SOA Spring Options (1 Viewer)

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GLTHFJ60

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I have been researching my tire/wheel combos and have realized that I'm probably going to be going with TRXUS STS tires which are 36x14.5" and a 10 ply sidewall. My question was how much room will I have for flex on stock springs? Plus, my other concern is that I will eventually be putting in a new diesel engine, so I need to be able to handle more weight. Should I get some OME springs, some Add-A-Leaf stockers or just plain stockers?

What have you guys done?

:beer:
 
any sort of lift prings will give a LOT of overall lift. with FLAT stock springs people get 5-6 inches of lift so depending on the springs you can do the math. OME 2.5" springs on SOA will easily clear 37". Your problem may be in width though. 14.5 is a wide tire, i don't know how well it will tuck into the wheel wells.
 
Does anyone here run 14.5 inch wide tires?

Do you think that 38.5 inch tires will fit in the wells?

How will 35" tires look?

:beer:
 
You can run 35's with a SOA conversion and flat stock springs with plenty of clearance, you might be able to squeeze 36's in there. For 37's and above I'd suggest at least adding some leaves to the stock packs.

I ran 35's with OME/SOA for a few years and while the ride was great, the truck felt a little too tall, especially on off-camber stuff. I since de-arched the springs (thanks again, Gary!) and now plan to run 37's when I get my Cruiser back (and after taking a breather on the expenses...whew!).
 
What 37" tires are you running?

I know that this is a stupid question, but what is the difference between bias and radial tires?

In terms of suspension, maybe I'll just go with stockers and Add-a-Leafs.

:beer:
 
I have some old 2.5 inch lift springs SOA and 35s look tiny...I also dont really like the off camber feel. though it is better than some SOA trucks. The idea in offroading is to run the smallest lift possible with the largest tire as possible. Its some redneck way of thinking if the truck is super high its better offroad...not the case.

If I were you I would run the stockers and 36-37 and see if they rub (every truck is diff.) If they do just run some bump longer bump stops...or cut out the inside of the wheel.

As for the wider tire thang. Me, I dont there really is a need to go over 12.5s wide( that and I think it looks silly) The wider tires will cause fuel concumption to go up also it will be harder to steer and if its harder to steer its worse on the pump,box,tres etc etc...
 
Stock Springs with SOA

I run stock springs on my 60 that I pulled off my 62 with a shackle reversal and 3" rear shackle extensions. I turn 38x15.50 swampers with no problems. With a 2.5" spring you can run 39.5s. The ride on the stock springs is far better than when I had a 4" spring under.
 
Winslow,

What type of backspacing do you do? Also, what types of off roading do you do?

I want to be able to goo offroading and have as much flex as possible. If I can do that with 38.5 " tires, then I will go that big. Let me know.

lowtideride,

I am definately making efforts to keep the lift small while trying to run huge tires. I just thought that 35" tires would look silly, and the next step up in tire size for the one that I want is 38.5". I thought that with that large of a tire, that a larger lift was required to be able to flex correctly.

Thanks!!

:beer:
 
my 38s

Just a couple of thoughts. Do not run the 38.5 SX swampers. They are too heavy. The 38 radial is a much better tire. I run 2.5" backspacing on black steel rims. No Rub. I did trim the front fender a little. I use the truck for crawlin' around SE Utah. However, I use it as a daily driver in the summer. Nobody saw me when I had 35s, now with the 38s everbody in the Home Depot parking lot stops to take a look.
 
38x12.5s on an 8 inch rim will tuck into the fenderwells fairly nicely. Too tall for stock springs without some additional lift though. An SOA conversion with the original springs will gain you about 7 inches of lift from the repositioning of the springs alone if nothing else changes. But if the stock springs are moderately arched, they will sag to flat and even beyond very very quickly after the SOA.


Mark...
 
Awesome. That's the type of information that I wanted. Now, what brand of tires should I get? I know that Interco does not sell a 38x12.5 in what I want, so what brand should I get?

Also, my stock springs are shot, so I know that I will have to get new ones. Now, to try to slow down the sagging process, should I get add-a-leafs for the new springs?

:beer:
 
I thought the secret here are not the SO job .. are the wheels and there backspacing maybe to have one idea ..

eric2-ida.JPG


38.5 X 14.5 SO + OME 2.5 + SR
 
I'm planning on running a 2.5 inch backspace for my wheels I think. My problem is that I want the tire to fit as far in as possible with the new tires that I get. That is why I wanted 12.5 inch wide. If 14.5 inch wide will work, then I know what I want to get.

My last problem is that I don't want to have to do any trimming, and if any, very minimal. Anyone with a 60 running 38.5 by 14.5?

:beer:
 
You will not fit 38x14.50 under the fenders.

I've worked on/run with a couple SOA '60s with 38x15.50s. Lots of lift, not much articulation. And/or sawzalled fenders.

Don't forget that moving inward to clear the fender lip puts everything closer to your springs as well. You also have to factor in hitting the springs when you turn the steering wheel and hitting the shocks when you stuff the tire.


Mark...
 
I definately love solid answers. Now will 38.5 by 12.5 inch tires fit into the wells like Winslow said?

:beer:
 
You can squeeze a 12.5 into the wheel well but larger than 37 is a tight fit. I fork lifted mine with 37s, to get the max stuff, and found that the wheelwell is just about perfect for a 37. Any larger and the tire won't fit up into the well. I dropped the bumpstops to the "right before rubbing " height and haven't looked back. This shot is on the bumpstop.
Gary
round_up_00007_jpg.jpg
 
37/38/38.5 You're starting to get so close that it depends on the individual rig. Exactly how much arch is left in your springs. Just how high (and stiff) are you bumpstops. What brand of wheel even. Ho long are your shackles. How much wear you may have on the tires (when it get's real close the lose of tread deapth is enough to make a difference sometimes). Lots of little things like that. I was working on an SOA 60 with 38x12.5s a couple of days ago. His fit pretty well into the fenderwells. So have a couple others I have dealt with. But again, this is getting pretty close (37-38.5) so I won't say difinitively that one will fit and one won't.


Mark...
 
Yeah. I'm thinking the same thing at this point. Some tell me that 37's need cutting and others tell me that 38.5's are perfect. I think that I'm going to find the tire that I want to run and then cater my suspension to that.

As for my springs, I'm going to get new ones, so what I have on right now dosen't matter. I will probably go for a set of stocker springs and a set of add-a-leafs, maybe without the add a leafs. Or I could get a set of OME's and remove one of the leafs. It basically comes down to how much money I have when I go and put the order in.

Waggoner5,

What tires are you running? I like the way that they look, but how do they perform? Road driving experience good or bad?

:beer:
 
Mine are 37/12.50/15 Goodyear MTRs. For all around driving and wheeling I like this tire best. There are better offroad tires and there are better street tires but I haven't seen one do everything decently. I have not cut anything on my truck and they stuff well into the fender wells. A 38 may fit also, but the wheeling I do doesn't warrant any larger tire than a 37. If you are running close to stock or even semi modified axles and drivetrain, the 37 and larger tires have proven to be pretty taxing on the truck, especially on the heavier wagons like ours. My truck weighs in at 6200# and I am gentle on the gas. My truck is built but still has its limits.
Gary
 

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