20Xtreme02
04-13-06, 10:35 PM
I've been shopping for replacement wheels and tires for the Blazer for almost a year now. I knew I would need them by summer of this year and with so many choices I figured I would have a hard time deciding, so I started my research early. I also asked you guys last week about the Eagle Alloys. I looked up were the nearest dealer was so I could see them in person. I went and looked at them on Tuesday and liked what I saw. The guy there asked what I was going to do about tires and I told him my to preferences. (The Goodrich G-Force KDW or the Dunlop Sport SP Maxx.) There were some other customers in the showroom so he asked me if I would come with him out to the shop. Once there, if asked if I would be interested in participating in a tire survey. He explained that Kuhmo had sent him four set of tires for evaluation and he had one set left, and they just happened to be the exact size I was looking for (R245 45-17). To participate I would have to run the tires on my car for two years, check the tire pressure every week, rotate them every three thousand miles and have them inspected by Kumho every six months. The price? FREE! The tires are their ECSTA SPT which is a UHP (Ultra-High Performance)"W" rated tire... good to 168 miles-per-hour, like this little Blazer could ever get there. The tire is not being sold to the public yet and Kumho apparently wants some feedback before they are. At the end of two years they may take the tires, or if they don't want them, I can keep them. At the very least, I have postponed buying tires for two years, unless these really suck. I don't have to run them if I'm not happy with them. They are a good-looking tire and seem to handle fine. Due to the speed rating, I need to run them at 40 PSI, but the ride is not harsh at all. I was pleasantly surprised, and relieved, with the comfort of the ride. I was worried that low profile tires run at that kind of pressure would knock my teeth out.
The wheels are Eagle Alloys model 211 which are very similar to the American Racing Torque Thrust II. The wheels are 17x8 with 4.5 inch backspacing. I think these wheels have a higher polish to them than the Torque Thrusts and they were about $50.00 less per wheel. The tires are 1.5 inches smaller in diameter so I had to use my Superchips tuner to re-calibrate the speedometer. That took some work since these tires are smaller than what you can select on the tuner. Therefore I had to change the programmed rear-end ratio at 3.73 and then put in a taller tire. I only had to take three shots at it to get it right. Some math ahead of time helped.
Here's a picture.
The wheels are Eagle Alloys model 211 which are very similar to the American Racing Torque Thrust II. The wheels are 17x8 with 4.5 inch backspacing. I think these wheels have a higher polish to them than the Torque Thrusts and they were about $50.00 less per wheel. The tires are 1.5 inches smaller in diameter so I had to use my Superchips tuner to re-calibrate the speedometer. That took some work since these tires are smaller than what you can select on the tuner. Therefore I had to change the programmed rear-end ratio at 3.73 and then put in a taller tire. I only had to take three shots at it to get it right. Some math ahead of time helped.
Here's a picture.