I'm going to be putting a 4inch lift on my truck and can't decide on what size wheel and tires to run. What do you guys think? I am still running stock axles/gears and motor is stock except for the headers on order.
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
33's or 35's
- Thread starter 91 Jimmy
- Start date
jones
1/2 ton status
save yorself the money on the lift.You can fit 35's with no lift and maybe slight trimming.Good enough for street driving.Unless of course you'll be flexing it out on the rocks/trails.Then you'll need lift.
Typically,4"/33's,6"/35's.But you'll find alot of guys on here runny little lift w/ alot of meat.Requires alot of trimming,so decide your ultimate goals for your K5 and go from there.
Typically,4"/33's,6"/35's.But you'll find alot of guys on here runny little lift w/ alot of meat.Requires alot of trimming,so decide your ultimate goals for your K5 and go from there.
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
personal taste really. Currently i have the stock military suspension and 33x12.50R15 Goodyear MT/Rs. I have absolutely no rubbing, but also dont wheel very hard. mostly just back woods trails, and mud holes, no rocks, no flexing, etc. etc. The setup works very well, and i have absolutely no need to change it.
My situation is my front springs are worn out, as in bent the wrong way worn out, and im using it as an excuse to get a 4in lift kit. I had debated going with 35's, but will probably go with 37's on H1 beadlock rims and if i need to, some light fender trimming.
So again, its a question of want vs. need. IMHO you can throw 33's on there right now, and have a very flexible platform that will do in regular daily driving, and very well on the trails. If youre doing much more than that, then the lift and 35's are a pretty standard upgraded setup. they go very well together both functionally and asthetically.
then there is the issue of cost. IIRC, 33's are the largest "inexpensive" tire. prices jump substansially once you get to the 35in tire size. Which is a major reason ill be looking to go with the 37in tires. Lightly used surplus military Goodyear OZ's are about $100 apiece, 35in Goodyear MT/R's are nearly twice the price on tirerack.com $197.00 apiece...... EDIT: actually i lied, the 33x12.50R15 Goodyear MT/R's are only a few dollars less expensive than the 35's. $193.00.
So as i said, the pretty standard upgrade to a K5 is a 4in lift and 35 in tires. With the cost of 35's only being $16.00 more than 33's, i say go for it.
My situation is my front springs are worn out, as in bent the wrong way worn out, and im using it as an excuse to get a 4in lift kit. I had debated going with 35's, but will probably go with 37's on H1 beadlock rims and if i need to, some light fender trimming.
So again, its a question of want vs. need. IMHO you can throw 33's on there right now, and have a very flexible platform that will do in regular daily driving, and very well on the trails. If youre doing much more than that, then the lift and 35's are a pretty standard upgraded setup. they go very well together both functionally and asthetically.
then there is the issue of cost. IIRC, 33's are the largest "inexpensive" tire. prices jump substansially once you get to the 35in tire size. Which is a major reason ill be looking to go with the 37in tires. Lightly used surplus military Goodyear OZ's are about $100 apiece, 35in Goodyear MT/R's are nearly twice the price on tirerack.com $197.00 apiece...... EDIT: actually i lied, the 33x12.50R15 Goodyear MT/R's are only a few dollars less expensive than the 35's. $193.00.
So as i said, the pretty standard upgrade to a K5 is a 4in lift and 35 in tires. With the cost of 35's only being $16.00 more than 33's, i say go for it.
dfl701
1/2 ton status
I say 35s because if your like most you will get 33s and wish you had gone bigger
I had 4" on my '90 Suburban and put 35's on it and it rubbed when turning into driveways. I went back to 33's. I was running them on 8" wheels. This is on 33's
and this is on 35's
and this is on 35's
Your overdrive tranny won't be happy either. I regeared from 3.73 to 4.10 when I switched to 3/4 ton running gear and was back to stock with 33's, but with 35's it kept kicking out of overdrive.
you live in Ionia? I'm just down the road in clarksville.
So the regear is worth the money then? I pretty much just use the truck for the sand dunes, some two tracks, could I get away without regearing or would the 35's just be stealing all my power with the lower gear ratio?
What gears do you have now? If you have 3.73 then you might be happy on 33's, but not 35's. If you have 3.08 or 3.42 then you should re-gear IMHO.
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
Good advice, Im getting away with 33's and 3.08 gears, but ive got the TH400, and its starting to act like it needs a rebuild. To me it drives just fine, like i would expect a 5200lbs truck to drive. its no dragster, but it gets around just fine, and i love the highway mileage. although if i had an overdrive, i would most likely put 4.10's or 4.56's in there depending on tire size.
jonathon
1/2 ton status
Those are 315/75R16s.. the "metric" 35x12.5.
No rub here. I'm running 3.73's so no OD for me till I get 4.56's. It gets around pretty decent, but I attribute that to the fact the TBI 5.7 being fairly torquey. Averaging 11mpg with corrected miles.. I figure 4.56's and I'll be back to 12-13 easily, and have balls again around town.
I've got a 4" Lift and am not running a sway bar. I do need new schocks up front too..
I think I have 3.73 gears. I looked up the code in my glovebox, GT4, and it said 3.73, but my truck is a 91 and that code page was for later trucks.
I just looked up more on that code and it says
"GT4 : AXLE REAR, 3.73 RATIO (DUP WITH 5 X 1)"
What does the DUP with 5 x 1 mean?
jones
1/2 ton status
I'm even closer than you thought.I'm in Saranac,just barely across the highway. Here's my direct e-mail so we're not polluting this guys thread.Jerry
[email protected] (zero after the z)
jonathon
1/2 ton status
I'm pretty sure mine is GT4 as well... I think that is for the 88 on up trucks.
andyblack
Registered Loser
I started out with the stock 2-leaf packs (that were sagging and totally shot) with 33s and they fit no problem. Then I put on some 35x12.50s and there was no way I could turn at all with out the fenders getting all in the mix, so I cut the fenders back and I could drive on the street, unless I hit a bump, then the tires would rub. Next I put on some 4" springs. The 35s would have done okay with no fender trimming I think, but they would have definately rubbed off road. In fact, I ended up doing more trimming and adding longer bumpstops to keep the tires off the metal. When the manufacturers reccomend 33s with a 4" lift, they're assuming that you're not going to trim your fenders at all. That being said, the 35s seem to be able to go more places easier than the 33s could. I have 4.10s (I think) and the speedo is exactly right. The OD will kick on and off sometimes on big hills on the highway.
I say go with the 35s. You want to have some fun, right?
I say go with the 35s. You want to have some fun, right?
