Tires and wheels...2004 Suburban

[Lynn]

Originally Posted by WILMASBOYL78

Lynn...I called the local salvage guy...he thinks he has some wheels...but, he was concerned about the spares not being considered a 'road wheel'. I recall lots of Chevy trucks that had these style plain wheels, especially local, gov't and highway dept vehicles.

So, do you know is there a difference between a regular oem road wheel and the spare??

thanks for all the help

I have not heard of that. Of course there are spare tires that are not for long term use.
I understand the small temporary spare and all the warning labels on them. I can't imagine that the steel wheel would not be suitable for long term use WITHOUT being labeled as such. The tire doesn't say anything about temporary use, does it? Can you imagine the liability issues for GM if they put this on there for a spare, did not label it, and it wasn't suitable for long term use?

Found this in a 2005 Suburban owner's manual:

Your vehicle may be equipped with a different
size spare than the road tires (those originally
installed on your vehicle). When new, your
vehicle included a spare tire and wheel
assembly with a similar overall diameter as
your vehicle’s road tires and wheels, so it is all
right to drive on it. Because this spare was
developed for use on your vehicle, it will not
affect vehicle handling.

Personally, if you have a fairly tall sidewall, and you do at 70 series tires, I don't know that I would be concerned about damaging a wheel. The factory wheels are pretty tough. Still if you are concerned about the durability of the alloys, I personally would not be one bit afraid of running 4 of the steel whees that originally had spares on them.

I am confused by the tire sizes though. Did it come with 265 70 17 tires for sure? The above indicates the spare is a similar diameter as the driving tires. But yours are a full one inch diff in height.

Tire Rack says your vehicle could have come with either size from the factory. But if you like the height of your current tires, I think I would like to run a 275 70 16. Hmmm, wondering if you ordered a Suburban without the alloy wheel package if you simply got the 16 inch rims that are exactly the same rim as your spare? I would bet so. All steel rims feel a little soft when tightening lugs compared to alloys. They give; that is why it is so important to tighten in stages in a star pattern.

The 17's are 31.6 inches tall, and the 16's are 30.6 inches tall. If you do go to 16's and you want about the same height, I think I would go with 275 70 16. Gives you just a little more cushion and puts you at 31.15 inches tall.

Just my opnion.