The door panel sticker on my blazer states 235/70/R15 as the rated tire for towing. My blazer has 235/75/r15 tires on it though.....

What is the impact on towing of this difference? Can I still follow the weight restrictions on the door panel?

 

You should have no problems towing with either. The 75 series tire is ~1" taller overall than the 70 series.

As far as the weight restrictions, you should be good with either as well. If you have LT tires, you may be able to go a bit higher than the restrictions, but always stay within the load rating of your tires.

 

Cool, thanks a lot! That's what I thought (just a heighth diff), but just wanted to confirm. You confused me a little though.

The max load listed on the tire is 2028 lbs.... But I assume that's x4 so the gross max load is 8112 lbs. Now is max load the vehicle, everything it, and trailer tongue weight? Or is it plus total trailer weight?

I assume its just trailer tongue weight, which since the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is 5350, I assume that I need to worry about that more than the max load right?

Or am I missing something....

 

To quote Wikipedia:
"A gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the maximum allowable total weight of a roadvehicle or trailer when loaded - i.e including the weight of the vehicle itself plus fuel, passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue weight."

 

I guess I phrased my post bad, sorry.... let me try that again....

The max load listed on the tire is 2028 lbs.... But I assume that's x4 so the gross max load is 8112 lbs. Now is max load the vehicle, everything it, and trailer tongue weight? Or is it plus total trailer weight?

 

Don't try to figure it that way. The figure you want to use is the GVWR for your particular vehicle. A tire manufacturer does not know what vehicle you have put a tire on. In your case do not exceed the 5350 GVWR listed on your door sticker. There are other things to consider besides the tire's rating such as the frame strength and engine power. That's why you want to go by the GVWR to determine what weight you can have on a vehicle.

 

That would play it safe.

You cannot look at a tires load rating and just automagically multiply it by 4 to get to the overall weight handling of the vehicle. You have to maintain safe limits so that if/when your load shifts, it does not overload one tire or a combination of more than one tire.

A trailer will load the rear two tires more than the front if loaded improperly (ie too much tongue weight).

The GVWR for the vehicle includes the vehicle loads only and does not include loads that are born by the trailer. The GCWR is the Gross Combination Weight Rating which encompasses the tow vehicle, the trailer, and all of the cargo being hauled.

The manual for my 2004 Rainier is quite clear on what the trailering capabilities are, but the 2000 Blazer manual is not...

If you do not have your owners manual, CLICK HERE for a PDF version offered through the GM Owners Center.