Hello,

I'm looking for some suggestions for tires and shocks for a 1997 Blazer LS
4X4.

It's a daily driver with a typical mix of city and highway average annual
mileage put on it. No off roading or towing either.

Currently, the vehicle has Michelin X Radial LT (LT 235 / 75R15) tires on it
that were purchased at Costco about 5 years ago. They have 62K miles on
them. One thought is that if they have given that much service so far, that
I should just put on a new set of those. With that in mind, I checked their
website and only saw Michelin LT 235 / 70R15 tires listed for this vehicle.
Off hand, I don't recall what the difference is between the two sizes (75R
vs. 70R). I think it's the width of the tire and that it doesn't really
amount to much, but I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

Although I'm glad to have gotten so many miles out of the tires, they are,
after all, light truck tires. That may account for their longevity, but also
provides a rougher ride. Would it make any sense to switch over to a P235
Michelin, or any other brand, to help smooth it out some or might that
compromise the treadwear mileage in the process?

At present, I don't believe that the shocks need replacing, but as is
usually the case, they can't be too far behind. My goal is to put a set of
good tires on the vehicle that will, not only, last a long time and perform
well, but also smooth out the ride a bit. To that end, I read a
recommendation a long time ago about using Monroe shocks, however, I don't
recall which specific model was mentioned.

So, does anyone here have a recommendation for a good set of tires and / or
possibly shocks that might give similar performance and yet make the vehicle
ride smoother?

Thanks in advance to those who post a reply here.

Peter.

"Peter Bogiatzidis" <pbogi (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

outer diameter, revolutions per mile, etc.) as well as reviews by
purchasers. Some of the reviews are quite candid and critical, so the
feedback might be genuine. As far as shocks go, I've read a lot of positive
comments about Bilstein. Good luck.

Peter Bogiatzidis wrote:
The reason for the 235/70 tire is simple. That is the factory tire size
for the vehicle. ALL the LS S-Blazers from 1995-2002 call for that size,
UNLESS they were special ordered with the 235/75 size. Look at the door
sticker. That being said the difference in tire size between the two is
about 1/4" and in general the 235/75 size is cheaper.

As to brand I like the Michelin tires as well. They wear good and last a
LOT longer than many others. If you want to go with the stock tire size
DON'T bother looking at the Goodyear Tracker 2 tire. THEY ARE CRAP. The
wifes 02 Blazer had a NEW set on it when we bought it and they didn't
make it much past the 30K mark before they were worn down to the wear bars.

Shock wise, if yours have never been changed, change them. You will be
surprised at the improvement in ride and handling. I use Monroe myself.
Have new ones on both of our Blazers (1997 and 2002)and they are working
just fine.

Check your RPO tag in the glove box to make sure you don't have option
ZW7 (Smooth Ride package) or Z85 (increased weight capacity). Those use
different valving than the "normal" Blazers and factory shocks are the
way to go with those.

--
Steve W.