Best tires for the GMC Sierra
Top picks across four categories for the GMC Sierra, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 275/65R18. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
BFGoodrich
All-Terrain T/A KO2
Reinforced sidewall all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
BFGoodrich
All-Terrain T/A KO2
Reinforced sidewall all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Bridgestone
Dueler A/T revo 3
UTQG 600 with a 60,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for GMC Sierra owners.
Continental
TerrainContact A/T
UTQG 600 with a 60,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for GMC Sierra owners.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
BFGoodrich
Advantage T/A sport LT
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Toyo
Open country H/T II
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Continental
TerrainContact H/T
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S2
71 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Continental
TerrainContact A/T
73 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cooper
Discoverer AT3 4S
73 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cooper
Discoverer AT3 4S
73 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 | Best budget Michelin Defender LTX M/S | Best quiet Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 | Best winter Kelly Edge MT |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | - | 800 | 680 | - |
| Mileage warranty | 50,000 mi | - | 70,000 mi | - |
| Cabin noise | 75 dB | - | 71 dB | - |
| Season class | all-season | - | all-season | winter |
| Type | truck-suv | - | truck-suv | truck-suv |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the GMC sierra use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 225/75R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1987–1991 | 235/75R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1992–1998 | 225/75R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1999–2000 | 245/75R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2001–2002 | 265/70R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2003 | 265/75R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2004–2006 | 245/75R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2007–2008 | 245/70R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2009–2010 | 225/75R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2011–2013 | 235/80R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2014–2016 | 265/70R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2017–2026 | 235/80R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the GMC sierra
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 275/65R18; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches truck segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
Trucks need tires that handle higher curb weight and frequent loaded operation. Look for an LT-rated load index when towing or hauling regularly; passenger-grade load indexes work for unloaded daily driving but lose margin under load. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for GMC sierra
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (90) · Tread / Belt (52) · Sidewall (10) · Spare Tire (6) · Bead (3)
Reported across: 1976 – 2017 (28 years)
What owners described
Tread or belt separation is the most common description, in 16% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 105 reports covering every model year of the GMC Sierra that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread or belt separation | 16% | 13% | 1.2× |
| Sidewall failure | 16% | 15% | 1.1× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 11% | 20% | 0.6× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 8% | 9% | 0.8× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 7% | 6% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 7% | 8% | 0.8× |
Mileage at failure
35 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 20,100 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,500 and 59,989 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about GMC Sierra. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
2014 GMC SIERRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ELECTRICAL PANEL FROZE WHILE DRIVING. *SMD ALSO, THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP, THE HEADLIGHTS DID NOT WORK PROPERLY AND THE ALARM SOMETIMES SOUNDED AFTER THE WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. ALSO, THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM WAS STILL NOT RESOLVED. THERE WAS A HESITATION/LURCH COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION, AND AN ISSUE WITH THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL MALFUNCTIONED ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE DEALER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, ILLUMINATED SPORADICALLY. UPDATED 07/10/14 THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A STEERING ISSUE, AS WELL. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEMS. UPDATED 08/06/14
FIRST INCIDENT -BFGOODRICH MUD TERRAIN KM2 TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE CAUSING DAMAGE TO RUNNING BOARD ON RIGHT FRONT. WAS ON INTERSTATE GOING ABOUT 55 MPH. SECOND INCIDENT- 1 OF ORIGINAL SET OF 4 IS NOW ON BACK AGAIN ON INTERSTATE GOING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH TIRE SEPARATED AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO RIGHT FENDER.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra equipped with Goodyear, Tire Line: Wrangler SRA, Tire Size: 275/55/R30, DOT Number not available: The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the passenger's side front tires experienced blowout. The contact was able to pull over safely and replace the tire. The failure reoccurred and the front driver side tire blowout causing the contact to sideswipe another vehicle and crashing into a building. The airbags deployed but no injury and a police report were filed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH OR SOMETIMES ABOUT 55 MPH VEHICLE STARTED VIBRATING WITHOUT A WARNING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER,AND THEY FOUND OUT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WERE THE TIRES. FIRESTONE WILDERNES HT 235/ 75 R 15. *AK TWO OF THE FOUR TIRES HAVE CRACK LINE AROUND TREAD CAP.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the GMC Sierra →
FAQ
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Last verified 2026-10-07.