20's that come on the new ones.

Michelin LTX's will go over 65k miles on these trucks in fleet use and ride well for under 700 bucks for 4. They are not load range E tires either, and can be set up to haul a decent load (about 2000 pounds of gravel just the other day!) and then dialed down to more normal pressure for daily use.

Run a decent tire and there is no problem with either ride or load carrying abilities!

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I hate the big tires they put on newer trucks, mine has 17's and I wish they were 16's.

The tires cost to much, wear out fast and you can't get good truck tires in those large sizes. Also if you drive on unimproved roads a lot those big wheels put a lot of stress on the suspension since the tires don't have a lot of sidewall for flex.

But its all what you want.



Let's address each comment here....

1.) You hate the big tires. That's okay, your opinion is welcome here on BITOG and I can respect that. I, personally like the larger wheels because they fill the wheel wells better (looks better to me) and handling is improved. Now I don't like those huge 24+ inchers! I just like the factory 20-22" wheels.

2.) These larger sizes, especially the factory sizes like the 20's are not that expensive anymore. There ARE very good tires available in these larger sizes and tire wear is comparable. I've got a GMC Sierra Denali pickup with the factory chrome 20's. It looks great, the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS tires are a good rated tire, ride and handle well and are quiet. They lasted me 47k miles and those were not easy miles plus the truck is full time AWD...and I only rotated them once. I replace them with the same type and it was under $800. More than fair for the tire life, performance and good looks.

3.) In the case of factory installed large size rims/tires - they are designed and built to handle the SAME terrain/roads as the smaller 16/17/18" sizes. The additional stress, if any, is all factored into the design and validated to the vehicle. Now - with all these people going 24"+ on vehicles that were never designed to have these sizes, yes there are major drawbacks like you say, suspension stress, tire costs and such. I only "approve" of factory sizes in most cases. People going "plus 1" or "plus 2" with tire upgrades are okay..again the guys making Crown Vics look like 4x4's with 30" wheels..well that is a handling nightmare.

4.) Yes, it's all in what you want - good point.

Cheers!

You can think whatever you want but the fact of the matter is you cannot get a good 8 or 10 ply off road tire in 20in size and when you find one and get lucky they cost a fortune, also they simply do not have enough side wall for flex, IE you can't let the tire pressure way down for crawling up rocks or in mud, and if you drive a lot on washboard it beats the heck out of the suspension.

Mercedes just found this out in the Outback when they took out 7 G500's and 6 blew the rear shocks out after 1100 kilometers of wash board, with there silly 19in low profile factory wheels. The only one that didn't was a military version with 16in wheels and proper off road tires.

For running around town and light off roading 20's are fine, as I said above its all what you want. Not everyone buys a truck to look pretty, some of us buy them to use them as trucks.

Tire

Here is a reasonable off road tire, look how much they cost in 20in+ sizes! NFW your putting those on a truck for $800.


Even if you use a truck on road all the time the 20's are awful IMO. The ride is worse( rougher )due to such short sidewalls and they may handle well on dry pavement but in slippery conditions they handle worse. A wide 20"+ will slip worse on snow and ice than a narrower 17 or 18. I have driven truck with every size from 15" to 20" and I detest the 20's.

I am seeing a common misconception being repeated in this thread about 20" setups even after I posted the truth about it. Just because you have a 20" wheel does NOT mean with the tire on it will fill the wheel well better. You can get a 17" setup that actually is just about the same or is even taller/has a larger overall diameter than the 20" setup. Look back a couple posts and see where I posted the numbers. Even if the OE 20" setup is a little taller than the OE 17's you can easily upsize the tires to achieve the same basic overall size as the OE 20" setup. When you do the ride will be vastly improved due to the increased sidewall height. You will have better bad weather traction( if that matters ). And more than likely you will pay a lot less for the tire.

People get fooled by the size of the wheel itself and think it automatically makes the overall setup bigger. That is false. IT all depends on what the tire size is that is used.



If you were referring to me, I know what you say is true. My point was that the wheel well looks better due to more rim showing and less tire sidewall. That is the effect I was referring to. Did you know that even though the overall tire diameter is very close (not the same) between a 17" standard Tahoe wheel and the optional 20"...there are differernt whell alignment calibrations? Yep - I checked and there are 4 different alignment calibrations. This is for the assy plant, though..your regular Firestone type shop will use a more generic setting.

I like my 20's on my truck and there is no sacrifice in ride quality that I can detect. The handling is better and I just don't like the wide sidewall on the smaller tires. Are they off road capable, heck no and I don't care...got a CJ7 for all that rough stuff.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy

If you were referring to me, I know what you say is true. My point was that the wheel well looks better due to more rim showing and less tire sidewall.


I understand and respect your preference, but mine is just the opposite. I like to see a big, fat, I-mean-business kind of TIRE filling the wheel well, not a blingy rim. Smaller rims/bigger tires to me means that the truck or car is serious about performance more than looks. That goes for everything from trucks to muscle cars. The day IRL, NASCAR, F1, and Baja tires start looking "low profile," then maybe I'll like 20" rims and lower profile tires. Low profile tire handling may be marginally better on a glass-smooth skidpad, but in the real world low-profile tires handle horribly IMO. Taller sidewalls (up to a limit- 65 to 75 profile tires are about the best) handle pavement flaws better and do a better job of keeping the tread in full contact with the pavement than 50-series and lower profile tires do. Taller than around 75-series profile, sidewall flex starts working against the tire instead of for it.

But the real bottom line for trucks, IMO, is what NH and I both have pointed out- there are no (or very few) LT-rated heavy duty tires in 20" sizes, and 20" tires are far more expensive to boot.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: GMBoy

If you were referring to me, I know what you say is true. My point was that the wheel well looks better due to more rim showing and less tire sidewall.


I understand and respect your preference, but mine is just the opposite. I like to see a big, fat, I-mean-business kind of TIRE filling the wheel well, not a blingy rim. Smaller rims/bigger tires to me means that the truck or car is serious about performance more than looks. That goes for everything from trucks to muscle cars. The day IRL, NASCAR, F1, and Baja tires start looking "low profile," then maybe I'll like 20" rims and lower profile tires. Low profile tire handling may be marginally better on a glass-smooth skidpad, but in the real world low-profile tires handle horribly IMO. Taller sidewalls (up to a limit- 65 to 75 profile tires are about the best) handle pavement flaws better and do a better job of keeping the tread in full contact with the pavement than 50-series and lower profile tires do. Taller than around 75-series profile, sidewall flex starts working against the tire instead of for it.

But the real bottom line for trucks, IMO, is what NH and I both have pointed out- there are no (or very few) LT-rated heavy duty tires in 20" sizes, and 20" tires are far more expensive to boot.