Was going through some photos and these two are interesting. The first is with the spring removed and the axle jacked up to the bump stop. 3" of clearance. The opposite tire is sitting on the drive, a little bit up from normal ride height. The second photo is of the same wheel opening- at least at the top, the rear wasn't bent over yet, same bumpstop, only in this photo, the tire is almost touching the opening. The difference is the opposite tire is at full extension - 14" shocks maxed and J-springs unseated an inch or two. From the first photo I was thinking fitting 42's would be easy. The second shows the 37's barely fitting. Didn't think the articulation would cause that much difference, but it does make sense. That also explains why when I looked at the DS it had more than 3" of clearance, cause it had the axle sitting completely level.
So, I guess the moral is, if you put really long travel shocks on, the added extension can have a negative effect on fitting tires. This would explain somewhat where I've seen others on 37's (like Nay) who have more clearance than I do - 10" shocks vs. 14's.
So, I guess the moral is, if you put really long travel shocks on, the added extension can have a negative effect on fitting tires. This would explain somewhat where I've seen others on 37's (like Nay) who have more clearance than I do - 10" shocks vs. 14's.