Will 265/70/17 tires work in place of stock 245/65/17?

[TechBoyJK]

Hi All,

I have a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer LT i6 4x4, and the stock tires are 245/65/17.

I need to get new tires, and I'd like something more aggressive and slightly bigger than the stock size. I don't want anything dramatic though.

After doing some research, looking at the trailvoy and other forums, it seems the most recommended tire is the Firestone Destination AT. Firestone is currently offering a 'limited edition' blackwall variant that looks to be exactly what I'm looking for. I like the style, looks, and the quality of reviews.

http://www.firestonetire.com/tire/destination-at-special-edition

There's a Firestone dealer down the street (literally about 200m away). I called up there and the rep said that they don't carry the 245/65/17, but they have plenty of the 265/70/17. He said they should fit fine, and will give me the slightly bigger, wider, fuller, more aggressive look that I want without it being a dramatic size difference. He even said that's probably why they have the size they do, is because most people looking to replace the size of tire I have that want these Destination AT's want a bigger tire.

Thoughts? I'd like to get them put on tonight if possible.

 

[shabby]

Your speedo will be off by 7%, so you'll be going 7% faster than what it says.
The tire is also 2" taller than stock, so make sure you have at least 1" of space all the way around, which im sure you will on that car.

 

[jlee]

The vehicle will most likely feel noticeably slower, too, as you're effectively lengthening your gears by 7%.

 

[NutBucket]

Yeah. Why not just have the guy order the right size? Unless you need the tires TODAY I can't imagine it being a problem.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Yeah. Why not just have the guy order the right size? Unless you need the tires TODAY I can't imagine it being a problem.

they're all on backorder.. :/

 

[TechBoyJK]

Ok, after much research, i found that the maximum wheel diameter that would fit on my Trailbazer is 30.5".

265/70/17 would have a diameter of approx 31.0", so under full compression the tire would have likely rubbed against things and caused damage to the tire.

However, they did have in stock the 245/70/17, which is the same width as stock but slightly taller aspect ratio, and the approx diameter is 30.5", the theoretical limit.

In fact, they're on sale and a little cheaper than the 265/70/17. So I went with that. $665 for 4, installed.

I could have also gone with a 255/65/17 with a diameter of 30.05 or a 265/65/17 with a diameter of 30.56 (just over the limit) but they either didn't make the size in this tire model, or it was on backorder.

I looked at some pics of Trailblazers with 245/70/17 and they look great! So that it is.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Before

After

 

[NutBucket]

Looks way better with the AT tires! I pondered getting some AT tires for our Forester but truth be told there would be many more downsides that totally negate the looks factor.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Looks way better with the AT tires! I pondered getting some AT tires for our Forester but truth be told there would be many more downsides that totally negate the looks factor.

I am talking to the wife about getting either a Forester or an Impreza wagon.

Right now we have a leased Corolla and this Trailblazer. Wife works from home, so I usually drive the Corolla to work. Trailblazer can go 5 days or more without being driven. We basically have it as a backup vehicle and a winter vehicle. It can snow a lot here in St. Louis.

Since we want it as a winter vehicle, I figured it better to get the AT's. They have great reviews for snow and ice.

But yea, I'm thinking that once the Corolla lease expires, we might sell the TB and buy a Subaru. I like the looks of the Crosstrek too. If our primary vehicle can also be our utility and snow car, then it opens things up so I can get a sports car again. =)

 

[NutBucket]

You don't need AT tires for snow. Even I know that!

 

[TechBoyJK]

I know that... was just saying that because these were well reviewed regarding snow, these were the AT tires that I wanted. I wanted AT tires... I wanted these specifically because of snow reviews. =)

 

[MustangMichelle]

I just had a larger size put on my 03 Trailblazer LT EXT V-8 and you will need wheel spacers the front tires hit the strut tower and will rub a new tread into the tire. I went from the stock tire of 245/65 R 17 to the 265/70 R17.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Here is a funny little story about slightly off tires sizes and your speedo and odometer. As someone mentioned above, your speedo will report you going slower than you actually are if you shrink the diameter down (and hence the circumference). The reverse is also the case. Now the same proportional properties applies to distance traveled in reality vs. what shows up on the vehicle's odometer.

When I bought my 2001 Toyota Tundra from a local dealership in 2001 it had a wheel/tire option that didn't leave the overall diameter the same and as a result the racked up mileage was reported on the odometer as being less than the actual traveled. I hadn't thought about this until a decade into ownership when I found out what the default factory set measured out to be in comparison. It wasn't enough to offset the amount of weekly miles racked up, and therefore the shortening in time of the warranty to expired but there you have it.

 

[ondma]

Here is a funny little story about slightly off tires sizes and your speedo and odometer. As someone mentioned above, your speedo will report you going slower than you actually are if you shrink the diameter down (and hence the circumference). The reverse is also the case. Now the same proportional properties applies to distance traveled in reality vs. what shows up on the vehicle's odometer.

When I bought my 2001 Toyota Tundra from a local dealership in 2001 it had a wheel/tire option that didn't leave the overall diameter the same and as a result the racked up mileage was reported on the odometer as being less than the actual traveled. I hadn't thought about this until a decade into ownership when I found out what the default factory set measured out to be in comparison. It wasn't enough to offset the amount of weekly miles racked up, and therefore the shortening in time of the warranty to expired but there you have it.

You sure? Wouldnt it be the other way around? If the diameter of the tire is smaller, the speedo and odo would show larger than the correct value.

 

[mindless1]

Those tires are nothing special, but they aren't entirely bad either. They're one of the less aggressive AT tires, think of them as optimized for 85% road, 15% trail, except that if you need trail use, you'd rather not get stuck than have a tire more suited for your majority driving time, except for the ice issue mentioned below. That may be fine, if you are wise about where you go and want less road drone noise.

If you want an AT with snow performance then I'd sooner get Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S, or they have some newer Discoverer winter tire now too. Keep in mind, no AT tire is going to have good ice performance compared to a 3PMSF rated all season (let alone winter) street/touring tire. The same AT tread blocks that are good for digging dirt/mud/snow, provide fewer contact edges on ice.

The larger diameter tires will look more aggressive, and you might be able to get them to fit with a lift method and/or trimming of fenders/skirts, but as well as the slightly reduced acceleration and spedometer being off, handling will be worse due to the taller sidewalls.

Yes, the speedo (and odometer) will read lower than actual with larger diameter tires. The heavier tires will also reduce fuel economy slightly, but it will seem like your fuel economy is even worse than it is because you are going further than the vehicles thinks you are due to the larger tires. There are ways to put in a different spedo gear or program the computer (whichever) to get accuracy back with larger tires.

 

[vps2020]

I have a ‘04 Envoy XUV and been wanting to upgrade the tires to something aggressive.
Stock size: 245/65-r17
Want to upgrade to size: 265/70-r17 without using any spacers. As per this thread 265/65-r17 would fit without any issues.
Question: would I be making a huge mistake if I decide to go with 265/70-r17?

 

[mindless1]

^ Same situation, might rub so you should ask fellow owners of your generation in an Envoy forum, and your speedo and odo will read 7% lower than actual speed and distance, and remember that also makes it seem like you're getting 7% worse MPG than you really would be. You probably would still get a smaller % lower true MPG from the extra weight of the tires, and possibly the sub-optimal shift points too if it's calibrated too closely to VSS.