Which Tire is Best for a 2005 Trailblazer AWD

Petnatcar

Original poster
Member
Oct 17, 2017
76
Watertown, NY
Hi Guys,

What is a good all season tire for these vehicles?

I got this truck last year and drove one winter on a set of Firestone Destination LE2, 235-75-R16.
They are practically new and you can still see the sipes on the edges of the tires
but I don't think I ever want to use them again during the winter because they scared the livin' crap outta me!
These were the most unpredictable tires I've ever used. There okay when it's dry but even rain scares me.

I've never had an AWD vehicle and I can only relate to an old girlfriends Lexus RX300 AWD with Cooper Discovery tires.
It was the safest car I've ever driven in my life but wether it was the tires (that's what I think) or the AWD system I don't know.

Those Coopers were really great tires on her car but does that mean they'll be that good on the Trailblazer?

Thanks for your help.
 

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vipergg

Member
Dec 7, 2011
191
Hi Guys,

What is a good all season tire for these vehicles?

I got this truck last year and drove one winter on a set of Firestone Destination LE2, 235-75-R16.
They are practically new and you can still see the sipes on the edges of the tires
but I don't think I ever want to use them again during the winter because they scared the livin' crap outta me!
These were the most unpredictable tires I've ever used. There okay when it's dry but even rain scares me.

I've never had an AWD vehicle and I can only relate to an old girlfriends Lexus RX300 AWD with Cooper Discovery tires.
It was the safest car I've ever driven in my life but wether it was the tires (that's what I think) or the AWD system I don't know.

Those Coopers were really great tires on her car but does that mean they'll be that good on the Trailblazer?

Thanks for your help.
The Coopers look like they should be good in snow . The more aggressive the tread though the more likely it might be a little noisier on smooth roads . Probably best bet is too get on the tire sites and read the reviews . I really like the white letter tire look on these trucks . I have BF Goodrich Long trail TA's on mine which are great tires but I think they have stopped making them for this platform which I am bummed about . They <Coopers> are generally good tires and are still made here in the good ole US . I see you are from Watertown , I was born and grew up there .
 
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Petnatcar

Original poster
Member
Oct 17, 2017
76
Watertown, NY
The tread on the Coopers really comes into it's own in the snow.

I am still astonished when I think how fast I drove from Syracuse to Watertown one night during a blizzard. I'm pretty sure I passed at least 100 cars between the airport and Central Square on Interstate 81.
I'm sure they thought I was crazy but they were all going 35 mph
and I was only going 55 in a 65!!!!!
All I could think about was "How come they're all going so slow?"

I NEVER want to do it again but I had the most amazing feeling of control in the worst possible driving conditions thanks to those Cooper Tires.

Go Cyclones!
My dad ran Carbone Brothers Market on Coffeen St.
Do you remember "Toot?"
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
I had a set of those Firestones when I bought the truck. Even on dry, they sucked and squealed in corners. Picked up a set of practically new AT's to replace them, very nice but I wouldn't use them for winter driving as they are not winter rated with the snowflake symbol (just "mud & snow" is BS). I always get a separate set of winter rims and winter tires for each vehicle. If you keep an eye out on Craigslist, people sell winter rims and tires for vehicles they sold over the winter. You could go with 17" 245 65R17 which is available from other models of TB and other 360/370.

BTW, TB's are not AWD, they are 4x4. We don't use the A4WD as it is pointless, even in snow. It will engage the front wheels only when it senses slip in the rear wheels. When you need the traction, use 4HI. Otherwise, just leave in 2WD. And leaving it in A4WD all the time just wastes gas for nothing and wears out components.
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
894
I've had great luck with Cooper Discover RTX's (essentially the AT3 sold by NTB) that handled extremely well in the snow, currently have Yokohama Geolander A/T G015's and performance is on par with the Coopers, if not just a tad bit better in some areas.
 

vipergg

Member
Dec 7, 2011
191
The tread on the Coopers really comes into it's own in the snow.

I am still astonished when I think how fast I drove from Syracuse to Watertown one night during a blizzard. I'm pretty sure I passed at least 100 cars between the airport and Central Square on Interstate 81.
I'm sure they thought I was crazy but they were all going 35 mph
and I was only going 55 in a 65!!!!!
All I could think about was "How come they're all going so slow?"

I NEVER want to do it again but I had the most amazing feeling of control in the worst possible driving conditions thanks to those Cooper Tires.

Go Cyclones!
My dad ran Carbone Brothers Market on Coffeen St.
Do you remember "Toot?"
I knew a Mike Carbone . My dad worked for the Telephone Company on Coffeen . I went to Watertown High . Graduated 1975 . Drove the snowbelt many a time over the years . That is an experience when you cant see 3 feet ahead of you and just pray that no one had stopped !!
 
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Sparky

Member
Dec 4, 2011
12,927
I do not like Firestone Destination LE2. They were on my truck when I got it. No thank you.

The Firestone Destination AT is a good tire. I had those on my Trailblazer and they did pretty good through a bunch of nasty snowy stuff.

I have BFG KO2 on my Silverado right now and they've been great, but they're darn heavy being a 10 ply truck tire.

I haven't had any experience with the Coopers mentioned above, but I have heard good things about them.
 

Petnatcar

Original poster
Member
Oct 17, 2017
76
Watertown, NY
I had a set of those Firestones when I bought the truck. Even on dry, they sucked and squealed in corners. Picked up a set of practically new AT's to replace them, very nice but I wouldn't use them for winter driving as they are not winter rated with the snowflake symbol (just "mud & snow" is BS). I always get a separate set of winter rims and winter tires for each vehicle. If you keep an eye out on Craigslist, people sell winter rims and tires for vehicles they sold over the winter. You could go with 17" 245 65R17 which is available from other models of TB and other 360/370.

BTW, TB's are not AWD, they are 4x4. We don't use the A4WD as it is pointless, even in snow. It will engage the front wheels only when it senses slip in the rear wheels. When you need the traction, use 4HI. Otherwise, just leave in 2WD. And leaving it in A4WD all the time just wastes gas for nothing and wears out components.

Thanks Moose, That's an excellent point about the AWD setting.
Maybe that's why it was so scary to drive as I was thinking all 4 wheels were connected.
And these Firestones squeal on every corner too....no matter how slow you go.
I had 2 sets of rims for summer and winter with an older car but the Coopers are good all year around so I should be good to run with them.

I knew a Mike Carbone . My dad worked for the Telephone Company on Coffeen . I went to Watertown High . Graduated 1975 . Drove the snowbelt many a time over the years . That is an experience when you cant see 3 feet ahead of you and just pray that no one had stopped !!
Mike and I are like second cousins and the store was right across the street form the telephone company. I don't drive in the blizzards anymore, it's to stressful.
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
The AWD setting I call the "slip/bang" system. Rears wheels slip, the front wheels bang in. I have that in the Saab 9-7x and there's no way to keep the front wheels engaged all the time since it's a part-time AWD system. It is also the reason for the intermediate shaft getting stripped on these vehicles.
 
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BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,192
West central Sask.
I have run Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Adventures and the previous version of those tires with great success on my Tb. Get about 90,000km out of them. Best balance of gravel road, snow, ice and highway driving I have found.

I have tried Cooper Discoverer AT3 10 ply on my old Ram 1500. I sold it before I got full life out of the tires. They "appeared" to wear quickly but rode nice on the highway, decent on the gravel but poorer on the ice and snow. They were a less expensive tire.

I have Goodyear Duratrac's on my 3500 since April and have put many years/thousand km on that tire at work. A good solid tire with great offroad, snow, mud, ice manners and tolerable on the highway.
 

ewbldavis

Member
Mar 27, 2012
3
We used Goodyear Fortera HL on our 2005 TB, my dad's 2012 Grand Cherokee, and now my son's 2007 TB. Great tire.
 

thebat

Member
May 14, 2017
79
New England
I bought 4 Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires used from EBay. They are pretty much new with11/32 left. I love them after using Cooper AT3 for years. I decided I really don’t need the AT anymore.
These give a nice quiet ride with a noticeable improvement in MPG,s.
 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,047
Brighton, CO
I bought 4 Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires used from EBay. They are pretty much new with11/32 left. I love them after using Cooper AT3 for years. I decided I really don’t need the AT anymore.
These give a nice quiet ride with a noticeable improvement in MPG,s.

Another vote for these tires. Have them on my Envoy for 65k miles. Great tires. I have been running these for years on multiple vehicles. Best tire I have ever had. Getting close on needing to replace them now. Only about 4/32 left. Need to order a front end rebuild kit, then tires. Gonna be an expensive year for the old man.
 

Maverick6587

Member
Dec 16, 2018
730
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Has anyone ever tried the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S tires? From Michelin's rating, they seem to be a better tire than the LTXs and they're cheaper. The only downside that I see is that the mileage warranty for the Primacy tires is only 55k, vs the LTX's 60k warranty.

I need to replace mine this year before the death of winter hits us. I'll give them a whirl and report back with my findings. I've only had the Saab for two years and the Michelins that were on it were pretty bad to begin with.

My review will probably not be the best in comparison. I'm sure any tires will be better than what's on it now, lol. I think I have 5/32 left on them and they are starting to get weather checked/cracked.
 

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