Observations: 33's to 35's

[2000UZJ]

Over the past 5 years of wheeling the 100 I have ran 3 sets of tires. The first were 295/75/16 AT's, second were 305/70/16 KM-2's. The other day I finally moved to a 315/75/16 BFG AT. While not a true 35" tire, it's close enough for me.

• Drivability
  The 100 on 33's feels normal. The size of the tire throws off the shift points and speedometer slightly, but nothing drastic. Power loss is minimal and handing isn't changed much IMO. The 100 also retained is nimbleness in traffic, meaning whipping the wheel to the left and gunning it into the parking lot in heavy traffic. When moving to 35's I quickly realized the 100 feels much different. The shift points are off by a lot. I used to lift slightly to allow the transmission to shift softer, I knew exactly when to lift and I knew when she was going to kick down. However I seem to be lifting 2 seconds before it begins to shift, resulting in a clunky harsh shift. It does not feel nimble anymore, I seem to be waiting for the light to turn before I make my turn. First gear remains peppy (pulling out of a parking lot onto main road), however when it shifts into second gear and you need speed, you better put your foot through the floor. Highway driving remains comfortable, my rev's dropped quite a bit and therefor less engine noise, etc.
  
  
• Fitment
  I have not done any major trimming yet, but I did have to cut the plastic part off the front wheel well in the back. The tires would hit that and attract everybody's attention that was nearby. I have not wheeled with them yet, but from looking at it sitting on level ground I expecting a good bit of rubbing. I'm not horribly concerned about it, I am more concerned about the rears. My 33" KM-2's have worn through the OEM wheel well liner and showing bare metal. I am running L-shocks with slightly tweaked shock mounts to allow for more travel. I will have to add 3" bump stops to prevent rubbing in the rear.
  
• Acceleration
  As stated above, acceleration took a hit. First gear appears to be the same in terms of full throttle passing. Off the line it struggles a little more. Second gear is painful especially when merging and you don't want to kick it down into first gear. Highway or on ramp acceleration again shows a slight loss in power, but nothing to be concerned about. It's 2nd gear that is the slow gear. All in all it takes more throttle to get this thing to go anywhere, and a noticeable amount more when you are simply city driving like a civilized person.
• Braking
  Larger tires = more stopping distance, or less stopping power. I wouldn't say my truck is over weight, but it's not stock. The 33's showed a slight increase in stopping distance, the 35's certainly increase the stopping distance. Being used to 33's I find my self braking hard, and braking late for corners I know very well. Unfortunately it's taking a while for me to learn since I have been on 33's for the past 5 years.
  
• Handling
  My suspension setup is not your typical setup. I have OEM torsion bars, L shocks with 866 springs and no sway bars. It's got quite a bit of body roll, but it's soft as butter. I love it that way. I can't really tell just quite yet, but handling seems unchanged. I don't think going to a bigger tire made my truck ride or handle differently (I'm sure it did, but with only local city driving I can't tell), it's awful in the corners and silky smooth on the highway. I can't comment on handling just yet. I will update this when I can give a accurate statement.
  

I went from the 305/70/16 BFG KM-2's to a 315 BFG AT. I can't tell you how happy I am with the ride quality. The truck doesn't rattle itself to death at low speed, I can have a conversation without yelling, and it just seems happier now (I am happier). I am just blown away at how smooth the 100 really is, after 50K on the KM-2's I quickly forgot how nice the ride is.

 

[OregonLC]

Interesting write-up. I definitely have it on my list to go to 4.88's to get back some performance (not to mention add lockers). It's not just the 35's affect on gearing but also the rotational mass at the circumference. But it sure is nice being able to roll over stuff that other trucks negotiate.

Surprised that the MT KM2's were that noisy. I still have at least a couple of seasons left on my NTG's, but was considering MTR Kevlar as the next set. Part of the reason is that they come in a 285/75 R18 which is slightly more narrow but taller than my 295/70.

 

[2000UZJ]

Interesting write-up. I definitely have it on my list to go to 4.88's to get back some performance (not to mention add lockers). It's not just the 35's affect on gearing but also the rotational mass at the circumference. But it sure is nice being able to roll over stuff that other trucks negotiate.

Surprised that the MT KM2's were that noisy. I still have at least a couple of seasons left on my NTG's, but was considering MTR Kevlar as the next set. Part of the reason is that they come in a 285/75 R18 which is slightly more narrow but taller than my 295/70.

When the front diff finally goes on my rig, I plan on doing 4.88's and lockers. The KM-2's had around 50,000 miles on them and were sitting at 40% tread. They were amazing off road and hand very good street manners. I would buy them again and again. However at $1,600 for a new set I had to go to another tire. I found the 315'a on CL for $450 and got them mounted and balanced at a friends shop. I sold the KM-2's to a MUD member for $300. It was an opportunity to move to 35's that I could not pass up. I'll go MT again, but for now I'll enjoy the quietness of the AT's and take it easy on the trails.

The KM-2's were starting to get very loud, though worn evenly and no cupping, on fresh black top they howled like crazy.

Here is the tread on the KM-2's after 50K. Impressive for a MT on a truck this heavy and wheeled this hard. (First two pictures)

Last pictures is the 35's mounted.

 

[OregonLC]

Nick, your truck is a legend. If only it could tell tales.

 

[hoser]

In the meantime before rehearing, a speed calibrator should help with the shifting.... or just leave it in "Power" mode. Rear wheel spacers will help with the inside fender rubbing.

 

[OregonLC]

In the meantime before rehearing, a speed calibrator should help with the shifting.... or just leave it in "Power" mode. Rear wheel spacers will help with the inside fender rubbing.

Interesting. I thought the calibrator would only affect the display. I guess if it's the same feed to both ECU and gauge then that makes sense. I feel like I'm starting off in 2nd gear. Calibrator wouldn't help that but if it would delay the 1>2 and 2>3 shift that would definitely help.

 

[hoser]

Yes, this is the case with the 80 and I'm assuming it would be for the 100. I wonder what the ECU does if you were to disconnect the speedo feed altogether?

 

[Griffin]

dang man, don't call a brotha with a km2 deal, sheesh. I still have my 16s sitting in the garage waiting for some mudders

Anyways, grats on the 35s. Did you install the rotors and pads yet? Wondering how they react with the 35s.

 

[2000UZJ]

dang man, don't call a brotha with a km2 deal, sheesh. I still have my 16s sitting in the garage waiting for some mudders

Anyways, grats on the 35s. Did you install the rotors and pads yet? Wondering how they react with the 35s.

I haven't installed the brakes yet. I really want to soon though! I can't wait for GSMTR!

 

[yeti in ga]

wow, nice looking .... I will look forward to seeing how well they hold up at gsmtr...

 

[gaijin]

[*]Handling
My suspension setup is not your typical setup. I have OEM torsion bars, L shocks with 866 springs and no sway bars. It's got quite a bit of body roll, but it's soft as butter. I love it that way.

Is it just me or does this sound like an incredibly dangerous way to run a rig on road?

 

[2000UZJ]

Is it just me or does this sound like an incredibly dangerous way to run a rig on road?

It certainly took some getting used to. I would not let anybody hop behind the wheel without any experience with lifted/modded rigs. The truck will push the front end before it rolls, however it's the trying to recover part that will get you. You do not want the weight to shift abruptly on these rigs. I have played around in a closed parking lot and it seems like the front end starts to unload before you can actually get it on two wheels. It will nose dive and then start to bounce.

Would I consider it dangerous? Any modified rig, overweight, large tires, stock brakes is dangerous. We may smash through the most stuff in a accident, but we are driving the hardest rigs to maneuver through a high speed incident. Yes, removing the sway bars made the body roll excessive, and if you put my truck next to a stock 100 I would most likely eat pavement long before the stock 100.

I have had a few close-calls. However none of them made me feel like the 100 was about to roll, these included a evasive maneuver on the highway, off-ramp was clogged up, all other lanes were free. A person pulled out in front of me (55MPH) and I had to change lanes very quickly while braking to avoid hitting the person beside me. Lady ran the red light when I was turning and had to go full lock and gun it to avoid her clipping my front end.

All in all, it probably isn't the best mod...I initially did it to see what it was like. I started to like the ride in the rough city streets, wash board, and off road. It made the suspension more predictable off road, the front end didn't unload on off-camber climbs, the rear didn't stand up all the time.

 

[robustbambi]

Is it just me or does this sound like an incredibly dangerous way to run a rig on road?

If you are driving behind Nick, you can see it roll a lot more than the average 100, and you get a little worried, but after riding in it and finally driving it a little last week, you don't really notice. I never once have been worried about rolling over while inside. Even with some of Nick more lively driving haha.

 

[bamabrock]

Why not just make sway bar disconnects?

 

[2000UZJ]

Why not just make sway bar disconnects?

Not possible upfront, the rear is tricky. I kept blowing the bolt upfront, something was binding and just gave up on trying to keep it attached.

 

[uzj100]

Does vsc still work with no sway bars? I would think so.

 

[2000UZJ]

Does vsc still work with no sway bars? I would think so.

Yes it does. The vehicle does not know, just you and your passengers

 

[2000UZJ]

Went over to a RTI ramp today to see what needs to change in terms of preventing rubbing. The fronts rub, assuming this is due to no sway bars allowing for additional up travel and increased bump stop compression. The rears rub a little, however adding 2" bump stops will be easy. The front end compressed so much that I could no turn the wheel without hitting the fender or inner wheel wells sheet metal. This needs to be addressed soon as I cannot turn. I have said this in a few threads but my old steering rack (original) never locked up, it felt very powerful. When I replaced the original rack with a new OEM unit I feel like I lost a lot of the torque. The first 2 OEM replacement racks that were defective (leaking) had the same issue. I could not turn the wheel on the ramp whatsoever. It should be interesting when I go wheeling.

 

[TeCKis300]

Great feedback on the pros/cons and it really helps me understand that for my 95% highway use, that I probably should stick with 33's.

Have you ever considered a sway bar set off an LX470 as I think they may be smaller (softer)? It may buy back some on road stability while not sacrificing too much flex.

What would really be awesome is KDSS to have the best of both worlds.

 

[2000UZJ]

Great feedback on the pros/cons and it really helps me understand that for my 95% highway use, that I probably should stick with 33's.

Have you ever considered a sway bar set off an LX470 as I think they may be smaller (softer)? It may buy back some on road stability while not sacrificing too much flex.

What would really be awesome is KDSS to have the best of both worlds.

I have thought about that, however I cannot actually find out if there is in fact any difference in the diameter of the sway bars between the two models. I believe it's just the springs. I am looking at installing the front sway bar (since there really isn't a huge gain), I just need to get off my ass and order the new links and bushings.