Tire Question!

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JJ93

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Hi everyone!

I purchased my '01 Suburban in July of this year from a family member (who bought it new) and it came with 285/75/16 tires that were worn out. In order to save a little money, I dropped down to P265/70/16 BFG Rugged Terrains (not the rugged trails, which I hear were awful). For the most part, I like them. The truck feels "lighter" I guess is how I would describe it due to the smaller size, especially with the 4.10 gears. She goes. They are very comfortable riding tires as well, and the fuel mileage hasn't been bad at all. I have been averaging 16mpg mostly but I regularly get 18mpg on the interstate with the cruise set. For a 5,000 pound brick with a V8, I cannot complain at all about that.

However, today was the first real snow in my area. I took the Burban out for a little spin to see how it behaves in the snow, and I have to say. I do not like these tires at ALL in the snow/ice. I live on a hilly dirt road that compacts with snow (and turns into ice) and I found that while I could get going with no problems (in 4wd that is), it is actually very hard to get this thing to stop especially on the hills. It is downright dangerous. I couldn't even tap the brakes without the ABS kicking in. I held up traffic going down one of the hills because I had to basically crawl all the way down in order to not slide through the stop sign at the bottom. In 2wd, it isn't going anywhere on this road, it just spun. Even on paved roads with a dusting of snow, I was not confident whatsoever. In contrast, my Focus without ABS (has snow tires) had absolutely no issues getting around on the same roads. Obviously, the tires on my Suburban are to blame here I think.

That being said, I am looking at replacing the tires again and possibly just selling these Rugged Terrains to recoup some of the cost. What tires are you all running, and how do you like them on snow and ice? I have been thinking about getting some Falken Wildpeaks since they are snow-rated. My dad has a set of those on his F150 and it is an absolute tank in the snow. Should I stick with 265/70/16 or bump back up to 285/75/16? Either way this thing needs better tires like now.

Main concerns include:
*Snow and Ice (it snows here 6 months of the year here in northern Michigan)
*Fuel Mileage (I do a ton of long distance highway driving)
*Longevity

Any suggestions/thoughts?
 

HiHoeSilver

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Hi everyone!

I purchased my '01 Suburban in July of this year from a family member (who bought it new) and it came with 285/75/16 tires that were worn out. In order to save a little money, I dropped down to P265/70/16 BFG Rugged Terrains (not the rugged trails, which I hear were awful). For the most part, I like them. The truck feels "lighter" I guess is how I would describe it due to the smaller size, especially with the 4.10 gears. She goes. They are very comfortable riding tires as well, and the fuel mileage hasn't been bad at all. I have been averaging 16mpg mostly but I regularly get 18mpg on the interstate with the cruise set. For a 5,000 pound brick with a V8, I cannot complain at all about that.

However, today was the first real snow in my area. I took the Burban out for a little spin to see how it behaves in the snow, and I have to say. I do not like these tires at ALL in the snow/ice. I live on a hilly dirt road that compacts with snow (and turns into ice) and I found that while I could get going with no problems (in 4wd that is), it is actually very hard to get this thing to stop especially on the hills. It is downright dangerous. I couldn't even tap the brakes without the ABS kicking in. I held up traffic going down one of the hills because I had to basically crawl all the way down in order to not slide through the stop sign at the bottom. In 2wd, it isn't going anywhere on this road, it just spun. Even on paved roads with a dusting of snow, I was not confident whatsoever. In contrast, my Focus without ABS (has snow tires) had absolutely no issues getting around on the same roads. Obviously, the tires on my Suburban are to blame here I think.

That being said, I am looking at replacing the tires again and possibly just selling these Rugged Terrains to recoup some of the cost. What tires are you all running, and how do you like them on snow and ice? I have been thinking about getting some Falken Wildpeaks since they are snow-rated. My dad has a set of those on his F150 and it is an absolute tank in the snow. Should I stick with 265/70/16 or bump back up to 285/75/16? Either way this thing needs better tires like now.

Main concerns include:
*Snow and Ice (it snows here 6 months of the year here in northern Michigan)
*Fuel Mileage (I do a ton of long distance highway driving)
*Longevity

Any suggestions/thoughts?

Just put mine on yesterday, so my first hand testing is yet to come, but I did ALOT of research and I ended up with the new General Grabber ATX. (275/70/18). They are heavy, LT, E range tires, but are M&S, 3 peak, and studdable. Not tons of reviews out there yet, but enough to satisfy my OCD purchasing requirements. Check em out.

Screenshot_20191107-160137_Drive.jpg
 

wjburken

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Just put mine on yesterday, so my first hand testing is yet to come, but I did ALOT of research and I ended up with the new General Grabber ATX. (275/70/18). They are heavy, LT, E range tires, but are M&S, 3 peak, and studdable. Not tons of reviews out there yet, but enough to satisfy my OCD purchasing requirements. Check em out.

View attachment 233924
Will be interested in hearing how you like them in winter. Will be needing some tires on my pickup in the few months and was considering these as one of my options.
 

OR VietVet

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Your load range rating on the sidewall can dictate that "lighter" feeling. The ones that were on there were likely a load range E and had a stiffer sidewall while the smaller tires likely had a lower load range and can feel a bit "mushier" because of that. The taller tire can also effect your gearing ratio and therefore fuel mileage. The General Grabber ATX gets great reviews from a friend of mine that likes to go to some of the out in the country passes and he said he has great handling in the snow and on ice. Not studded. He was just telling me that last week.
 

HiHoeSilver

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Your load range rating on the sidewall can dictate that "lighter" feeling. The ones that were on there were likely a load range E and had a stiffer sidewall while the smaller tires likely had a lower load range and can feel a bit "mushier" because of that. The taller tire can also effect your gearing ratio and therefore fuel mileage. The General Grabber ATX gets great reviews from a friend of mine that likes to go to some of the out in the country passes and he said he has great handling in the snow and on ice. Not studded. He was just telling me that last week.

Great to hear. At first impression they are awesome.
 

2010gmcyukon

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I agree with the Falken Wildpeak AT/3. I put those on mine and the snow/ice traction is great. The stopping distance in wet and dry has been amazing...They have saved me from buying the back of 2 cars that stopped right in front of me.
 
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JJ93

JJ93

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Wow guys thank you for your responses, very helpful! I have some research to do, I will be checking out those Generals for sure, they look like a solid tire. I will be comparing them to the Falkens. I am heavily considering bumping back up to 285/75/16 even if my mileage goes down a little, but that mostly depends on price. I do like the look of the 285's, they filled the wheel wells out a bit more. Either way I think I will be going up to the load range E tires again just for my peace of mind lol. I do like the ride of the P tires but every bump I hit I keep thinking about how flexible that sidewall is compared to the load E tires that were on there when I got it.

Thanks again guys, I will keep you posted on what I decide to do!
 

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