Stock (ish) Tires

[spenpet]

Good morning everyone...I am looking at replacement tires for 2019 Yukon XL...this is my wife's vehicle and she has absolutely no desire to get all terrain tires (nor do I want her too)...I am a believer of putting as much (within reason) rubber as possible on a rim for the best ride possible.  curious if anyone has replaced their tires for a larger size, how large have you gone without rubbing and looking ridiculous?  these will be all season highway tires (Michelin Defenders probably) on the stock 18" rims...

 

second part is, if you have gotten a larger tire, was the ROI worth it?  I am assuming the larger tires will be more expensive...was it worth it over the normal stock size tire price?  did it ride better or wear better?

 

Hope this makes sense...not looking to go crazy just a size or to larger (an inch or so taller and an inch or so wider)...

 

thoughts?

[kstruckcountry]

Just buy stock size Michelins and forget about it, they will ride amazing. Usually have to level to fit much larger, which won't improve the ride, and rubbing doesn't either.

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[The Zip]

12 hours ago, spenpet said:

second part is, if you have gotten a larger tire, was the ROI worth it?  I am assuming the larger tires will be more expensive...was it worth it over the normal stock size tire price?  did it ride better or wear better?

 

Hope this makes sense...not looking to go crazy just a size or to larger (an inch or so taller and an inch or so wider)...

 

thoughts?

20s will be just fine.  I run an OEM 20" wheel with all season tires.  Drive most times in the fast lane, turn radius is better than all my vehicles.  I usually spend around 550 (4) with lifetime rotate and balance.  Don't know if it rides better than 18s, but the ride is equal to or better than my other vehicles.

[spenpet]

19 minutes ago, The Zip said:

20s will be just fine.  I run an OEM 20" wheel with all season tires.  Drive most times in the fast lane, turn radius is better than all my vehicles.  I usually spend around 550 (4) with lifetime rotate and balance.  Don't know if it rides better than 18s, but the ride is equal to or better than my other vehicles.

Thanks!  I’m not looking to get bigger rims... just the tires (if it makes sense)... I just didn’t know if a slightly taller and slightly wider tire is worth looking at...

[The Zip]

3 hours ago, spenpet said:

Thanks!  I’m not looking to get bigger rims... just the tires (if it makes sense)... I just didn’t know if a slightly taller and slightly wider tire is worth looking at...

Ok, got it.  If you go taller with the 18 ensure you can also go wider, it will help with roll.

[Texas Daddy]

You got em by now, but I will suggest those defenders in a 275/65/18. Little taller, little wider, but not too much to bog down ride or rub when you lock the wheel...

[spenpet]

On 7/27/2020 at 4:38 PM, Texas Daddy said:

You got em by now, but I will suggest those defenders in a 275/65/18. Little taller, little wider, but not too much to bog down ride or rub when you lock the wheel...

i actually haven't got them yet...so thank you!  haven't done a ton of driving due to the lockdown...so still on the back burner...so that size, no rubbing or anything?

[Texas Daddy]

i actually haven't got them yet...so thank you!  haven't done a ton of driving due to the lockdown...so still on the back burner...so that size, no rubbing or anything?

No rub as they are just an inch bigger. Here are some aggressive ridge grapplers in that size that I sent back because they shook at 75...

[spenpet]

On 8/1/2020 at 5:39 PM, Texas Daddy said:

No rub as they are just an inch bigger. Here are some aggressive ridge grapplers in that size that I sent back because they shook at 75...

i like those, but my wife calls anything that is not a highway tire, a 'man tire' and she doesnt went them! haha!  i threaten her that i will put a level/lift on it and put some all terrains on it...and she just scowls at me! haha!  thanks for the info on the tire size...it is about $150 difference (for the set) if i go with the larger size...(michelin defenders)

[newdude]

On 5/1/2020 at 9:00 AM, spenpet said:

Good morning everyone...I am looking at replacement tires for 2019 Yukon XL...this is my wife's vehicle and she has absolutely no desire to get all terrain tires (nor do I want her too)...I am a believer of putting as much (within reason) rubber as possible on a rim for the best ride possible.  curious if anyone has replaced their tires for a larger size, how large have you gone without rubbing and looking ridiculous?  these will be all season highway tires (Michelin Defenders probably) on the stock 18" rims...

 

second part is, if you have gotten a larger tire, was the ROI worth it?  I am assuming the larger tires will be more expensive...was it worth it over the normal stock size tire price?  did it ride better or wear better?

 

Hope this makes sense...not looking to go crazy just a size or to larger (an inch or so taller and an inch or so wider)...

 

thoughts?

 

 

There is no ROI on a larger diameter tire other than looks/personal preference.  You may even need to do a leveling kit to clear a larger diameter front tire.  That said, a 275/65R18 would work just fine if you wanted to go a smidge larger on the stock wheels.  More flavors to choose from in that size over the 265/65R18 stock tire.    

 

If you want ride comfort, the stock 18"s would offer the most over the 20" and even more over a 22".  The benefit of the 20" and 22" is wider contact patch, and more opportunity for a 3 season type tire.  

[Grumpy Bear]

Larger tires are normally but not always heavier and this my friend is a negative return. Sometimes you can fit a tire one size wider and one aspect ratio smaller to near the same height (+/- 3%) without a weight penalty. Unlike most other parts of your vehicle this rotating assembly comes with an inertia moment or flywheel effect that uses fuel to accelerate it and brakes to stop it. You will use more of both if you add either weight or height...worse if you add both. Even tires of the same size don't all weigh the same, ride the same or wear the same.

 

This forum is literally littered with post about guys installing larger tires and surprised at the fuel cost increase. 

 

Do your homework. You can find one a size wider at or very close in mass and diameter. You just have to look hard.    

 

 

[spenpet]

thanks...yes, i wasn't expecting better mpg's...the ROI i was referring too was better ride, better, handling, etc...i should have been more clear...the 275/65/18 size suggested above is really was i was asking about...just a little larger tire  (nothing crazy) would it be worth the cost difference for presumably a better (maybe even safer?) ride...

[Grumpy Bear]

3 hours ago, spenpet said:

thanks...yes, i wasn't expecting better mpg's...the ROI i was referring too was better ride, better, handling, etc...i should have been more clear...the 275/65/18 size suggested above is really was i was asking about...just a little larger tire  (nothing crazy) would it be worth the cost difference for presumably a better (maybe even safer?) ride...

You've watched tire reviews from experts like Tire Rack? You may have noticed that much of what your asking is subjective. Even multiple testers don't always agree so they grade by general consensus. Things like steering 'feel' and tire "boom'. Turn in response and vehicle rotation through a turn are considered. 

 

Consumer reviews are individually more pointed but shotgun like in collective breadth.

 

However the Pro's do some objective testing as well. Stopping distances, skid pad and slalom times. I find it interesting that within in a category of tire the results while different are also quite small but safety is a matter of inches and feet and one tire of the three generally tested in a group will consistently have some edge no matter how small. Also interesting to me is there are tires whose objective test are a hair lower but have a 'feel' that inspires confidence so that a novice driver can actually get more from it that the uneasy feel of the higher ranked tire will let their internal warning lights obtain. 

 

They never test between groups but objective results are derived at the same test parameters. So printing off a sheet for each tire and then comparing only the subjective elements will render some usable results. 

 

Some things are just obvious. Some tire types and patterns are just inherently more noisy. Some like white lettering, some don't. Some prefer a treads look to another. 

 

A tip or two on consumer reviews. At least at Tire Rack they break the reviews into mileage groups. I look at reviews for a tire that have multiple reviews from drivers who exceed the warranty miles and drive some vehicle close to what I what to put them on. A review over 1 K miles doesn't tell me anything useful unless it is in comparison to the 70 K reviews. What do you think? If 10 guys get 70 K and are happy and 10 whine that they can't get 25 K before it wears out do you think it's the tire or the driver or the vehicles state of maintenance? Is it the tires fault? 

 

Tire threads go on for pages and pages and often end in heated exchanges and nothing is accomplished. They are going on your truck (or your wife's). 

 

All tires have this constant. They work best and last the longest on vehicles that are well aligned with tires properly inflated, rotated and occasionally balanced and driven by a rational adult. That last element can be hard to find .

 

I hope I said something useful in the 20 minutes to took to think and type this.  Now, I have grass to mow. Later and have a nice morning, eh? 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Grumpy Bear

[diyer2]

I take all online reviews with a grain of salt due to the ****** factor, simple IMO.

I pick my products I want to purchase by eliminating the dumb reviews first. Dumb reviews are the ones with no useful info. Hard to find useful info.  

[newdude]

4 hours ago, spenpet said:

thanks...yes, i wasn't expecting better mpg's...the ROI i was referring too was better ride, better, handling, etc...i should have been more clear...the 275/65/18 size suggested above is really was i was asking about...just a little larger tire  (nothing crazy) would it be worth the cost difference for presumably a better (maybe even safer?) ride...

 

Well, bigger doesn't necessarily = safer on a tire.  That comes down to proper air pressure, tread design (all season vs. all terrain), tire contact to the road, etc.  Going too big on a stock wheel can put the tire out of its rim working zone which can compromise how the tire sits on the wheel and its tread contact.  

 

Informational bits aside, if you are looking at the Michelin Defender LTX MS, in both stock 265/65R18 and 275/65R18, they are rated for wheel working width of 7.5"-9.5" wide wheels.  Tire companies typically measure the happy spot right in the middle, and Michelin has the section widths (side wall to side wall of the tire) measured based on an 8 inch wide wheel (stock wheels are 8.5").  So, long and short, a 275/65R18 is beyond acceptable to upsize on a stock wheel and would be safe to do so. 

 

As for perfromance, you may see a bit more on the handling side (wider tread) and you might get some slight tramlining (feels like you are on trolley rails) on pavement and concrete (my stock size Continental Terrain Contact HT do this on concrete).  Otherwise, I'd expect them to perform about equal to the stock size tires, but your judgement once you monted that size will be the true determination for your ROI on them.