Chevy 2500HD Tires

brulaz wrote:

Gulfcoast wrote:
Looking for new tires for a Chevy 2500HD. Street tires only, no all-terrain, no mud, no snow. 16" rims. What do you recommend? Thanks

Michelin LTX MS/2, the LT-E version, worked well for me, excellent gas mileage and longevity. But as soon as you got off the pavement and onto mud or grass they were problematic.

X-2

If you want TRUE street tires, if it is still made, the XPS Rib my Michelin......Boy, I did not type michiblow! hmmmmm getting old I guess.....

I have only had luck with one michilen tire, that is the XDE M+S on my MDT. Since redesigned and name changed.

With this in mind, Cooper and Toyo make great street/Highway tires all labeled with an HT after name. I have a set on my truck now, made for Discount tire. Looks like some of the performance tires one sees on SUV's. Overall, good tire in rain, ok in slushy snow, nothing to wright home about.....throw some chains on, you go forward. No road noise to my slightly deaf ears. Cost was cheap compared to others, with a 60K warranty.

I also got 70+K miles out of some Firestone HT's on a work van. It could be that the OEM tires vs OE Firestone have a different rubber, depth etc so they do not last as long. Worked very well in rain and dry pavement. Slushy snow was not worth talking about, but I survived!

marty

Gulfcoast,

If you want very quiet tires with superb traction and very long wearing, go with Michelin LTX MS/2 "E" (80 PSI) tires. I strongly suggest going one tire size higher than the OEM size. Like for example: 265 vs 245 size. The OEM's are at the minimum size for the truck's rated GVWR. Having 3415 capacity vs 3040 is lowering your % tire load by ~10%. Thus the higher capacity tire will not be at 100% capacity like the OEM size would be.

Michelin's cost more initially than the run of the mill tires/brands but will give higher mileage quiet wear life so cheaper in the long run. My personal and business pickups consistently got between 89K and 97K miles before replacing with another same size Michelin tire and they were always replaced when the tread depth got below 3mm or 1/8 inch left so they were not near bald yet.

My trucks (2500's and 3500's and mostly all GM) were usually always loaded with cargo's over 1500 to 3000+ lbs in weight. They are used as trucks not grocery getters! The cargo weight in the truck's rear transfers its weight force to the truck's rear tires with pressure on the tire's tread and sidewalls which of course causes sidewall flexing. Flexing creates tire heat buildup. Sidewall carcass design strength and high tire inflation is what incredibly important as it is what supports the weight put on the tire. Michelin LTX tires are designed to handle the weight. Many tire brands have much weaker sidewalls and they flex a lot and heat builds up.

Keep your tires always inflated to over 70 psi or to 80 psi so the tire flexing is kept to minimum on highways speed traveling as it's heat that accelerates thread wear and compromises the tire carcass structure. Consistently rotate your tires at each 5000 to 6000 miles. DO NOT use any tire shine type chemicals/coatings on any tire as it causes the rubber to develop small cracks which only get bigger and deeper. Tire shine using is for car shows or when getting a best trade in value number!!!

bhall wrote:
I only got 30k miles on the Transforce HTs on my 2015 Silverado 2500. Never again.

The OEM Firestone Transforce ATs are not wearing well on my RAM 2500. They'll prolly be gone by 30K miles.

Have heard that OEM tires in general are worse than the same tire aftermarket. But dunno if that's true.

Anyway, I too will never buy a Firestone Transforce HT or AT again.

bhall wrote:
I only got 30k miles on the Transforce HTs on my 2015 Silverado 2500. Never again.

Ditto^^^^^

What size?

Running Michelin LTX MS/2's for over 160K miles and will put them on again when the time comes.

For a smooth, quiet ride, I've always been extremely satisfied with Michelin LTX. I've owned 3 sets on 1/2 ton trucks and got 65,000 to 80,000 miles on all 3 sets.

I never took them off road, so I can't speak for that. Anytime we ever experienced any serious winter snow/ice, I would set a 700 lb crate of steel (borrowed from work) in the bed over the rear axle. With the added weight in the rear, my truck felt as safe as anything I've ever driven on snow & ice. And that is comparing it to my son's AWD Subaru Outback with dedicated winter tires.

My two highest priorities in tire performance are normally wet weather traction and a smooth quiet ride. I find the reviews at tirerack.com very helpful in seeing which tires score well in these two categories. I would recommend you take a look at their tire reviews before you decide.

My current 2015 2500HD is still running the factory Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires in size LT265/60R20. I would give them very high marks for the smooth, quiet, comfortable ride they provide. They still look like new with 15,000 miles on them. I've been in a couple of blinding rain storms pulling a trailer and they have handled it well.
All in all, I have no complaints with the Goodyear Wrangleer SR-A tires.

I only got 30k miles on the Transforce HTs on my 2015 Silverado 2500. Never again.

Always recommend Cooper AT3. Mine are 18s with 3,415 pound per tire, I like excess capacity. I got almost 80k miles out of my set 5 years ago. Just bought new ones this summer. Quiet on the highway but do well in snow. If you drive in mud often, these are not the best. Mines is a pavement princess so they are great.