Another "Which Tires" Thread - 1995 Chevy Silverado

[jeff88]

Hey guys! It's time for some tires for my 1995 Chevy Silverado K1500. Right now I have 285/75-R16 BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A.

So being that this is a larger(er) truck, what do you guys think would be a good option for both decent fuel efficiency and have the rugged look/off road-capability?

Some options I have found:

BF Goodrich All Terrain (the same)
BF Goodrich Rugged Terrain
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
Goodyear Wranglers (of varying models)

Also, right now it has a 285 width tire, but the tire websites say to use 265. I will obviously confirm if this is right with the professional at the shop. I'm wondering if a new tire will get worse fuel economy than a bald tire (like mine), if the tire is skinnier. In other words, will the skinnier tires offset the decrease in fuel economy from the treads?

What do you guys think? What tires will be good and does anybody have any reviews for similar vehicles?

Thanks!

[trooper Tdiesel]

at least in my area, its very common for trucks 1/2, 3/4 or 1 ton to be changed over to the 285/75/16 size as people do it to "fill the wheel well up, to make the auto look better" and on many 1/2 ton trucks its the biggest size that can be jammed on without a lift kit of some kind.
the one i drove one time, compared to are truck. it was very different in drag off the line, but that was comparing a new set of 285's mudder's with a full 17/32s of tred. to a ten~ year old 235/85 road tire set with about 8/32s or so.

265/75/16 is stock, for your truck, being a silverado..
a low end or fleet model would likly be smaller 15" as i know someone with a 2wd with the 4.3L what has 15" rims from about 92/94 year
any way, the original size will be on the drivers door frame unless the truck was repainted or maybe the door was replaced for some reason.
but there are two other sizes that are very close to the same height. 235/85/16LT is nearly dead on.
and the 215/85/16LT is a little shorter, it would be better for lots of city driving with little to no steady at speed driving
but they are known for having a harsh ride as there stock sizes for 3/4, 1tons in the 80s/90s and have high load ratings


you would have to find a different set of rims but....
for around town, another option is to go to 15" with a 30X9.50X15 versus a 265/75 at about 31.6"
there also available in a P passenger tire type that would lower drag and be the best around town tire for having the least drag you could put on the truck short of a smaller 235 or 215/75/15, and be about $30 ish a tire less then a LT light truck tire of the same size..
but if you move more then about 500lbs or so in cargo in the bed, or spend any real time on rock roads at speed, id advise the use of the LT tires as thats what there made for...

[CapriRacer]

First, you can determine the original tire size yourself by looking on the driver's doorframe for the vehicle tire placard. It will also tell you the specified inflation pressure.

According to Tire Guides, it ought to say either LT225/75R16 LR C or LT245/75R16 LR C - both on 6.5" rims inflated to 50 psi.

The rim width is a problem. It limits the width of the tire to 245. Using a rim that is too narrow tends to wear the center of the tread and makes the vehicle a bit unstable - as in, it will tend to follow the ruts and grooves in the highway and makes the vehicle more sensitive to cross winds.

Also, the idea of fuel economy and off road capability is incompatible. If you want both, you need to be looking at a compromise - and we'll need to know how much compromise you are willing to make.

[adam728]

Fuel economy and off road are not mutually incompatible here. Hes asking about mild all terrains, not boggers vs crawlers vs military tires.

That said, yes, check the door sticker. I've had a few Chevys from that era, my dad as well. 245/75/16's were stock kn all of them, and most everyone seemed to be going to 285/75's at the time as it was the largest you could stuff in that body style without doing some cutting.


I'd look into the narrower sizes, a 235/85/16 is close the the same height you have now, but narrower (obviously). Theres a recent thread showing the benifits and drawbacks of a narrower tire offroad. I myself am a fan of the skinnies.

I would not suggest changing wheel size to get different tire size options. Depending how your truck is optioned there's a small chance it could be a "heavy half" with a 14 bolt semi floater rear axle and the larger front hubs and calipers. Not likely, but if it is than 15" wheels won't clear the brakes. Also, how much would going to 15's cost, and what will the fuel savings really be?


As for tread design, there's a lot of options out there. I used to love BFG AT's, but they are pretty long in the tooth, and I feel other AT's have long since surpassed them on and off road. I love my Toyo Open Country AT's, excellent road manners, no noise, and spank the BFG's in snow.

[ksa8907]

I am a little partial to the cooper discoverer line. Not sure if they will be available in the size you want though. We put some HTP's on our pacifica and in the last 30k miles they show almost no wear.

[trooper Tdiesel]

forgot about the Z71 package in the half tons.
they added some plates underneath to guard the trans T-case and added a LSD to the rear, some years may have a better front sway bar. its more or less a given that it has the larger of the two V8s the 350ci not the 305ci and a auto trans. plus there all X-cab S\B no other cab set up.

if your truck has it, it will have the Z71 badge on the back of the bed where the 4x4 tag would bed on a model without the package but still a 4wd.

the Z71 was stock with the 265/75/16 and 16X7 rims

the others have the 225/75/16 or 245/75/16
they would have 16X6.5 or 16X6 rims being narrower tires.

[Hersbird]

I don't think this is your daily driver right? And you want some off road ability still? I like the BFG all terrains but think the General grabber AT2 is a better buy $184 and a D load rating compared to the BFGs $248 and E load. That is at discount tire direct.com and for your current size which is oversized. I bought some for a GMC Envoy and really liked them Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct

[ksa8907]

Cooper discoverer atp, $177.

[aardvarcus]

The 285/75R16s look good, but there is a MPG and acceleration penalty due to the size and weight of this tire (all else equal) compared with 245/75R16, 265/75R16, or 235/85R16. And yes I have personally used all those sizes and experienced the MPG/acceleration loss. And yes I have bought them again anyway, but not on a daily driver.

I posted a detailed review of different truck tires that I have had personal experiences with in another thread last week; I won’t repeat it all here. If I was going to go out and buy tires for my 1991 K2500LD (the 6 lug ¾ ton referenced in this thread) which is basically the same truck as you have I would go and get Michelin LTX M/S2 for their superior on road handling. I hate running mud terrains or aggressive all terrains on pavement. And I have offroaded the M/S2s, they do ok unless you plan to load them up with mud or really soft soil. Typical dirt road/rocks/fields/etcetera they do fine. On road they do excellent.

If you want more aggressive looks, I would try to stick to a true all terrain, not a mud terrain in all terrain wrapping, unless your truck is a trail rig, which I don’t think it is. At least around here trail rigs aren’t measured in MPG, they are in YPG. (Yee-haws per gallon….)

For good looks/ok performance, which based on your thread is what I think you are after, I would get 265/75R16’s. If you weren’t posting this question on a fuel economy forum, I would suggest the 285/75R16s. If you weren’t after looks I would suggest the 235/85R16. If you didn’t want to off-road I would suggest the 245/75R16. Oh, and stock on my 1991 Chevy truck was LT225/75R16, for reference. Check your speedometer with a gps after any tire swap.

If you want to have your cake and eat it too, get two sets of wheels, one onroad and one offroad. However, the downside is that you don’t look nearly as cool parked outside of the mall. Personally I can live with that.

[adam728]

245/75/16 (30.5" tall, Michelin's specs)




235/85/16 (31.7" tall, Toyo's specs)


I can't comment much on mileage anymore. About the time I went to the Toyo's the truck was retired from daily driver duty. I've had them almost 3 years now and probably only have about 6000 miles on them.