New Tires

[bad neighbor]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[CSFJ]

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]

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]

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?

 

[shiftpro]

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

 

[bucket]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.