Hey guys, I'd like to set things right here. I think the points that were made were all valid on both viewpoints. I think there is some good tech to be had here as well. As opposed to merely showing your 35s. Discussing the merits of 35s, the steps needed to properly fit them and the long term positives and negatives would add value to the forum. It's been said before, there are literally a hundred threads about 35" tires out there but none really go anywhere as far as photos of multiple trucks in different configurations. IMHO, The tone of several people in this thread on both sides has been pretty uncalled for, myself included. I think if this thread would have started with some tech it would have been received better. A photo in a driveway, while looking great is hardly representative of what 35s are really like on a truck. Perhaps a complete restart of the thread is in order? This is 100 series tech and the communinty and moderators expect a certain amount of tech in threads posts. Before you compare it to the 100s in the Hills again, please keep in mind that the 100s thread was pre-approved by the moderators and it is a unique, never before attempted event for this marque. The thread will ultimately reside in Trails-Events-Expeditions after some publicity here.
I'll start from scratch with my story.
I decided to run 35s a year ago when running with several other 100s that had them. I would always watch their lines and duplicate them with varying degrees of success. The takeaway for me was, YES, absolutely, the 1" elevation gained with a 35" tire was worth the work needed to run them. At the time I was regeared to 4.88s, and running front Slee 1" spacers. I was running BFG AT in 285/65R18. While these tires excelled on pavement and gravel roads, they were less than adequate for real wheeling. The lack of a real sidewall lead to multiple punctures over two years. I went through 16 tires in that timeframe, all thankfully roadhazarded. I've come to the conclusion that if you must run 18" wheels you need to run a tire with a 70-85 aspect ratio, which means running a tall skinny 35. Costs are a significant factor in these as they usually tend to be more expensive.
I wanted to go a more traditional, less expensive and more off-road oriented approach. I wanted to keep my 18s for winter and for long dirt road trips like the Baja or Mojave where I think they will still excel but run a very aggressive, very high profile tire for my typical driving. In the mountains of Colorado and the slickrock of utah, traction and footprint are key. I chose a 315/75R16 in the Nitto Trail Grappler variety. This is an incredibly well made Japanese tire from the same company that makes Toyo. I've known and driven with half a dozen people that run this tire and the overwhelming opinion is that they are amazing. They have one weakness, Snow. I opted to have mine siped at the distributor (Discount Tire Direct, Disclaimer, I do not pay full price for my tires so I won't comment on value) with a very shallow, center 2/3 sipe. I ran them this weekend for the first time at 100s in the Hills.
Steps needed to run a 315/75R16 in a true off-road environment.
Sure you can probably run this size at the mall with little modification, the tall skinny 35s on 18" wheels can be run with almost no modification. As soon as you hit a serious trail though you will notice a few things.
Power: in my opinion, the lack of power running 35s without regeraring is completely unacceptable. Now, it's very important to note that I live at 4500 feet and those at or near sea level will not have these issues. For those living in the mountains you WILL want to regear to 4.88s. If you don't the advantages of the taller tire will be negated by the lack of torque and low speed control. I would go as far as to say for my application, Marlin's low range transfer gears are a must. Both of the aboce can be sourced through Carl at Just differentials/Nitro Gear. He can walk you through every step of the way.
Clearance: The first spot to check is at the UCA knuckle. Many a tire has been destroyed from rubbing there. I ran 1" spacers even with 33s to even the track width. I am now running 1.25" Slee spacers up front and 1" spacers in the rear. I now have zero rubbing issues on the UCAs or in the fender wells. I do have rubbing on the pinch weld aft of the front tire. This is easily remedied with a BFH and a few well placed blows.
Body Lift: I'm separating this from clearance because there is so much too it. I purchased components for my body lift from Spressomon and later from Jonesey's. Both kits are excellent. I wanted the steering spacers and radiator brackets from Jonsey's so I got them later when my truck was torn down. 1" is about the maximum BL possible without going off the deep end. It provides the clearance for 35s. Do not expect this to be an easy process. If you are moderately mechanical and don't have a lift or all those goodies plan on 8-14 hours to get the job done. And it's 8-14 long tedious and painfull hours of pulling interiors, breaking seized bolts, dangerously balancing the truck and putting it all back together only to find that the steering or the radiator or something is not lined up. It will take time to get everything feeling good and it will likely never be as good as it was. It can get darn close, but not perfect.
Reliability: it would be exceedingly stupid to run a 35" tire on a truck you intended to take around the world, or on a mall cruiser, or one that you planned to take to Baja for extended travels. There not only is zero benefit, there are multiple reliability issues. You WILL go through CV shafts more often and you WILL go through steering racks more often. In addition you will likely wear out general front end components faster. The 5-10% performance gain should be weighed in the decision.
Other: I have had no issues with anything other than above but be aware that there could be many other driveline related issues that come up with running 35s.
That's all there is too it. Is it worth it to me. I think so. It it worth it for most people. Absolutely not.
Then again, your truck will look bad.
3 out of 4 have 35s. All perform nearly identically.
