Lift / Tire Opinion Wanted (1 Viewer)

[Box Rocket]

Because they are awesome.



Because I am 6'8". I like things to be bigger. The world is full of crap that is too small. Heck, 35s are small. Let's do 37s.

Haha. ^This. You’ve got a full foot on me. I’m only 5’8” but I’m closer to 50 than I am 40 and can still make the small leap into the truck.
I still don’t see any reason to do 33’s over 35’s. Tcase gears are a pretty simple mod and would restore any loss in acceleration if you can feel it.

 

[Natev22]

Because they are awesome.



Because I am 6'8". I like things to be bigger. The world is full of crap that is too small. Heck, 35s are small. Let's do 37s.

Hmmm my 60 has 33s. Maybe I'll turn the 60 into the DD and go straight to 37s on the 80.

 

[Cruzerman]

Because they look cool. I'll be the first to admit that. I mean come on.

That at least is an honest answer. Tired of hearing BS answers as to why they need to drive a built up 4WD and never go offroad. I see tons of built Jeeps everyday that also don't leave the pavement. Makes no sense to me, but to each his own.

 

[Natev22]

I didn't say it won't see the trails. But in all honesty, I would very rarely if ever take a route that 35s could handle but 33s couldn't. Especially with lockers. In my case, the jump from 33s to 35s would be 90% aesthetics. Just like 90% of the rest of us.

 

[jfz80]

Got those with 315s and no swing out, how do you handle carrying a spare?

Hmmm my 60 has 33s. Maybe I'll turn the 60 into the DD and go straight to 37s on the 80.

I didn't say it won't see the trails. But in all honesty, I would very rarely if ever take a route that 35s could handle but 33s couldn't. Especially with lockers. In my case, the jump from 33s to 35s would be 90% aesthetics. Just like 90% of the rest of us.

man, I Haven’t wheeled in Crozet in years. Since my taco days.

interco Q78 fits in spare location. Or 255 as well which is another size to consider.

I say do it .
plus that turbo will make the 35s feel like 31s right @NLXTACY ?

I DD’d my 80 for a decade on 35’s and 37s but have had the supercharger (stock gears)and similar altitude to you to help. The 35s are definitely more comfy to drive than 37s and I imagine the SC helps that a good bit. Is this your only DD or do you have another option? Just my opinion if you are going to lift it go for 315’s. It’s only 34.6 after all and the wheel wells are huge on these trucks.

 

[Natev22]

man, I Haven’t wheeled in Crozet in years. Since my taco days.

interco Q78 fits in spare location. Or 255 as well which is another size to consider.

I say do it .
plus that turbo will make the 35s feel like 31s right @NLXTACY ?

I DD’d my 80 for a decade on 35’s and 37s but have had the supercharger (stock gears)and similar altitude to you to help. The 35s are definitely more comfy to drive than 37s and I imagine the SC helps that a good bit. Is this your only DD or do you have another option? Just my opinion if you are going to lift it go for 315’s. It’s only 34.6 after all and the wheel wells are huge on these trucks.

Yep, this and my 60 are all I have. And my bike. (Pedals not motor). Oh and my wife's Wrangler.

I decided to go cheap and tame for now. No lift and 285s. I just ordered them today and they are being delivered tomorrow. At $120 a tire, I'll have some cash left over to sort out some other Gremlins with this newly acquired 80. I think by the time I need new tires, I'll have everything sorted out and a good baseline of maintenance. A second baby coming in April, so this thing needs to confidently get my wife to the hospital. Boring... I know. But I guess it's the grown up thing to do. Patience, right???

 

[jfz80]

Gah. Who let logic and reason into the equation ?!?

kidding. A solid choice and baseline first is always a smart move. They look great with no lift and work with a lift as well. That was my first tire purchase coupled with an OME j lift.

congrats and good luck with the new addition(s)

 

[Natev22]

Haha I was able to "logically" get rid of a perfectly good 2012 Subaru outback to make room for this 1997 80 with 255k. This morning I slapped myself and ordered the 285s.

 

[Bludozer]

I don't understand the aversion to 35's on a daily driver. 35's fit just fine with the same setups to fit 33's. In all actuality there is very little difference in how the truck drives. I've been daily driving my 80s for the past 20 years and they've been on 35's (or larger) nearly the entire time. I bought my last 80 with 2.5" lift and 35's and it was never on anything smaller, and it was on stock gears. It was actually my wife's daily driver for more than a decade and she still says it was her favorite car to drive. My current 80 had 33's when I bought it and I drove it that way for a few weeks until I got a new set of 35's. Felt hardly any difference in driveability after putting the 35's on. Even with stock gears. But if it bothers you, either regearing the diffs or the tcase will bring back a bit of pep for road driving. I also saw almost no change in fuel economy. It's never good, I've always been in the 12-15mpg range no matter what the setup. I still get 14mpg on 37's which is as good or better than many on 33's. I honestly see no real benefit to 33's over 35's if you're going with a larger tire.

Back to the OP's original question, I think it's been answered pretty well. Spacers will work but are not an ideal long-term setup. I've had lift heights from 2.5" up to 6" (and pretty much everything in between) over the years and from all the different lift heights I've had I believe that 3" of lift is the sweet spot for 80s. Taller heights, introduce additional issues to address, like more caster needed, double cardan driveshafts are often needed, different control arms if you want the wheels centered in the wheel arches. That's not to mention the driving characteristics get worse the taller you go. 3" lifts will allow for up 37" tires with minimal effort and gets the chassis up and away from the ground to an acceptable amount. Taller lifts will keep you from dragging the undercarriage on big rocks as much but personally I prefer the better driving characteristics of the shorter lift and put up with occasionally dragging on big rocks. A good skidplate and sliders and it really isn't much of an issue. Shorter than 3" isn't bad either but with 35's and larger tires there's the potential of more tire rubbing offroad depending on wheel/tire setup. So from my experience I've had the best performance with the fewest drawbacks with a 3" lift. Lots of suspension options to get you the 3" depending on your budget and what level of performance you find acceptable.

Here's a few images for reference of my 2 80s. First one is my last 80 with 2" lift and 35's
View attachment 2176744

Current cruiser with 2.5" lift and 33's
View attachment 2176745

current truck with 6" lift and 35's
View attachment 2176743

Then back down to 3" lift and 35's
View attachment 2176748

Currently 3" lift and 37's
View attachment 2176749

>3" lifts will allow for up 37" tires with minimal effort

Didn't you move your axle forward and do some serious trimming? In your opinion, what is "required" for running 37s on a 3" lift?

 

[Box Rocket]

>3" lifts will allow for up 37" tires with minimal effort

Didn't you move your axle forward and do some serious trimming? In your opinion, what is "required" for running 37s on a 3" lift?

Yes I moved the axle forward on my truck which was actually a pretty simple task. Not a requirement for 37’s. Not moving the axle would just mean a little more trimming at the firewall side of the fender. Also very dependent on the wheel/tire specs. My 37’s are wide and I’m running wheels spacers. With stock wheels and narrower 37’s trimming would be minimal IMO. In fact, most of the trimming I had to do was at the front of the wheel well because of moving the axle forward. I still think moving the axle is a good idea (or use aftermarket radius arms that are longer). But the fact that I’m still running factory flares should say a bit about how minor the trimming was that I needed.