In contrast to their predecessors, pickup trucks in 2020 attract drivers of varying dispositions. You only need to look at the Chevy Silverado 1500 to understand this point. True, most of the people who buy this vehicle do so to exploit its outstanding towing and hauling capability and brilliant off-road traction.
At the same time, we have seen drivers who employ this beast as their daily driver. It is this all-round nature of this vehicle which makes it equally popular among both the off-road enthusiasts as well as the highway crowd and city dwellers, not to mention those who use this vehicle on snow-laded roads.
Unfortunately, it’s the same versatility which makes choosing the best tires for Chevy Silverado 1500 a nightmare. There is no single tire that is going to satisfy every driver’s needs. Instead, depending on the terrain where you intend to drive this 4X4, you will find different tires more amenable.
Best Tires For Chevy Silverado 1500
Highway All-Season Tires
General Grabber HTS60
Since it is the successor of the original General Grabber HTS, anything the HTS60 would do would inevitably be compared with that of its predecessor. That doesn’t worry this tire as by offering a 25% more tread life, it is undoubtedly a step above the model that it replaced.
Features
Since it’s been the habit of General to load its tires with the latest technologies, the HTS60 is also the beneficiary of this approach. This tire is equipped with DuraGen Technology which has introduced cuts in its tread area to increase the tire’s cut and chip resistance.
The same goes for its Comfort Balance Technology. It makes its presence felt by the introduction of a cushioned layer atop the tread. This way, it’s the layer and not the tire that comes into direct contact with the road vibrations. So you can expect to have a comfortable and quiet ride.
Yet another way this model justifies this steep asking price is via its Stabili Tread Technology. Unlike the other two, its primary goal is to increase the tire’s road life. It achieves that milestone by increasing the tire’s footprint on the road, thereby making sure that the tread patterns experience less stress.
Wet and snow performance of the HTS 60 is equally exemplary. As it rolls through puddles, the circumferential grooves in its tread area will effectively channel water away. The inability of water to stay inside the tread area will mean that there would be minimal chances of hydroplaning.
On top of everything else, this model comes with a warranty of up to 50,000 miles. It is available in three speed ratings (S, R, and T) and comes in both Metric as well as LT sizes. You also have the option to choose between sizes ranging between 15 and 22 inches.
Pros
- Precise steering response
- Enhanced wet weather performance
- Quiet and ultra-comfortable
Cons
- Some sizes are pricey
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Similar to most all-season tires that are designed to serve trucks, crossovers, and SUVs, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S also provides better traction on dry roads. It has a competitive price tag that won’t hit you in the pocket and an above-average warranty to delay the replacement of tires for quite some time.
Features
As two of the most famous tire manufacturers in the world, Michelin and General are always engaged in the race to equip their models with the latest technologies. While we have seen with the previous tire what General is capable of doing on that front, Michelin shows its cards with the LTX M/S.
The France-based tire maker has equipped this tire with ‘EverTread’ Technology. To make sure that the tire could handle road abuse in a way that it won’t affect its tread life, this technology has reinforced the casing from within. You’ll realize how vital this arrangement is only when you drive the tire.
While General has Comfort Control Technology to help you enjoy a vibration-free ride, Michelin’s ‘Comfort Control’ Technology ends up doing the same. You can count on it to allow only a meager percentage of road vibrations to make their way inside the vehicle’s cabin.
Next up is the ‘Intellisipe’ Technology. It equips the tires’ outer circumference with many biting edges to enhance its grip on wet pavements. This way, you can drive at the tire’s maximum speed rating while also retaining full control over its, and by extension, your vehicle’s movement.
Similar to the Grabber HTS60, this tire isn’t a one-trick pony. It’s available in different sizes and in various speed ratings. The latter include the R-speed rating (108mph max limit), T-speed rating (118mph max limit) and H-speed rating (130mph max limit).
Pros
- Tough tread compound
- Decent level of traction
- Quiet and comfortable riding
Cons
- Not for snowy conditions
Cooper Discoverer HTP
As is the case with the majority of all-season highway tires, the Cooper Discoverer HTP is also developed for drivers that want care-free all-season traction to go with a quiet and smooth ride. This tire is built to deliver on dry, wet, and even snow-covered roads.
Features
Ask veteran drivers the first thing you should look for in an all-season tire that might claim to deliver equally brilliant performance on both dry and wet roads, and the wise ones among them will tell you to look for silica-enhanced tread compound.
This compound, they’d tell you, is the difference between tires that experience slippage in puddles and those that roll-over wet surfaces as if they aren’t even there. Once you’ve heard all this, only then you’d realize why the Cooper Discoverer, which contains the same compound, is capable of.
It would be patently wrong if we suggest that it’s this substance alone which is responsible for this tire’s exceptional wet performance. The asymmetrical tread pattern is also worthy of credit as it increases this model’s handling and traction in all sorts of weather and road conditions.
An equally important role is played by its unique serpentine sipe design and circumferential grooves. The former is responsible for giving this tire biting edges to increase its stability. The latter, meanwhile, rid the tread of water and diminishes the risk of hydroplaning.
Lastly, while its manufacturer cannot compete with the likes of Michelin and General when it comes to who’s more famous, it still outsmarts the duo on at least one count. The 65,000mile tread warranty of this tire is 15,000miles more than both the General Grabber HTS60 and Michelin Defender LTX M/S.
Pros
- Excellent traction
- 65,000-mile tread warranty
- Above-average winter handling
Cons
- High-speed cornering stability could have been better
Yokohama YK-HTX
Although it has been more than half-a-decade since its release, the popularity of the Yokohama YK-HTX still stands strong among drivers of SUVs, crossovers, and trucks. The reason why that’s the case is that this tire features an enhanced ride comfort, longer-lasting tread and year-round traction.
Features
In contrast to the Discoverer HTP we saw above, the YK-HTX doesn’t solely rely on silica-content to enhance its wet performance. Instead, this tire has added orange oil to its tread compound which goes along with silica to make it more pliable in cold weather conditions.
The trio of an optimized contact patch, adjusted sidewall, and adaptive shoulder blocks does wonders to this tire’s performance. Apart from enhancing its tread wear and improving your steering response, the triumvirate ensures that you’d get a noise-free ride.
Mainly due to the triple 3-D sipes that dot its circumference, this tire excels on wet pavements. A mere glance will reveal that there are thousands of sipes (biting edges) alongside the tire’s diameter. They are responsible for giving the YK-HTX more bite in rainy, icy, and snow-laden roads.
The inner construction of this tire is as impressive as the one on the outside. Two steel belts join their forces with a polyester cord body to make this model both sturdy and durable. In fact, this combo is the main reason why this tire comes with a market-high warranty of 70,000 miles.
Finally, as you might expect from an all-season highway tire, it is not M + S rated. That means that if you are looking for an option that could handle severe snow and deep mud, you’d be better of looking at other options in this review.
Pros
- 70,000-mile warranty
- Excellent dry and wet traction
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Mediocre in deep mud and heavy snow conditions
Kumho Road Venture APT KL51
Kumho has the habit of surprising us with its assembly of tires, and it has been able to do the same with the Road Venture APT KL51. This is an affordable option that offers excellent all-season traction and has the treadwear warranty to put its pricier counterparts to shame.
Features
Some all-season tires reserve their best performance for dry tarmac. There are a few who reveal their best colors in deep puddles. The APT KL51, however, is a hybrid tire that will be as quiet on the dry tarmac as slippage-free it would be in wet conditions.
Part of the reason why this tire has succeeded where most budget tires fail lies in its optimized tread grooves and an all-season tread compound. The duo works in tandem to increase its traction on dry and wet surfaces, while also giving it a longer treadlife.
Next comes the continuous center rib which increases the tire’s steering response and stability. Four circumferential grooves work alongside added lateral grooves to keep hydroplaning at bay. They also improve this tire’s wet surface handling and traction.
Also on offer are interlocking sipes and independent tread blocks. The former are biting edges that increase this model’s grip in extreme weather conditions. The latter, meanwhile, help with winter weather performance by increasing the tire’s contact with the road, which is essential for a better grip.
Other than that, Kumho provides this tire in six different sizes (15 – 20 inches) and multiple speed ratings. You can trust this model to last longer given that its tread-life warranty of 65,000 miles is the second largest of all the all-season tires that we have seen in this review.
Pros
- Quiet and comfortable ride
- Available at a budget price
- Exceptional steering response
Cons
- Not capable of towing big trailers
All-Terrain Tires
BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2
Provided you are going to drive your Chevy Silverado 1500 on rough terrain every now and then, then highway tires might be a waste of your money. You need better traction and high impact-resistance which you can only get from the likes of the BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2.
Features
How do we know that this tire won’t give way on off-road conditions? Because we’ve seen its tough sidewall rubber and the thick extended shoulder rubber in action. The former is wear- and bruise-resistant, whereas the latter shields the sidewall from impact with raised hard shoulders.
This tire also features an advanced deflection design. Its construction is such that the incoming debris won’t be allowed to reach the sidewall and puncture it. This way, with the sidewall not facing the sidewall shielded from roadside elements, the tire lasts longer.
BFGoodrich has specially formulated the tread rubber of the All-Terrain KO2 which makes it resistant to hard objects which litter the off roads. It is also equipped with stone ejectors which repel incoming stones and save this all-terrain tire from stone drilling.
You won’t have to worry about the tire undergoing uneven wear. Its footprint design is such that the entire stress of the tire’s weight is evenly distributed on the road. That, in turn, promotes uniform wear. Then there are the sidewall traction bars that ensure excellent rock and mud traction.
Also on offer is a 3D sipe technology that enhances this model’s grip in snow and ice. While it doesn’t make the T/A KO2 a dedicated winter tire, what this technology is capable of doing is to minimize the slippage on extra slippery roads.
Pros
- Excellent maneuverability on snowy roads
- Saves the tread from stone drilling
- Unique tread design promotes even wear
Cons
- Loud on off-road conditions
Toyo Open Country A/T II
Visit the market in search of all-terrain tires, and you’d realize that most of them have price tags capable of hitting you directly in the pocket. The Toyo Open Country A/T II, thankfully, is an exception as it aims to target the budget-minded users with its competitive price tag.
Features
All the tires that you see on the market have at least one defining characteristic. For the A/T II, the most prominent feature of this model has to be its sidewall. Supplemented with an engineered open tread block design, it delivers tons of traction in loose gravel, mud, dirt, ice and even snow.
Off-road enthusiasts know that all-terrain tires need to withstand shock and impacts if they’re to justify their asking prices. The Open Country is undoubtedly worth its salt as it features a durable and wear-resistant tread compound that imparts toughness to this tire.
What’s more, inside its tread area are stone ejectors and deep tread grooves. Both these design elements prevent the build-up of stones. Equally impressive are the tie bars which are located in the tread area, and which are the reason why this tire has stable tread blocks.
Though we’ve already stated that this is a budget model, you cannot guess that by looking at its snow performance. Guaranteed by zigzag sipes and polygonal blocks, the tire’s slippage-free rolling on ice and snow-laden roads won’t let anyone believe that they aren’t uber-expensive.
Finally, to serve a wider audience, Toyo is offering the A/T II in three types. The LT-Metric size has an aggressive scalloped shoulder. Both the Metric and P-Metric have a mildly-scalloped shoulder. And if you’re a fan of the deeper tread depth of dedicated mud-tires, you should go for the Xtreme size.
Pros
- Has deep tread grooves and stone ejectors
- Tie bars stabilize the tread blocks
- Available at an affordable price
Cons
- Average wet traction
Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor
At the cost of sounding incredulous, some tires out there have names that make it clear that they can conquer off-roads in a heartbeat. The Goodyear Wrangler ‘Silent Armor’ is one of those exotic-named all-terrain tires whose title, as well as features, make it a worth-having option.
Features
Three features of the Silent Armor do justice to its name. The first among them is its silica-enhanced tread compound. Silica, as all tire enthusiasts know, is an ultra-soft substance that provides extreme traction on the loosest of surfaces. That should erase any doubts you may have about this tire’s traction.
Secondly, to serve as the yin to the yang (softness) of silica, Goodyear has equipped this model with Kevlar tread compound. While silica is responsible for keeping the tire flexible, Kevlar will protect it against abrasions, cuts, and even punctures.
Kevlar doesn’t limit its utility to enhancing this tire’s impact resistance. You also have to give it credit for providing the passengers in the cabin a quiet and comfortable ride. That’s because it absorbs the off-road vibrations which have the potential to ruin your traveling experience.
Thirdly, to make sure that you are left with no doubts about its snow performance, it proudly sports a Mountain/Snowflake emblem on the tread area. Awarded by the US Highway Safety Commission, this logo guarantees that the Silent Armor is a dedicated winter tire.
Some of you might have noticed that the tire is sounded by rim guards. They aren’t there just for looks as they help this model retain its original shape by absorbing curb-damage. You can gauge the level of trust Goodyear has placed in this tire by its above-average 50,000-mile tread warranty.
Pros
- Ultra-quiet on the road
- Above-average tread life
- Excellent on snow, ice, and gravel
Cons
- Average mud performance
Off-Road Tires
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3
If you rarely drive your vehicle on dry tarmac or street roads, and spend the lion’s share of your time at the wheel on the off-roads, then the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 is undoubtedly the best choice for you out there.
Features
Given that its predecessor was a leader in the same category, the KM3 had to do something special to lure people towards its features. It does precisely that with its mud traction which, on absolute terms, is 5 percent better than the tire it replaced. That left little reason for people to still yearn for its ancestor.
Another area where you’d feel this tire has visibly improved over its predecessor is its sidewalls. Its manufacturer claims that by equipping the tire with “CoreGuard Max” Technology, the sidewalls’ toughness has gone up by 27%. That translates to a tire that absorbs impacts effortlessly.
Off-road tires can effortlessly crawl, climb and at least roll over rocks. The massive tread blocks of the KM3 empower it to do exactly that. No matter what the angle of contact between the road and this model, the tread blocks will provide extreme grip.
A mere glance at its shoulder area will reveal the presence of mud-phobic bars. Their only reason for being is to discharge incoming mud and ensure extreme traction in soft terrains. It also has a Krawl-TEL compound in its tread area whose rock traction needs no introduction.
Pros
- Effortlessly climbs over rocks
- Has mud-phobic bars
- Massive tread blocks
Cons
- Expensive
Winter Tires
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2
A suggestion before we move forward: unless you live in an area that experiences extreme snowfall every year, any of the mud-terrain tires will do well in mild-to-moderate winter conditions. The Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 is your go-to choice if that’s not the case.
Features
At the cost of sounding technical/boring, the NanoPro Tech Multicell compound of this tire does wonders for its snow performance. It has a water-loving coating that separates water from snow, making it easier for the upcoming features to remove both and let this tire maintain traction on snow.
And what are those ‘upcoming features’ that will remove water and snow? Actually, there is only one feature that is responsible for all that stuff: the directional tread design of this model. Its peculiar design ensures the effective removal of water and snow from beneath the tire’s footprint.
Next come its microscopic bite particles. They tear through layers of snow to help the tire keep your vehicle in your control. Also, the flexibility of the Multicell compound is the reason why you would be able to enjoy shorter braking distances on ice.
To provide these tires with even more biting power, Bridgestone has provided their tread with 3D zigzag sipes. You also get a tread depth indicator, which shows how much of the standard winter compound (45% of the tread) and Multicell Compound (remaining 55%) is used.
There is one more feature of this tire which deserves mention here. It contains aggressive block edges which, regardless of the thickness of the snow on the road and the volume of water inside the tire’s tread area, would help maintain the DM V-2’s traction on the road.
Pros
- Excellent traction in extreme weather
- Smaller braking distance
- More biting power
Cons
- Treadlife is relatively short
How to choose the best tires for Chevy Silverado 1500?
Although it’s true that there’s a Silverado out there for everyone, it’s also true that not every tire out there is the one for a Silverado. Depending on the terrain you usually drive this 4×4 on, the weather in your area and your driving style, one of the following types of tires will provide the best bang for your buck.
Highway All-Season Tires
As their name implies, the highway all-season tires are designed to work around the year on fully paved roads and in dry and wet conditions. The absence of any biting edges on their tread area makes these tires ultra-quiet and comfortable. The rolling resistance is also on the lower side.
While not comparable to high-performance tires, the cornering power of these tires, as well as their ability to stop at short braking distances, is also excellent. As long as you aren’t a fan of off-roads, these tires would never even for a second force you to look for alternatives.
Pros: Quiet operation; comfortable riding experience; all-season utility
Cons: Poor performance on off-road conditions
All-Terrain Tires
If you intend to conquer some serious terrain, then you might want to install all-terrain tires beneath your Chevy Silverado 1500. These tires have a hard shoulder to absorb impact against collisions, and a softer tread compound gives them the flexibility to retain their grip on wet surfaces.
The same goes for their traction and grip on paved surfaces. The best all-terrain tires for Chevy Silverado 1500 have ultimate load-hauling and towing capabilities and are relatively quiet. Having said that, their fuel consumption, especially on dry tarmac, would weigh heavily on your pocket.
Pros: Extreme traction; absorb off-road vibrations; stable on the highway
Cons: High fuel-consumption on paved roads
Off-Road Tires
Although they belong to the family of all-terrain tires, off-road tires have their unique properties. For starters, these tires are made for extreme conditions. The traction and grip the best off-road tires for Chevy Silverado 1500 would offer on the rough dwarfs that of all-terrain tires.
When looking at off-road tires, you’d be presented with three options: sand, mud-terrain and rock-crawling tires. You might want to note that the responsiveness of these tires on the road is ordinary. Most of them perform poorly in snow and offer no grip whatsoever on wet, paved surfaces.
Pros: Ultimate traction on rough surfaces; huge load-hauling capacity
Cons: Poor grip and responsiveness on dry tarmac
Winter Tires
Provided you live in an area where winters are extreme, you must look for the Three Peak Mountain/Snowflake symbol on the tire’s tread area. This emblem is proof that no matter how freezing the temperature, the tire won’t lose its grip and risk your life.
Similar to their off-road counterparts, the best winter tires for Chevy Silverado 1500 also come in multiple types. The first type are those who are studless and they come handy in light snow and icy conditions. Studded tires, meanwhile, will bite through inches of snow.
Pros: Extreme grip and traction on snow; brilliant water-removal characteristics
Cons: Overkill for summer conditions
FAQs
Conclusion
Since it comes handy on both the highway as well as off-road conditions – and is capable of hauling cargo in the back, the Chevy Silverado 1500 needs tires that can take the beating it is going to hand out to them. That’s exactly what all the tires in this review are capable of doing, provided you use them on the terrain they are designed for.