mild lift for 34X9.50's? (1 Viewer)

[robmobile73]

Working on my BJ73 build. Been looking at various tires and I'm favoring the 34X9.5 super swampers (Amazon product ASIN B006YH2K2O). I'm thinking they will drive and run better with the 3B diesel as compared to the typical 33X12.50. I really don't ever see having the HP to float/blow over the top of bottomless mud with big wide mud tires. I'm thinking it will be better to dig hard and solid on hills, rocks, dirt, and go around the bottomless mud holes.............. I'm wondering about how much lift I'll need to clear the swampers. They are quite narrow so it might not take as much as I expect. I cleared 33X12.5's on my FJ40 with 3" longer shackles back in the day. I lifted my samurai 2" to clear bigger tires using soft rubber rollers as spacers and it quieted and softened the ride substantially. I'm considering slightly longer shackles and perhaps 1.5" of body lfit with some new rubber spacers. I can fabricate all this myself relatively cheap.
Questions- How much lift do I need for 34X9.5's?
How much lift can I get from Shackles before It starts causing me problems?
Do aftermarket lift springs ride smoother/softer/flex more/enough to make it worth the money?
Anyone ever run the 34X9.5 narrow swampers on a 70' series, how did they do?

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Just a minor comment; when you say "...as compared to the typical 33x12.50" do you really mean 12.50? I would have thought the "typical" 33" tire would be a 33x10.50.

 

[robmobile73]

I'm looking for mud tires, not all terrain. In the US 33X10.50 mud tires are uncommon compared to 33X12.50's. Just looking for some info from people who have run narrow 33's/34's with a 70 series and how much lift was needed or not. As well as various options for a small amount of lift.

 

[SHREDwagon]

I'm thinking they will drive and run better with the 3B diesel

Have you even driven it?

 

[LDowney]

I ran the 34x9.5 TSLs on my 70 for several years with nominally 2-3 inches of lift and standard length anti-inversion shackles. I now run 33x10.5 BFG MTs and am much happier with the BFGs. The BFGs balance and wear well, plus have performed well for me on the trail. The Swampers were tough and lasted well, but they would not balance and the side walls got way to stiff (such that it was not viable to air down below 30 psi without risk of popping a bead at very unpleasant time).

My recommendation would be to pass on the Swampers and look at other skinny mud tire options that might not be as tall. Good luck.

 

[FJBen]

Those tires are pretty much awful except for hard wheeling and mud. I had TSLs on my FJ55 and except for toughness, hated them.

I run 255/85r16s which are a “trueish” narrow 33. Yokohama MT G003, smooth on road and excellent traction.

stock shackles and 2.5” lift.

 

[robmobile73]

Have you even driven it?

Yes I have driven it. It pulls and drives similar to all of the other 4cyl NA diesels I've driven but more torque than the hilux NA or Ranger and less torque than the 4bta in the chevy K10 I use to have. I have however never driven or wheeled with tall narrow tires. The only diesels with tires bigger than 31 that I have been off roading in are HMMWV's.

 

[robmobile73]

I ran the 34x9.5 TSLs on my 70 for several years with nominally 2-3 inches of lift and standard length anti-inversion shackles. I now run 33x10.5 BFG MTs and am much happier with the BFGs. The BFGs balance and wear well, plus have performed well for me on the trail. The Swampers were tough and lasted well, but they would not balance and the side walls got way to stiff (such that it was not viable to air down below 30 psi without risk of popping a bead at very unpleasant time).

My recommendation would be to pass on the Swampers and look at other skinny mud tire options that might not be as tall. Good luck.

Thankyou for that information. Exactly what I was looking for. Interesting about the sidewalls. Bias Swampers do have stiff sidewalls. What width rims were you running?

 

[robmobile73]

Those tires are pretty much awful except for hard wheeling and mud. I had TSLs on my FJ55 and except for toughness, hated them.

I run 255/85r16s which are a “trueish” narrow 33. Yokohama MT G003, smooth on road and excellent traction.

stock shackles and 2.5” lift.










View attachment 2200179

Nice rig. Sit's about what I'm looking for. If I'm considering the swampers then perhaps I should think about expensive radial tires as well. I wish I could get Federal Couragias or another inexpensive radial mud tire in the size you have. My BJ73 is sitting on some chrome 15's that look like the same style you have. Not as many tire choices in 15". Thinking about going to the nearby LKQ and getting some 17" steel spare tires/rims off of tacomas or tundras depending on price............ I"m going to replace the bushings in my shackles. I'm probably going to get some 2.5" longer shackles which shoul give me about 1.25" lift. I'm thinking about getting another 1.5" or so with new softer thicker rubber body mounts and bolt them down a little bit looser/softer. That should provide me the "lift solution" needed for 33-34 tires...........................If someone not trying to sell me springs would tell me: "Brand X aftermarket lift springs ride so much better/softer and give you the flex/travel and 2.5" of lift you need than your worn out stock springs" ........Perhaps I'd think about that route. It's just alot more expensive. I had a samurai with lock rites front and rear and 29X10.50 swamper SX's that would go anywhere (except bottomless mud holes) and with all the extra traction I could go slow/steady and not break the vehicle. I'm going for similar off road capability with the 73.

 

[LDowney]

Thankyou for that information. Exactly what I was looking for. Interesting about the sidewalls. Bias Swampers do have stiff sidewalls. What width rims were you running?

Stock Toyota 15" rims that are ~7" wide at bead.

Off topic somewhat ... Tire selection in 15" rims appeared to be going extinct. So to gain better options in tire selection going forward, I bought a set of 16" Toyota steel rims from Onur. Same width rim. I am very happy that I made the change. The rims are very high quality and robust, plus the tire options increased as desired.

Good luck in your search

 

[FJBen]

Nice rig. Sit's about what I'm looking for. If I'm considering the swampers then perhaps I should think about expensive radial tires as well. I wish I could get Federal Couragias or another inexpensive radial mud tire in the size you have. My BJ73 is sitting on some chrome 15's that look like the same style you have. Not as many tire choices in 15". Thinking about going to the nearby LKQ and getting some 17" steel spare tires/rims off of tacomas or tundras depending on price............ I"m going to replace the bushings in my shackles. I'm probably going to get some 2.5" longer shackles which shoul give me about 1.25" lift. I'm thinking about getting another 1.5" or so with new softer thicker rubber body mounts and bolt them down a little bit looser/softer. That should provide me the "lift solution" needed for 33-34 tires...........................If someone not trying to sell me springs would tell me: "Brand X aftermarket lift springs ride so much better/softer and give you the flex/travel and 2.5" of lift you need than your worn out stock springs" ........Perhaps I'd think about that route. It's just alot more expensive. I had a samurai with lock rites front and rear and 29X10.50 swamper SX's that would go anywhere (except bottomless mud holes) and with all the extra traction I could go slow/steady and not break the vehicle. I'm going for similar off road capability with the 73.

I will say I paid less for my Yokohama’s per tire than that amazon link, plus free shipping as well. Off road I think the swampers are great, and I would use them if that were my main usage by far.

As for the lift, they are all pretty much the same in terms of height. Old Man Emu, Ironman amd dobinsons are some of the brands you can get. You may be able to ship EFS here, but agains mostly the same height.

I’m not sure that their is a big enough sample size here for springs available to hear which are better. I can’t tell you what springs I have on mine, no markings that I can see, shocks are an Australian brand that may or may not be original with the lift. Mine rides very well, although My shocks are just about done.
Seems like the 15” are much harder to find, id look at 16s or 17s. 17s have some 34” skinny size. @saltycoconuts has 17s in the Yokohama’s that are around 34”

 

[SHREDwagon]

Yes I have driven it. It pulls and drives similar to all of the other 4cyl NA diesels

Asked the question as the 3B + 34" tire combo won't exactly make for a fun driving experience without a turbo and transfer gears.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

33 x 10.50 BFGs are closer to 32 than 33.

 

[dcruiser666]

Michelin 8.25r16 xzl are supposed to be good on and off road tires. 33x8.25 (I think they measure slightly larger than 33") on a 16" rim. Hard to find new and a little expensive. If you don't care about that they could be a great choice for your dimensional goals here.

Maybe someone has experience with those on a 70 and can comment on performance/longevity.

33 x 10.50 BFGs is probably the obvious choice though. They are tried and true, easy to get, and bfg will probably continue optimizing the designs of all terrains and mud terrains for years to come. Definitely the path of least resistance, in my opinion. I ran these on my NA 3B forever, and other heavy/under-powered vehicles as well. Mine has a 3" suspension lift with anti-inversion shackles, that's all I did to it from stock.

 

[divemedic]

I’ve run 8.25r16 XZLs and 255/85r16 Toyo MTs. The XZLs had balance beads and where fine, it’s a 34x8. The Toyos have some weight and are waaaaay better, they’re 33x10. Both on on 2” lift.

Sure 33x12.5 is more common, but the only MTs that matter as far as I’m concerned come in 255/85r16. BFG MT and Toyo MT. Solid. Onsideration to cooper STMaxx yes it’s a rated AT, but super aggressive

 

[robmobile73]

Asked the question as the 3B + 34" tire combo won't exactly make for a fun driving experience without a turbo and transfer gears.

I'm sort of expecting that If I go 33-34" tires without doing a gear swap that I will lose the usefullness of 5th gear, 1st gear starts instead of 2cnd, and that I will off road mostly in low range. I currently have all new bearings and pinion seal for the rear end as the pinion bearing is loose. I was going to mark all the adjustment settings and replace the bearings, install new crush washer torque to spec and hopefully wear pattern and backlash will return to factory. I will put a spartan locker in at the same time. I considered doing gears at the same time, but I"m going to hold off and see how it goes. I do all my own work on almost everything unless it absolutely requires serious machine shop tools. Don't want to bite off too much at once. I may do a turbo in the future, but I would regear first.

 

[robmobile73]

I’ve run 8.25r16 XZLs and 255/85r16 Toyo MTs. The XZLs had balance beads and where fine, it’s a 34x8. The Toyos have some weight and are waaaaay better, they’re 33x10. Both on on 2” lift.

Sure 33x12.5 is more common, but the only MTs that matter as far as I’m concerned come in 255/85r16. BFG MT and Toyo MT. Solid. Onsideration to cooper STMaxx yes it’s a rated AT, but super aggressive

I appreciate the information on the tires. I searched those XZL's as they don't really sell those in the US and I found these people in Canada: 8.25R16 Michelin XZL g wagon | Military Tires They sell surplus XZL's off of G-wagons. They are in the price range of cheap new radial MT's. Interesting option.

 

[divemedic]

They’re great if your truck is super heavy. Otherwise you’re better off with a traditional tire. That said. Mine were produced in 2001 and finally failed in 2014.

 

[Nas90tdi]

I have run quite a few ZXL's on my Land Rovers and can tell you they are nearly bullet proof tires. But, extremely heavy. They will run nearly flat , but you are going to have a hell of a time finding them in the states. And the ride will be harsh. I never cared, but be aware.We would usually do big group buys on them. I actually gave away 6 used 7.50/16's not long ago to a buddy. He might be willing to sell.
If you aren't wheeling the truck 90% of the time, I would steer clear of the Swampers. Awesome tire, but, no way to keep them balanced and they will chop up in 25 miles on pavement when they get out of balance. They work best with beadlocks, but that's another can of worms.
Another option if you can find any small enough are the Michelin XML tires. Also hard to find in the states particularly in the smaller sizes. But, another nearly indestructible tire.
For traditional tires the recommended brands all hold up pretty well. I am partial to BFG, but that's just me. Pros and cons to all the major brands. I am ashamed to think about how many tires I have bought over the years of doing this. Many I tore up on rocks within a few weeks. But, it's just the way it is if you build trucks to offroad.

 

[FJBen]

In 255/85r16 these are the brands You could look at for radial mud tires.

Yokohama MT G003
Toyo MT
BFG KM3
Maxxis bighorn MT (under 200 a tire)
Dick Cepek not much info on these.

personally not a big fan of BFG. They have always run small but they have decent traction and seem to wear really well.