To level or not?

[89Suburban]

I almost got a set of K02s but decided on the Michelins instead. Sometimes I wish I got the K02s.

I am actually curious to see how the Michelins compare the the KO2's as far as comfort, noise and performance. I mean those KO2's feel twice as heavy as a standard tire. That's more rotational weight to start and stop, wearing on the suspension components. Just a little experiment if you will. I get sick of things after a while and like to try something different.

One thing I AM worried about is the difference in puncture resistance or bumping a curb by accident. The KO2's are built for it.

 

[FrankU]

Can you recommend a spring for me?

No I can't , I raised my lowering springs back up with spacers, I should have put the stock springs back in.
Go to any of the places that offer 2" lowering springs for the Tahoe and pick one out.

 

[swathdiver]

I am actually curious to see how the Michelins compare the the KO2's as far as comfort, noise and performance. I mean those KO2's feel twice as heavy as a standard tire. That's more rotational weight to start and stop, wearing on the suspension components. Just a little experiment if you will. I get sick of things after a while and like to try something different.

One thing I AM worried about is the difference in puncture resistance or bumping a curb by accident. The KO2's are built for it.

Get the Load Range C KO2s. That's what I did, only 8 pounds heavier over the stock tire, 38 versus 46. 3 of them got patched over 4 years but none of the punctures left us stranded, even the two big screws did not leak enough to even force a tire change or use tire goo.

Very comfortable ride, doubt they are as nice as Defenders but we oldsters are pleased with them. Tires dry rot in Florida sun after about 4 years, so we don't need a tire that lasts more than 40-50K miles on this truck.

BFG now recommends 42 psi on our trucks, when original recommendation was 50 psi. I fooled around a while with air pressures and settled at 46-47 psi cold for even wear. At 49-50 they wore down in the center more but took 25-30K miles for a 32nd of an inch.

 

[Big Mama]

2” McGaughy’s lowering kit comes with springs and shock extenders. No need to cut anything. If you don’t have auto leveling do helper bags at the same time as James mentioned. Easy job.

 

[Brandon2489]

I am actually curious to see how the Michelins compare the the KO2's as far as comfort, noise and performance. I mean those KO2's feel twice as heavy as a standard tire. That's more rotational weight to start and stop, wearing on the suspension components. Just a little experiment if you will. I get sick of things after a while and like to try something different.

One thing I AM worried about is the difference in puncture resistance or bumping a curb by accident. The KO2's are built for it.

You and I sound very alike haha. I can't leave well enough alone for long. I will say I have had one tire replaced in the first 15k miles. I ran over what looked to be a broken exhaust manifold stud. I have rubbed my fair share of curbs and hit numerous unavoidable things in the road while in long trips and have been good so far other than the bolt I ran over.

 

[Brandon2489]

Get the Load Range C KO2s. That's what I did, only 8 pounds heavier over the stock tire, 38 versus 46. 3 of them got patched over 4 years but none of the punctures left us stranded, even the two big screws did not leak enough to even force a tire change or use tire goo.

Very comfortable ride, doubt they are as nice as Defenders but we oldsters are pleased with them. Tires dry rot in Florida sun after about 4 years, so we don't need a tire that lasts more than 40-50K miles on this truck.

BFG now recommends 42 psi on our trucks, when original recommendation was 50 psi. I fooled around a while with air pressures and settled at 46-47 psi cold for even wear. At 49-50 they wore down in the center more but took 25-30K miles for a 32nd of an inch.

Thanks for the info swathdiver.

 

[Brandon2489]

This is a stock Yukon SLT with a Rough Country leveling kit in the front, nothing in the rear. Easy-peasy/lemon-squeezy to install; basically a beer and a half job.

From the side.
View attachment 346715

From the not-side...
View attachment 346716


(I only have like 3 pictures of my rig, and two a basically the same... don't judge)

What size was the levels kit?

 

[Charlie207]

I almost got a set of K02s but decided on the Michelins instead. Sometimes I wish I got the K02s.

The thing is that the Michelin Defender and BFG KO2 are two very different tires.

The Michelins are top-tier all-season truck/SUV tires, and will be 1000x better on the road. They did OK in the winter - actual snow and ice - but I would never compare them to dedicated snow tires. The different tread patterns and rubber compounds make a tremendous difference, but you'll see that they have lots of siping..... very good in snow/ice.

The KO2s are off-road tires that can be driven on pavement, at least that's how I see them. They are loud, heavy, and expensive. I hear people say they are good in the winter, but I doubt those people have had to actually live with them in sub-zero, icey/snowy conditions for months on end. They have no siping on the tread blocks, and my guess is that the compound hardens up to hockey-puck consistency when the temps get low.

I mean... a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's 2,000 words:



vs.

 

[Charlie207]

What size was the levels kit?

1" spacer that raises the front end 2".

 

[Brandon2489]

The thing is that the Michelin Defender and BFG KO2 are two very different tires.

The Michelins are top-tier all-season truck/SUV tires, and will be 1000x better on the road. They did OK in the winter - actual snow and ice - but I would never compare them to dedicated snow tires. The different tread patterns and rubber compounds make a tremendous difference, but you'll see that they have lots of siping..... very good in snow/ice.

The KO2s are off-road tires that can be driven on pavement, at least that's how I see them. They are loud, heavy, and expensive. I hear people say they are good in the winter, but I doubt those people have had to actually live with them in sub-zero, icey/snowy conditions for months on end. They have no siping on the tread blocks, and my guess is that the compound hardens up to hockey-puck consistency when the temps get low.

I mean... a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's 2,000 words:

View attachment 346774

vs.

View attachment 346775

That's pretty much the reason I chose the Michelins. I wanted the comfort and most capable tire for every day driving. Mainly wanted the K02 for the looks.