ELEVATING YOUR CHEVY TAHOE

Chris Hamilton . December 18, 2023 . Chevrolet

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A Comprehensive Guide to Aftermarket Wheels, Tires, and Basic Upgrades

Welcome to another chapter in our world of truck and SUV customizations. In this issue, we’re diving into the fundamentals of upgrading your 2015 Chevy Tahoe with a new set of aftermarket wheels and tires. Our aim is not just to introduce some new DIY upgrades, but also to give you the knowledge and confidence to select, inspect, and install these upgrades yourself.

Street Trucks typically showcases highly customized upgrades, but this article focuses on some basic upgrades anyone can undertake. By providing insights into choosing, inspecting, and installing aftermarket wheels and tires, we want to challenge enthusiasts to personalize their daily driven vehicles with confidence.

When considering aftermarket wheels on a daily-driven family vehicle, it’s extremely important to maintain the original wheel/tire height and width. To achieve this, we’ve used the powerful tire size calculator from Motortopia.com to match the overall height and width of our new 24-inch wheel-and-tire combo with the factory-installed 22-inch setup.

For our project, we chose the Large Diameter SUV Mesh Wheel 369 from Fittipaldi Wheels. Crafted from A356 aluminum alloy and T6 heat-treated, these wheels offer unparalleled strength without compromising style. The captivating mesh pattern, available in gloss black and mirror coat finishes, promises an eye-catching aesthetic. We paired with these killer looking wheels with Toyo Proxes ST III tires sized 285/35-24, providing both performance and style to complement our Tahoe’s upgrade.

**01.** We’re talking about the basics of upgrading our 2015 Chevy Tahoe with a new set of aftermarket wheels and tires.

**02.** When considering aftermarket wheels for a daily-driven family vehicle, preserving the original wheel/tire dimensions is paramount.

**03.** To ensure compatibility, we employed the tire size calculator from Motortopia.com. This powerful tool facilitated matching the new 24-inch wheel-and-tire combo to the factory-installed 22-inch setup.

**04.** Our choice, the Large Diameter SUV Mesh Wheel 369 from Fittipaldi Wheels, blends A356 aluminum alloy and T6 heat treatment for exceptional strength while exuding captivating style.

**05.** For tires, we chose the Toyo Proxes STIII tires, size 285/35-24. Toyo’s promise is both performance and style, which will be ideal for our daily driven Tahoe’s upgrade.

**06.** With the current wheel-and-tire combo picked and ordered, we headed over to Exclusive Offsets for the mounting and balancing process. Be sure to pick a reputable facility to ensure your wheels and tires are properly mated. You will regret it if they do not balance them correctly or if they scratch you brand new wheels.

**07.** While the mounting and balance process is being handled, we will use a breaker bar to crack the lug nuts loose before jacking up the truck. We do not recommend making your impact gun do all the work here.

**08.** Now that the lug nuts are loosened, we can slide the jack under the frame rail and support it with a jack stand. We only need to do one wheel at a time.

**09.** Now we can use the impact gun to fully remove the lug nuts and pull of the original wheel.

**10.** Before diving into the installation process, it’s vital to inspect the vehicle thoroughly. We recommend checking the original brake pads to ensure they’re in optimal condition for the upgrade. Safety is paramount, and maintaining brake health is non-negotiable, especially with larger wheels.

**11.** When installing the new wheels, proper lug nut selection and tightening are crucial as well. These Fittipaldi wheels will require a set of new acorn-style lug nuts, as the factory ones are incompatible.

**12.** Many of today’s off-the-shelf aftermarket wheels are dual-drilled to fit multiple different lug patterns. These Fittipaldi wheels are no different. They are drilled for both Chevy and Ford 6-lug patterns, so don’t panic if the first one doesn’t fit. Turn the wheel and try the other pattern, which will inevitably work.

**13.** Do not use the impact to start threading on the new lug nuts! Always start them by hand. This will guarantee that the threads are not stripped, which will ruin the studs.

**14.** With all 6-lug nuts started by hand, you can now use the impact gun to fully tighten them. The proper way to bolt the lug nuts on is in a star pattern, not a around in a circle.

**15.** With the lug nuts tight and the center cap installed, we lowered the truck to the ground and removed the jack. This is when you should feel all around the tire and inside the wheelwell to be certain there is no rubbing or touching anywhere.

**16.** With the front wheel complete and clear of any suspension pieces, you can see how the overall size is spot on with the original. Now we can move to the rear.

**17.** Nothing is different with the rear. Remove the original, check the brakes, and install the new wheels using the same process.

**18.** These new Fittipaldi wheels look amazing, and the floating center caps are super cool looking when cruising. Now we have an amazing custom daily-driven SUV that looks different from all the others on the road.

With a killer new set of wheels and tires installed, we’ll delve into enhancing your Tahoe’s stance with a McGaughys Rear 3-inch Reverse-Leveling Suspension Kit in the next issue. This modification allows for an even stance without compromising the factory-installed auto-leveling suspension.