The Biggest Tires You Can Put On A Stock Chevy Coloroda WITHOUT A Lift

If you want large tires on your Chevy Colorado without lifting it, you need to choose the right options to prevent rubbing, but which tire sizes will fit?

What are the biggest tires you can put on a stock Chevy Colorado?

The biggest tires you can fit on a Chevy Colorado without lifting it are 255/65/17, 255/55/20, 265/60/18, and 265/65/17, which equates to 30.1 and 30.6-inch tires. Installing tires that are bigger than this on a Chevy Colorado without any modifications will result in tire rubbing.

After extensively researching Chevy automotive forums, I have been able to gather enough information to determine the largest tire size that you can fit on a Colorado. My research has indicated that you should not exceed the recommended tire size for a stock Colordao – otherwise you run the risk of tire rubbing.

Biggest Tires You Can Fit on a Stock Chevy Colorado

The Chevy Colorado is built like a tank, but if you want to up your off-road game or enhance your vehicle’s aesthetic, you need to throw some bigger tires on your truck.

One of the biggest issues with this is that you can only push your tire size so far without a leveling kit or a lift kit. 

Drivers that bite off more than they can chew and equip their Chevy Colorado with larger tires than the vehicle can handle end up running into problems.

With that said, choosing the right tire size for your truck is going to be necessary if you want your vehicle to perform optimally. These are the largest tires that you can fit on a stock Chevy Colorado:

• 255/65/17
• 255/55/20
• 265/60/18
• 265/65/17

Installing any of these tires on your Chevy Colorado is going to give you better clearance and you can expand your capabilities when wanting to tackle rough and rugged terrains when off-roading. 

However, one of the biggest selling points of getting bigger tires is that the truck simply looks cooler. The increased height of the Chevy Colorado creates a desirable aesthetic that a lot of people simply can’t resist and you get better visibility when driving. 

So, whether you are looking to increase your tire size so that you can elevate your off-road capabilities or just make your truck look cooler than it already does, the absolute largest tire that you can fit on your Chevy Colorado without lifting it is the 265/65/17. 

The above-mentioned tire sizes can be measured between 30.1 inches and 30.6 inches. If you decide to take your Chevy Colorado’s tire size any further than this, then you may experience tire rubbing.

What Are the Risks of Installing Tires That Are Too Big?

Some people are set on increasing the tire size of their Chevy Colorado past what the stock version can handle. This requires you to commit to lifting the suspension of the truck anywhere from 1 to 6 inches (or more) to fit a larger tire size. 

While this is certainly an approach you can take with your Chevy Colorado, it is not always ideal for every vehicle owner. Lifting a truck comes with certain drawbacks – primarily losing towing capacity. 

If you value hauling heavy payloads, lift kits are not going to be suitable for your Chevy Colorado. That is why the best course of action is to simply find the largest tire size for your truck and make an installation.

Unfortunately, a lot of drivers find out the hard way what the risks are of installing tires that are too big. The most common issue that you will encounter with incompatibly large tire sizes is tire rubbing.

What is Tire Rubbing?

Tire rubbing is when the vehicle makes contact with the tire while it is in motion. The majority of the time that this occurs it is due to tires being too large for the design of the vehicle. 

This issue becomes much more apparent when you drive on adverse terrain with any kind of bumps, which is why choosing the right tire size for an off-road vehicle like the Chevy Colorado is particularly important.

Driving a car with tires that rub can result in the tire blowing out. When this happens, the tire blowing out is the least of your problems. If the vehicle is in motion, the chances of you getting into an accident are much higher. 

Biggest Tires You Can Fit on a Chevy Colorado With a 2-3 Inch Lift

While stock tire installations are often enough to get most drivers through off-road conditions, this is not the case for every Chevy Colorado owner. Some people find that even the largest stock tires available simply don’t do the job when it comes to hitting intermediate and advanced off-road terrain. 

However, there are also plenty of people out there that are simply unsatisfied with the height increase that stock tires offer. If you want to maximize the height of your Chevy Colorado to achieve that classic lifted truck look, doing so without any modifications may not be realistic. 

With that said, a lot of people that want to raise the suspension of their trucks, do not want to commit to a huge 6 to 8-inch lift. 

For most people, 2 to 3 inches is plenty for the size that they want, which will allow you to fit the following tire sizes onto your Chevy Colorado:

• 265/65/17
• 265/70/17
• 265/75/16
• 255/75/17
• 275/70/17
• 285/70/17

The reason why you do not want to push the tire size further with a 2 to 3-inch lift is that you may have issues fitting them into the current build of your Chevy Colorado. 

If you want bigger tires than this, then you will need to commit to some additional vehicle modifications such as fender trimming and increasing the backspacing of the rim.

While these may be essential mods for some extreme off-road vehicles, I’ve found that most Chevy Colorado owners get by just fine with a minimal 2 to 3-inch lift from a leveling kit. 

Lift Kit vs Leveling Kit 

One of the most difficult decisions for a lot of truck owners who want to raise the height of their vehicle is choosing between a lift kit and a leveling kit. Both of these mods will allow you to raise your truck, but the big question is how much clearance you actually need. 

In my experience, I have found that unless you are a hardcore off-roader and mudslinger, opting for a lift kit is usually not necessary. 

By installing a leveling kit instead, you are able to get anywhere from 1 to 3-inches of additional clearance which is plenty for most Chevy Colorado owners. 

On the other hand, if you want to achieve as much clearance as possible, then you should probably consider going for the lift kit, as this is going to give you more flexibility and range. 

How Much Does a Leveling Kit Cost?

If you want to increase the height of your Chevy Colorado without spending a bunch of money or going overboard with the height, the most straightforward and affordable approach is to go with a leveling kit. 

You can find solid options for leveling kits that are anywhere from $75 to $150. If you are handy with tools and comfortable with automotive mechanics, you can install your lift kit for free and save yourself a ton of money by avoiding repair shop costs. 

However, if you are like most people and need to rely on professional help, you can expect labor alone to cost anywhere from $200 to $400 – depending on the shop that you go to. If you are not well-versed in mechanics, I would highly recommend that you seek professional help for the installation. 

Key Takeaways 

• The biggest tires that you can fit on a Chevy Colorado without lifting it are 255/65/17, 255/55/20, 265/60/18, and 265/65/17.
• If you install tires on your Chevy Colorado that are too big, you run the risk of the tires rubbing against the vehicle.
• The biggest tires that you can fit on a Chevy Colorado with a 2 to 3-inch lift are 265/65/17, 265/70/17, 265/75/16, 255/75/17, 275/70/17, and 285/70/17.