No doubt about it, our ’03 Silverado is a parts whore. It’s been around the world, so to speak, all while collecting pieces that have more than doubled engine output, added in excess of 150lb-ft of grunt at the tires, and dramatically enhanced its braking and handling power. While we are very pleased that all the aftermarket equipment worked as advertised and proved itself on the chassis dyno beyond expectation, there were two areas that our old-guy psyche told us needed improvement: (1) exhaust system resonance and decibel levels at a certain engine speeds and (2) the overall ride quality and the appearance of the tires.
From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, the thing should probably be running 20s. They look fine on a truck with a stock ride height and would probably look fine on Hi-Ho Silver, but they’re unsprung weight you don’t really need. We wanted a wheel/tire combination that was as close to the weight of the OE fitment as possible. We chose a wide, short tire, the Goodyear F1 GS 295/45ZR18, the stuff of the Ford Lightning. We paired it up with the lightest hoop we could find (for a truck), the Weld Evo Axis 6 18x9.5 1-piece forged wheel and only missed the bogey by a pound. The Lightning’s curb weight is 4,670 pounds. Our short-bed, extra-cab Silver tips in at 4,540 pounds.
The Goodyears picked up every irregularity in the road surface, gave off a distinctive low-level whine, and showed visible wear after 5,000 easy miles. But this is to be expected in a high-performance tire construction. It works as intended for very good reasons and supreme comfort isn’t one of them. So is the answer as simple as bolting on newer, larger rubber?
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Bridgestone came to the rescue with slightly bulbous 285/50WR18 Dueler H/P rubber that virtually solved the visual dilemma (the 45-series looked a little too short on this big ol’ truck). Sure, 20-inch (or larger) wagon wheels are the current cool thing, but we weren’t about to dismiss function for a trendy fashion statement that adds little more than unsprung weight. Dueler H/P tread pattern is symmetrical so it can be rotated from one side of the truck to the other. Brakes are Stainless Steel 14-inch with 4-pot calipers all around.
We promoted some Bridgestone 285/50R18 Dueler H/P Sports. They have a symmetrical tread pattern which means you can rotate them as schedule dictates (the directional pattern on the F1 GS precludes this advantage). They are also W-speed rated, which means they are good beyond 149 miles per hour. Further, the increase in sidewall width makes for a noticeably smoother ride. These tires weigh 8 pounds more apiece than the Goodyears but the Bilstein shock absorbers deal so well with the disparity we felt virtually no difference during normal driving. The Dueler Sports afford a solid feel, balanced handling and superior grip in the wet. They aren’t really for driving on snow and ice but where we hang out this won’t ever be a concern.