Need Tire Advice

[ScottRHaas]

Hopefully someone can help me out here with some good advice on new tires.

We have (this is a work truck) a 2011 GMC Sierra 2500, crew cab, 8' bed with Firestone Transforce HT 245/75R17 load range E tires on it. The problem with these tires is that even at proper inflation they feel soft. There is a noticably slow steering response, as if they were severely underinflated. This effect is magnified when pulling a trailer, anything from a 14' enclosed cargo rear hitch to a 48' enclosed cargo gooseneck. It's almost to the point of being unsafe.

I'm looking for something that provides a stable driving and towing platform, I can't have my guys driving on tires like these.

Anyone have any good recoomendations on a solid replacement tire?

 

[Z15]

A friend has a 2011 Chevy 4x4 long box extended cab and his truck came with Michelin tires.

I can't seem to find the tread pattern on the Michelin web site. I thought they were LTX MS/2 but the ones on the web site seem different in tread pattern than what I seen on his Duramax.

One of my work trucks (K2500HD Suburban) came with Firestone Steeltex. The 'burb was hard to steer and was pulling to one side and the dealer switched the tires to the rear and it was better but still had a sway. I drove it like that for over a year because I worked for the DOT and getting new tires for no reason was not easy, everything had to go thru a Goodyear Dealer (Nat't gov contract) and most tire dealers hated to do business on that contract. Then one day it was in for oil change and the guy checking the tire pressure spotted that one of the rear tires was Load Range C and the rest were Load Range E, all exactly the same tread pattern. Came that way. Once all the tires were replaced, steering was normal. So check your tires. Another true story; Friend bought a new 4x4 truck and had it for almost 2 yrs. One day he removed the spare tire to change his rear end lube as it was too close to the differential cover to get in there. I stopped over his shop when he was finishing up and noticed his spare wheel only had 5 lug holes, not 6 for a 1500 4x4. Drove for over 2 yrs and 25,000 some miles with a spare that would not fit his truck. Dealer thought he was up to something when he went back to complain.

 

[happy 2011]

you have HT 245/75R17 then the answer is easy put on LT 245/75R17 (light truck tires) they don't just hold 35 pounds of air you can have as much as 80 psi if you want to. But rember the more air you put in the ruff the ride will feel.

Good luck