Will 275/60/20s rub on 2/3 lowered 06 Escalade?

[m1949]

I'm doing a restomod on an 06 Esalade 2wd. I plan to remove Z55, install Belltech 759SP lowering kit and do a 2/3 drop. The truck now has stock 265/70/17 tires/wheels. I'd like to replace them with 275/60/20s. Can anyone advice if this larger tire will rub? Its diameter will increase from 31.6" to 33" and width from 10.4" to 10.8". I can drop back to a 275/55/20 which gives me same height and 10.8" width; but I prefer the slightly taller tire.

Also, any tips or "heads up" about the Belltech lowering kit are appreciated. My goal is to maintain good ride quality with a bit better handling from lower center of gravity.

Thanks!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Regarding wheel/tire combinations that will fit your truck without rubbing, no 2 trucks and their suspensions are exactly alike, due to a number of factors including accumulated wear on the suspension components and different wheel widths and offsets, so there is no guarantee that what fits with no rubbing on one truck will automatically fit with no rubbing on your truck. Other folks' experiences can guide you in one direction or another, but the final test will be when you mount the wheel/tire combination on your own truck.

To assist you in getting a good idea on whether or not specific alternate wheel/tire combinations 'may' fit your truck with no rubbing, I recommend that you use the wheel/tire comparison app at the URL listed below. You can use this app starting with your existing wheel/tire combination as a benchmark, assuming that there are currently no rubbing issues with it, and measure the actual critical fender and suspension component clearances as directed by this app. Then, you can enter alternate wheel/tire combinations, and this app will give you the projected changes in these critical fender and suspension component clearances.

https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/

I used this app for determining whether on not I could use my current alternate wheel/tire combination, and it accurately projected the changes in critical clearances. Again, the use of this app in not an absolute guarantee that an alternate wheel/tire combination will fit without rubbing, but it provides a much better assessment, or projection, than simply an educated guess on your part, or a statement from others that it worked on a truck other than yours.

 

[adventurenali92]

I’ve never seen a dropped SUV running TALLER than stock size tires. It’s always the opposite. Shorter than stock tires on dropped SUVs. That being said I ran 275/60/20 nitro Dura grapplers on my 2006 Denali XL, on stock suspension and ride height and had zero issues with rubbing. But clearances were close. So I’d imagine on a drop kit that that particular size would not run without rubbing the inner fender liner.

 

[m1949]

Thanks for the input. The stock 275/70/17s we removed measure 32.2”. The borrowed tires on it now, post 2/3 drop, are 275/45/22; which are 31.7 inches tall. 275/55/20s measure 31.9” and 275/60/20s are 33”.

 

[Dantheman1540]

I just put 275/60/20s on yesterday and I have something close to a 2/3 drop maybe a tad more. No rubbing yet but I've only been to work and back no major off-roading or anything crazy to get the suspension to articulate. I think the key is that they are a very sissy tread pattern and on factory offset wheels. If the wheels stuck out further or the tire had an aggressive sidewall I think it would rub very badly. Also worth mentioning is my alignment is well within factory specs which helps keep the wheel centered in the wheel well.

 

[m1949]

Thanks for this information. Im replacing 275/7o/17 which measure 32.2”. Going to a 60 profile tire adds .8” to tire height. are you seeing any improvement in ride quality with the taller tires? That’s my primary reason for looking at 60s instead of stock 55s. What brand tire are your 60s? Consensus here seems to prefer Michelin Defenders.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Thanks for this information. Im replacing 275/7o/17 which measure 32.2”. Going to a 60 profile tire adds .8” to tire height. are you seeing any improvement in ride quality with the taller tires? That’s my primary reason for looking at 60s instead of stock 55s. What brand tire are your 60s? Consensus here seems to prefer Michelin Defenders.

They are Good Year Wrangler Trail runners off a 2021 GMC Sierra, not my first choice but I got a good deal on the entire setup and so far I like them. I am coming from some 285/50/20 Nitto 420s which definitely rode stiffer and were surprisingly louder but that could be because they are getting old (3 years old and 40k miles on them). I was also looking to improve ride quality a bit with a taller sidewall and so far I am very pleased! The Michilens are known to be great tires but I don't think the price is worth it especially when I'm gonna do burnouts and slides to wear these out faster than the average person would.

As far as that Beltech kit goes they make good quality stuff although I have heard people say the shocks ride a little rough. I was fairly happy with the torsion bars de-cranked and 3" lowering springs in the rear with stock shocks for the year or so I had it like that. I did eventually put Viking coil overs up front which isn't much more than that kit your looking at and they ride extremely well and double adjustable shocks to tune the ride quality to your liking.

99-06 Torsion Bar to Coilover Kit - Atomic Fabrication

This is a package that will include everything you need to do the coilover swap on GMT800 99-06 torsion bar equipped 1500 GM truck wanting from 5in of drop to 7in of lift. More details below.

atomicfabandperformance.com

 

[m1949]

Thanks again. Your new wheel/tires setup looks great! It appears to me your ride heighth is greater and your wheel well to tire distance is a bit more than my present setup on 275/45/22s, which are not as tall as the wheel/tire combo they replaced. Looks like I need to tryout 60s on my Esky to if they will clear. Thankfully, I have access to 20 inch wheels with 60s profile tires to do that befor I buy.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Yeah I definitely gained an inch or so of ground clearance with the new setup which is a plus since I do more offroading than I should in a lowered 2wd. The ride quality is really a big difference I just went and got lunch and went done an old brick road that usually jars me around and it is considerably more supple now.

 

[adventurenali92]

Thanks for this information. Im replacing 275/7o/17 which measure 32.2”. Going to a 60 profile tire adds .8” to tire height. are you seeing any improvement in ride quality with the taller tires? That’s my primary reason for looking at 60s instead of stock 55s. What brand tire are your 60s? Consensus here seems to prefer Michelin Defenders.

When I went from the stock 275/55 size, to the taller 275/60 tire my ride quality was much better. My truck rode the better on the 60 series tire which is why I am dropping back to it as soon as the Michelin LTX A/Ts I have on now in an LT275/65 series run out of tread. Actually already have the Michelin defenders, just using up the last bit of tread.