Tires/cranking torsion bars

[ugachs24]

Okay guys, I'm not going to lie, I'm no mechanic by any means :man:. I've needed tires on my 2004 Tahoe for a couple months now I just haven't decided on what to put on it yet. It has the stock 17'' rims. I need to make up my mind soon, the fronts are completely bald.

Heres my question- what size can I put on there without having to crank the torsion bars? I'm going to put all terrains on it (either Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmors or Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos). I've heard 285's can be put on the Z71's without rubbing but I think they sit a little higher than a RWD LT.

I either want to go with the 285's or 275's, whichever one I can get on there without rubbing. If I put the 285's on there and need to crank the torsion bars where do I bring it to have it done and does it affect the ride quality? I thought I read that it made the ride a little harsher than stock. If it does, I'll just go down a size so I won't have to crank them since it's always driven on the interstate.

 

[boostaholic]

I've put plenty of 285s on stock trucks without rubbage, kinda depends on which tire but they should fit no problem on the stock wheels. Even if you have to crank the bars just take it to an alignment shop and they should dial you up for less than $100 for everything.

 

[jrneyman]

yea--i did extensive research on this---i had a lifted truck. i didnt want the hoe to be balls-out crazy, but have a more rugged stance--
i worked with the folks that did my brothers avalanche, and trusted them--
did not use torsion lift--he said those keys just made for a rough ride...
installed moto metal wheels...951 i think--
bridgestone revo at tires--285/75/16
i did drop the wheel size to make the tires look a little bigger---
i saw your post, and know the thought i put into it....heres an example--
(by the way--the truck rides awesome...smooth at 80 mph on the interstate, have had them on for about 3 weeks now, and i cannot tell the difference from stock)

 

[ugachs24]

I've put plenty of 285s on stock trucks without rubbage, kinda depends on which tire but they should fit no problem on the stock wheels. Even if you have to crank the bars just take it to an alignment shop and they should dial you up for less than $100 for everything.

When you crank the bars does it make it ride stiffer? I loved my 2003 Z71 but I hated that stiff ride that the Z71 suspension had.

 

[boostaholic]

As long as you don't overcrank it will ride great, you really shouldn't need any crank for some 285s. Most only measure out to 32 1/2 and thats only 1/2" bigger than the tires I'm running with almost 4" of drop. Even jrneyman's tahoe above with the moto metals is running mudflaps with no rubbage. You will be fine with stock wheels and no crank, or it will rub the front valance and that is easily trimmed. Here are my 32" tall tires that rarely rub with the drop I have and 20x8.5's, your narrow wheel and stock height should make it clear by a mile

 

[jrneyman]

When you crank the bars does it make it ride stiffer? I loved my 2003 Z71 but I hated that stiff ride that the Z71 suspension had.

No. not a bit--now, i didnt ask how much they had to crank them, but it feels no stiffer, still rides, turns and feels like stock;
i am the operations manager for a service company, and these folks do all of our work on our field vehicles as well, and they have worked on them plenty;
i bet i called and talked to the guy 15 times before i finally got my sht together and brought it in.
i have had bridgestone duler ats before, but these revos are really awesome; they ride quiet, no hum at high speeds; the tread is so tall onthese tires, i dunno if ill ever wear them out.
and believe me, if this had made the ride stiffer, id have complained my a$$ off, because thats the reason i wanted a tahoe, because of the great ride quality these vehicles have--
**i didnt mention that i did have to trim a little plastic from the fender well lining--nothing that i trimmed is noticeable from the outside of the truck either--

 

[jrneyman]

As long as you don't overcrank it will ride great, you really shouldn't need any crank for some 285s. Most only measure out to 32 1/2 and thats only 1/2" bigger than the tires I'm running with almost 4" of drop. Even jrneyman's tahoe above with the moto metals is running mudflaps with no rubbage. You will be fine with stock wheels and no crank, or it will rub the front valance and that is easily trimmed. Here are my 32" tall tires that rarely rub with the drop I have and 20x8.5's, your narrow wheel and stock height should make it clear by a mile

+1....i completely agree, boost--
matter of fact, the gap youre showing in that pic is about an exact duplicate of what i have--i trimmed the plastic in front of the tire, and didnt touch the mudflaps--

 

[bamachevy89]

I'm also interested in doing this. I am glad to hear that it worked well for you all. I don't want my ride to go dowhill, I drive on I-20 seems like all week long and thats why I like the Tahoe, it rides very well. I'm loading the miles on my 2004, I have 58k as of yesterday, I've put 9k on it since Christmas . UGA- post pics of your truck when you get it done, we have clones remember ? Jyneyman- yours is just about like ours except for the wheel flares. Did you ever get your seats done?

 

[ugachs24]

I'm also interested in doing this. I am glad to hear that it worked well for you all. I don't want my ride to go dowhill, I drive on I-20 seems like all week long and thats why I like the Tahoe, it rides very well. I'm loading the miles on my 2004, I have 58k as of yesterday, I've put 9k on it since Christmas . UGA- post pics of your truck when you get it done, we have clones remember ? Jyneyman- yours is just about like ours except for the wheel flares. Did you ever get your seats done?

I will, I'm either getting it done this week or next week, depending on if the tires are in stock and if I have time to wait there with it. In the meantime I'll be driving the Escalade I guess, I'm afraid I'm going to have a blowout with the tires on the Hoe as worn as they are. Mine still just has 34100 on it, she just sat in the garage in Atlanta for about 4 months while we were in Florida a lot this winter. I think the blue is awesome not many people have it.