fzj said:
a couple other things to keep in mind on tire fittment from my own experiances are, the wheel offset and width, this can be as big a factor as the tire size, and the actual tire size, I have seen 35's that measure 33 inches tall, and 35 that measure 35 inches tall, just some stuff to think about when moving to bigger tires! That being said, I have a couple questions for you over 35 inch tire guys, I'm thinking of going with 37's myself, how much harder are they on the running gear( i.e. braking birfs etc.) I know, kinda depends on what your doing, but I'm just looking for your opinions! with 36's or 37's are you guys running 5.29 gears? oh yah and what the hell do ya do if ya get stuck or brake something in the middle of no where, I've been pretty lucky to date, but just wondering if anyone has any advice!!!!
You are right on in the variances of offsets/tire mfg/etc. I forgot to mention that my tundra wheels are not the same offset as the stock wheels...they are a hair deeper. To accomodate and to stabilize my stance I went with 1" wheel adaptors...so far so good...I do have to torque them down quite a bit...I'll keep an eye on them for wear/fatigue/etc and report back if I have any problems.
Odd thing, when I mounted my 37" tires (measured 37" unmounted), it seemed like they got a bit more squat and went to a 36" tire...most likely due to the extreme weight of our trucks. Check it out here (keep in mind there is some perspective difference in the picture so it looks like more than 1" difference, but it's right at 1"):
As far as hard on running gear. I am by no means an aggressive driver (can't be with such a tall truck...safety first!). That being said I have had no issues with running gear yet. Drive smart, and your truck will last you. If I get bound up offroad when making a sharp turn, I will turn OFF my front lockers. Another thing in my benefit is the lack of HP when wheeling (especially in High Country), thus you don't have the "power" to break anything. Again, there are those that wheel very aggressively and do break things, and there are those that don't wheel as aggressivly and save parts (to each their own). I should also mention that I'm running my truck in 2wd (except when wheeling). My steering feels MUCH better on the road with this setup, I get better (and consistant) gas mileage, and my front bits and pieces don't get turned and worn. As far as braking goes...I swear by Metal Master pads for on-road use (just added some to the wife's tacoma and wooahhh what a difference). I also use valvoling synthetic for my brake fluid. When off-roading I use toyota pads due to being organic and not requiring the "heating up" time that the metal masters do (the hoter they get the better they work...not good for slow crawling
) Good thing these trucks are easy smeazy to change brake pads on! I also run Amsoil in everything, and rebuilt the axles end to end before doing any mods. I also had a front CV driveshaft made.
I run 4.56 gears cuz it puts my gearing back to "stock"...if not just every so slightly overgeared, but for the most part...dead on. (my gps miles match my odo miles). If I lived in the mountains I would definitly go for 4.88 (and 5.29 for a TRAIL dedicated rig). Now all that is opinion, and I'm sure you'll get more due to variances in climate/driving habits/dd use/etc.
Regarding breaking things. I'm waiting on bobby's longfields for the 80 series, in the mean time...i take it easy (relatively speaking). I carry co2, full compliment of tools, full compliment of steel (including threaded rod for my adjustables), ready welder, etc. So I'm fairly set to help myself out of a jam and/or fellow wheeler.
Ok, looks like i've rambled to the extent of Mark Brodis. Who btw, will most likely reply to this post as pure unadulterated poo. He personally runs 35" tires, with 4.11 gears, no advanced timing, lives in Greater Denver area (high altitude, less power), and HATES the WHITE color on rigs...and he personally weighs a gazzillion pounds, so i'm not sure how he even gets that truck out of his driveway
)
laterz,
Kumar
