New tires....another question

[Voymom]

I was reading some where on here about someone getting a more aggressive tire tread and it causing the speedo to be off. Is this something I may possibly have to worry about? I'd like to get the biggest size tire allowed without having to cut ANYTHING lol. I watched roadie mutilate his front fender and I felt nauseated, so right now that's just not the route I am wanting to take yet, or at least I don't want to be present if it takes place.

Now, after the leveling kit, am I going to need a bigger tire? Will I be allowed a bigger tire(without mutilation)? I'm just going to level out the voy for now, no lift as I won't be offroading anytime soon(I prefer mudding). I'm wanting something with a little more grab, as it gets pretty icy around here, especially on dirt roads which we frequently use.

Also- is it true that the softer the tire the more grab it has compared to a firm tire?(wear ratio's). I don't want anything that will wear fast, and I don't want to be kicking myself for getting too soft of a tire and needing a new set by next winter. Hubby knows which sizes we can use, but I want to make sure I don't get any unexpected surprises when we put the new set on. I'm not sure what brand tire we are going to use either as we're still shopping around.

Also if I get a tire with bigger tread, do I also need to consider fuel mileage? I know larger tires can have an impact on fuel economy, but if the tire size stays the same, just more aggressive tread, is it the same end result?

These are the tires I have been looking at so far.....

Wrangler SilentArmor Tires | Goodyear Tires

http://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/wrangler-armortrac?pc=74149433300000

http://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/wrangler-sr-a?pc=18328441800000

 

[Denali n DOO]

I run Toyo tires, soft compound snow tires in winter, stock size. And harder compound tires for the summer, smaller and wider, 255-55-18. I've had both sets for about 3 years and minimal tire wear. Both sets nitrogen filled and tire pressure hasn't changed since I bought them. I like Toyo's....

 

[Voymom]

Both sets nitrogen filled

Lets hope roadie doesn't see this lmao

I won't mess around with nitrogen, but we can take a look at Toyo's as well. I have been looking at good year, as I can usually walk out with a nice discount. We have a good year plant right across the street that my ex father in law works at.

Plus that is all I have ever used, besides bridgestone, which I don't like. But we are keeping an open mind about brand, after all the $$$ is usually just for the name, and there are similar tires out there with different names and lower prices.

Checking out toyo now! Thank you!!

I only get 2 options for the Envoy....

http://tirefinder.toyotires.com/?vid=19063

 

[Dad-O-Matic]

.....causing the speedo to be off. Is this something I may possibly have to worry about?

Here's a handy little tool that'll let you see how much the new tires will affect your speedo Tire size calculator

 

[The_Roadie]

Lets hope roadie doesn't see this lmao

Hehe. When did that tactic ever work?

Nitrogen = snake oil. I've researched the physics, and (also convincingly) read articles in tire store industry magazines touting how much of a PURE PROFIT PACK a nitrogen concentrator system can be.

Silent Armor tires with AT tread were great for my first upgrade as I was building the Roadimobile up to need MT tread. ANY size tire will have more rolling friction with MT rather than AT tread. And AT is worse than street tread like the Forteras with Kelvar.

 

[Voymom]

Hehe. When did that tactic ever work?

Nitrogen = snake oil. I've researched the physics, and (also convincingly) read articles in tire store industry magazines touting how much of a PURE PROFIT PACK a nitrogen concentrator system can be.

Silent Armor tires with AT tread were great for my first upgrade as I was building the Roadimobile up to need MT tread. ANY size tire will have more rolling friction with MT rather than AT tread. And AT is worse than street tread like the Forteras with Kelvar.

I just have the Fortera's right now, and although they have been a decent tire, they just didn't seem to last very long, and they are good in the rain, but they just didn't have that much traction in the snow...in fact my rendezvous(POS SUV) had better traction in the snow with a LS rear diff, and bald tires lol.

Now that I can expect more friction, and speedo differences with a more aggressive tread pattern, is there a way to correct the issue? Will the PCM tune help in that aspect? Fuel economy is GREAT now, so i'm not all that concerned, and when Mat get's his TB around March....I won't need to drive the Envoy as much. I really like the Silent Armor tires out of all the ones we have researched so far, but it's going to take a bit of "love" to convince Mat to spend that much money on tires lol

Also, I seen on the toyo website, that their AT tires had a mid range rollover protection...WTF is that? I have never seen a rollover rating before, and I have always believed that any vehicle with any tire can roll over, so what's the sense in having a grading system for it?

ETA- Thanks Dad-O-Matic for that tire calculator!

 

[The_Roadie]

I just have the Fortera's right now, and although they have been a decent tire, they just didn't seem to last very long, and they are good in the rain, but they just didn't have that much traction in the snow...in fact my rendezvous(POS SUV) had better traction in the snow with a LS rear diff, and bald tires lol.

Now that I can expect more friction, and speedo differences with a more aggressive tread pattern,

Speedo difference comes only from diameter difference. You can get aggressive tread patterns in small tire sizes.

is there a way to correct the issue? Will the PCM tune help in that aspect?

A tune *should* be able to fix the tire size to correct the speedometer, but PCMforless has not been able to succeed in their many attempts.

Fuel economy is GREAT now, so i'm not all that concerned, and when Mat get's his TB around March....I won't need to drive the Envoy as much. I really like the Silent Armor tires out of all the ones we have researched so far, but it's going to take a bit of "love" to convince Mat to spend that much money on tires lol

Lots of offroaders on a budget have had good success with TreadWrights. They probably have street options, but I've never researched them. For what I do, I just have to budget $1400-1600 for a set of five rock crawling tires.

Also, I seen on the toyo website, that their AT tires had a mid range rollover protection...WTF is that? I have never seen a rollover rating before, and I have always believed that any vehicle with any tire can roll over, so what's the sense in having a grading system for it?

It's something to make nervous nellies who own Explorers worry more about the tires than their poor choice of vehicles. The rollovers and lawsuits are STILL HAPPENING.

View attachment 22886

 

[Voymom]

Speedo difference comes only from diameter difference. You can get aggressive tread patterns in small tire sizes. A tune *should* be able to fix the tire size to correct the speedometer, but PCMforless has not been able to succeed in their many attempts. Lots of offroaders on a budget have had good success with TreadWrights. They probably have street options, but I've never researched them. For what I do, I just have to budget $1400-1600 for a set of five rock crawling tires. It's something to make nervous nellies who own Explorers worry more about the tires than their poor choice of vehicles. The rollovers and lawsuits are STILL HAPPENING.

View attachment 9350

Thanks roadie! I will take a look at TreadWrights to see if they offer street options.

As far as the Exploders....I got to see one first hand sitting on their roof on the highway when I was going to pick up the Envoy from the dealership. I had actually considered buying an exploder, and it just made me feel so good that I didn't get one lol. I know rollovers can happen in any vehicle, and the way people drive makes a big difference as well, but I have always heard that exploders are more prone to rollovers because of the short wheel base. Either way, I don't own one, and I'm happy with that fact lol

 

[gmcman]

I'm currently runing the Continental Cross Contact LX-20, not to be confused with their regular Cross Contact. What I like about them is they hold on like no tomorrow, waayyy better than my last 2 sets of Michelins....Cross Terrains and Latitude Tour.

I give the Latitude props for being the quietest, smoothest tire I have ever used, but rain performance was lacking. The LX-20 is also stiffer in the sidewall and great for towing and matches the Latitudes for fuel economy, the Cross Terrains were like having a paper towel for a sidewall.

If I were to chose an off-road tire I would lean towards Toyo also. Not sure if this helps at all but keep in mind fuel economy, you can have the same size tire but if the rolling resistance is higher you will suffer MPG's. I sold my Kumhos with 17K on them because I lost 40 miles per tank, cut my losses, went with the Latitudes and I regained the MPG's and both were street tread...just food for thought.

 

[Voymom]

I'm currently runing the Continental Cross Contact LX-20, not to be confused with their regular Cross Contact. What I like about them is they hold on like no tomorrow, waayyy better than my last 2 sets of Michelins....Cross Terrains and Latitude Tour.

I give the Latitude props for being the quietest, smoothest tire I have ever used, but rain performance was lacking. The LX-20 is also stiffer in the sidewall and great for towing and matches the Latitudes for fuel economy, the Cross Terrains were like having a paper towel for a sidewall.

If I were to chose an off-road tire I would lean towards Toyo also. Not sure if this helps at all but keep in mind fuel economy, you can have the same size tire but if the rolling resistance is higher you will suffer MPG's. I sold my Kumhos with 17K on them because I lost 40 miles per tank, cut my losses, went with the Latitudes and I regained the MPG's and both were street tread...just food for thought.

Thanks! As far as MPG goes, once my husband gets his vehicle the first of the year, my Envoy will probably barely be driven, maybe just enough to get the kids to and from the bus stop during cold, wet days, or a trip to the grocery store. Maybe the occasional trip to burlington which is a 30 minute drive one way. Other than that, it will likely just sit in the driveway. I'm not too worried about MPG, the only effect of bad MPG I may get is on the way to out of state meets, or IF the hubby and I travel with all our kids out of state. I just want to make sure I have great tires when I do hit the road.

 

[meerschm]

My only observation on the N2 fill is for the notion that pressure has not changed since you bought them.

even if there is zero migration of matter in or out of the tire, the pressure changes with the temp. look up ideal gas law. PV=nRT which means all you need to know is that P is proportional to T

Tires filled to 35 PSI at 30 centigrade would only have 31.5 psi at ten below. and I bet you would loose a bit when checking the pressure.

I almost choked when my wife bought another Honda accord and they tacked on $600 for nitrogen and some other useless crap. oh yea, profit. to make up for the deal they e-mailed her which got her to bite in the first place. then when I checked her tires and they were low, she had to drive on over to have them put more in. that is the real trick, to get em to show up and be present for some more upselling. oh well, whatever makes her happy.

 

[Voymom]

My only observation on the N2 fill is for the notion that pressure has not changed since you bought them.

even if there is zero migration of matter in or out of the tire, the pressure changes with the temp. look up ideal gas law. PV=nRT which means all you need to know is that P is proportional to T

Tires filled to 35 PSI at 30 centigrade would only have 31.5 psi at ten below. and I bet you would loose a bit when checking the pressure.

I almost choked when my wife bought another Honda accord and they tacked on $600 for nitrogen and some other useless crap. oh yea, profit. to make up for the deal they e-mailed her which got her to bite in the first place. then when I checked her tires and they were low, she had to drive on over to have them put more in. that is the real trick, to get em to show up and be present for some more upselling. oh well, whatever makes her happy.

I get free air at the pump...no need to pay $$$$ for nitrogen! It should be a habit for everyone to check their tires often even with $600 worth of nitrogen. Running on to low air or too much can have some serious consequences, so we check ours almost religiously.

 

[meerschm]

Just put two and three together and connected your name from the heart still in Detroit.
I grew up in Troy, and still somehow think I know something about how the auto industry works, i think it is in the city water supply.

still have a brother south of 8 mile and a nephew in Royal oak, and more than one cousin in the area. how long have you been out of the motor city, must have been more recent than I. last time I saw the red wings it was in Olympia

glad to hear you keep an eye on the tire pressure.


Mike

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Boggers FTW