Body Roll

I have a question about my tahoe's ride quality. I recently replaced my Michelin XC 40 tires with some Falken Ziem ST/Z 04 tires. The Michelin tires were 265/70/16 and the Falken tires are 265/75/16. I was wondering if my truck is supposed to feel unstable going around curves and sudden manuvers in traffic. I could weave in and out of traffic with my michelin tires, but I cannot with the falkens. What could be the problem.

Hi there Cooper,

Well first of all bringing up the sidewall inherently gives you a more "floaty" ride, making your tahoe lean farther under heavy cornering or by doing sharp manouvers (aka fast lane changes, etc.). However, it also gives you a softer ride and filters out more road noise such as potholes and whatnot.

But in your case you only brought it up from 70 (which is already a VERY hefty sidewall) to 75... you shouldn't be able to notice that much of a difference, unless the new tires you bought have noticeably less traction...

Try braking hard in a straight line and see if you can remember what your Michelin's gripped under similar circumstances, that should tell you which tires had better grip.

In any case, chances are if you are changing tires your old ones were worn out and the new ones have better grip regardless... perhaps you are simply noticing your tahoe more unstable now but it was similar in the past?

I'm saying this because I've just changed my stock 265/70/16 for 295/45/20's, precisely because of the lousy traction the stock Firestone Wilderness's provided, with the consequent poor handling in corners and sharp manouvers, but especially braking. Now I have Hankook Ventus st's and I couldn't be happier... traction has increased 100 fold, my 2001 tahoe actually feels nimble in the corners and braking... a world of a difference.


PS: Why did you get tires with a higher sidewall in the first place? Were you looking for a more comfy ride or were they simply the ones you found first?

Good Luck,

SYT

I had the same problems in cornering and watching the front end of my Tahoe take a nose dive in the corners whether I was braking or not..definitely increasing the "pucker factor". I also went to the Hancook Ventus and am extremely pleased with the performance. I also added anti-sway bars, but didn't get to appreciate the performance out of the bars by themselves because I put the tires and wheels on first. Together they rock!

BTW, this is my daily driver...I chase people in it and write them tickets. :nono:

We have to provide our own ride, so I'm gonna enjoy what I drive for a police vehicle...and it looks good too!

Jogit
Deputy in Texas

Two months ago, the stock front anti-sway bars on our 98Tahoe6.5TD snapped (made a loud DOING sound, looked in the rear view mirror to see if I ran over or dropped something...nada). Stock bars were hollow. No stock rear anti-sway bars installed. Wallowed like a stuck pig going around loose corners.

Bought and installed Extra HD front and rear Hellwig bars with HDPE bushings ($125-$145 kits, minimal drilling for rear installation -- drilled out two existing holes in frame to accept 1/2" metric bolts). What a difference! Highly recommended for any SUV out there that does not have front AND rear anti-sway bars installed.

Still running the stock BF Goodrich AT 265R75x16. I honestly don't know if I would notice much of a difference with lower profile tires because of the truck's weight (6500 lbs unladen). Installing mono-tubes in a month or so (front and rear) and expecting better performance.