The Great Wheel Dilemma!

[George B]

Let me start with a short story...

I have this nice 2013 Suburban LTZ pictured below. It came with the wheels you see in the photo. These are 22" and have been on the truck since new. These wheels were not cared for properly by the previous owners of the truck and have developed substantial corrosion around the back side of the wheel, behind the spokes, in the small gaps in the spokes, in the lug nut holes and in the center bore behind the cap. You know, that white aluminum oxide that can only be removed mechanically. Also, the tires are the Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas which are the WORST in even the slightest flurry of snow.

I have no suspension mods so my ride height is stock. I drive almost exclusively on paved roads, so I want a tire that performs well year-round in WI's 4 season climate, yet still performs well in handling, and had long tread wear. I do some occasional off road travel in moderate snow and dirt two track roads when I vacation in northern WI which leads me more to going with a 20" wheel to gain sidewall.

All that said I am looking at some options for correcting the corrosion and crappy tire issues and am rolling this out for some input from you great guys.

Options:

1. Manually remove the oxide and paint those spots with some good enamel to protect it from further corrosion. Then get a set of tires to fit these 22" wheels. Hoping for some Falken A/T3Ws to be released by fall or I will go with some Nitto or Michelin tires. This is probably the cheapest route but it is going to be labor intensive. I have one wheel nearly done with a cleanup and paint and am going to have 6+ hours into one wheel by the time I get it done. it is a PIA to do and I am not sure how well they will hold up anyway. Basically I don't want to spend my tine doing it but it may be wort the $1000 - $1500. Another plus I can see for this option is that the wheels I currently have already have some slight curb rash and other small nicks that make it less painful when more occur. In the end I can probably sell the Bridgestone tires to recoup some of the tire cost too.
2. Replace the 22" wheels with some new 22"wheels. Either reproductions or takeoffs and replace the crappy tires as noted in option 1. This is likely to cost about $2700.00 which I can afford but not sure if I want to spend it. I could sell the old takeoff wheels and tires to recoup some of the cost also.
3. Replace the 22" wheels with some new 20"wheels. Either reproductions or takeoffs and replace the crappy tires as noted in option 1. This is likely to cost about $1800.00 which I can afford but not sure if I want to spend it. I could sell the old takeoff wheels and tires to recoup some of the cost also. I am also certain I can get the tires I want in the size required for the 20" wheels. I have a line on some takeoff 20" wheels but there is some very minor corrosion started on the back so they will need immediate attention to stop it. not sure if I want to deal with that when I can get some reproduction versions for $200 more and only need to worry about proper care moving forward.

If you are still with me thanks for sticking around! I have been mulling this around for several weeks now and can't seem to get over the hump on it so I appreciate any input y'all have.

Pic of wheels for reference:

 

[Joseph Garcia]

You have identified some options, with both pros and cons, and it give us an idea of your general perspectives and preferences.

What I did not see, is some information about your local driving terrain and preferences and practices. Are you predominantly driving on paved roads with little off-road excursions, or do you take the truck off-road more often? Also, do you currently have any suspension mods that affect the height/ground clearance of your truck that would need to be factored into this project?

This additional information will help folks on this Forum give you some more targeted recommendations.

For me, I have no suspension mods (other then replacing the self-leveling suspension with standard coil overs), so my ride height is stock. I drive almost exclusively on paved roads, so I wanted a tire that performed well year-round in NH's 4 season climate, yet still performed well in handling, and had long tread wear. I have 20x8.5 31mm OEM wheels, and I added the Michelin Defender 305/50x20 tires. I have no clearance/rubbing issues, and I am extremely satisfied with them, given my preferences.

Other folks on this Forum will chime in.

I wish you the best of outcomes on your project.

 

[George B]

You have identified some options, with both pros and cons, and it give us an idea of your general perspectives and preferences.

What I did not see, is some information about your local driving terrain and preferences and practices. Are you predominantly driving on paved roads with little off-road excursions, or do you take the truck off-road more often? Also, do you currently have any suspension mods that affect the height/ground clearance of your truck that would need to be factored into this project?

This additional information will help folks on this Forum give you some more targeted recommendations.

For me, I have no suspension mods (other then replacing the self-leveling suspension with standard coil overs), so my ride height is stock. I drive almost exclusively on paved roads, so I wanted a tire that performed well year-round in NH's 4 season climate, yet still performed well in handling, and had long tread wear. I have 20x8.5 31mm OEM wheels, and I added the Michelin Defender 305/50x20 tires. I have no clearance/rubbing issues, and I am extremely satisfied with them, given my preferences.

Other folks on this Forum will chime in.

I wish you the best of outcomes on your project.

Thanks! I edited to add those details.

 

[drakon543]

for a good all around tire i like mastercraft axt. very quiet on the road very well mannered and seemed to last me a while i didn't pay attention to the mileage i got out of them. as far as your rim questions i dont have any good input im generally not a fan of factory rims. id find an aftermarket set of rims i liked and go with those. judging by your options list you like the factory rims so dunno maybe have the originals reconditioned i geuss?

 

[George B]

for a good all around tire i like mastercraft axt. very quiet on the road very well mannered and seemed to last me a while i didn't pay attention to the mileage i got out of them. as far as your rim questions i dont have any good input im generally not a fan of factory rims. id find an aftermarket set of rims i liked and go with those. judging by your options list you like the factory rims so dunno maybe have the originals reconditioned i geuss?

Thanks for the input! I am not fully hung up on OEM wheels. I an just overwhelmed by all the aftermarket stuff out there and have no idea who is good or not. I guess I will take references on that too.

 

[Big Mama]

$2700 seems like a lot. if you go down to 20’s I think you’ll feel like they’ look small on your rig.

 

[George B]

$2700 seems like a lot. if you go down to 20’s I think you’ll feel like they’ look small on your rig.

$2700 is for both new wheels and tires. With 20" wheels it would look like this:

 

[drakon543]

the best thing i can tell you about the aftermarket wheels is the fewer spokes and the thinner the metal it looks like it has obviously the weaker they will be obviously. try to stick with a wheel that has the same dimensions as what your 22s or 20s have so you can run the same tire with the same look your comfortable with. dont buy rims from shady places or websites pay a bit extra and get rims from a reputable place. i like www.discounttiredirect.com for thier prices and options. they do have some cheaper options but they aren't complete garbage as long as you put some thought into what your buying. like i wouldn't buy a dished style rim if you do anything offroad anything with a larger thin front lip will probably get lip bend easier.

 

[George B]

I wanted to buy these but they are put of stock with no lead on when they will come in.
https://factoryreproductions.com/shop/gmc/2007-tahoe/

I see these but they are going to need a slight cleanup on the back side according to pics I got from the seller.
https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/wto/d/rochester-gm-20-inch-chrome-wheel-tire/7103989224.html

Not sure....

 

[kbuskill]

I wanted to buy these but they are put of stock with no lead on when they will come in.
https://factoryreproductions.com/shop/gmc/2007-tahoe/

I see these but they are going to need a slight cleanup on the back side according to pics I got from the seller.
https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/wto/d/rochester-gm-20-inch-chrome-wheel-tire/7103989224.html

Not sure....

It is very hard to make a decision for someone else...

What I will recommend, IF you decide to clean up your wheels, is to use a white vinegar/hot water solution to clean them and once you get the corrosion removed.... and this is the most important part... use a good SELF ETCHING PRIMER and allow it to cure before painting.

The self etching primer will actually bite (etch) into the aluminum and that is the key to keeping the paint intact and not flaking off.