OT Pickup tire size

Joe Pro · Oct 4, 2008

I fiqured I'd ask this question to the smartes people I know, I have a 94 2wd Sierra. I need to get tires before winter. And I want to keep this truck so no sugestions to get a 4wd. And I have pretty much decided on the tires. I am looking at the BF Goodwrench All terains. The question is the size.

My rims are 15 ". and I am trying to figure out how big i can go before they rub. Its not as easy as 6.00 x16 om farm equipment

So Can I go as big as 31x10.5x 15
How do I find out what size I can go
Thanks for the help

Goose · Oct 4, 2008

What size does you door sticker recommend?

Ron in Nebr · Oct 4, 2008

31x10.50x15's should fit without rubbing, might be iffy on tight turns if you plan to put 'em in front though. Wouldn't go much bigger.

In case you didn't know, to break down the tire size in this case, the "31" is the tire's diameter in inches, the "10.50" is roughly how wide it is, and of course the "15" is rim diameter. When you get into metric sizes like "P235/75/15" it gets a bit more complicated. There's websites you can find that'll break that down too(I'm too tired to type it all out)...

Keep in mind that increasing tire size(diameter) will throw off your speedometer readings, and also make it act like it has a higher rearend gear ratio(lower gear number numerically).

BFG All-Terrain T/A's are a good tire too.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 4, 2008

story book says 235/75-15 which is 29x9.25x15 . 31x10.50 should be fine but, if you expect a lot of snow, you may want to stay narrow.

Dave

Anonymous-0 · Oct 4, 2008

the P235/75R will work good for you. your truck probably came with P225/75R tires. increasing 1 size you will be ok, and its a common size for pickups.

grundy · Oct 4, 2008

rustred, That "P" means they're passenger car tires. Legitimate tire stores won't sell them for use on pickup truck as they can be overloaded. They'll give a softer ride, but if you haul rated loads, you're likely beyond the load limit of your tires.

RobMD · Oct 4, 2008

Stay narrow with snow. You do not need all-terrains in the front. You only need the Long Trail t/a's up front.

spinwv · Oct 4, 2008

Joe, I understand the BFGoodrich thing but when I needed tires I found that they had no treadwear warranty. Check Pep boys. The Dakota AT ( passenger) or HT light truck has very similar tread pattern 50k mile warranty and half the price. My first set lasted 70K. I put them on an old ford,her cherokee then my 01 ram.

old · Oct 5, 2008

Well unless you pan to add a lot of weight to the rear of it I would stay smaller. Wide if fine but only if 4X4. If you go with wide you also need to have a lot of extra LBS behind the rear end to hold it down or you will just sit on top and that will make a not go. BTDT many times and 1500lbs of gravel over the rear end works with wide tires but thats the only way

buickanddeere · Oct 5, 2008

You want a snow or mud and snow tire.
As previously stated, tall and narrow in ice and snow. Wide is for drag racers and sandy buggies.
Respectable used 4WD trucks are very cheap out there.

Don c · Oct 5, 2008

Read an interesting thing the other day about people taking there outside dually tires off so it would pull better in snow and ice, with both tires on each side would stay on top of snow.... Don c

Anonymous-0 · Oct 5, 2008

I have not had good luck with BFG ATR's, tried them twice absolutely no tread life, there surely is better tires for less money out there.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 5, 2008

If you look at the plate on the door sill it says what size tire to run. If they wanted you to run larger tires they would have installed them when new nice way to mess up handling and the electronics is start messing with oversize tires.

S.Crum · Oct 5, 2008

On 1/2 ton pick ups I've always had the best luck with the 235/75 R-15 size tires. The best wearing and riding were the old Firestone ATX style tread. The Goodyear Wrangler tread rode and bit ok but not really worth the extra money. I rarely make long trips with the truck, only back and forth to work and hauling stuff around in all weather and traction challenges. Stay with stock widths for good bite in snow rain and on ice. Wide mudslinger tires are for floatation and showing off. So unless you are driving in sand or bottomless muck or want to look real tough stay away from the wide ones.

bob featherstone · Oct 5, 2008

i think if you go to any reputable tire dealer they will guide you as to what size i have always gone a couple sizes up only thing it does is throw the speedo off by a few clicks
as far as brand i have tried a bunch but found you can't beat the michelin LTX for ride & durability they are just a little pricey
bob

Anonymous-0 · Oct 5, 2008

Have you ever seen a pig walk on ice? It slips and slids all over the place, just like you truck is going to do with those big meats on the back. One more thing, if the front tires are WIDER than the back, you'll have the slip-n-slide effect also. Wider tire means more resistance and the back tires are slipping trying to push them.

Steven f/AZ · Oct 5, 2008

I had a 2wd pickup when I was up in ND several years ago... and a 4x4 Explorer. Had an icy snowy winter and put new tires on the 4x4 and studded snow tires on the 2wd pickup.

Those studded snow tires handled so good in the snow and on ice that we pretty much parked the Explorer except for deep snow drift plowing on backroads. Never did get stuck with that 2wd pickup when I had the studded snow tires on it.

31x10.50x15 are a wider tire and will cause you to slip and slide on snow and ice. A narrow tire will have more pressure per square inch and better traction in snow and ice conditions.

JDemaris · Oct 5, 2008

I've got over 20 Chevy trucks, Suburbans, and full size Blazers sitting up in my fields. Several of the 1/2 ton models have - 31 x 10.50 X 15" oversize tires on standard steel rims and fit fine. Also got an 91 diesel Chevy Blazer with 32 X 11.50 X 15" with aftermarket alloy rims. They fit just fine with no lifts or modifications. My 1982 Chevy 1/2 ton 4WD diesel plow-truck had 33 X 12.50s X 15s on it when I got it. It might of made a good beach-buggy on soft sand - but was useless on snow that way. I put some 225 X 15" on it for plowing.

My question to you is - why in the heck would you ever want oversize tires for winter driving? They make the truck slip all over the place - and also make your fuel mileage drop like a rock.
Use the stock tire size - or better yet - one size smaller/thinner and you'll get better traction in snow and ice.

Mathias NY · Oct 5, 2008

You say you plan on keeping the truck... What you should do is buy 2 sets of tires. Blizzaks for winter that are 235-75R15. And a set of whatever you want for a summer tire that will be 31x10.5. Get 2 sets of rims.

This way you will have good winter traction without compromising the look you want for summer. Since you are going to keep the truck for a while anyway, the extra tire cost is trivial. Both sets will last longer.

Joe Pro · Oct 5, 2008

There are 235 / 7.5 /15 's on it now. The reason I want larger tires is that I want the 2wd to look a little beefy and give me some tration in the wet fields.
But I never though about wide tires in snow.
I really can't afford 2 sets and need tires before this winter.
So I would like to find a tire that is good in the snow and the mud etc.

As for the size I want to make the truck a little higher and look a little bit better.

But I could get me a set of snow tires for the rear, keep the 2 on the front and put new tires on in the spring.

Joe Pro · Oct 5, 2008

What do you guys know - think about these 2 tires.

Uniroyal

Laredo AWT
Laredo HD/T

Are them BF A/T not as good as I think
Tires

jose bagge · Oct 5, 2008

The Laredos are excellent tires, but probably not aggressive enough to move your 2WD truck through snow the way you'd want to. But- a lot of places (NTB, Merchant's and Tire Kingdom) are running the Uniroyals on Buy 3 Get 1 Free, so their are a nice deal.
For the 31x10.50-15s you'll need at least a 7" rim...and you'd be better off with 235/75-15s in the ice and snow anyway.
If you are just hanging these on the tail of the truck, I'd put on a set of 235/75-15 Mud terrains- with some weight in the back, that truck will think it's got 4wd when you hit the snow.

jose bagge · Oct 5, 2008

LTX is a great hiway and comfy tire...but junk in a wet grass pasture and the snow. I pulled mine and put on All Terrains after contunually having to have my wife hump my LTX equipped 2500hd out of the feild with her A/T equipped Suburban. She took great pride in pulling my fanny all over the back patch!

Mathias NY · Oct 5, 2008

If you can afford it, put the snow tires on a second set of rims. It might be only another $30-$40 for a used set (of 2). Then you would be able to put our existing tires back on in spring to get more miles out of them.

John M · Oct 5, 2008

I had the AWTs on the rear of my dually. Never got to use them in snow, as I traded the truck before it has snowed, but did have them on when I travelled down some muddy roads a year or so ago. Did just fine.

oleblu · Oct 5, 2008

If it was me, I'd go with 30x9.50x15 Laredo AWT. But, that's just me.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 5, 2008

Hey Joe,
The goodrich All Terrain TA's are a great choice! Ran a set on my wife's 4wd suburban and virtually NEVER needed to put it in 4wd!!! That truck would go through snow like you wouldn't believe! Those tires have the best traction of any I've ever had, they're quiet, and have long tread life! Best money I ever spent! We sold the suburban but kept the spare tire... brand new, never been on the ground, mounted on 15" (6 bolt rim) 31 x 10.5 x 15... email if you're interested... D

El Toro · Oct 6, 2008

I always used the P235-75X15 and if they were forecasting snow I had a pallet at work with about 500 pounds on it and would set that in the truck with a forklift. The roads don't stay covered very long with the plowing and salting.
Schools close if they mention snow on the radio or TV. I ran studded tires until they were outlawed here in MD. My wife was taking our daughter to school back in the late 60's and early 70's and I put studs in her snow tires and she was amazed how she could get around on ice. Didn't close the schools back then. I bought a Mercury Bobcat back in the early 80's that came out of WV and it had studded tires and I had to remove them to get it state inspected, here's a pic of it. Hal

OT Pickup tire size

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