My First Post - Tire Size

[WyoDutch]

Greetings,

I hope this is the correct forum for my post.

I'm in the market for a HD diesel as my 1984 GMC 3/4-ton, 4X4, 6.2L just isn't spiffy nuff to take to town these days. (Yes.. I bought it new.)

Part 1: Anyway, I've been perusing the net and reading up on my options. I noted a couple references to tire size on the Duramax p/u.

I called my local dealer and posed the question... "If I buy a new 2009 Duramax from you and install LT-26575R16 Michilins on it.. will it effect the warranty?" He didn't know, and gave me the 800 GMC truck number.

I called 800-GMC-TRUC and asked that same question...

The answer..... "We understand that your question is whether the installation and use of size LT-26575R16 tires on a 2009 Duramax equipped 2500HD pickup will affect the warranty."

"The answer is yes.. it will void the drivetrain warranty."


Part 2: I located a 2002 2500HD (LT Trim) with 34,000 miles on it. (I verified with CarFax). Owners says it's always been garaged and he has maintenance records. Asking price is $23,000.

Does the 2002 Duramax/Allison have a good performance record?

Any recommendations on what I should look at or ask the owner?

Thanks all,

[npauli]

Part 1) You'll find an article about that particular tire size and the warranty concerns under the articles section. Mine's got 265's, but haven't needed warranty work (and no longer have warranty anyway)

Part 2) Price seems a bit steep. I bought mine last year for about $18k with 45k miles. That was even before the economy went south. What's the configuration? (bed, cab, 2wd/4wd)

That year (or any 2001-early 2004) will give you great fuel economy, but with risk of expensive injector problems. I believe the other issues to look out for (and read up on here) include 4wd transfer case and front hubs. Mine's been wonderful so far, but it's only been a year....

[christophersond]

This post will further confuse the issue. According to the GMC Truck website, 2009 2500HD trucks with the SLE package come with LT245/75R16E tires. Trucks with the SLT package have LT265/70R17 tires. Now the confusion. My co-worker bought a 2009 2500HD with the 6.0 engine/SLE package, however, it came with 17" tires. My 2009 Duramax has the SLT package, and it has 17" tires. Both trucks are crew cab, 4WD, short bed trucks. Both trucks came with a 16" spare tire!! :D
Go figure, eh?

[myotherchevyisablazer]

Greetings,

I hope this is the correct forum for my post.

I'm in the market for a HD diesel as my 1984 GMC 3/4-ton, 4X4, 6.2L just isn't spiffy nuff to take to town these days. (Yes.. I bought it new.)

Part 1: Anyway, I've been perusing the net and reading up on my options. I noted a couple references to tire size on the Duramax p/u.

I called my local dealer and posed the question... "If I buy a new 2009 Duramax from you and install LT-26575R16 Michilins on it.. will it effect the warranty?" He didn't know, and gave me the 800 GMC truck number.

I called 800-GMC-TRUC and asked that same question...

The answer..... "We understand that your question is whether the installation and use of size LT-26575R16 tires on a 2009 Duramax equipped 2500HD pickup will affect the warranty."

"The answer is yes.. it will void the drivetrain warranty."


Part 2: I located a 2002 2500HD (LT Trim) with 34,000 miles on it. (I verified with CarFax). Owners says it's always been garaged and he has maintenance records. Asking price is $23,000.

Does the 2002 Duramax/Allison have a good performance record?

Any recommendations on what I should look at or ask the owner?

Thanks all,

07 classic extended cab,longbed,manual shift transfer case,lbz motor with 44,000,work truck edition,rubber flooring,no fancy electric windows or locks,stock am/fm radio,6 speed allison,...... $24,000...here's your truck,

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh163/myotherchevyisablazer/HPIM0171.jpg

[MacDR50]

Hmmmmmmmm my dealer swapped out the stock 245's on mine and put on 265/75R16's on it when I bought it new. No mention of warranty issues. The computer was switched to the 265/70/R17 (the optional tire for my truck) setting and is only out such a small amount it makes no difference to the way the truck drives. The 245's just don't have the load capacity and the smaller size looks odd for such a big vehicle. Here are the differences

Stock Tire - 265/70R17 >Search Tires (http://www.1010tires.com/tiresearch.asp?treadwidth=265&profile=70&diameter=17) Tire 1 - 265/75R16 >Search Tires (http://www.1010tires.com/tiresearch.asp?treadwidth=265&profile=75&diameter=16) Section Width:10.43 in265 mmSection Width:10.43 in265 mmRim Diameter:17 in431.8 mmRim Diameter:16 in406.4 mmRim Width Range:7 - 9 inRim Width Range:7 - 8 inOverall Diameter:31.60 in802.64 mmOverall Diameter:31.64 in803.65 mmSidewall Height:7.30 in185.42 mmSidewall Height:7.82 in198.62 mmRadius:15.80 in401.32 mmRadius:15.82 in401.82 mmCircumference:99.27 in2521.4 mmCircumference:99.39 in2524.5 mmRevs per Mile:658.2Revs per Mile:657.3Actual Speed:60 mph100 km/hSpeedometer1:59.9 mph99.8 km/hSpeedometer Difference: -Speedometer Difference: 0.136% too slowDiameter Difference: -Diameter Difference: 0.13%

[WyoDutch]

Yep... the price on that 2002 was about a half-dozen grand too high.

I located a 2007 one-tonner, LT, duramax, 4X4, regular cab with 8,000 miles on it and plopped a retainer down.

I think I'll agree to the dealer's price if he slaps on a set of Michelin LT265-75R16 LTX M&S. (Best danged tire I ever ran on my ranch trucks). Load Range E of course :)

My old pal... the 84' High Sierra with a quarter-million miles on her will continue to haul wood, water and Elk, but will now have some rocking chair time. I put her on Redline Synthetic Diesel oil and a dual filtration system years ago.. seemed to do her good. The bench seat has worn out twice and the paint is all chalked, but she's rust-free and still is my favorite girl.. Has been since I bought her new. Three years ago... took her to Florida on a whim. People looked down their noses at us on the Florida Turnpike, but she showed her well-turned heels to the saturday-night trucks who never do an honest days work. Her kid sister is a 1997 Suburban with 275,000 miles on the odometer.

God Bless American-Made.

http://www.fototime.com/5B68A77C51B91A8/standard.jpg

[NutNbutGMC]

Does the 2002 Duramax/Allison have a good performance record?

Any recommendations on what I should look at or ask the owner?

Thanks all,Too high on the price and too much risk for injector failure (after 4 sets of replacements on the LB7 engine in my experience) regardless of garage keept or not. :)

[crashz]

Did you say you have a rust free 84?
Hang on to that old gal. She's a keeper!!

[WyoDutch]

I'm confused here....

According to GM customer service... if I install LT-265-75R16 tires on a Duramax 3500 3x4.. I void the warranty.

Yet.. I found a 2007 with the following factory decal... What's the real poop?

http://fototime.com/DE57C809ACC7C20/standard.jpg

[WyoDutch]

Did you say you have a rust free 84?
Hang on to that old gal. She's a keeper!!

Had the notorious rust pocket in the corner of the cab... had that fixed years ago. Other than that. No rust. Paint has worn away down to bare metal in many places, but still rust free.

Put new steering gear in it last year, rebuilt the tranny and xfer case a few years ago. Biggest complaint is that in damp weather, brakes grab like heck. Fortunately, not much damp weather here.

[DmaxMaverick]

I'm confused here....

According to GM customer service... if I install LT-265-75R16 tires on a Duramax 3500 3x4.. I void the warranty.

Yet.. I found a 2007 with the following factory decal... What's the real poop?



That sticker is from a 3500 SRW (Single Rear Wheel 1 ton) truck. They come out of the box with 265/75/16's. Needed for the increased rear axle capacity. A blanket statement like, "changing tire size will void your warranty", is ludicrous. It, in and of itself, won't. If you install larger than stock tires, they could deny a claim for wheel bearing failure, for instance. Also, keep in mind, wheel size has nothing to do with this. It's only about the roll-out size (actual tire diameter/circumference). You could, theoretically, install 24" wheels and still maintain OEM tire roll-out. The GM bulletin that addresses the "tire size" issue is very simple. It, in no way, instructs a dealer to "void" anyone's warranty because of larger tire sizes. It merely states the dealer should not accept a claim for some powertrain complaints if "other than OEM size" tires are installed on the vehicle at the time of the service. It doesn't mean a complaint won't be honored, only that the service should not begin while the tires are on the vehicle. This, in a way, does make sense, from a mfg's point of view. For warranty claims, the mfg should not have to make accommodations in their service practice to account for aftermarket components. A very good example of this would be an ABS complaint. Any tire size, other than that available for a given vehicle at the time of mfg, will cause wheel speed conflicts with the control module. This must be adjusted at the PCM level, and will cause different diagnostic results than expected by the repair manual. Is that the mfg's fault? No. They are not at all obligated to accommodate aftermarket changes to a vehicle when they are honoring their promise to ensure your vehicle is up to OEM standards while under warranty conditions. They could do more, but are in no way obligated to do so.

All that said, these issues are baloney, from a mechanical failure standpoint. The 2500HD has the same front end components as the 3500 SRW, in respective model years. Therefore, using the same tire/wheel size as is OEM on a 3500 SRW on a 2500HD would imply the size is acceptable, even at higher loading conditions. This assuming you are installing tires onto a wheel within the vehicle and tire mfg's specifications, which, BTW, isn't the OEM 2500HD wheel. The 3500 SRW tires are installed on a wider wheel (sorry, there goes that argument).

Simple solution:

First, speak with your "regular" service manager. Ask him/her what the dealerships official and unofficial policy is regarding aftermarket accessories. Most of them have a "don't ask, don't tell", or "out of sight, out of mind" unofficial policy. My dealership, for example, won't make issue of aftermarket stuff, as long as it isn't directly related to a complaint. I don't push the issue, and don't place them in a position to make that decision. I have 285/75/16 tires on 16x8 wheels on my 2001. I also still have my original tires/wheels in my barn. When I did have a powertrain related warranty complaint, the truck went into the shop with the OEM tires/wheels. The question was never asked, but they know I use larger tires. Simple. Same with the intake, exhaust, etc. I installed my OEM intake system when the truck went in for warranty injector replacement. The dealership isn't always the only one's having to make the decision, though. If a GM rep gets involved in a warranty issue, the dealership's hands will be tied, and official GM policy applies (by the book). If all you are doing is upsizing tires/wheels, keep your originals, at least until your warranty expires. All reasonable consideration aside, some dealer are so anal about warranty complaints, they will do anything they can to deny a claim. If you don't give them any reason to question your claim, you'll have no problems.

[MacDR50]

A very good friend who is a very good tech cautioned my son on going more than 3% upsizing on his diameter when putting new tires on his truck. Since the difference between the OEM 17 inch wheel/tire option and the 265/75R16 is 4 /100ths of an inch (.13%)I still can't fathom anyone suggesting it is enough to account for any contribution to a mechanical or electronic problem. IMHO GM only puts the smaller tire on the 2500HD to separate it for marketing purposes further from the 3500 SRW.

[WyoDutch]

It kinda reminds me of the baloney by Harley-Davidson dealers who claimed...

That synthetic oil was "too slippery" and the roller bearings in the Evo motor wouldn't spin and would develop flat spots... voiding the warranty...

That installing an unapproved (sold by a competitor) exhaust pipe would void the warranty.

The factory, to their credit, never made such claims.

Remember back in 1984 when GM got into a urinating contest with the oil companies? GM specifically and officially decreed that 10W-40 oil would void the warranty on the 6.2, while 15W-40 was fine as frogs hair.