Another "Which Tires" Thread - 1995 Chevy Silverado

[aardvarcus]

Picture shows my 1991 with 265/75R16 Uniroyal Laredo. MPG was about 18 MPG as pictured, all highway multi tank average. That is 4x4, Rebuilt 350, NV4500 Swap, 14B Bolt Semi-Float with 3.73's. Prior to air dam it was running about 17ish.

My best MPG from running 255/85R16's Cooper Discoverer A/S was 14ish, all highway 3 tank average, no air dam. Both sizes MPG adjusted for diameter.

Look at the tread patterns of the two and you will quickly see why the difference. You can hear the difference driving down the highway, that mud terrain drone is the sound of wind resistance eating away at your gasoline.

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by aardvarcus

Picture shows my 1991 with 265/75R16 Uniroyal Laredo. MPG was about 18 MPG as pictured, all highway multi tank average. That is 4x4, Rebuilt 350, NV4500 Swap, 14B Bolt Semi-Float with 3.73's. Prior to air dam it was running about 17ish.

My best MPG from running 255/85R16's Cooper Discoverer A/S was 14ish, all highway 3 tank average, no air dam. Both sizes MPG adjusted for diameter.

Look at the tread patterns of the two and you will quickly see why the difference. You can hear the difference driving down the highway, that mud terrain drone is the sound of wind resistance eating away at your gasoline.

Im glad I dont own a truck. The 245/75-16 coopers that I referenced are 45lbs each.

[aardvarcus]

I know, and those aren't that heavy for a truck tire. What is really fun are 285/70R17s on 17" alloy wheels, about 85lbs per corner. Not so fun to take on and off. As for my old truck getting 14-18 MPG, there is a reason there is a 4 cylinder 5 speed Tacoma in my garage now…

[adam728]

Yea, truck tires aren't light. The 34" Swampers on aluminum wheels were about 85 lbs each on my old Toyota.

The setup on my current truck is about 78-79 lbs per corner. I could lose about 12 lbs of each if I went to a factory aluminum wheel. But then again, the damn drums on the back are like 35 lbs a piece.

[jeff88]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies everybody! So much information!

To elaborate a little bit, I don't plan on changing the wheels size, I will probably just keep it stock (265) or what it's at now (285). I'm considering going back to stock so that I have a little less tire resistance on the road. We don't really do much off-roading, but it has happened so I want tires that are capable but not polarized to just off-roading with terrible road manners. In other words, the compromise that CapriRacer was talking about is going to error on the side of on-road specs.

As far as a daily driver, it's a wee bit complicated. Right now it is a DD, as my 4runner is being rebuilt, my gf is using my Corolla and I don't actually have the Escape anymore. When I get my 4Runner back, the truck will go back to being my mom's daily driver, however, she doesn't leave the house most days so it will be a semi-retired vehicle just like her.

It's definitely a Z71.

At this point, the hardest part is convincing her that looks isn't everything and that the BFG AT is not necessary, just because it "looks" cool or tough. I'm thinking I am going to go with the Michelin LTX. It has a really high mileage warranty and reviews say it has great wet and snow handling. The most offroad the truck will see (more than likely) is snow, so it should work well for what we need.