Need tires for 2WD 2500 Silverado - 2008

[Foiled Again]

Had a 4 WD Suburban and I never used the 4WD - except once a month to keep the gears lubed.

So I bought a new 2008 Long Bed Crew Cab 2500 Diesel Silverado with 2 wheel drive.

Last week I was camping in Pennsylvania and Ohio. After several days of heavy rain I pulled into a campground in N.E. Ohio and was advised to "just pull across the grass into a site". Well add wet grass on top of soaked clay soil and the tow vehicle and Airstream come to a sliding stop and I'm in the dirt 3 inches up on the tires. So the owner comes over with a John Deere and pulls me free, then positions my trailer. Since it dried out after that I presumed that I'd be able to tow out without problems.... but no. Once again Mr. Deere's assistance was required.

I have the original tires and now over 30K miles on them. I'm ready to put new rubber on and want to get something a bit wider and with more of a mud tread... Any suggestions here? I'll get new rims if I have to.

Paula

[Melody Ranch]

I think you will not be happy with that choice. The original tires will be stronger and give better service that oversize ones, The mudders are noisy and rough to ride hiways with. I went thru similar thoughts on my ranch trucks....and came back to the 4 x 4. I had numerous blow outs with the expensive , high quality, oversize, tires.......granted it was while towing heavy hay trailers in Texas heat.

[overlander63]

Paula, I like the Firestone Transforce tires I put on our Silverado pickup. I have about 10,000 miles on them now, and still have nearly 12/32" of tread left. They are highway tires, but have never lost traction since putting them on, even when towing Bertha up out of some pretty soft, wet stuff.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Paula. How much tread is left on your tires that have 30,000 miles on them? 2/32" is on the wear bars and need to be replaced. Under 6/32" tread depth is not recommended for use in snow. [or mud] Most tires now have a "M/S" marking on them meaning Mud & Snow. Maybe you just need new tires instead of something more agressive.

Also, if you can with your tow vehicle, it is recommened to put your transmission selector in (2) or second gear when on slippery surfaces. First gear will make the tires spin too easily.

[richinny]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

the tow vehicle and Airstream come to a sliding stop and I'm in the dirt 3 inches up on the tires. So the owner comes over with a John Deere and pulls me free, then positions my trailer. Since it dried out after that I presumed that I'd be able to tow out without problems.... but no. Once again Mr. Deere's assistance was required.

I have the original tires and now over 30K miles on them. I'm ready to put new rubber on and want to get something a bit wider and with more of a mud tread... Any suggestions here? I'll get new rims if I have to.

Paula

there has been rain almost every day for the past 40 days or so. (gee, that sounds ominous) i think 3" of mud is something you won't see again for a while. if this is going to be a regular thing, get the tires that were on the John Deere. i'm guessing that the tractor is kept handy for a reason. i'd wait to see if anything close to this happens again. a picture of the tires you have now would give us more insight.

[Mikethefixit]

Paula
I have Firestone Transforce also I did wear out a pair of fronts (my fault for now watchen the air pressure closer) I put on two new fronts and two of the originals are still goin at 75k miles. Id stay wiff the original size. Thats what the suspension is tuned for.U should have walked on that soft stuff first before driving. Nice of the guy to bring out the JD.
The fourwheeler would just have gotten you in more trouble if it was that soft.The holes would have been bigger and deeper.
GOOD LUCK Paula Hope to see ya out here.
Roger

[Silvertwinkie]

GM I believe put some off road/on road or on road type Bridgestones on the trucks. I opted for the on/off road Bridgestone's that came OEM as a $50 upcharge, me pops got the on road. Even with 4x4 he doesn't have the traction that I have. Yes, they are slightly more noisy on the road, but nothing that is really all that noticable.

Does your truck have posi? If so, a good set of tires would work well, but if you don't have posi, really any tire you put on back isn't going to be all that helpful as the tire with the least traction will spin.

[redeagle313]

I believe all GM HD pickups with the Duramax have the locking rear differential.

I would look at Michelin LTX A/T2 or the LTX M/S. This line of tire has extremely good customer feedback, (long wearing, good handling, good traction, low noise) The A/T2 is the off road variant and the M/S is a slightly less aggressive tread pattern.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

GM I believe put some off road/on road or on road type Bridgestones on the trucks. I opted for the on/off road Bridgestone's that came OEM as a $50 upcharge,

I think those are Bridgestone Revo A/T's. They are good tires, but cost nearly 3x as much (or did when I went tire shopping). The Transforces were a tick over $100 each, while the Revos were over $250 each. If you had to slide the guy on the JD $20 each time you got stuck, it would still take a long time to make up the difference in price.

[mustang]

Tire tread depth doesnt always meen traction. I had a set of firestones on my van that left me stuck on a flat snow covered road. I put BFG long trail radials on it , problem solved. I even opted for extra load capacity.

On my SUperDuty I ordered it with BFG rugged trail T/A radial. I get 13.86 mpg on the highway. Now tire howl or sound, (I hate loud tires). Great tire wear, I have 40000 miles on them. still have 10/32 tread on them, these will see 65000 miles at this rate, maybe more.

As far as performance, I burried this truck in the mud, by accident. I walked right out, I also can say, in bad snow storms, sub zero temps, I am out in the hammer lane, by myself. No problems. I will replace these tires with the exact same ones when it is time.

I also opted for Nitrogen, because I hate messing with tire issues. and when it is cold trying to find an Air station with an air dryer on it. moist air will cause bead leaks weather they are steel or alluminum rims. Nitrogen solved that for me. 3 years and no fluctuation. They stay at 70 psi.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by overlander63

I think those are Bridgestone Revo A/T's. They are good tires, but cost nearly 3x as much (or did when I went tire shopping). The Transforces were a tick over $100 each, while the Revos were over $250 each. If you had to slide the guy on the JD $20 each time you got stuck, it would still take a long time to make up the difference in price.

Just goes to show I haven't had to replace mine yet (only have 19k on them).

Since the Duramax has posi, I would still suggest a bit more beefy on/off road tires as folks have talked about. On my "SS" clone, I had normal M+S tires, then went to Z rated tires as I modded the car at bit. Car gets stuck in the driveway with the z rated "sport" tires even though they carry an M+S rating. I took the burb in 4x4 with my on/off road tires through nearly 3' of snow in an open field to see what would happen. She got me in, around and out of the field.