22" LPO rims & tires - 2014 GMC Sierra SLT

[GMTruckGuy74]

I'm sorry I didn't find this truck last weekend during the 20% off Black Friday Sale. One option I wasn't considering is the 22" tires & rims ($3k option!! :-O ). Looking for input on this option (22" tires) - other than being an expensive-to-replace tire, anyone have any knowledge about the ride quality and handling characteristics of this size tire? I like everything else about this truck.

Edited December 7, 2014 by GMTruckGuy74

[ocnblu]

That is a gorgeous truck there!  I am not a fan of giant rims though, to me there are too many negatives.  Initial expense, extra maintenance expense, fear of expensive damage, steamroller traction, and a harder ride.  Just my opinion, everybody has one, right? 

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thanks for the reply, Bill. Those are my concerns too. Anyone ever drive a FS with these 22" tires that can comment on the ride & handling?

The sad thing is this dealer (Star GMC) has this option on all of their leftover 2014 Sierra DC/CC SLE & SLT models. And their one of the only dealers around me with Sierra SLTs equipped how I want one [sMH].

[G. David Felt]

I have to disagree with Ocean, I have them on my SUV and they are superior in handling and comfort. Yes the ride is firmer, but unless you want the lazy boy float ride, these will handle much better in all conditions, the cost of tires is minimal as I have replace a set of tires once and it was not that big of a deal. Like anything if you go with long miles quality tire you should have a bigger gain with handling, performance and ride than the minimal cost of the tire.

 

Only you can decide if the added cost, ride, look and end result is worth it to you.

 

I strongly suggest you TEST back to back two closley identical auto's, one with the 22 and one with 20 or 18 to see how you like the drive.

[Z-06]

The offroad suspension package and 22 may not go well.

[ocnblu]

I am chuckling at the "painted on", short sidewall all-terrain tires.  Who would dare go 4-wheeling with those?

[Drew Dowdell]

Better handling on 22s maybe, but better ride? No way.   But who buys a Sierra for handling?  Here in the pothole state, I always opt for smaller wheels when possible.  

[G. David Felt]

FYI, I also have the Bridgestone Duelers on my SUV, they are Awesome, quiet tire and I feel superior to the Michellin option.

 

I love the look of this truck and would get these rims / tire combination. Well worth it in my opinion.

[G. David Felt]

You could also just go with a bigger tire and stay on those rims. BF Goodrich is awesome tire even when you have plenty of pot holes.

 

Since the Dueler on here is a 285/45 22 you have the following options of tires:

 

295/40 22

305/45 22

325/50 22

 

Then you have a wider tire siding and you fill in the huge wheel wells.

 

Just an Idea.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thanks, all, for your insight.  I was in NYC Thursday-Saturday nights this past week for work and an abundance of GMC Yukon Denali's and Cadillac Escalade's were roaming the streets of Manhattan.  Many were running the 22" factory rim & tire combo, which made me think that for my driving needs this size tire would be fine. My main issue now is with the added cost of this option.  I could think of many other items I'd rather have for $3k than these tires & rims (the chrome running boards, factory tri-fold hard tonneau cover, rubber bed mat).  Of course the Black Friday 20% off sale would have been the time for me to really consider this truck - I could have gotten it for $42,192 - much easier to swallow!

 

I think at this point I will wait for calendar year 2015 to show up, attend some new car shows, and decide whether I need a Sierra (I know I WANT one ) or if the Canyon will suite my needs just fine.  I'm hoping a special edition model, a'la the Colorado's ZR2, makes an appearance at the Detroit show.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just remember how much more they'll cost to replace when you need new tires.

[G. David Felt]

But Quality tires with 75 to 100K miles pay for themselves rather than every 40-50K miles replacing tires. The premium cost for a long life quality tire is worth it to me.

 

I get easy 100K miles out of the BF Goodrich AllTerrain 22" tires and I expect a good long life on the Duelers I have on my Trailblazer also.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Would you please post a picture of your 22" tires and rims? :-)

[Drew Dowdell]

But Quality tires with 75 to 100K miles pay for themselves rather than every 40-50K miles replacing tires. The premium cost for a long life quality tire is worth it to me.

 

I get easy 100K miles out of the BF Goodrich AllTerrain 22" tires and I expect a good long life on the Duelers I have on my Trailblazer also.

what does wheel size have to do with tire quality? I can get 90k mile warranty 15" tires for my CR-V... in fact, that's what's on there now.

[G. David Felt]

Sure will take updated pictures but I believe in my posted images in the gallery you can see the suburban and trailblazer with them already. Will need to add the escalade.

 

Drew, I understand that you can get 90K mile tires on 15 inch rims like you have on your CR-V.

 

The point I was trying to make is that better handling comes with the larger rims and while the tires for the larger rims are more expensive, that cost can be offset by buying the better tires. Some people only get a 35-40K mile tire and complain about the cost when you can easily deal with that buy getting a quality 90K mile tire.

 

I believe we would both agree that an 18" rim will give a better handling than a 15" rim. Then to deal with it since the cost from 90K 15" to 90K 18" tires I feel is minimal you get better handling plus long tire life.

[Drew Dowdell]

You must have better roads out your way.  The 18s on the Buick are about as big as I'd want to go.  Again with the handling though, what does it really matter on a truck like this?

[Z-06]

The point I was trying to make is that better handling comes with the larger rims and while the tires for the larger rims are more expensive, that cost can be offset by buying the better tires.

 

I believe we would both agree that an 18" rim will give a better handling than a 15" rim. Then to deal with it since the cost from 90K 15" to 90K 18" tires I feel is minimal you get better handling plus long tire life.

 

No on both counts sir. Bigger wheels means more mass, more moment of inertia, higher center of gravity, and higher stresses. Actually bigger wheels hurt handling not help.

 

Now if you have a 10-inch rim wheel-tire combo having the same diameter to that of a 20-inch rim wheel-tire combo, the smaller wheel may be worse in handling than the larger wheel due to too much tire flex.

 

The ideal rim size will vary depending on vehicle physical characteristics. The rule of thumb is between 16 to 19 inches for the sweet spot on handling.

[G. David Felt]

I will say that my 94 GMC LTE that has a 3 inch lift handled so much better when I went from the stock rims / tires to the low profile tires / rim combo. Everyone find what they like and I like the lower profile tires and larger rims for better handling.

[Drew Dowdell]

For what GMCTruckguy is going to be doing with a truck like this in suburban NJ, I doubt handling is that much of a concern.

[Z-06]

I will say that my 94 GMC LTE that has a 3 inch lift handled so much better when I went from the stock rims / tires to the low profile tires / rim combo. Everyone find what they like and I like the lower profile tires and larger rims for better handling.

 

So it is your feel of handling, which is based on personal preference, not the actual handling of the vehicle, which is based on physics and not based on personal preference.

[G. David Felt]

 

I will say that my 94 GMC LTE that has a 3 inch lift handled so much better when I went from the stock rims / tires to the low profile tires / rim combo. Everyone find what they like and I like the lower profile tires and larger rims for better handling.

 

So it is your feel of handling, which is based on personal preference, not the actual handling of the vehicle, which is based on physics and not based on personal preference.

 

But the actual handling of the vehicle is better since I made the changes to the suburban.

 

Less Body roll

Positive steering feedback

etc.

[GMTruckGuy74]

This 2014 may be back in the race.  The wife and I looked at new GMC pickups Saturday night.  She is not impressed with the Canyon and favors the Sierra.  I received a top-off offer ($1,000) from the Extended Family GM Card yesterday on '14 & '15 Sierras, and my salesman replied to an email saying that there is $4,750 in incentives on '14 leftover models and $2,750 on '15 models.  I'm stuck on the Emerald Green Metallic exterior color, my favorite color on these trucks right now (if only dark blue was offered...), in addition to the standard bed model (not the short box). He did a search and found another green Sierra SLT standard bed without the 22" rims but missing some key options I want and having some I don't (price is only ~$500 less than the one with the 22" rims).  

 

I've got some quick thinking to do...

[Z-06]

Congrats. My recommendation - build yourself one. If you waited so long another 4-6 weeks won't hurt.

[G. David Felt]

Why not just take the one they have but state they need to change out the rims / wheel combo that you do not like.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Believe it or not, I actually like the 22" rims! It's the price that's killing the excitement I had him search for a couple of other colors with some key options and no dice. That's the problem with looking for a 2014 leftover at this time :-(

Z-06, I may go that route if the 2014 doesn't pan out. Problem is the '14 leftovers have $5,750 in incentives along with the GM supplier price I get. The '15s only have $3,750 plus GM supplier pricing. I believe the incentives run out end of January, so ordering would be a risk of possibly losing out on the amount of incentives currently offered, though February or March could produce other/better incentives but do I gamble with that?