Tire Suggestions for 94 Suburban...

E

emwavey

New member
I'm looking for tire suggestions for a '94 Suburban 1500 4x4. Since I realize certain tires are only made in certain sizes, it looks like the orginal tire size is 245/75-16.

I'm trying to resolve a vibration issue that has been with the vehicle since I purchased it, and one of the next three things to explore are tires... two tires are wearing very poorly, and one is dangerous... bulging side wall.

Thanks in advance.

-dave
8)
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of Suburbans. They are crap. The brakes/tires can't handle the weight of the car. Get used to vibrations, to pulling to the side under braking, to 10,000 miles on a set of pads.

That said, I have about 50k on some Dunlop truck tires designed for towing, stock size (truck is a 2500). Been fine.
 
Gotta have the alignment checked; I bet 4x4s are notorious for wearing tires. That said, a poorly worn tire will contribute to the vibration.
Since I pretty much asked this question a few months ago, the bulk of people will recommend the Michelin LTX in your 245/75-16. I'm currently running BFGoodrich Commercial 10-plys in that size that I got from Costco. A good tire, wearing well, but obviously a bit on the bumpy side.
When I first got my truck it had Pirelli Scorpion something or other. They were worn out but I still put 2500 miles on them driving the truck home. They were smoooth; wish Tire Rack had 'em in stock when I needed them.
Good luck,
Michael
'01 Yukon XL 2500 4wd 8.1L
 
Originally posted by handfulz28:
Gotta have the alignment checked; I bet 4x4s are notorious for wearing tires. That said, a poorly worn tire will contribute to the vibration.
Since I pretty much asked this question a few months ago, the bulk of people will recommend the Michelin LTX in your 245/75-16. I'm currently running BFGoodrich Commercial 10-plys in that size that I got from Costco. A good tire, wearing well, but obviously a bit on the bumpy side.
When I first got my truck it had Pirelli Scorpion something or other. They were worn out but I still put 2500 miles on them driving the truck home. They were smoooth; wish Tire Rack had 'em in stock when I needed them.
Good luck,
Michael
'01 Yukon XL 2500 4wd 8.1L
Click to expand...


Well, I've had a full-size GMC p/u for the last 11 or 12 years (actually, two trucks over that time). The first was an '89 K1500, and the current one is a '98 K2500 HD. Both are 4x4. I've tried several different tires over the yers. I found that going to a 265/75/16 worked a bit better than the stock 235/85/16.

I use an off-road all-terain tire (as opposed to a highway tire). The last set I put on my K2500 were Bridgeston Dueler A/T Revo 265/75/16 LT (E-range, 80psi). These were all-around great tires. Great feel, wet traction, snow traction, etc. But the mileage was terrible. I barely got 30k miles out of them (w/ most of it being highway miles). At $700+ a set (including M&B), I need to go w/ something a bit more economical. I have run Yokahamas in the past (Super Digger V, no longer available), and it was between the new Geolander A/T Plus II and the Bridgestone, when I bought the last set. I'm going w/ the Yok's this time around, and it will be $200+ less for the set.

Since I've changed jobs, and don't put 30k+ miles a year on the truck, I hope I can get 3-4 years out of this set. The only other tire w/ a D or E load range, that's close to the Yok., is the Kumho Venture A/T KL-41 ($93/ea for D, $97/ea for E, Yok. D is $97/ea). I won't even look at Goodyear or Firestone, and any of the other major brands are at least $25/tire more.

As far as wear goes, on these trucks, you just have to stay on top of the suspension/alignment/air pressure.

------------------
MARRS #25 ITB Rabbit GTI (sold) | MARRS #25 HProd Rabbit
SCCA 279608
 
highly recommend NOT getting pirelli scorpions. had the stock firestone's on the truck (99 k2500 burb) when i got it. towed great until one tire delaminated. got some pirellis. they suck for towing. ok around town, stop fine. load up the truck or put a trailer on the back and they show how little resistance to sidewall flex they have. mushy turn in, wander all over the place.

for reference, trailer is set up correctly, anti sway/load equalizing hitch, blah, blah, blah. same set up towed great with the firestones.

hey jeff, tell me about the burb brake pulling issue...

marshall
 
I am one of those that have recommended Michilen LTX in the past, but I just put some Yoko Geolanders on the van after reading some good reviews. They are available with some pretty decent load ratings and were a bunch cheaper than the French tires.
 
A wee bit off-topic - brakes on the GM products SUCK. I had a '90 GMC for a few years and created more than a few diamonds whilst trying to stop!! The salvation came in the form of Performance Friction pads - don't remember which compound anymore but the difference was phenomenal. The only downside was that the pickup sounded like a city-bus when stopping but considering that it actually stopped, I figured that was a no-brainer.

Either Autozone or Advanced Auto carries PFC pads. I put a set of PFC Z-rated on my current tow vehicle (SuperDuty) - WOW!! I bought the SD b/c it stopped better on stock pads (with an add'l 3000 lb kerb weight) than my GMC with PFC pads and now it braked better than my street car!!

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread...
 
Marhsall, just saw your post, sorry about the delay.

My truck pulls violently to the right under braking, and this after the Chevy dealer just replaced rotors and pads.

The previous owner indicated he had the same trouble towing his horse trailer. He got temporary relief by replacing the calipers, which he was told were warped -- not sure I believe that.

In any event, the situation is not entirely safe. I probably will replace all the front rotors, pads and calipers again to start from scratch.

Truck is a 99 2500 4X4 except the 4X4 is one of the many things that no longer works. It's crap. I've had it for 70k miles (it has 120k on it), and have replaced:

1. 4X4 system once already;

2. Seat warmers twice;

3. Rear door lock;

4. Intake manifold gasket (common problem)

5. Radiator;

6. Water pump;

7. Dashboard circuit board.

The thing tows though.
 
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