I just acquired a 1997 4dr 4x4 blazer. It was a municipal car so there are really no options on it. The Blazer currently has P225/70R15 on. I checked the door for the tire info and it says P205/75R15. Does it really matter? The tires have lots of life left. But the vehicle does float over dips and bumps in the highway. I'm guessing that's a shock issue.

Town Fair Tire calls for: LT205/75R15, LT235/70R15 or LT235/75R15

Tire Rack calls for: 235/70-15 and 235/75-15

No store calls for the P225s. I only use the vehicle for highway commuting and carpooling kids.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Work I have had done so far:
New transfer case motor (was stuck in 2 wheel drive)
New idler arm and ball joints. (Still play in wheel)
New hood latch cable. (old one broke)



Bill

 

So long as the tires are all the same size, it isn't that big of a deal.

205/75R15 == 27.1" tall
225/70R15 == 27.4" tall - pretty darn close to the 205/75R15
235/70R15 == 28" tall - Most typically found on the earlier 4x4's and later awd
235/75R15 == 28.9" tall - Most typically found on the later 4x4's

And P (passenger) rated tires are perfectly fine on your truck. There is little reason to move up to an LT tire unless you are planning on hauling loads that just shouldn't be hauled by a mid-sized suv.

 

Thank You! I have no hitch on the vehicle but the most I would ever need to tow would be 1000# total w/trailer.

Are any of those tires better on mileage, comfort?

Thanks again

 

well the 235/75/r15 are a little bigger so they will roll over bumps a little better. not a huge difference but there's a difference. and since they are a little bigger they will get a little worse gas mileage in town but better gas mileage on the freeway. so unless you do 95% of your driving on the freeway then it wont really matter. i mean they are only a little under 2 inches taller so the differences in mileage will be minimal.

 

They all would be fairly equal on comfort and there is no comparison between a P tire & LT tire as far as comfort is concerned. The LT tires are much more solid in construction, but that makes them somewhat hard on comfort.

Mileage, in terms of how long the tires last, really comes down to the tread pattern and the rubber composition. A tread pattern with a solid center rib usually nets better mileage than an open center pattern and the higher the tread life rating, the better the life of the tire (usually), but too high and the tires could be bad in wet and/or snow covered road conditions due to the hard compound used.

As far as fuel mileage goes, that varies widely depending on the vehicle. Typically, the narrower the tire, the better it will be on mileage because it has a lower rolling resistance. But there are many different factors that weigh in on that topic.

Also, keep in mind that changing the tire diameters will alter the speedometer accuracy.