Skool me CK5

[fireplug]

Ok guys, I need your experience here.

Here's the deal '89 Suburban 4" lift, tired 350TBI/700/241, 10b/14bff/3.73. I've all but put my money on the table for 37" Trxus tires. Before I do, tell me if you think I'm doing the wrong thing, and should stick with 35's. Here are my thoughts;

I know that I have to regear but I've got 33's now and already want to regear so I don't consider that an added expense.

I know the 10bolt is a weak link but my wheeling is mostly mud so I'm hoping to limp it along until I can afford a d60.

I really like the idea of avoiding a 6" lift. It is a daily driver in a big crowded city, I like the idea of a lower cog, and I want to avoid driveline issues.

I'm not too worried about the trimming as I have rust to remove anyway. I've looked closely at the trimming others have done for 35's and figure I only need to take away another couple of inches. I am concerned with how I will fill in the gap between the inners and outers but I'm sure I'll come up with something. Am I underestimating how easy it will be to stuff those meats under my truck?

So what do you think? Am I risking too much trouble and money for a couple of extra inches? I really value the vast experience that is compiled here at CK5.

 

[yunit]

I would rather see you buy a D60 & 14bolt with a detroit and 4.56's ($1500 value), then spend the money on regearing ($400 in gears, $200 in install kits, $200 carriers, $450 for a detroit, and $200-500 for gear install). Sell the 10bolt and 14bolt to help cover the cost of the new axles, trust me, in the end you will be a lot happier.

 

[k5freak44]

dont worry about it.

ive been running 36x13.5x15 iroks on 2 10 bolts and all ive broken is a front drive shaft. I do mosty mud and some trails, and my drivetrain has held up fine. I know yours is a suburban and may weigh a little more but i dont thik it is worth all the time, money and effort.

regearing is also one of your concerns i see.
my iroks have been twirling around on 3.08s amd all tho it is really sluggish, i havent broken anything, front or rear.

3/4 ton IMO is fine for 37s unless you plan to go bigger in the future. and for only mud, you have nothing to worry about.

and with 37s you will end up trimming anyway, so 2 more inches of lift isint nessicary

 

[fireplug]

Oh yeah, I DO have a Detroit in the 14bff. Thanks for the input so far.

 

[mikey_d05]

I'm with yunit on the axle situation. muddog on this board parts out military trucks with the 60/14 combo. Great guy to deal with and will help you with anything you need. They all come with 4.56's and the 14 bolt has a detroit. I got my 60 with Dana's limited slip (FWIW anyways) They cost but they were in mint condition.

As for fitting the tires. I don't think you'll have any problem if you're willing to do a little modification. Fender trimming is a must, as is moving the front axle forward an inch or two. There's someone on this board running a K5 with a 4"/37" combo, can't remember the username though, hopefully he'll post up.

You can cover the gap between the inner and outer fender by leaving extra material on the inner when you cut and pounding it into shape. Body shops can roll you an edge too, or you can just redneck fab something. It shouldn't be hard. My truck is so rusty that I just left it, it'll need a new body in a couple of years either way.

 

[jekbrown]

the question I have is, "how are you going to use your rig?". If you want to drive on the street daily and on a firebreak once or twice a summer, stick with the 10 bolt up front, it'll be fine. If this thing is going to evolve into a wheeling beast and possibly run larger tires (37 and up)... save yourself a lot of $ and headaches and get a D60.

j

 

[4trolls]

I have a 78 suburban with 14bff with lockrite and front d44 open , I run 39.5 irocks ,I do rocks and mud and have broken nothing. 4wheeling is about running stuff over basicly, bigger tires means you can run more stuff over which means more fun I say go for the tires,and dont "fix" anything until you break it

 

[fireplug]

Thanks for the opinions! Time is running out the buy is going down tomorrow! I'm pretty confident about the 10bolt, as my four wheeling for now is limited to very wet and muddy trail runs. By the time I start getting into tougher stuff I'll probably have a my running gear and a D60 under a Blazer. I guess I'm more worried about running around with hacked fender trimming and clearance issues. Thanks again for the input.

 

[OffRoad]

i think the gist of this thread is that if you're going to worry about anything worry about the axles. the fenders will work themselves out. i would definatly go with the 4" lift if i were you.

 

[fireplug]

Thanks for the opinions and thanks mikey_d05 for the axle info. I'll definitely be looking into this.

Well I went ahead and threw the dough on the table, so there sits four 37" Trxus MT's under the burb tonight. I know for a lot of you 37" s are nothing, but wow, to me that thar's a lot of rubber!

No pics yet but I definitely have some trimming to do. Wow what a HUGE difference I can't believe how much quieter these tires are then my old Cooper STT's. I could actually have a conversation at highway speeds! And the ride is 100% smoother than before too. I just hope with such good road manners that they are half decent in the mud. Acceleration with the 3.73's is surprisingly decent, I expected much worse.

Thanks again.

 

[jekbrown]

Well I went ahead and threw the dough on the table, so there sits four 37" Trxus MT's under the burb tonight. I know for a lot of you 37" s are nothing, but wow, to me that thar's a lot of rubber!

glad you got some new tires... whatever you do in your 4x4-owning life, don't worry about what other people have. There will always be some gazillionaire (or guy with 47856478 sponsors) who has more junk on their rig. Dont worry about it. 37s are plenty big to get into trouble.

j