Rims and Tires

Hey Gang,
This topic has probably been talked to death but here I go anyway.
Currently running 22's with lower profile tires. They look great but not why I got the truck.
Terrible in the snow and will be taking her to the beach come summer.
Thinking of going down to 18's with an All-Terrain tire.
Any tire suggestions would be awesome.
Ran Firestones on my last Wrangler and really liked them. Will more than likely go back to them.

'08 LT Slate Blue

I am currently looking for new tires for my Duramax.  I am looking for an all-terrain tire that can handle snow or occasional off road duty.  I narrowed it down to the BFG KO2.  I also looked a bit at the Yokohama Geolander as well as the Nitto Terra Grappler 2, however in both cases reviews were mixed.  The BFG has amazing reviews.

If your vehicle is terrible in the snow it is because you need snow tires. The Avalanche is one of the best vehicles to run in the snow with its near 50/50 weight distribution. If you live in an area with heavy snow fall like I do you either have to live with sucky 3 season tires or go with full on snow tires for the winter. If you have high mileage all season tires your traction will suck big time. Those tires are significantly harder than standard tires to be able to go 60k - 70k miles. Off road tires are not correct either. If you want significant traction in the winter time nothing is better than snow tires. However do NOT run snow tires in the spring or fall or you will only get about 10k miles out of them as the softer rubber will come right off in warmer weather.

Snow tires have a softer rubber designed for cold temps, sipping built in to handle occasional ice and the tread is deeper to grip the snow. if you go with off road tires your tires are still hard, don't have the sipping and will be marginal on the snow. They MAY still be better than high mileage "all season" tires... 

For my CTS I have spring/summer/fall tires on a pair of rims and snow tires for winter and there is no comparison.

Rodney before you go runnin off your mouth like you already have, what makes you a  master of all things but in reality only in your own mind, we've had our fair share of snow this year and the Michelins are doin just fine, summer, wet and snow. Of course you get what you pay for!  Do your research people, ask for opinions not narratives!  JMHO

Didit

JohnnieMo said:

I narrowed it down to the BFG KO2.  The BFG has amazing reviews.

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I have used the KO's, KO2's and before that, their predecessor, the BF Goodrich All Terrain Radial on multiple vehicles for decades.  By far one of the best road, snow, sand (not so much mud) tires out there.  Relatively quiet and long lasting too.

Same here KOs hands down for snow.

Running 275 55r20 KO2s now & love them in the snow, sand, or pavement. Compared to the Cooper Discoverer or Hankook Dynapros I've had in the past, the KO2s get great traction , long tread life & look great.

All that said, the Av still got around pretty well in the winter with baloneyskins on it.

I took off the 305 45 22's that came on my Avalanche and put on a set of 285 75 18 Toyo Open Country A/T's a couple years ago.  I love them, they work great summer or winter.  They see snow in the mountains every winter and work great, never been stuck.

For the record I run a set of Nitto 421s (20") in the summer and Firestone Winterforce (17") with studs in the winter.  So I agree that a true winter tire is better.  However "good enough" could be the way ahead here. 

I feel the 20" gives more than enough cushion on the second gen Avy.  I don't think you need to go down to 18 unless you are doing serious rock climbing.  I don't like a stiff tire and I hate low profile, however the 20's are surprisingly good if you stay away from an E rating.  I vastly prefer the ride on my 20's to the 17's.

One option would be the possibility of keeping the 22's and switching to a 285/45/22 Bridgestone Dueler A/T RHS.

They were a stock option on the GM 22's and folks seem to like them. They are all terrain, but have a good all around ride and the reviews are pretty consistent across the board.

We have a set on one of our Jeeps that are about worn out (5/32 tread left give or take) and they still ride great and perform pretty well in the snow for as much tread as they have. They do not do well on roads with standing water, but then again not a ton of tires do even with moderate tread left..

We also have another Jeep with Nexan Rodian HP tires on it in a 265/50/20, and they have performed well in all 4 seasons thus far, but they only have around 5,000 miles on them.

I will say that be it bald tires or new tires, winter driving performance seems to be the best in our AV compared to any other vehicles that I have driven notable distances in the snow. I never felt as safe as I did traveling in the AV!

HAVING lived in the north for a while..(going on about 50 years) and having tried LOTS of different tires for inclement weather,
I have settled on the BEST tire I have found so far.
Goodyear Wrangler Dura Trac snow tires are AWESOME.

They wear well, are not noisy like other snows and they just do not get you stuck, and believe me I have tried really hard.
I have them on my Jeep Wrangler and my Jeep Cherokee, and as soon as I find a good set of 17" wheels for the Avalanche they will be getting onto that one also and I will save the new tires that came on it for summer running.

I have full sets of winter and summer tires & Wheels for the vehicles so I only run the DuraTracs during the bad weather but after 3 years  of use on the Wrangler I don't notice any difference from the first day they were on.

I actually do know a little about what I am talking about having well over a million miles driving professionally. Not to mention the research I have done on my own before buying my own snow tires.

Oh and if you don't have something positive to say or don't have constructive criticism that will help out the op or correct any improper information that I may provide (out of ignorance) then keep your pie hole closed alright? Your saying derogatory comments to me does absolutely NOTHING for this site or its members and is more likely to chase off members. 

For winter driving in those areas that actually get snow snow tires can not be beat in the winter.
Siping, Tread and softness of the rubber.

All Season tires CAN be OK in the winter but the high mileage tires are high mileage because they are harder. In the winter time those harder tires have much less traction than others. Does this mean you can't find decent all season tires? No, but nothing that can compete with snow tires... 

But snow tires as with anything else are of different qualities. My "cheap" Sam's club tires are loud like an off road tire.

Biggest issue with snow tires is you can't run them when it gets warmer due to the softer rubber. You "CAN" but will rapidly wear out.

Do the research and if your in an area that gets snow you will find that even cheap snow tires generally out perform the best all seasonal tires. (Note I say generally because I am sure someone can find a real sucky snow tire and compare it to a REALLY good all season tire... But then if you take that REALLY good all season tire and get a comparable Snow tire the difference will still be night and day.)

redheadedrod said:

For winter driving in those areas that actually get snow snow tires can not be beat in the winter.
Siping, Tread and softness of the rubber.

All Season tires CAN be OK in the winter but the high mileage tires are high mileage because they are harder. In the winter time those harder tires have much less traction than others. Does this mean you can't find decent all season tires? No, but nothing that can compete with snow tires... 

But snow tires as with anything else are of different qualities. My "cheap" Sam's club tires are loud like an off road tire.

Biggest issue with snow tires is you can't run them when it gets warmer due to the softer rubber. You "CAN" but will rapidly wear out.

Do the research and if your in an area that gets snow you will find that even cheap snow tires generally out perform the best all seasonal tires. (Note I say generally because I am sure someone can find a real sucky snow tire and compare it to a REALLY good all season tire... But then if you take that REALLY good all season tire and get a comparable Snow tire the difference will still be night and day.)

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THAT is why I have two tire sets for my vehicles. When my wife bought her Liberty it had great "all season" tires on it, but at the time she was working as an RN and went to work in the AM long before the plows would be out to our area. Against her "I don't need those." I went out and bought her a set of DuraTracs on a separate wheel set. Later, against all her will, she actually had to agree they made a world of difference.
REAL designed snow tires made for snow are just leaps and bounds better than any all season. That is why I go to the expense and trouble of having to swap out tire sets twice a year.
Snows ARE better.

Most of us that live in the snow belt do have a set of winter wheels and a set of summer wheels and tires.

OK you guys have me confused yet again lol
I've had my Ol' Girl in six inches of snow and better that rim deep mud on the farm and I have cooper discoverers on her as boots.
I have only have the one set of tires for her and and I'm almost ready to replace them. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the coopers they seem to handle anything I throw at em and the 4x4 system on the Avalanche is one of the best I've ever driven (no I'll correct that, it is the best again impresses the hell out of me every time I hit those buttons and Auto is a damn nice feature on the slippery stuff.)

I guess my question here is : how deep is the snow you guys are driving through ?
Here in Maryland where I am we don't seem to get much more that 5-6" on a bad day so I was curious what kind of snow fall levels would require me to buy a second set of wheels and tires just for the winter?

Thanks in Advanced would love to see pics if your really hitting some deep stuff

MrDingo2U

Well the weatherman said 12 inches it got to the main street just fine, just don't slow down or stop. Once on the main street it was rutted severely and the drifts were close to 3 feet. used all 4 lanes ducking stalled cars and snow drifts.

BF KO yeah baby

I never understood how to come out ahead with running a winter & summer set of tires. I read the recommendations on all seasons & snow tires, made the purchases & swapped them every spring & fall. Swapping them & storing them was a huge pain in the ass. The truck at the time (a Dodge Dakota) got around great. Just before I picked up the Avalanche, I got married, and another car, and more wheels & tires, and more pain in the ass swapping & storing.

I decided I was done with that, bought the KO2s on powder coated 20s for the Avalanche. And Michelin all seasons & had them wiped for the siped Jeep Grand Cherokee. No swapping or storing tires, everything is holding up great, and neither of us notice any issues getting around. We live up north & have seen maybe 3 or 4 ft of snow this year..... Plus did fine last year with over 9 ft of snow.

ASIDE from the fact snows do better on snow but they are also a softer compound and wear our faster on dry pavement...
A set of extra rims go for maybe $150, separate snows, $800. I have been running the same sets of winter and summer on my Cherokee for the last 8 years. Both sets look great since they really only work 6mo a year. How many tires do you go through and replace in 8 years?

With both the Cherokee and the Wrangler I can push snow with the front bumper and keep going(something I did this AM when I took the Wrangler out to play in the new snow. ) I could never do that with All Seasons. And basically Once I buy tires for a vehicle I am pretty much done for a looonnnggg time.

If you don't get those heavy snow days maybe you can get by. If your county plow crews are great, maybe you can get by, I live in a county where the big city is almost 30 miles away (all 2700 population) and the county has 2 trucks they run and it may be a couple of days before they get into my area. As far as storage, I can see where that might be a problem for some but I have a big outbuilding with a shop so I just roll the tires to the tire rack and put them up for the season.

Still say snows beat all seasons in winter all the time.

Sounds like you all get a lot more snow than we do
We live on a private road just over a mile long and the only way that gets plowed is if i dig out my trusty old Massey Ferguson tractor and do it myself.
but i can imagine if you all driving through multiple feet of snow then i can see a need to swap and store summer winter tires

I am looking for new tires shortly and was considering down grading to 16" rims and running a 285/75 16 tire to achieve that chunkier look to the old girls boots (all about esthetics for me )
Someone suggested it may be a bad move if I wanted 2nd gen brake upgrade (didn't really understand what that was about) my ol' girl pulls up really nicely after doing all the brakes after i purchased her and even with my horse trailer in tow and electric braking system i am very pleased with how she pulls up.

Any comments or suggestions on my idea of rim and tire change would be appreciated this is my first Avalanche and I  had to move half way around the world and wait over 20 years to own her and it was worth the wait.
I love the old girl and have set about slowly rebuilding her to her former glory and having a truck I enjoy driving and a bit of a show pony I can have for many years.

I hate to say it but back in Australia I was a FORD MAN .... yes I know -- what was I thinking but it was the only decent thing worth driving over there but since coming to Live in the USA I can proudly state
I'M A CHEVY MAN NOW !!!!!

Thanks for the input I appreciate you all taking the time to respond to my questions

Have an Avy Day Fella's
MrDingo2U

A 16 inch rim will not clear the front caliper MrDingo2U if you do the Gen II brake upgrade. 

I don't do tire brand recommendations just say what my experience is.

MS03 2500 said:

A 16 inch rim will not clear the front caliper MrDingo2U if you do the Gen II brake upgrade. 

I don't do tire brand recommendations just say what my experience is.

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So if i stay with the brake package that came on my truck the 16" should work ok ?

I still dont understand what Gen 2 is

As I say I'm very happy with the braking system I have since repairing it all and doing a full fluid replacement just after purchasing the truck. When i got it the brakes were a little spongy and the Emergency brake did not work at all so it was one of the first things i tackled after getting her.

I tow a horse trailer with 2 horses (around 2800 lbs + trailer weight) with an electric braking system on the trailer and controller on board the truck. The whole package works extremely well and I am very impressed with how well it all pulls up under all conditions.

could you please give me a brief explanation of what gen 2 is and why I may consider changing out to it

Many thanks for your input it is very much appreciated and I am learning a lot about how to improve what I have known for years to be such an awesome truck. I am having a total love affair with my Avalanche I waited a long time for it and had to move half way around the world for it to become a reality. Now I have her of course I want her to be the best she can be and do most of the work on her myself. I just love her and really enjoy driving her and receiving compliments from friends and family about how nice she is starting to look since buying her. My plan is to take her back to original condition the day she rolled off the production line. With a few modifications to modernize her and satisfy my personal taste.

So far she has had braking system, 3" leveling kit, after market stereo, seat and steering wheel covers (until I get the seats reupholstered) new fuel pump, gps, upgraded lighting and a few other bits and pieces added to allow me more control over things happening inside and outside the cab. As soon as i work out how to posst pictures or make a gallery link to a page i have her rebuild pictures on I will get it up for anyone who is interested in her transition and may even get some clues or tips on ideas for their own trucks

again many thanks fella's this is an awesome group and its a pleasure to be involved with like minded people who are as nuts about their Avalanches as I am

MrDingo2U

A Gen 2 brake upgrade involves replacing some of your current generation one (2002-2006) brake bits with larger bits from a second generation (2007-2013) truck.

If that modification is not in your plans, you are good to go with the 16" wheels.

Also, the spare tire on first generation trucks (I can't speak for the second gen trucks) is mounted on a 16 inch wheel, regardless of what the rest of the truck's wheels were from the factory.

The tire size on the spare is such that the circumference of the spare is the same as the other four tires.

If you had any question of whether a 16" wheel would fit on your truck, mount the spare in each location.

This would make sure a previous owner of the truck had not already done the Gen 2 brake upgrade sometime in the past.

I think I would do this before I invested in a set of 16" wheels and tires.

And it would also be good to know if your spare is going to fit before you found out on the side of the road with a flat, that it does not.

Also, this will give you a chance to make sure your spare tire hoist is in good working order and lubed up really well.

If you are not aware of this little issue, on the side of the road is the worst place to discover it.

EXT4ME said:

Also, the spare tire on first generation trucks (I can't speak for the second gen trucks) is mounted on a 16 inch wheel, regardless of what the rest of the truck's wheels were from the factory.

The tire size on the spare is such that the circumference of the spare is the same as the other four tires.

If you had any question of whether a 16" wheel would fit on your truck, mount the spare in each location.

This would make sure a previous owner of the truck had not already done the Gen 2 brake upgrade sometime in the past.

I think I would do this before I invested in a set of 16" wheels and tires.

And it would also be good to know if your spare is going to fit before you found out on the side of the road with a flat, that it does not.

Also, this will give you a chance to make sure your spare tire hoist is in good working order and lubed up really well.

If you are not aware of this little issue, on the side of the road is the worst place to discover it.

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Excellent Advice lol
Thank You Very Much might just slip out to the workshop and check all that now
Have a great Day
MrDingo2U

Thanks for all the ideas and advice.
Dedicated snow tires are DEFINITELY best, but cost and storage are prohibitive.
Ran a set of Firestone A/T's on my Wrangler for years and couldn't get stuck if I tried(which I did)
Going to look into those Bridgestone's as it would save me from buying new wheels, just didn't think an A/T would fit in the wheelwell on the 22's.
Thanks again and keep it coming.