35's and Lifts

[K5-Kowboy]

35\'s and Lifts

Hey all - thanks for all the great feedback. This is the BEST resource on the web!!! My question this time is....I eventually want to go to 35's on my rig (currently running 32's with no lift). What is the minimum amount of lift that you all would recommend, and would you recommend suspension or body? I do a little bit of all kinds of off roading. I'm currently in VA so I do some good mudding here, but I'm originally from NW New Mexico and grew up rock crawling Choke Cherry and like to go back and do that when I'm home. So, what I guess I'm looking for is the happy medium. Thanks in advance for the help.

<font color=blue> K-5 Kowboy </font color=blue>

Up and Down and All Around..........

 

[KILLERK5]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

I have 35's with a four inch suspension lift now. It works fine on pavement I dont get any fender rubbing at all, but im going to have to lift er' up more or trim the fenders before I go off-roading again or i wont have any fenders left at all.

 

[Jason73K5]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

4" works good for 35x12.5's.

 

[tRustyK5]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

4" and a bit of fender massage works good with 35's. That would be your minimum lift, a lot of people go with a 6" lift for 35's just for the fender trimming issue.

Rene

 

[MudFrog]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

I'm going to add a 5.5 BDS Suspension to clear the 35".

Where bouts in Virginia are you? I live in Roanoke, it's South Western Virginia.

89 K5 Silverado
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://mudfrog.coloradok5.com>http://mudfrog.coloradok5.com</A>

 

[6.2Blazer]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

I'm really happy with my 4" lift and 35" tire combo. The 4" lift requires less modifications than a 6" lift would and keeps the center of gravity down. You will probably need to trim the front fenders to prevent rubbing when fourwheeling, but it usually doesn't take much.

 

[kpanza]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

I ran 35" BFGs with my 4" lift for years, it was fine for most street and dirt roads, but once you start slow crawling, it hits the fenders regularly. I trimmed my fenders front and back, that helped, but with the ORD swaybar disconnect off, I still hit the fenders badly on turns under flex. It also depends on what 35" tire you get, cause the BFG "35" is really only 34" when you measure it! Another thing to do is avoid the "Big, wide wheel complex" and stay with a 7 or 8" wheel with good backspacing, this will keep the tire tucked inside the fender when turning and help to avoid hitting the outside of the fender well (which is the closest). I just completed a 6" lift, and am wheeling it this weekend in Big Bear, so I will let you know about performance when I get back! Also, from a purely cosmetic standpoint, the 6" JUST LOOKS BETTER!!

 

[K5-Kowboy]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

Seems everyone is in agreement that 4" with fender trimming is the way to go. OK...so how difficult is it it do the "fender trimming"? Is that something I should have a body shop do? I'm a pretty damn good shadetree mechanic, but am by no shape, form, or fashion, a body man.

<font color=blue> K-5 Kowboy </font color=blue>

Go Through It or Go Over It....Going around is NOT an option.

 

[militaryblazer]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

With My 4" Lift, 33" Tires and Swaybar disconnect, the front tires trimmed the fenders for me! They crushed them in pretty good! Haven't fixed them yet either!

'86 Military Blazer <font color=green><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/m1009_86>http://www.geocities.com/m1009_86</A></font color=green>

 

[Kyle89K5]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

There's an article in the tech section on fender trimming <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.coloradok5.com/fendertrim.shtml>http://www.coloradok5.com/fendertrim.shtml</A>. A sawzall and a cutoff wheel will do a nice job. Just take your time and do a little at a time. After a while, you'll find you may be adicted to the sawzall though.

Kyle
89K5

 

[Boss]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

Yeah, I run 1" body and 4" susp with 35"s. I had to trim the fenders. Trimming them is easy. You may not want to do it, but when you rub your tires on the the fenders hard and hear that awful sound, you'll want to hack them off right away. Atleast that's how I felt. Anyways, get a Sawzall and go to town. Make sure you buy the right blades for cutting sheetmetal. Measure how much you want off and and draw the line. Then follow the line with your saw. Done. You can check out my site to see how I did it. Go to the "Mods" section and you'll see it. Good luck
Boss
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boss.coloradok5.com>http://www.boss.coloradok5.com</A>

 

[Emmettology 101]

Re: 35\'s and Lifts

A sawzall is the easiest way to go, but if you want to keep the factory look, you will need to do body work..

But I agree with the rest, a 4" will work good with 35's!

Mike

See <font color=green>EMMETT</font color=green> -&gt; <A target="_blank" HREF=http://emmett.coloradok5.com>http://emmett.coloradok5.com</A>