Need new Tires......Concerned about wheel width....Need some Advice

[2kwik4u]

I bought my 2003 Yukon about 5 years ago with BRAND NEW tires on it. Those finally got close to wearing out about a year ago, so I found some new wheels on Craiglist with decent tread on them, but somewhat dried out tires. Those are now worn out and it's time to get new tires.

Here's the original wheels..

Here are the new wheels...

SO....

Stock tires according to the spare, and the door jamb sticker is 265/75/16. Current tires are a 245/75/17. Will a new set of 265/70/17's actually fit on the new wheels? I know we're only talking a 20mm increase in section width, but I'm concerned that I've bought wheels that are too skinny for these tires. Is there a better size I should be considering? Truck is mainly a daily driver, with some light off-road work (family farmland moving trailers/wagons/etc from time to time). Clearance and traction has never been an issue, and the speedo has ALWAYS been off by a linear 5mph since I bought the truck.

I'm looking at a set of Yokohama Geolander AT/S tires. I have a firend that reccommended these to me. Anyone have any experience with these?

The truck currently has P tires on it, and I'm looking to go to an LT tire. The local tire shop that I've used for years tells me my fuel mileage will drop significantly (like 14mpg isn't bad enough), and that I will HATE the ride. Said he's seen it 100 times with SUV owners. I picked the LT tires because I tow on a semi-regular basis. Boat/trailer/gear is in the 4,500lb range, and we're looking at moving up in boat size next season to something that will be in the 5,700lb range. Truck seems to have plenty of power, but feels "squishy" from time to time. I'm thinking the tires are to blame, but the tire guys seem to think it's the shocks (which do need replacing). Any thoughts here?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Mike

 

[TheYuk]

I was running 285's on those wheels

 

[2kwik4u]

Cool. Thanks for the info! There's one question answered!

 

[felixgun]

Yea I had 285/70/17's on my 01 Tahoe too and it didn't rub at all.

 

[TheYuk]

to answer your other question, I have been running the 285 LT all terrains with steel wheels and I still get 14 in the city if I stay out of the gas.

 

[2kwik4u]

to answer your other question, I have been running the 285 LT all terrains with steel wheels and I still get 14 in the city if I stay out of the gas.

Thank you sir!

Hopefully I won't drop much either. I'm getting between 14 and 15 now with a 50/50 highway/city mix. Got almost 21 a few weeks ago during a "night cruise" home to KY from MO with the A/C off and cruise set at 70mph!

 

[2kwik4u]

Looks like I'll be getting some new tires this weekend! I doubt the tire store is going to fix these, as they are already down to the wear bars

 

[brassknucklemafia]

wow. i was wondering if you got better gas mileage with the smaller tires, what with lighter rolling mass. you say you get 14 or so mpg right? i get that on 24's (305/35/24)speeding like i stole it. just curious.

 

[2kwik4u]

New tires are on. I got a set of Dean Wildcat's in a LT265/70/17 size. Decent tread pattern, and decent price. $665 for 4 of 'em out the door.

Here are the new shoes....

---------- Post added at 09:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 AM ----------

wow. i was wondering if you got better gas mileage with the smaller tires, what with lighter rolling mass. you say you get 14 or so mpg right? i get that on 24's (305/35/24)speeding like i stole it. just curious.

I keep fairly close track of my mileage. Overall the truck is averaging 14.4 mpg. I've seen as high as 20.5mpg (night road trip with cruise @65mph, and no A/C), and I've seen as low as 10.8mpg (towing). Most road trips are in the 18-19 range, and most daily driving is in the 14-15mpg range. Towing will drop me into the 11-12 range, and I did pizza delivery for a few months with it and got around 12-13 with it then.

 

[jo4nxj220]

I was running 285's on those wheels

what are you running now on your soft 8??