Tire Question for a 2005 Envoy..

hwy1strat

Original poster
Member
Oct 1, 2014
1
Hello good people at GMT Nation!!
Proud owner of a 2005 GMC Envoy SLT.
I'm predicting a forthcoming bad winter here in N.J.
I'm currently running Goodyear Fortera HL's on her now.
I'm looking to get something a little 'toothier" not only for the winter..but to
"toughen" her appearance up a bit.
The stock tire size...245/65/r17 has some pretty tame choices.
Also the tire salespeople warn me of the ride being compromised with a toothier tire.
Is that true?
Could I go up a size and not hit that steering knuckle in the front?
Has anyone out there put some more aggressive tires on their Envoy with good results?
If so....what tire and what size?
Thanks in advance!!
Rich.....
 

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The_Roadie

Lifetime VIP Donor
Member
Nov 19, 2011
9,957
Portland, OR
Hi and welcome!

The steering knuckle will not hit tires as large as 30.5" diameter. Your OEMs are 29". Your speedometer and odometer will be off, but many, many of us have put on 245/70R17 or 265/65R17, both of which are right at the 30.5" limit.

AT tread, mud and snow rated, are all a bit noisier. My first replacement tires were Fortera Silent Armor ATs with Kelvar. The Kevlar is more for keeping them quiet than for puncture resistance, as I found out to my annoyance on one Sierra Nevada offroad expedition in 2006 or so.
 

IllogicTC

Member
Dec 30, 2013
3,452
"Ride could be compromised" - do they mean the ride quality, as in overall smoothness? Yes, it could be, but winter and New Jersey roads don't exactly give a smooth ride to begin with. One compromise some make is to have two sets of rims, one for winter tires and one for summer. Summer can be the nice tires that offer good dry road grip, give a smooth ride and potentially better gas mileage. The other ones are snow-beaters, more aggressive tread pattern.
 

gmcman

Member
Dec 12, 2011
4,656
Want something for the snow to turn your Envoy into practically a snowmobile......Blizzak DM-V1. The only snow that will cripple mine with those tires is snow that's deep enough to keep the tires from touching the ground. Ice traction is excellent, snow traction is unbelievable.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Duratrac
 

Ilikemy3s

Member
Dec 3, 2011
367
First .. I am also jersey and have the same good years you have. Those and the 4wd worked well. I figured if the snow was that deep I got no business being on the road
 

DAlastDON

Member
Apr 6, 2014
5,550
Kentucky
gmcman said:
Want something for the snow to turn your Envoy into practically a snowmobile......Blizzak DM-V1. The only snow that will cripple mine with those tires is snow that's deep enough to keep the tires from touching the ground. Ice traction is excellent, snow traction is unbelievable.
Those Blizzak's are the shit. At one time the company i work for put them on the rear of my work van. I had no problem going anywhere after the ice storm followed by alot of snow and highs in the teens that crippled the area in January/February 2009. Had problems doing donuts though. Van was so heavy that it dug down to fast to keep traction broke. Did not need to be doing donuts in a vehicle with a high center of gravity anyway. Met up with my coworkers to go sledding on lunch one day following the ice storm. We chose the steepest road in town. Guaranteed no traffic after placing cones at the top and bottom. They parked at the bottom of the hill. I drove to the top, parked, placed cones(and men working sign, LOL...), and tried to run them over on the way down on the sled. Did not break traction even once going up. Going down after lunch was over got a bit dicey until i put it in first and mostly engine braked until the hill was not as steep. ABS would not allow the tires dig in all the way. Those tires were designed for snow and they do a very good job in getting you where you want to go. Had it not been for the ABS i think the tires would have dug in and engine braking would not have been required.
 

Playsinsnow

Member
Nov 17, 2012
9,727
Michelin LTX m/s or m/s 2 are the best all season tire I've driven in the winter, if you chose not to get dedicated snow tires. "Toothier" than other all seasons but a quiet and smooth ride. Wet traction is also hard to beat.
 

gmcman

Member
Dec 12, 2011
4,656
The fact a dedicated winter tire will also stop you when needed is paramount, accident avoidance when people are sliding all around.

Jersey?

I would get a set of steelies, the spare is 17" so boneyards should have them and mount a set of DM-V1's. They are surprisingly quiet until about 60-70 and then only a light noise....smooth also for what they are. Wait until the first snow hits then put them on.

By the time you change them out a couple times from your regular set of wheels the steel wheels have been paid for.
 

gmcman

Member
Dec 12, 2011
4,656
Uh oh..... :undecided:

You could likely get them for $150-200 cheaper with junkyard wheels, but these are new and mounted and balanced.

Keep them on only between first and last snow and they should last 4 to 5 years.
 

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meerschm

Member
Aug 26, 2012
1,079
Tire rack (and other retailers) have some nice rebates this month.
 
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jfkmk

Member
Mar 7, 2013
91
Playsinsnow said:
Michelin LTX m/s or m/s 2 are the best all season tire I've driven in the winter, if you chose not to get dedicated snow tires. "Toothier" than other all seasons but a quiet and smooth ride. Wet traction is also hard to beat.
I agree. I have the LTX m/s on my Envoy. I live in western NJ and have never had a problem. Even if driving in 2wd (NEVER AWD!) I have a hard time losing traction when the traction control kicks in. Would I bring the Envoy mudding through the woods with these tires? No, but for a quiet ride and good traction these are a good bet.
 

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