Suspension upgrade and new wheels and tires

[RussianGx]

Ironman 4x4 America
stage 2 Nitro Lift was done in the morning and
ALPHAequipt
Echo Bronze 17 wheels and Yokohama Geolander A/T 265 70r17 tires mounted in the evening.
Reason for tire size is because they will fit in the spare for the 5th wheel that will arrive Friday.
Installed by Ultimate Offroad of Chatsworth.

 

[NM575]

2 inch lift? How's the ride feel so far?

 

[RussianGx]

2 inch lift? How's the ride feel so far?

The ride is great. Some nose dive when doing sharp stops. Its a little over 3 inches right now lifted.
Normal for these springs.
Waiting for them to set a bit more down with time.
I had little vibration from previous OEM tires and springs at 65mph - 75mph all gone now.
Very smooth. Going over bumps is cool like they are not there.
My turn radius is much better.
Steering response is sharper and at the same time tracks better forward, less side to side wandering compared to OEM at highway speeds.

Feels a bit more lean side to side at slow speeds.
Might be me not used to the new ride.
I need more time driving.

 

[RussianGx]

Did some tests of suspension this weekend.

So far its ok. Alignment is interesting. Snappier turn response. Might be due to height and angle of the steering column. Very bouncy ride but not harsh. Most likely due to tires.

 

[r2m]

Yea, you're running some pretty mild tires.

 

[RussianGx]

Yea, you're running some pretty mild tires.

yea goal is to be able to save MPG add spare in OEM location and honestly it is just cheaper to run these. You feel like if I gone larger tires it would change something ?

 

[r2m]

Hummm, There would be both plus and minus to a larger tire.
Plus:

1. Better off roading when aired down, depending upon what your tire rating is. If it's an LT like mine, it'll have stiffer side walls.
2. More ground clearance and break over clearance.
3. Depending upon size and manufacturer, you can spend the same amount on a stock tire as a larger all terrain. Especially if you're shopping 18" tires. That's why I went specifically with 17" wheels. In my research 17" tires are (usually) the most affordable, and easiest to get. The last part is if you're in the middle of nowhere and you ruin a tire, it'll be more likely that the local-yokle with have your size for a 17" rim.
4. Looks cooler! (Note, this is only a personal reflection)
5. Will do better on various terrain.
6. Your speedometer will read slower than your actual miles, which means you're adding mileage a lower rate. For me that equates out to 10% less miles on my odometer than if I had stock tires. Since I've had my tires, I've put on about 30,000 miles on them per my odometer reading, but I've actually traveled probably 33,000 miles!

Minus:

1. As you mentioned, a larger tire may not fit in your stock spare location.
2. Can be noisy depending upon tread (MT vs AT), manufacturer and how worn the tread is.
3. Could be more expensive, or not, as mentioned above.
4. An off road tire will always be a wee more difficult to source in the middle of nowhere than a stock tire size.
5. Rubbing, if your tire is too large and/or not offset properly with the right rim or spacers.
6. If you have all season, they may be great for snow and ice but not for sand, gravel, rocks and other more adventurous trails.

Just my two cents, for what it's worth.

 

[RussianGx]

well i feel like 265 70 r 17 do great and they are A/T Also doubt it would break anything on the vehicle. I might consider LT next time around. But again I love the soft ride