More Space for the 33s? (1 Viewer)

[Tim Collier]

Hello! I am finally out of my Previous (Italian) Owner's questionable alloy wheels. The steel 16 inch rims from Cruiserworld.eu (Goss from France) have arrived, and my mail ordered BFG AT KO3 have arrived, and been grudgingly fitted by a German tire technician who clearly thought that I was out of my mind to deviate even the slightest from Technischer Uberwachungsverein (German arbitrator of all automotive standards and granter or legality for any modification). Per the discussions on many tire forums, the BFGs are quiet and smooth- can't wait to get off pavement! Also, thanks for all the Mudders out there who have fitted a wide variety of sized tires, and displayed pics of their trucks. I went with 285/75/R16, and they do fill out the fenders. Questions now are:
- Given the 33s, with a bone stock suspension, how much terrain will it take to run those tires into the finders? the front looks especially tight...
- Seeking a bit more room in the wheel wells to address the previous question, any recommendations on spacers and shocks? (I'm still running, as far as I can tell, the factory shocks at 324,000KMs)
- Thanks to my German tire mounting buddy, the balance weights are on the outside. Any suggestions on painting them black to match?
- Since I lack a spare carrier, and I have a weird European trailer hitch that cramps even the factory spare, any suggestions on flat tire repair kits or gear? Note- I ran Land Cruisers in Eastern Kenya for six months with BFG AT's and didn't have a flat, so pretty sure Germany isn't going to be a huge tire risk- but you never know!
Thanks again to any and all who reply! Pleased to help anyone with European Land Cruisers...

 

[Izeloz]

I am running BFG A/T KO2's in a 33"X10.5" flavor and I have a 1" body lift. No rubbing anywhere. A small body lift might be all you need (if it's legal in your jurisdiction).

 

[Broski]

You should not have any issues running that tire off road.
ARB makes a good tire repair kit

 

[cahill]

I've run 33's for years on stock suspension and never had any rubbing or needed additional lift for the tires. As far as the spare you could pick up a used rear tire lift crank and change out the hitch to a style that has space for the spare. I have a hitch on mine and it fits the 33 just fine. You could also ditch the hitch if you don't need to tow. I have had 1 flat over the last 10 years and it was on pavement from a piece of metal debri (looked like a tire weight) so getting a flat can happen even if it is rare. That being said, you will likely be close enough to a tire shop if you don't have a spare to get towed and have the flat fixed if needed too.

 

[greentruck]

No problem running 33s on a stock height suspension.

Doubt the shocks are original, but the OEM Tokicos available through Toyota work pretty well. They are due for replacement no doubt and the Tokicos are hard to beat on price and are tuned for the truck.

The coil springs are quite likely original and thus very tired. Both OME and Dobinsons make stock height replacement coils. I'm happy with the OMEs I'm running. Stock height coils don't need caster correction or other things that lifting could bring on. The result will be a much better ride and more satisfying suspension performance. Sticking to stock height will also avoid the troublesome issues with modification that German law sometimes causes, while you will gain some handling performance at relatively low cost.

 

[Heckraiser]

As others have said, you should be fine running that size tire in all conditions. However, if you would like to lift the front up a little bit for aesthetic reasons, a spacer would work just fine. There are several manufacturers of spacers, but Old Man Emu seems to be a good one. Not a terribly complicated component, so whatever brand you can get your hands on is probably just fine.

The stock Tokico shocks are good quality and cheap. I would throw in another set of those. They will work fine with a 30mm spacer.

I'd be curious to see detailed photos of your trailer hitch. A 33" tire fits with most any trailer hitch available in North America, and there are several styles available.

 

[Pascoscout]

33's fit fine with stock wheels (or wheels that have the same dimensions as stock) and no lift. If you run wider wheels or wheels with backspacing that push the tires out you could rub the fenders. If you encounter that a 1" body lift would probably fix it.

 

[Tim Collier]

I've run 33's for years on stock suspension and never had any rubbing or needed additional lift for the tires. As far as the spare you could pick up a used rear tire lift crank and change out the hitch to a style that has space for the spare. I have a hitch on mine and it fits the 33 just fine. You could also ditch the hitch if you don't need to tow. I have had 1 flat over the last 10 years and it was on pavement from a piece of metal debri (looked like a tire weight) so getting a flat can happen even if it is rare. That being said, you will likely be close enough to a tire shop if you don't have a spare to get towed and have the flat fixed if needed too.

Good to know! I have the original factory spare slung underneath, which would get me slowly to a tire shop. Thanks for your insights.

 

[Tim Collier]

I am running BFG A/T KO2's in a 33"X10.5" flavor and I have a 1" body lift. No rubbing anywhere. A small body lift might be all you need (if it's legal in your jurisdiction).

the good thing is that my registration is US forces-no TUV for us! that being said, finding a shop to do a body lift will be tricky here in Germany

 

[retrofive]

the good thing is that my registration is US forces-no TUV for us! that being said, finding a shop to do a body lift will be tricky here in Germany

Does it have to be done by a shop? Generally speaking its not too difficult to do yourself with some jacks and basic tools.