New Tires

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bad neighbor

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Getting ready to replace the tires on my 85 2wd Suburban which has the 238/85 16's.
I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. The Firestone TransForce AT II 235/85 16 when the tire guy asked if I wanted to upgrade to the 265/75 16. That is exactly what I run on my 99 Ford F250 SD 4X4.
Not really sure what to think about a wider tire on my stock, vintage Burb.
They are the same height and the 265/75's are about 1 1/4 wider.
Please don't let this thread become about brands.
Just wondering about pros and cons about wider tires on this vehicle.
Thanks for your input,
Randy
 

CSFJ

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I guess it would depend on how you use it. Does it see winter driving? I know myself, I prefer as narrow of a tire as possible for snow. (and mud, but that's a another discussion) If it's a summer only cruiser, then it's all aesthetics, which do you think looks better? Granted, the skinnier tire will have less rolling resistance, and likely have an edge on mpg used.
 

bad neighbor

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Well when it comes to the snow aspect I am going from a pure highway tire to a AT tire. So I think that will be a wash. As far as fuel economy goes I don't think it's going to matter with my 454 4 BBL auto trans. Fuel economy is not in it's vocabulary. Up hill, down hill, pulling a trailer, empty it's all the same.
I was more concerned about that size tire on those factory wheels, any steering interference concerns, any major changes in driveability, stuff like that.
 

CSFJ

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Gotcha. Do you know if they had both sizes in stock, or was the upsize suggestion because they didn't have the factory size? I'd be surprised if an extra 5/8 in on each side of the wheel would create any clearance issues, but I've been wrong before. And, having spent time in a dealership, knowing how little it takes to get people to complain I would have to believe that anything they would recommend would clear without issue. I think any drivability changes would have more to do with the load rating than an extra 1.25 in in width on a tire that tall.
 

bad neighbor

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Both have to be order from the warehouse. I knew that going in because of my last purchase. He asked because in his words " most of the newer trucks come from the factory with wider tires" and I think I have to agree. Both tires are the same price, so no up sell.

Christian: I see in your info you have a 84 D30. Had to google that. Military, cool. Is that a 1 ton? Thanks for your input on tires.
 

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Both have to be order from the warehouse. I knew that going in because of my last purchase. He asked because in his words " most of the newer trucks come from the factory with wider tires" and I think I have to agree. Both tires are the same price, so no up sell.

Christian: I see in your info you have a 84 D30. Had to google that. Military, cool. Is that a 1 ton? Thanks for your input on tires.

You're welcome. Yeah, most newer stuff runs wider tires, but I'm a skinny tire guy myself. The military rates the d30 as a 1 1/4 ton truck. Basically the same as a 1 ton. Never checked to see if there's more spring under it than the regular k30 or not.
 

bucket

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From personal experience owning a C20 Burb, it's hard to find a quality, sturdy tire in the 235/85 size. I got a lot of sway in the rear on windy days or while towing, that did not happen with the old dry rotted Michelins that were on it previously. I also got stuck in wet grass all the time. I was going to go with an A/T tire in the 265/75 size to gain some stability/traction, but ended up replacing it with a 4x4 Burb instead.
 

bad neighbor

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Thats funny you mention old dry rotted Michelins. That is what I am replacing. 235/85 16 with cracks in the side walls so bad you can put your thumb nail in and tread that looks like new. They have a very hard ride.
So what size do you have on your 4X4 Burb?
 

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Less squigl (yes I made that word up) and roller over with wider tires. Do it.
 

bucket

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Thats funny you mention old dry rotted Michelins. That is what I am replacing. 235/85 16 with cracks in the side walls so bad you can put your thumb nail in and tread that looks like new. They have a very hard ride.
So what size do you have on your 4X4 Burb?

I've since been through a couple that replaced the C20. There was an '86 and a '90 K20 that both had 33x12.5x16.5's. Now it's a '00 K2500 Burb with 245/75/16 (again, old, hard, dry rotted Michelins). The plan is a set of 265/70 or 285/75 on the stock 6.5 wide rims.
 

bad neighbor

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Bucket
What you posted caught my attention. " on the stock 6.5 wide rims " Took a look at the specs info I have and it says the stock wheel is 6.5. I remember the tire guy looking this up and said I have 7" wheels. The 265/75 16's call for a 7, 7.5 or 8" wheel.
 

yevgenievich

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Due to stock 6.5" wheel, it is on a narrower side for 265's. I run the 265 version on my suburban. A bit more stability. But I have non stock wheels that are probably a bit wider
 

Craig 85

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Granted my truck is a K30 (photo 1), but the tires that came on it are 265's on 16"x 6.5" wheels. FYI, I have run 33x12.5x16.5's on 2 C20's (photo 2) I've had. I had no interference with the steering or suspension, only the front fenders.
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MikeB

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Took a look at the specs info I have and it says the stock wheel is 6.5. I remember the tire guy looking this up and said I have 7" wheels. The 265/75 16's call for a 7, 7.5 or 8" wheel.

Bottom of Page 2 shows wheel and tires specs for 85 Suburban.

https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/do...ion-kits/Suburban/1985-Chevrolet-Suburban.pdf


Unless you have aftermarket wheels, it sounds like they are actually 6.5". If that's the case, I think 6.5" (165mm) is a bit on the narrow side for 265 tires. When I got my 82 C10 some previous owner had put 255/70x15 tires on 6.5" van rally wheels. Based on how that looked, I can't imagine those wheels with 265 tires, at least not 70-series with shorter sidewalls than 75-series.

But, heck, if Craig says that combo with a 75-series tire works OK, then see how it works for you. Tell the tire store you want to test fit one tire before you buy.
 

bucket

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The 265 tire is a good "real world" match in this case. There's not really a good strong 235/85 tire anymore, all the ones I ran across at the time had floppy sidewalls and incredibly narrow (even for a 235) tread width. The 265 size is still very common and there are a lot of options to pick though. A lot of folks even run 285's on the 6.5 wide rims without trouble at all.
 

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