Help me pick a tire (2wd Suburban in New England edition)

Hey guys,

I have owned my Suburban about 4 years now, and the tires probably should have been replaced about 6 months ago due to age, wear, and dry rot. I want a tire that is quiet on the road if possible, and hopefully long wearing. Also something that is good in ice/snow as I live in New England, and the Suburban is only 2wd.

I don't drive the truck much(8-10k a year), but most of my use is during the winter months. In the summer I only really use it for camping trips, so maybe winter/ice/snow performance should be my highest priority. The stock size tires are 265/70R16. Would I be better just to get some dedicated snow/winter tires instead? I found these on the local CL, but I'm not sure about the sensors in these matching up with my older truck. Steel wheels may look strange on the Suburban as well, but I'm not sure.

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/wto/5396849655.html

Also the service tire monitor message keeps showing up on the information center/odometer display. I don't get the amber tire warning light, just the service reminder. I'm thinking I have a bad/going bad sensor, but I don't know which one. How do I figure out which one is suspect? Also can I just replace them, and if so how does the truck re-learn the sensor? Any good source for new sensors that won't break the bank?

If you don't mind keeping a second set of wheels around for it, I'd do that and throw some quiet running highway tires on one set, snows on the other. If you have to compromise and stay with one set, you're going to want a more winter-biased all season (maybe Michelin LTX M/S2 or Nokian WR G3 on the mild end, Goodyear Duratracs on the more aggressive end).

Those Craigslist snows look pretty well worn to me (might have 1 winter left in them), I'd probably pass on them unless you can knock the price down and get them mostly for the wheels.

Chris, I had a set of Dunlop Rover H/T tires on my Yukon and they were good in the snow, for summer they were nice and quiet. They wore well, had close to 70k on them over three years when I got rid of the truck and they still passed inspection. I got them online and they were reasonably priced, $150ish each, IIRC. I always feel that buying good tires is cheaper in the long run. I think you can even get road hazard from Tire Rack on line and that is nice to have when a brand new one picks up a nail.

An on/off road tire might work.

I drove a 2wd van with Goodyear Wranglers. they worked great.

Sometimes all you need is a chunky tread

I have Cooper Discoverer H/T on my Suburban. Limited number of miles driven and modest budget made me choose them over pricier options (Michelin LTX M/S are the bomb). I have no complaints so far.

I love the Michelin LTX M/S on my Explorer, but I never drive in snow, so I can't comment on their ability. I can say they last a long damn time and don't develop flat spots on a vehicle that sits a good bit.

I had BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/As on my last truck and rarely needed 4wd even while dealing out diesel torque. I'll get another set for my new truck.

Any thoughts on the Nokian Rotiiva A/T?

Mazdax605 wrote: Any thoughts on the Nokian Rotiiva otiiva A/T?

I've heard good things.

You might look into the Cooper Discoverer A/TW. They bill it as an all-season with winter mountain-snowflake rating. Essentially halfway between your typical "no-season" tire and a dedicated winter tire. I've heard good things about them, but have no personal experience.

If you can give me the model year of the Suburban I can get you info about aftermarket TPMS sensor alternatives and re-learn procedures. I've got a book at home with that info.

I've bought replacement sensors off eBay. I picked up a couple sets shipped for around $50.

The wranglers on my 2wd s10 were great in any weather but they were not quiet. I like a good snow rated all terrain like the wrangler or an aggressive mt but noise has never been a consideration.

ShawneeCreek wrote: You might look into the Cooper Discoverer A/TW. They bill it as an all-season with winter mountain-snowflake rating. Essentially halfway between your typical "no-season" tire and a dedicated winter tire. I've heard good things about them, but have no personal experience. If you can give me the model year of the Suburban I can get you info about aftermarket TPMS sensor alternatives and re-learn procedures. I've got a book at home with that info.

2004 1500 Suburban 2wd.

Bridgestone Dueller Revo2. Hands-down the best four-season (have snowflake logo) all-terrain tires out there. We've had them on the 4Runner and Sequoia and they're great in snow, quiet on highway, handle very well, wear well, and have excellent traction in any weather. I know a dozen other people with them on various SUVs/pickups, all of whom love them.

Edit: I've owned Goodyear Wranglers (various ones) and BFG A/T KOs....the Revo2s are far superior to either of those.

If you don't want to get a spare set of 4 wheels and put 4 Altimax Artics on them, I'd go with one of the all season ATs with the RMA snowflake stamp (legally snow tires). Even the cheap multi mile "Wild Country XTX Sport" aren't bad. I'd lean towards a LT for superior durability in potholes.

Mazdax605 wrote: 2004 1500 Suburban 2wd.

The Schrader sensor is part# 20115 with service pack# 20004. A quick google search with those numbers shows Amazon having the sensor for $37.90 and the service pack for $5.00. A longer search might get you better prices.

The relearn procedure (which needs to be done after tire rotations or sensor replacement) is as follows:

1. Apply parking brake. Turn Ignition to ON position (engine off).
2. Turn headlight switch from OFF to parking lamps 4 times within 4 seconds. A double horn chirp will sound and the TPMS telltale will begin blinking to indicate the learn mode is enabled.
3. Starting at the LF tire, increase or decrease tire pressure until horn sounds.
4. After horn sounds, proceed as in step 3 for the next 3 sensors in the following order: RF, RR, LR.
5. After LR sensor has been learned, turn ignition to OFF position. Adjust all tires to pressure listed on tire placard.

*If headlight switch does not enable TPMS Learn Mode, press the vehicle information button on the DIC until vehicle learn mode option is displayed. *

ShawneeCreek wrote:

Mazdax605 wrote: 2004 1500 Suburban 2wd.

The Schrader sensor is part# 20115 with service pack# 20004. A quick google search with those numbers shows Amazon having the sensor for $37.90 and the service pack for $5.00. A longer search might get you better prices. The relearn procedure (which needs to be done after tire rotations or sensor replacement) is as follows: 1. Apply parking brake. Turn Ignition to ON position (engine off). 2. Turn headlight switch from OFF to parking lamps 4 times within 4 seconds. A double horn chirp will sound and the TPMS telltale will begin blinking to indicate the learn mode is enabled. 3. Starting at the LF tire, increase or decrease tire pressure until horn sounds. 4. After horn sounds, proceed as in step 3 for the next 3 sensors in the following order: RF, RR, LR. 5. After LR sensor has been learned, turn ignition to OFF position. Adjust all tires to pressure listed on tire placard. *If headlight switch does not enable TPMS Learn Mode, press the vehicle information button on the DIC until vehicle learn mode option is displayed. *

Thank you for that procedure. I was wondering if I should buy 4 new sensors, or just a couple/one? Also is there anyway to figure out which sensor needs service as that is the warning message I'm getting.

The expected battery life of most TPMS sensors is 10 years. I'd say go ahead and replace all 4 since they are older than that. Plus it's much easier to replace them when you are mounting tires.

Based on that relearn procedure I would expect the truck can tell you individual tire pressures in the DIC. Then you could see which one is off. But that's not always the case. You may just have to take it to your local tire shop to have them diagnose it with their TPMS scan tool. You could get a quote on new TPMS sensors while you're there.

An additional thought: try doing the relearn procedure first to see if that corrects the issue. And while you are doing it if one of the tires fails to respond to the pressure change (fails to make the horn chirp), you'll know that that one is bad.

I cannot access individual or any tire pressure information via the dash display or through my Bluetooth dongle and torque app. On my 2011 Chevrolet work van it gives me individual tire pressures via the dashboard. The truck is wearing Michelin LTX M/S 2 tires now. They were fine for the past couple of years, but are now old and worn.

Michelin LTX's?

I believe they were LTX's. Maybe LTX A/T 2's. I know they are Michelins. I will check again when I get home.

I wonder about just getting a set of Blizzaks and running them year-round. If you're not putting huge mileage on them during the summer, it might make sense for the added traction in the winter. My Dad had a set of Blizzaks on their '97 2WD Chevy 1/2 ton and then their '95 2WD Chevy 1/2 ton Suburban, and they were on over 10 winters of use when they gave away the Suburban (with the Blizzaks). Sure, the special winter/ice compound was worn off, but they still had good tread, wore evenly, and performed well.

Just double checked, the tires are Michelin LTX M/S 2.

One of the other assistant coaches on my sons hockey team works for a large local tire/auto repair chain. I asked if he knew any tires that were on sale right now, and he said he can get me a good deal on some B.F. Goodrich Rugged trail TA tires in my size for $462 installed plus tax. Any feedback on these tires? Are they decent in snow/ice? I still need to figure out which TPMS is going bad, or replace them all($$$).