I've got Goodyear RT/S on my 1999 Silverado (5.3, 4x4, auto). They are 4 years old and have around 30,000 miles on them with plenty of tread depth, but I get a loss of traction in wet conditions. So much so, that my finacee doesn't trust the tires any more. If I'm stopped on a hill with the front of the truck looking up the hill and I try to take off, the tires will spin easily. I put an anti-sway bar on it to reduce axle wrap, which helped overall handling on dry roads, but didn't really seem to make too much of a difference n traction on wet roads. I live near Boston and have to drive in snow, so the tires should be able to handle snow, too. Does anyone have a good replacement suggestion? Or could it be that I just need new Goodyears?

Thanks,
Mike

I have had great luck all around with BFG A/T's

A sway bars job is to reduce traction, it's really magnified in the rain but old tires just plain suck.

Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO's, or Cooper A/T's are a good choice.

I have had great luck all around with BFG A/T's

A sway bars job is to reduce traction, it's really magnified in the rain but old tires just plain suck.
Huh? Sway bars don't reduce traction, they help prevent sway and reduce body roll actually increasing traction on cornering.

Huh? Sway bars don't reduce traction, they help prevent sway and reduce body roll actually increasing traction on cornering.

I guess I havent learned anything engineering race cars for a living.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2008

This is a pretty good lowdown on how bars actually work.

"If a car is understeering, it's because the rear end has more total traction than the front. If you put a big sway bar on the rear suspension to limit the total amount of traction available there"

well, according the the post in the link above, some load shifts to the outside rear tire, so I am noticing a more "secure" feeling in the curves and corners because of it. Although not addressed in the post, a sway bar does reduce axle wrap (in a manner similar to traction bars), or so I'm led to believe, and should help with getting traction on take-offs. What I'm trying to get now is traction in wet weather. I guess new tires may be the solution after all. But which ones? Maybe I'll just get new Goodyears. They were good for 30+K of city driving.

Thanks for all of the posts so far. This is getting pretty interesting...and more detailed than I'd expected. Not that that's bad. I'll keep my eye on this post and let you all know what I decide based on your suggestions.

Mike

Michelin LTX MS

Best out there
You can check out the link below for reviews

http://www.1010tires.com/tires.asp

I like my BFG All Terrains, have used them in sand, snow, mud, rain. I love the tires, mine have about 25k on mine and still alot of life left in them. I would reccomend these to anyone looking for a good all around tire. My dad lived by Cooper Discoverer A/T's on his truck, used them for almost 13 years, also very reliable.

You might try and get your tires siped. here's a link to what i'm talking about. http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos

I guess I havent learned anything engineering race cars for a living.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2008

This is a pretty good lowdown on how bars actually work.

"If a car is understeering, it's because the rear end has more total traction than the front. If you put a big sway bar on the rear suspension to limit the total amount of traction available there"
Hmm..guess I learned something new.

Everyone I've known with Goodyears has always said they suck in the rain.

thanks to the link to 1010tires.com, tykrz! The reviews support what I've been told about Goodyears and wet weather lately. I guess I'll pick up some of the BFG All Terrains. Why not, eh? My Nova has performed well on its BFGs.

Thanks again to everyone who posted. I'll remember you the next time I'm on a wet onramp and am NOT skidding sideways.

Mike

i have had really good luck with yokohama or pirelli and right now i have kuhmo and they are nice. i have had goodyear on 2 cars when i got them and i hated them all, they suck in rain, dry , snow , just all around a shitty tire.

www.tirerack.com you can go there and pick tires out and they have comparison charts and test results. and have customer comments sections about tires.

www.tirerack.com you can go there and pick tires out and they have comparison charts and test results. and have customer comments sections about tires.

Interesting link to this tirerack.com. Been reading on this AF thread how Goodyears aren't any good in rain and winter. Boy, I disagree on that - but maybe it is the specifics that make the difference. My truck has the Goodyear Eagle LS tires P275/55/20. TireRack doesn't even show them on any comparison lists - so if readers are looking at those lists - remember - everything isn't there.

All I know is living in Western Wisconsin has lots of months of snow, ice, morning horefrosts, and we have lots of hills and valleys and big coulees. We just don't have long stretches of wide open runs like some parts of the country - so I'm not talking about flatland driving. We have challenging driving conditions in winter - and very fun driving conditions the rest of the year - lots of curves, irregular driving patterns, and bluff-top highways and river valley driving. If you're in the East Coast area - think of Connecticut with much tougher weather. My Goodyear Eagles - on my 2wd VHO work excellent - good on ice, great in snow, decent on hills, and great traction on our frequent rains and frost conditions. I dont' know about other brands of Goodyear tires, but I do know they make excellent motorcycle tires, and Chevy/GMC picked them specifically for their SS and VHO trucks - because of handling and all season capabilities for a sport truck - and top it off - they look good. Not the cheapest tire - but a good one IMO. Like I said - I have no experience with Goodyear RT's - only the Goodyear Eagle LS - and that one is a dandy tire.

Tirerack.com doesn't even list all the Goodyear tires. Here is the one I have - the one Tirerack doesn't even show on its listings:
http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Eagle+LS2&mrktarea=Performance


White Lightening

I am running Toyo Open Country A/T's and love them. I have a tough time getting mine to spin on anything but dirt. I can hear and feel them start to spin but then they hook up hard. I also might add they are 305/50's so they are pretty wide and also have them siped. I used to run a couple other brands. Wild Country RVT's made by Cooper and Avon Radial SXT's also made by cooper. They all have been stellar tires, never had one problem with any of them. Hope this helps

Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO's, or Cooper A/T's are a good choice.


hey jeverett what size tires and rims are those

thats the way i want my new tires to look

mine look close to that now but im not sure I want the same tires

I have the 16 inch rims

I use Goodyear Wrangler R/T's and I love them. Rain or whatever. But that was on my old ford truck. I have used goodyear for 10 years. I still have stock tires on my 2001 LS Silverado so I cannot comment on how these work on these trucks.
I had 2.75 rear end on my ford which may have something to do with the traction. PLus It was a 3speed truck.

hey jeverett what size tires and rims are those

thats the way i want my new tires to look

mine look close to that now but im not sure I want the same tires

I have the 16 inch rims

They are the factory 16" wheel that came on the truck with 285/75/16 Bridgestone Dueler M/T's. I got that set of tires for $100

yea i have 285 75 16s on my truck now too on 16 inch rims

i think they are the rims thaty have the chrome facing that is on a steel rim

I like how they look but i feel like they are cheap
im nut sure of the brand i have

how did you get those for 100?

The guy that had them rode on one flat and destroyed it, so I bought the good 3 and the messed up one for $100. Then my buddy who had the same kind and size had a blowout and gave me the best out of the remaining 3, the tread is just barely worn a little more than the others, but who cares :)

I called around for prices on the BFGs and one fellow said he wouldn't advise me getting them. His comments reflected those of others who complained about balancing issues. He then recommended Cooper Discoverer ATRs. Has anyone tried these?

Thanks again,
Mike

the best tires i have bought. came from a farm store called big blue. thay were no name tires but you could get them for next to nothing and 50k miles was not uncommen.
to bad the stores went belly up. every one would ask me how long the tiires last me. I would say a year and one haft. back then i was driving 100 miles a day 6 days a week. every 30 days its was time for a oil change, tire rotation and wash.

hey jeverett! did those tires fit without a lift or anything?? right now i hav 245 75 16's on mine but they looka little too small on my truck.i went to the tire warehouse and they suggested 265s but didnt say anything about the 285s so i figured they wouldnt fit. Did u do any mods to the height or anything in order for those tires to fit?? and how much is ur odometer off by??

What is the biggest tire that would fit on a 4x4 silverado without it being raised?? and wer can i get my speedometer reset? (sorry for putting odometer in the previous post, i was rushing and didnt think about it)

hey jeverett! did those tires fit without a lift or anything?? right now i hav 245 75 16's on mine but they looka little too small on my truck.i went to the tire warehouse and they suggested 265s but didnt say anything about the 285s so i figured they wouldnt fit. Did u do any mods to the height or anything in order for those tires to fit?? and how much is ur odometer off by??

I've cranked the torsion bars a little bit, but not too much. Other than that, They fit without a problem. You might can get away without dointg any modification to it. I know 4 rounds on the t-bars will give you just enough lift to fit the 285's and not rub anywhere.

As for the speedo/odo, I checked it with my GPS the other day, and it said that I was dead on...or about as close as it's going to be. I also have a custom tune, not factory. I still feel like its lying though. I need to have it checked out.

I have 2 agree with whitelightning here, my 2004 GMC VHO with the same Gdyr Eagle 20's do just fine here in TX rain....