Tire Size With 2" OME Lift

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philthyphil

philthyphil

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Apr 1, 2011
Threads
52
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401
Location
Missoula, MT
I know how big of a tire I can run with a 2" OME lift on our '99 100 series cruiser. My question is what does smaller tires look like? This probably goes against everything you have learned here on Mud... and in high school, but we need new tires. We have been running 295/75/16 since before we lifted it, but I was in a 100 with stock tires and forgot how peppy the old girl used to be before she became laden with the larger tires and armor/recovery gear. So I'm curious what she would look like with say a 285/75/16 or something smaller, although I don't want to give up too much clearance. The extra .007 mpg we will pick up will be nice too. We've been running BFG's but it doesn't matter what brand you have just curious what they look like with the 2" OME lift, show me/us what you've got. Here is what she looks like now, or at least the most current I have at work, this was two years ago... Appreciate the help all.

IMG_1798.webp

IMG_1818.webp
 
Here are 285/75 16 on cranked TBs and a 1" spacer out back.

IMG_0274.webp
 
philthyphil said:
I know how big of a tire I can run with a 2" OME lift on our '99 100 series cruiser. My question is what does smaller tires look like? This probably goes against everything you have learned here on Mud... and in high school, but we need new tires. We have been running 295/75/16 since before we lifted it, but I was in a 100 with stock tires and forgot how peppy the old girl used to be before she became laden with the larger tires and armor/recovery gear. So I'm curious what she would look like with say a 285/75/16 or something smaller, although I don't want to give up too much clearance. The extra .007 mpg we will pick up will be nice too. We've been running BFG's but it doesn't matter what brand you have just curious what they look like with the 2" OME lift, show me/us what you've got. Here is what she looks like now, or at least the most current I have at work, this was two years ago... Appreciate the help all.

View attachment 1192169
View attachment 1192170
Click to expand...
Hey Awesome Rig. I am getting a OME 1.5 inch lift. I was wondering, do you think I can fit the 295's on my LC without rubbing. Or does it need to be a 2 inch lift in order for me to run the 295's?
 
Avin said:
Hey Awesome Rig. I am getting a OME 1.5 inch lift. I was wondering, do you think I can fit the 295's on my LC without rubbing. Or does it need to be a 2 inch lift in order for me to run the 295's?
Click to expand...

You MAY be able to fit 295s without rubbing. Some have reported rubbing with the 295s, while others have reported that they've not had any issues. Be aware that there can be a quite a bit of variance in actual size between different brands in the same "size". So some of the variance could be due to differences between manufacture's tires, while some could be due to how the vehicle is being used.

The typical "suspension lift" on the 100 series (more specifically the front suspension) really does nothing that allows larger tires. The adjustment of the torsion bars (or swapping out for heavier/thicker torsion bars) only changes the "resting point" of the suspension.

A more thorough explanation about why a suspension lift really doesn't add any clearance for larger tires:
Tire size recomendations
 
Last edited:
jLB said:
You MAY be able to fit 295s without rubbing. Some have reported rubbing with the 295s, while others have reported that they've not had any issues. Be aware that there can be a quite a bit of variance in actual size between different brands in the same "size". So some of the variance could be due to difference manufacture's tires, while some could be due to how the vehicle is being used.

The typical "suspension lift" on the 100 series (more specifically the front suspension) really does nothing that allows larger tires. The adjustment of the torsion bars (or swapping out for heavier/thicker torsion bars) only changes the "resting point" of the suspension.

A more thorough explanation about why a suspension lift really doesn't add any clearance for larger tires:
Tire size recomendations
Click to expand...
Thanks. Just out of curiosity what tire size are you running?
 
285/75R16 on one, 285/65R18 on the other.
 
So when you got your 2.5 inch lift. Did you also get the diff drop kit that EMU offers? Also are the torison bars necessary if you dont put on a bull bar?
 
Avin said:
So when you got your 2.5 inch lift. Did you also get the diff drop kit that EMU offers? Also are the torison bars necessary if you dont put on a bull bar?
Click to expand...

I did the diff kit from Slee at the same time. My suspension had 150k miles on it so i did the torsion bars and new shocks as well. This vehicle is off road more than it is on so I wanted it to handle better off roading which it definetly does. We were out hunting with some guys from the mainland and they were blown away with how well it handled compared to my buddies 2011 trd tacoma with a 2" lift.
 
MauiCruzer said:
I did the diff kit from Slee at the same time. My suspension had 150k miles on it so i did the torsion bars and new shocks as well. This vehicle is off road more than it is on so I wanted it to handle better off roading which it definetly does. We were out hunting with some guys from the mainland and they were blown away with how well it handled compared to my buddies 2011 trd tacoma with a 2" lift.
Click to expand...
Ahaha Nice dude! Thanks for the information on your sweet ride. My truck has about 189k. Need to upgrade the suspension!
 
Avin said:
Ahaha Nice dude! Thanks for the information on your sweet ride. My truck has about 189k. Need to upgrade the suspension!
Click to expand...

I debated back and forth between the lifts. I pulled the trigger last minute change and went with 2.5". At the end of the day I probably only netted 2" with the 2.5" lift...a diff drop is recommended on either but definitely on the 2.5".
 
Snapped another photo on my way to the office today. I really like how these tires handle and how little noise they make. I lost some power when I went from stock.

IMG_6165.webp
 
philthyphil said:
I know how big of a tire I can run with a 2" OME lift on our '99 100 series cruiser. My question is what does smaller tires look like? This probably goes against everything you have learned here on Mud... and in high school, but we need new tires. We have been running 295/75/16 since before we lifted it, but I was in a 100 with stock tires and forgot how peppy the old girl used to be before she became laden with the larger tires and armor/recovery gear. So I'm curious what she would look like with say a 285/75/16 or something smaller, although I don't want to give up too much clearance. The extra .007 mpg we will pick up will be nice too. We've been running BFG's but it doesn't matter what brand you have just curious what they look like with the 2" OME lift, show me/us what you've got. Here is what she looks like now, or at least the most current I have at work, this was two years ago... Appreciate the help all.

View attachment 1192169
View attachment 1192170
Click to expand...

Curious if you can fit your 295 spare underneath? I know the 285 I have underneath just barely fits but it fits.
 
Apparently I didn't request emails when I wrote this to notify me of responses. My bad.

We also installed the diff drop with the lift.

We also only netted about 2" with the lift and we replaced everything (medium kit due to ARB/winch up front, 160# great dane in rear) because the truck had 125k on the original suspension. My wife really enjoyed the cush stock suspension but we do like the more sporty feel of the OME kit. It can be a little stiff at times around town or on wash boards but air down and it's perfect.

I don't think we have the 295 spare. We only bought 4 tires so the stock size is still in the spare location. That will change when we get new tires, if I can get it to fit. We carry a patch kit and compressor so the spare has never been used. I hope I didn't just jinx myself...
 
You will want a full size spare if something bad every happens. Mine is a MTZ I bought off craigslist for $20 but still the same size as the KO2's. With the all wheel drive system it is my understanding that a different size spare can do some major damage to the overall vehicle (though this is just from reading on mud).
 
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