BFGoodrich KO2s the biggest I could fit 275/70/R17/ Chevy Express/ with a send/ incline/ mud

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

Hey everybody, it’s been over a year since I made this video and for some reason starting to get a lot of comments on it. People saying that it wasn’t worth it and that they would not have cut it up to do it. Well, my van is far from perfect And it’s also nine years old now. I bought it used and it’s been through a lot! I would cut the wheelwells out even bigger, but at this point, I don’t really care to go bigger on the tires. Anyway, it’s been great so far the wheels and tires do not rub and it gets thumbs up all the time when I’m driving around. My wife comes home all the time and says that people give her thumbs up and tell her that it looks cool Chevrolet if you’re watching, you should not have engineered the wheel well in the front the way you did blocking people from putting big tires on this thing. These vans are actually hidden gems because of what you get for the money. It’s basically a Chevy 2500 heavy duty powertrain and it really is a lot of fun to drive. You don’t lose your man card if you have a ton of kids, it’s absolutely dominant over a minivan plus it’ll haul 10,000 pounds behind It’s definitely a cool vehicle and Chevy should continue building them only with a four-wheel-drive option and plenty of room for bigger tires! that’s all I got!

[@williamsantiago7303]

Take that thing to U-joint Off Road in NC and have them convert it into a 4X4. That would look so good on this van. 👍

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@williamsantiago7303 I wish I had the $ for that! I’d love to!

[@Rob-p2j]

Wow those are some bad azz meats! Love how you give zero F**ks 😂😂

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

Haha thanks 😊

[@petermelnikov682]

Looks like moving wheel forward could allow for a bigger tire if factory bumper is also replaced, but that's more work and money. Thanks for the video!

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

Thank you! Moving the wheel forward on these would be great, however it’s not possible without major re engineering. I don’t understand why Chevy designed this chassis so it’s very hard to install bigger tires. The easiest way to get around it is to lift the suspension. The parts to do it with are very expensive though. That’s why I cut away material to make these tires fit. I know it’s not the most efficient way to do it but worked for me! Thanks for the comment and kind words!

[@jakeb3025]

@@Tennesseemountainhomesteaddid you have a lift in this videos? I’m doing a weldtech 3” lift to mine soon. Was going to get those same tires or even a fuzz bigger

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@jakeb3025 yes but not the Weld Tec lift. It’s a 3” coil spacer in front and a 2” block in back

[@jakeb3025]

@@Tennesseemountainhomesteadthanks for the info. I’ll probably get the same size as you. Was debating 285/75’s but that’ll be pushing it.

[@bretring]

Would 265/70/R17 fit stock suspension. I am looking at putting some Silverado 1500 wheels and tires on my express.

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

The first time I put bigger tires on the van I went with 265/65/R17 and they fit. Matter of fact, the website I bought them from Carid, said they would fit. After that I went with a MT tire that was the next size up and I also put the lift on it. You saw what I did here, had to cut and modify to make these fit. They still rub once in a while when the wheel is turned all the way and I hit a bump. But to answer your question, I think you would be very close to fitting.

[@gilmo5994]

What wheels are those? How much lift do you have? I just bought a 2013 extended 3500. I want to get a 2 inch level kit in the front and bigger tires. Trying to figure out how big to go. Definitely dont want to max it out and have zero rub. 17 to 18 inch wheels would be nice too. 20 might be to big since i like more tire. Great video!

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 the rims are AMERICAN RACING® - AR172 BAJA 1PC Satin Black (17" x 8", 0 Offset, 8x165.1 Bolt Pattern, 130.81mm Hub) And the tires I got originally to replace the stock tires are MICKEY THOMPSON® 90000029615 - DEEGAN 38 ALL TERRAIN WITH WHITE LETTERING (LT265/65R17 R) That combination is what I bought from CarID online back in 2019. That did not rub with the stock suspension and ride height. I eventually put the front lift (spring spacer) which was an absolute mission to install! And I put the rear 3” spacers on the leaf springs which wasn’t to bad. Even with the lift I had to cut what you saw in the video to get these tires to fit.

[@gilmo5994]

Did you test the 265/65r17 if the front tires were all the way up inside the wheel well and turning? Thanks again for the response.

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 yes those tires fit and did not rub

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 when I was shopping for tires/ wheels I used CarID. On their website it said that combination would fit the van. I’m pretty sure it was the only combination that would work. Not sure what’s available these days. You might find some different wheels

[@gilmo5994]

@@Tennesseemountainhomestead looking for them now. Thanks for the info!

[@gilmo5994]

Did you put new shocks on? If so what kind?

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 yes but I just got the ones for the van from the parts store new. Haven’t had any problems with them.

[@Rob-p2j]

How’d you get that van to do two tire fire?

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

I put a G80 option axle from another van under a few months ago! Check out the videos on my channel

[@Rob-p2j]

Very cool!

[@rustneversleeps01]

GMC Savana has factory limited slip dif. Not fwd but it definitely makes a difference.

[@TNMHadventures]

❤❤❤😘

[@gilmo5994]

How are the tires with road noise? Are they roaring?

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 no they’re not loud. I watched every review before I bought them. Already been on there for over a year and a half. Still look great with plenty of tread. I might have rotated them once I forget. But they have been great.

[@gilmo5994]

@@Tennesseemountainhomestead was carid the best price you found? There hard to check prices on cause all the different sizes and fitments.

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 I’m pretty sure I got these BF GOODRICH tires at Summit Racing online. You can just search the size and brand you want online and find the best price

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@gilmo5994 I got the original Mickey Thompson tires we talked about from CarId

[@gilmo5994]

@@Tennesseemountainhomestead sorry I meant the wheels...

[@jezzie1965]

Just turn it into a lowrider and use 14 inch daytons and airbags or hydraulics and cruise down Whittier Blvd

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

That would look pretty cool 😅 8 lug Dayton hunnet spokes

[@jezzie1965]

@@Tennesseemountainhomestead😂😂😂😂

[@CRCfail]

Quite ridiculous, would love to see what happens when you pull into a gas station and hit a low spot at full turn!

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@CRCfail it doesn’t rub, ever. It’s been well over a year since I put them on and cut what I cut. If anything, Chevy C blocked people from so much on these vans. Between not being able to fit big tires, not offering 4 wheel drive, and the horrific traction control that won’t stay off past 10 mph. These vehicles are hidden gems though. The stock 6 liter LS and the 6L90E transmission are a serious combination. I did a bit of tuning with HP Tuners on the engine and transmission back in 2019. It’s got a direct cold air intake and 3” exhaust into a Flowmaster that dumps in front of the rear passenger tire. I removed the top speed limit and it absolutely hauls ass. It has a 3.42 gear and it really shines on the highway. No BS. it’s a beast. And the locking differential is great too. If I wanted to get even bigger tires it would need a spindle lift up front. I can only imagine it would have to be 5-6 inches higher. I’d love to get 35’s but I’ve got more important stuff going on now. It’s not a going to be a serious off road machine so I’m like whatever. But it’ll go through and over more stuff than a regular van 100%. It’ll do more than a lot of trucks. But anyway, like I said it does not rub, and I’ve had it at full lock bouncing over crap in my yard too.

[@stealthstalkerghillie]

Bmx rider I see...

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@stealthstalkerghillie once upon a time 😎

[@rogerhartzell544]

I would’ve not cut my van up🤦🏻‍♂️ just run 265/70/17 it would’ve looked just as nice and you would not had to of cut the van to hell and back.. if you really wanted those 275s on it and you did not care about cutting up on the van I suppose just my opinion

[@Tennesseemountainhomestead]

@@rogerhartzell544 definitely worth it in my opinion and didn’t hurt anything. Chevrolet really put the cock block on people with these when they designed the front wheel well. The only way to put monster tires on one of these things would be to spend more than the van is worth to get the weld tech four-wheel-drive conversion kit or at the bare minimum, a boatload of money to get a huge lift out of the spindles. The van is nine years old. I bought it used and it’s far from perfect anyway and it gets thumbs up all the time.😄