315/75/16 3 Questions
 

I've been reading this forum and a few other places to get a better understanding about tires. I've seen some photos and I really like the idea of putting 35s on my H3. I've been reading about leveling the front manually as well as getting a front leveling kit.

The following are my 3 questions:

UNO: I would like a tire that if I were to drive on an everyday road, the tire wouldn't make too much noise. However, I still would like to have a little action on occasion. What would you recommend?

DOS: I guess my next question has to do with adjusting the torsion bars or getting a front leveling kit. I was reading that adjusting the torsion bars will work, but eventually something may break. There is a Trail Duty Bilstein Hummer H3 Front Leveling Kit for about $210 which i don't think is terrible. Is it really necessary to install a leveling kit for 315s?

TRES: My last question has to do with timing. I don't think I will be ordering the tires tomorrow or at least for a few weeks. I want to drive the hummer around a little bit. Can I purchase the leveling kit or adjust the torsion bars (or both) before getting the tires?


Thank you once again for reading my thread and posting your opinion.

1.) Goodyear Duratracs seem to be a very popular all around tire right now.
2.) Nothing will break just cranking. New keys are a waste of money. Plenty of room in stock keys.
3.)Yes, you can level before you get new tires. I run 33's daily and 35's wheeling and keep the ride height the same for each.

so getting another set of rims and tires would be the way to go huh

Not necessarily. It was the right choice for me. I thought the Destination M/T's were a little too agressive for everyday driving, especially in the winter. Besides that, I figured if I only use them while wheeling, I'll probably have them for years to come...at least until they dry rot. Lots of people run 35's on daily drivers. Not really a right or wrong answer on that point.

The trailduty.com "front leveling kit" is comprised of 2 Bilstein shocks and 2 Trail Duty extended bump stops. You will keep your stock keys and turn the torsion bar adjustment bolts to the desired height. It is a great kit!

The kit is not necessary, but it WILL give you a better ride (over just cranking the Tbar adjusters). Don't forget to get an alignment after you adjust your torsion bars!

There are plenty of people with the stock 32s & 33s that have "leveled" their HUMMERS. Mark the bolts and count the rotations. If you don't like it, just return it back to the stock height.

Tainter is right....I read through your original post too quickly and thought your "leveling kit" was new keys. I still maintain that you don't need the new keys, however the Trail Duty kit is very popular. I installed the Cognitos, but not the bumpstops. Personally, I did not see a difference with the Cognitos, but a lot of people claim it's a night and day difference.

Well, I'm ready to make my purchase. The car will be my daily driver and I don't think I will be doing any crazy off road activities. I love the look of 35s on the H3 and that's the number one reason i want to get tires.

With that said, I'm looking at my budget and my goal is to get the most affordable tire that has a nice off road type look to it.

These are some choices starting with the cheapest:

Kumho Road Venture AT KL78
Grabber AT2
Nitto Terra Grappler

I know there are better tires, but the ones above are within my budget. I would like to ask the experts here, what are your thoughts about them or any other brand that might be within a similar price range?

Thank you for your help

I would save up some more and increase my tire budget before I put any of those tires on my truck. If you buy cheap, you get cheap. They say you get what you pay for, because more often than not, it's true.

If you go with bigger tires what needs to be done to get the Speedo & odometer readings correct?

You'll need to have the PCM reflashed. PCMforless is one of the best values out there. Either that, or mentally calculate the 7% difference in your head. You'll get the hang of it pretty quick.