Lift for 33" & 35" tires

[A1971Blazer]

What lift will it take to run 33" tires also 35" without body trimming?
Also will rally wheels from a 86 truck fit without spring rub. I found a set of 15X9 for $200

 

[Greg72]

Lots.... Probably more than you realize or want to have visually.

Is this going to actually go off-road, or is this more of a street-driven truck? For street use, you can get away with a lot less lift. Once you actually go off-road it's amazing how much fender clearance is required, even for a modest 33- 35" tire.

-G

 

[AJs72K5]

General rule of thumb is 4" for 33's and 6" for 35's. But to Greg's point, it really depends a lot on your intended use.

 

[A1971Blazer]

At this point, as solid as it seems to be, I'm looking at a restoration.
So it will be a driver and won't go off road in any kind of serious capacity.
Probably a 33" will give the look I want.

 

[Greg72]

In that case, I'd approach the lift gradually.... starting with of all things, a set of 1" zero-rates. Those will be especially important for the front end. Having the option to push the front axle slightly FORWARD will provide you with desperately needed clearance at the trailing edges of the front fenders. As the springs flatten-out under compression the axle moves up & back into the fenderwell opening and that's where the first interferences are likely to show up. Get the wheels and tires installed, and do some careful flex testing to see how much room you have left over.

A set of 1" body lift aluminum pucks can get you some additional clearance as the next step.... simple to install and saves you from swapping out springs, shackles, etc.

For a modest restoration, that's how I'd approach it if it were me. You can still swap out the crusty body mounts for some OEM rubber ones (for comfort) and then swap out the bushings in the existing leafsprings for greaseable versions. That will really help you to improve the ride quality..... the rotten, frozen stock rubber ones really keep the springs from doing their job.


-G

 

[shady]

you could do 33's easily with the zero rates and 1" body pucks I have a 3" lift and a very shallow backspacing on my 10" wide rims (3.75") and I don't hit anything unless I really stuff it. then its lightly and I still cant see where or any tire damage. there is a 1" lip from the fender behind your wheel and low. usually holds dirt, after cleaning it you can put a block of wood against it and beat it up flat against the wheel well and gain a LOT of clearance with out being visible outside the truck

 

[flynhawaiian]

It if you get the chance try out some different back spacing for the wheels. I ran a 4" lift with 35" tires without rubbing with 4.5" back spacing, but when I switched to 3.5" back spacing they rubbed when I turned going in and out of driveways. This was with street driving. Also should mention this was with 35x12.5x16.5 old style bfg mud terrain tires on 10 inch wide wheels.

 

[mac907]

On my 71' Jimmy I'm running 33"x12.5"x16.5" tires stock without any rub for street driving. I plan on a similar restoration project for a street-driven/mild offroad setup and will be doing the mods Greg suggested:

1" zero rate add-a-leafs from ORD
1" aluminum puck body lift from ORD
greasable spring bushing from ORD
stock replacement body bushings

 

[Metrodps]

Seems like this is the topic of the month. I am lifting the Dante's Peak Suburban too. To run the 33x12.50 R15 LT tires it seems like the 1" zero rates from ORD and a 3" Tuff Country ez-ride rear springs are the RX. This is what every one is telling me and being a noob on lifts I have to go along.

Mine wont be before May but keep an eye on the build thread to see how it works out on the lift.