Tire and front suspension experts out there I'm looking for input

[Badhabit]

The tires on my 2006 2500HD with the Duramax are worn out and need to be replaced. Truck is bone stock with 108K miles on it. Most of my driving is on paved roads (90%) and the rest on dirt/gravel. No off roading. I waterfowl hunt a lot so I'm out in all kinds of weather.
First thing is I've narrowed my tire selection 265/75/16 E. In either BF Goodrich KO2's or Michelin Defender LTX M/S. Both seem like very good tires. BFG's are rated better on Tire Rack and I have no personal history with BFG's.
Second, I've been wanting to add a leveling kit to the front end. I think I need about 2.5" of lift. Is replacing the torsion bar keys the best way to accomplish the leveling or go with a more complete kit. I'm not an offroader.
Third, replacing the 4 shocks. Go with Bilstein 5100's or something else? Looking for a great ride on highway since I don't offroad.
Finally, a four wheel alignment.

I was qouted $2250.00 before tax as a package installed with BFG's, Bilsteins 5100, torsion keys and an alignment.

Any additional  suggestions would be appreciated.

[jackelope]

The BFG tires have been pretty awesome for us, and I'm pretty sure you're not going to get an actual "4 wheel" alignment done on that truck. I believe the only adjustments are in the front and to adjust camber, caster and toe it will require eccentric knockout removal, which I don't think is a big deal either.

I don't really know much about anything more.

[Special T]

the BFG tire brand is owned by Michelin. Michelin has historically spent more on R&D as a % of sales for a long time.... Apparently they have been surpassed by Bridgestone in recent history.

https://www.european-rubber-journal.com/2017/01/23/tire-industry-rd-spending-remains-stable/

[Woodchuck]

I put KYB's on my 02, love em. I run Cooper AT3's and I am very happy with them but all tires you mentioned have excellent reputations. I leveled mine with a torsion bar adjustment but your alignment guy needs to know what he is doing if you go down that road.

[Moe the Sleaze]

I switched from Coopers to Michelin Defenders 2 years ago and the Michelins are SOOOO MUCH better, both in terms of wear and performance.  I will never go back !

[gaddy]

I love the BFG's, have them on all my stuff, even my 2wd Toyota. As far as the alignment goes, yes 4 wheel alignment( most wont even hook up the heads on the rear to see what the thrust angle is). You cant adjust camber and toe, but thrust angle is very important as it drives the front end and dictates how everything else works. A thrust angle alignment adjusts the front to the rear. You want all angles in play when doing an alignment so the front and the rear are all headed in the same direction. Yes there is some play in the rear diff position that can be adjusted (If your alignment tech chooses to take the time or has the knowledge) that will help center everything, Its called slop in the center pin. First step, get stuff square.
Make sure that all ride heights are where they are supposed to be, or at least equal if you have the torsion bars adjusted, or are lifted a bit. Very important!! (remember that lifting changes the angles that everything was designed to work at and changes loads on certain joints) I ran my camber and toe as as close to zero as possible, and take your turns as wide as you can. If you are running mostly in town with tight turns, there is this thing called toe-out-on turns, where one side turns sharper than the other. Will wear out and cup your tires.
Make sure you tell them that you want a print out of the alignment spec's and the changes made. It will help keep them honest.

[HntnFsh]

I cranked the torsion bars on my 06 just a hair. Anytime you crank torsion bars,no matter how, your going to compromise ride quality.  As mentioned, you really need to watch your angles. There is a lot of really good info on this stuff over on the Duramax forum.

[follow maggie]

I drive a 2004 Chevy 2500hd with the 8.1. I have the BF Goodrich all terrains on it and I love them. I have Rancho shocks and have been happy with them. My rig is stock, so I can’t speak to the leveling kit.

[thinkingman]

Michelin Defender LTX MS will give you better fuel economy, better on-pavement grip and better wet/ice performance.
They are pricey.
I was a Michelin fan for many years and for price reasons, tried Cooper, which were excellent on pavement and offroad. Quiet.
I just bought Falken AT/W3 tires and they are amazing.  Quiet, tough(two trips to elk camp in the nasty basalt scree).  This winter will answer the question of how they do in snow and ice.  Great tire so far and much less $.
I just put Bilstein 5100s on the rear of my F150, fronts coming soon.  Great shock.  Had them on my Tacoma...Good shock on a craptastic suspension.  The Toyota suspension was set up to look good, not ride good.  The rear OME Dakar springs with 3rd leaf removed were pretty spot-on.  The front strut suspension was just pathetic.  OME 883 springs improved it slightly but still...

[floatinghat]

I had BFG A/T KOs on my Landcruiser and got a 110K of mainly hwy miles, they were 265/75-16 E great in everything except mud.  They were still very legal I just needed new tires.  Bought some Falkens due to a great (less than half) price and hated them.  I was going to exchange at DT and truck got totaled.

[GryphonHunter]

@Badhabit Personally, I would go with what you were quoted. You won’t be disappointed. I have run multiple sets of bilstein 5100’s and have been very happy...even the wife likes they way they ride in her rig.

You can’t go wrong with the BFG A/T’s. Hands down great tire. I wouldn’t get the Goodyear Duratracs again. They start out quiet but get very loud as time has gone on, might as well have put a mud tire on.

I don’t personally have experience with the torsion bar keys, however, some good friends that have Durmax trucks run the keys for their leveling kit and like them. Make sure to leave some front end rake for heavy loads or when towing so you truck doesn’t look like those goofy Baja trucks when there is a load in the back. 😀

[Stein]

Michelin MS are the best tires I have ever had, no experience with the others.


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