So I buy a new Silverado with Z-71 package and I quote "on/off road tires" as it spells out on the window sticker. Well, 11,000 miles and I've had three flat tires all ready! The really sad thing is that 7,000 of those have been driving between Utah and MN. So, if you figure out the time I've spent on gravel roads out here, it's about 1,000 miles. 1K miles and three flats. Two tread blow-outs and a flat that had the smallest little rock in it. I've never had this many flats in all my other vehicles I've ever owned combined. Come to find out, GM puts 2 ply tires on it's trucks and calls them "on/off road". How the hell is a 2 ply tire "off road"!!!! I've gotten nowhere with the dealer, as they say it's "road hazard". Sorry, but if you sell me a truck thats listed as having "off road" tires, it damn well better be able to handle a county maintained gravel road. Guess I always thought that the tires that come on new trucks were the same ones I'd get if I go down to the Goodyear store and buy new ones. Oh no. My tires new from the store are 10 ply, from GM 2 ply. Now I'm stuck with having to drop $800-1000 on new tires just so I can use my truck as a truck. Screw you GM!!

(rant over)

The closest that the majority of truck/suv owners get to off-road is driving on the grass as they are backing out of the driveway.

Hearing this I thought of the consumer & pro grades of products. Consumer off-road isn't much better than the normal consumer product. You'd want to purchase the pro grade. (generally speaking)

That is why you always have to check the tires before leaving the dealer because one area they skimp on is tires... Think Firestone and SUVs

Well, if you ever buy really heavy 8 ply tires you'll find they don't do so well in the loose stuff. The 2 ply tires will scwish round and give the best traction. "Off Road" and "Heavy Duty" are not the same.

Really good off raod tires have soft rubber to stick well, and are flexable. They wear out quickly.

But basically, you've got CHEAP tires, the cheapest GM can buy. They won't stand up on either the highway or the rocks.

If you go to a tire store, you'll find lots of folks switch tires when they get a new car. The "new car take offs" are often sold to used car dealers to dress up used cars.

Have you tried going after any warranty from the tire manufacture? When I bought my truck I remember they really made it clear that if I had problems with the tires i needed to talk to Firestone not them

Personally I've had great luck with the BFG TA-KO I just got the 6 ply they look good great millage 38k and still have 5/16", great grip with a couple sand bags i hardly ever have the truck in 4WD

I really don't know anything about truck/offroad/heavy duty tires...

Does the mileage rating work the same as with car tires? As in 100,000 mile tires are a harder rubber (therefor less grip) than 50,000 mile tires.

Here's the interesting part- all 3 flats have been on the same wheel. Mechanic didn't think that was odd, but I do. After the first blowout, dealer replaced my tire. I thought it was nice at the time. Go back after last one-the one they just replaced and they tried to sell me new tires!! Needless to say, I told em where to stick it. I think I'm getting Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor pro grade. Spendy, but I have two friends who have them and they like them. I can't afford to keep getting flats every time I head out. So frustrating.

Was this wheel ever rotated to a different corner or was it always on the same corner each time it failed? Regardless, I would be suspicious of the wheel. If you develop a rapid bead leak while driving at speed and don't get stopped quickly it could definitely compromise an otherwise adequately designed tire.

I don't know what OE tires on a Z-71 are, but a lot of GM trucks are sold with BFG T/A KOs which are a good all around tire, even for moderate to heavy wheeling. I've put 65k miles on my 315/70R17's with no problems other than a couple punctures at construction sites that I patched 20k miles ago without further incident. This included some pretty tough wheeling.

To be fair though, mine are LT rated / load range D, so I believe they are 8-ply sidewalls. But I think the smaller, lighter-weight versions of the T/A KOs are still at least 6-ply sidewalls.

Just curious, what make, model, size are the original tires on your truck?

Dick nailed it.

(that kinda sounded dirty ehh?)

Did you have the valve stem replaced with a different brand one?

I kept getting a flat on my jeep. It was a shitty valve stem, the 3rd time I told the dealer to get a new box of stems. Funny thing is, it was never a problem after.

We have the Wrangler Silent Armor tires on a Grand Cherokee. Had them for about 1.5 years and maybe 30K miles. They have been very good. No problems and fairly quiet. They definitely weren't the cheapest option but not too expensive either. They had great reviews.

BB

Originals are Goodyear Wrangler AT/S 265/70/17


All flats have been on the same wheel, never rotated. All rear driver side. I didn't start having flats until I put my ATV in the back, but that makes me even more angry if they can't handle a 600lb load. So much for getting the trailering package and hauling anything either!!

This is just my opinion but you couldn't give me a set of Wranglers. They are a decent road tire designed to smooth out the ride. They are not a "truck" tire. If you want a smooth ride drive a car not a truck. There are several good tires for trucks out there. Dollar for dollar I'd look hard at Bridgestone Duelers or Cooper Discovers.

Discovery ATR's are the shiz nit, at least on heavily loaded plow trucks.

And believe me, they see a hell of alot more weight than 600lbs.

That was actually more Ford's fault than Firestone. Ford was trying to soften the ride of the Explorer by recommending a lower than normal tire pressure. It is rare to see tire inflation pressure stickers on a truck suggesting 24psi front and 26psi rear. Mostly because it's a bad idea.

I've heard great things from friends about the Discoverer STTs. They work well in a lot of offroad situations and even pretty well on pavement. And they're durable. One buddy regularly does long drives to wheeling parks around the country, drives a couple days with the pressure down at 16-20 for traction and then comes home. And no problems in many tens of thousands of miles.

They're at the top of my shortlist to replace my aging BFGs this summer I'm looking forward to 23/32" of tread.