Bondservant2

Hi folks - I’m the proud new owner of a 2011 Suburban LT 2500. Searched for a year before pulling the trigger on this very clean truck. It is in need of new tires and I’m looking for experienced recommendations. I realize it’s all subjective and personal perspective, but with all the brands out there I thought I’d see what people have had good luck with.
This is going to be mainly a family vacation hauler - not a daily driver. So mostly highway miles and I do expect we will see all 4-seasons so winter traction has to be considered. I’m also a value conscious consumer. I don’t mind spending money on something as important as tires, yet don’t want to throw money at a name.

Along the same subject I thought I’d like to upgrade to some fancier wheels and obviously this would be a good time. Just unsure of what direction to go as far as size. I know there are some “adjustments” needed and I’m concerned about a harsher ride if going with 20-inch wheels. They sure look right on this size vehicle. I find it interesting that the pickup trucks received a new wheel geometry design in 2011, but the 3/4-ton SUV’s retained the old design. Maybe they wanted to use up all the in- stock parts knowing the 2500 Suburban / Yukon was going to be discontinued.

Still at the Dealership waiting to come home..


Thanks in advance.

Cusser

Looks nice. New tires will be costly. New wheels make it even more so.

Personally, I never could understand some's fascination with "fancy" wheels....

Bondservant2

As mentioned in my post, I wonder why the other HD trucks in the line received upgrades to the wheels but not the Suburban.
The 17-inch wheels just don’t have the “Like a Rock” impression that larger wheels do. As far as the “fancy” notion I can’t speak for others, but I would kind of like to give it a bit of a “polished” look that wasn’t an option from the factory. But I get what you’re saying......there may be money better spent elsewhere on the truck - like a custom tune...

tech2

I think tires and rims are the single most dramatic change of anything on a vehicle.
As you, I needed load range e tires; they are not cheap. Tire pricing for me would have been $1300 for four 17's or $1900 for four 20's....just tires.


I found 4 20"factory take offs from a 2017-new rims, tpm sensors and tires for less than the price of new 17 " tires.

Look online or phone dealers. The wheels I got were from a new truck the customer put a lift kit in. The Factory rims/tires/sensors were sold off. If you switch to 20's...you will need to have the ebcm updated to reflect the size change...or the truck will shift late and the speedo will be off! verify the lug spacing is correct b4 u buy.

KChevy75

I have a 2007 Suburban 1500 LTZ which comes with 20" tires. The sidewall is still huge so the ride is excellent. I prefer Michelin. 70,000 mile warranty on the tires I used and got exactly that out of them. They last forever but are super expensive. I switched to Pirelli Scorpion STR.$140 each with an $80 rebate. 65,000 mile warranty. I used them on my truck which eats up tires but they've been holding up extremely well. They've been doing very well on my Suburban also.

I'm not a fan of fancy wheels so I can't help you out there. The 20s that come with my LTZ look perfectly fine to me.

Bondservant2

Thanks for the replies..!
The 3/4-ton Suburban is a bit of an odd child in that it’s 8-bolt on 6.5” spacing even to the end of production in 2013. So just swapping from another vehicle (with larger wheel size) isn’t quite that simple. I know it’s been done, but there are a few adjustments that have to be done. It’s not so much that I want to add “bling” , but the stock wheels look too small - IMHO - for arguably, one of the toughest SUV’s on the road. Plus a LITTLE chrome helps alleviate some of the utilitarian look.

So ....we have a vote for Michelin tires....

tech2

good year duratracs are the best imo... but open your wallet.

intheburbs

This. I'm on my second set of Duratracs on my 2500 Burb. Makes the truck absolutely unstoppable in rain, snow, slush, etc. Just a few weeks ago I was in Nebraska on I-80 and hit some biblical torrential downpour thunderstorms. Everyone was driving 30 mph with their hazards on. I was bombing down the left lane at almost twice that speed, with not even a hint of hydroplaning or loss of traction.

We do a lot of heavy towing right at max ratings, and I still got 50k miles out of the first set. I'll also be putting them on my Wranglers as they wear out their current tires.

I bought my current set back in late 2017, $921 out the door including free lifetime balance, rotation and flat repair.

ETA: Pic added. I always hated the newer 2500 "matte" wheels on the Suburbans. I prefer the older chrome wheels.

Bondservant2

Nice truck....that’s my favorite color. The tread on the Duratrac looks pretty aggressive....how’s the ride / road noise on them...? Aren’t the chrome wheels 16”...? Mine are 17” wheels and as posted think it would be nice to have bigger wheels....

intheburbs

Road noise is noticeable, but not annoying. Ours is also the family truckster, and we typically take long vacation road trips of thousands of miles. No one complains.

The ride is great; it certainly does not ride like one would expect from a 2500. Not harsh at all, and I put in Bilstein 4600s to control float/porpoising while towing.

Yes, they are the 16" wheels. 245-75-16 tires. I prefer the ride of a taller tire. I run the tires at the recommended pressures on the door sticker - 50 front, 71 rear.

I think the Suburban rides much better than my half-ton Denali sitting on 275-55-20s. Sure, the Denali looks better, but the Suburban rides better.