To body lift or not to body lift? (4 Viewers)

[duvinclunk]

Yes, another body lift thread. I have searched and read up on body lifts but wanted to get people's opinion on the topic. Just purchased an LX470 and won't be wasting much time with the build (literally, want to be done completely building by the end of the year and ready for spring exploring). I am trying as hard as possible to get things done right the first time to avoid having to go back and do something again.

So the dilemma I'm running into is whether or not to do a body lift. The only reason I'm considering is that I'm fairly set on running 35's. I'm interested in gaining more clearance but also the aesthetic of a larger tire on a larger vehicle. From what I understand 35's on a normal 2.5 inch lift would be asking a bit much when wheeling and when the tire is stuffed in the wheel well. Now certainly trimming could make it not rub on the street but I'm thinking I may need to get some more clearance if I'm going to be wheeling a little more aggressive and want to make sure I'm taken care of.

So I suppose I'm looking for opinions/suggestions on the topic. Is a body lift necessary for hard wheeling with 35's and normal lift? Is there a lot of work in stretching and relocating things to get it fitted properly? Anyone get away with hard wheeling on 35's without BL? I will be ordering body armor (bumpers and sliders) all at the same time and it would be nice to know if I need to do BL right off to ensure I get armor that will be lifted to fit against a body that is lifted an inch.

TIA.

 

[ga12r1]

Yes, another body lift thread. I have searched and read up on body lifts but wanted to get people's opinion on the topic. Just purchased an LX470 and won't be wasting much time with the build (literally, want to be done completely building by the end of the year and ready for spring exploring). I am trying as hard as possible to get things done right the first time to avoid having to go back and do something again.

So the dilemma I'm running into is whether or not to do a body lift. The only reason I'm considering is that I'm fairly set on running 35's. I'm interested in gaining more clearance but also the aesthetic of a larger tire on a larger vehicle. From what I understand 35's on a normal 2.5 inch lift would be asking a bit much when wheeling and when the tire is stuffed in the wheel well. Now certainly trimming could make it not rub on the street but I'm thinking I may need to get some more clearance if I'm going to be wheeling a little more aggressive and want to make sure I'm taken care of.

So I suppose I'm looking for opinions/suggestions on the topic. Is a body lift necessary for hard wheeling with 35's and normal lift? Is there a lot of work in stretching and relocating things to get it fitted properly? Anyone get away with hard wheeling on 35's without BL? I will be ordering body armor (bumpers and sliders) all at the same time and it would be nice to know if I need to do BL right off to ensure I get armor that will be lifted to fit against a body that is lifted an inch.

TIA.

What size “35” are you planning to run?

 

[YardPig]

What size “35” are you planning to run?

I was going to ask the same question. This topic has been beaten to death...

 

[duvinclunk]

What size “35” are you planning to run?

315/75/16 is the plan with a 16x8 +10mm offset wheel.

 

[YardPig]

315/75/16 is the plan with a 16x8 +10mm offset wheel.

That tells us nothing. You can put 6 different 315/75/16 tires side by side and not one measures the same. In fact you will find some measure out at just over 33"!

 

[ga12r1]

315/75/16 is the plan with a 16x8 +10mm offset wheel.

I don’t know what you call “hard wheeling”, but I think if you are in a situation were you fully stuff the front while turned it will not turn out well without a body lift.

I have not encountered this situation yet, but I’m aware that it could happen so I choose my line and trails accordingly.

 

[hoser]

315/75/16 is the plan with a 16x8 +10mm offset wheel.

Yes, you should install a body lift.

 

[ga12r1]

315/75/16 is the plan with a 16x8 +10mm offset wheel.

And I will add this. If I could start over agiain with a blank slate I would not be running the 315/70/17s I’m running now.

I would pick up a set of 18” tundra or 100 series take offs and go with a 295/70/18 or 305/65/18. No drama with those and they look great under 100s.

If I found a good deal on Rock Warriors I would run a 305/70/17. No drama there ether.

Sounds like you are talking about a 16” SCS wheel. If you haven’t ordered them yet I would think real hard about it. If I was ordering a new wheel I would be looking at 17s or 18s. IMHO there just isn’t enough sizing options for 16s in the sweet spot for the 100.

 

[MongooseGA]

If I found a good deal on Rock Warriors I would run a 305/70/17. No drama there ether.

.

This is good to know. I've got a set of RWs I'm shopping for tires for now. I was thinking 305s may be a little too wide but glad that's not the case.

 

[ga12r1]

This is good to know. I've got a set of RWs I'm shopping for tires for now. I was thinking 305s may be a little too wide but glad that's not the case.

Just to be clear, you will still have to do a little pinch weld area massaging with the 305s if you are running 1.25” spacers with those Rock Warriors, but nothing too dramatic.

 

[ikarus]

315/75/16 is the plan with a 16x8 +10mm offset wheel.

You've seen my wheels/tires - I've been happy with my 285/75r17s. No body lift needed and the official Cooper specs say these are 34.04" in diameter, and 315/75r16 in the same tire is 34.45" diameter. I do agree that the look of 35s is awesome, but for less hassle the 285s have been great and still look beefy. Some all terrains like BFG run a little small and you might be able to fit those 315s with no body lift.

295/75r16 is similar and looks almost like a 35.

And I will add this. If I could start over agiain with a blank slate I would not be running the 315/70/17s I’m running now.

I would pick up a set of 18” tundra or 100 series take offs and go with a 295/70/18 or 305/65/18. No drama with those and they look great under 100s.

If I found a good deal on Rock Warriors I would run a 305/70/17. No drama there ether.

Sounds like you are talking about a 16” SCS wheel. If you haven’t ordered them yet I would think real hard about it. If I was ordering a new wheel I would be looking at 17s or 18s. IMHO there just isn’t enough sizing options for 16s in the sweet spot for the 100.

Yeah 17s have a surprising number of options due to the jeep crowd, I think. 305/70r17 is a nice size, kinda wish I would have done that for just a little more width, but 285/75r17 is the same diameter (34") and has worked great with no body lift.

 

[geanes]

34" seems to be the perfect "big" tire that doesn't create other issues. I've been happy with my 33" KO2 (275/70/18). But, I want a little bit more width to protect the rim, so 295/70/18 ST Maxx (34") would accomplish that without adversely affecting other things. 35" look sharp, but seem to require way too many compromises and work-arounds....especially for my 4-speed '98 LX.

 

[ga12r1]

34" seems to be the perfect "big" tire that doesn't create other issues. I've been happy with my 33" KO2 (275/70/18). But, I want a little bit more width to protect the rim, so 295/70/18 ST Maxx (34") would accomplish that without adversely affecting other things. 35" look sharp, but seem to require way too many compromises and work-arounds....especially for my 4-speed '98 LX.

I agree. I think that’s a perfect size. When I can find 5 late model LX wheels thats the route I’m going. But I’m thinking about 295/70/18 Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003. I think that would be a mean setup.

 

[duvinclunk]

I don’t know what you call “hard wheeling”, but I think if you are in a situation were you fully stuff the front while turned it will not turn out well without a body lift.

I have not encountered this situation yet, but I’m aware that it could happen so I choose my line and trails accordingly.

Let me clarify what I mean by "hard-wheeling"...basically I don't want to be limited by the truck on moderately difficult trails. I want me to be the weak link rather than the vehicle. I want to be able to go to Moab, do some trails, and not have to worry about the truck's ability to handle the terrain. The thought would be to prepare it for some hard stuff and then it would be more than fine on the moderate stuff I'm working with.

Yes, you should install a body lift.

Thanks.

And I will add this. If I could start over agiain with a blank slate I would not be running the 315/70/17s I’m running now.

I would pick up a set of 18” tundra or 100 series take offs and go with a 295/70/18 or 305/65/18. No drama with those and they look great under 100s.

If I found a good deal on Rock Warriors I would run a 305/70/17. No drama there ether.

Sounds like you are talking about a 16” SCS wheel. If you haven’t ordered them yet I would think real hard about it. If I was ordering a new wheel I would be looking at 17s or 18s. IMHO there just isn’t enough sizing options for 16s in the sweet spot for the 100.

Yes, was going to do the SCS. I've always like to have more rubber between the ground and wheel. I'm not interested in 18's but would do 17's if there was a good solid lightweight option. I have run the F5's before and really like them as they cut down weight over factory wheels a good amount. I'll look to see if I can find any 17's I like.

You've seen my wheels/tires - I've been happy with my 285/75r17s. No body lift needed and the official Cooper specs say these are 34.04" in diameter, and 315/75r16 in the same tire is 34.45" diameter. I do agree that the look of 35s is awesome, but for less hassle the 285s have been great and still look beefy. Some all terrains like BFG run a little small and you might be able to fit those 315s with no body lift.

295/75r16 is similar and looks almost like a 35.

I ran the 294/75/16 on my Tacoma and while looks a little beefier it would have been nice for just a tad more. I may consider the size again. I figured the 315 was less than an inch taller and a little wider and would be better for a bigger truck. Any suggestions on how offers a good Cruiser sized 17 with good offset/backspacing? Maybe I'll look at what Method has but they were also heavier than SCS when I was looking for the Tacoma.

 

[duvinclunk]

34" seems to be the perfect "big" tire that doesn't create other issues. I've been happy with my 33" KO2 (275/70/18). But, I want a little bit more width to protect the rim, so 295/70/18 ST Maxx (34") would accomplish that without adversely affecting other things. 35" look sharp, but seem to require way too many compromises and work-arounds....especially for my 4-speed '98 LX.

Good to know. I may look into some 17's to get a little beefier of a tire than a 33 but not all the way up to 35.

 

[Roosevelt T]

34" seems to be the perfect "big" tire that doesn't create other issues. I've been happy with my 33" KO2 (275/70/18). But, I want a little bit more width to protect the rim, so 295/70/18 ST Maxx (34") would accomplish that without adversely affecting other things. 35" look sharp, but seem to require way too many compromises and work-arounds....especially for my 4-speed '98 LX.

I just bought 18x9s with a 18mm offset, I'm hoping I can also run the 295/70/18s without any issues at full compression. They really do seem like the best comprise of all the variables for an 18" wheel and a 100 series.

We will see.

 

[ga12r1]

Let me clarify what I mean by "hard-wheeling"...basically I don't want to be limited by the truck on moderately difficult trails. I want me to be the weak link rather than the vehicle. I want to be able to go to Moab, do some trails, and not have to worry about the truck's ability to handle the terrain. The thought would be to prepare it for some hard stuff and then it would be more than fine on the moderate stuff I'm working with.


Thanks.


Yes, was going to do the SCS. I've always like to have more rubber between the ground and wheel. I'm not interested in 18's but would do 17's if there was a good solid lightweight option. I have run the F5's before and really like them as they cut down weight over factory wheels a good amount. I'll look to see if I can find any 17's I like.


I ran the 294/75/16 on my Tacoma and while looks a little beefier it would have been nice for just a tad more. I may consider the size again. I figured the 315 was less than an inch taller and a little wider and would be better for a bigger truck. Any suggestions on how offers a good Cruiser sized 17 with good offset/backspacing? Maybe I'll look at what Method has but they were also heavier than SCS when I was looking for the Tacoma.

I was thinking about the new Icon Rebound in 17” for my 570. They come in 3 different finishes. I like the +25 offset. I wonder how they would look on a 100?
17" 'REBOUND' Wheel, Satin Black Finish

 

[duvinclunk]

I was thinking about the new Icon Rebound in 17” for my 570. I like the +25 offset. I wonder how they would look on a 100?
17" 'REBOUND' Wheel, Satin Black Finish

They're not bad. I'm not a huge fan of the fake beadlock look, even though oddly I like Method's. Weight is a bigger factor for me maybe. I want something light. I don't want to pay so much money for an aftermarket rim to have zero weight savings unless they are providing a specific function like a functional beadlock, then I'd be ok with add weight.

 

[ga12r1]

They're not bad. I'm not a huge fan of the fake beadlock look, even though oddly I like Method's. Weight is a bigger factor for me maybe. I want something light. I don't want to pay so much money for an aftermarket rim to have zero weight savings unless they are providing a specific function like a functional beadlock, then I'd be ok with add weight.

What tire do you plan to go with? 4-speed or 5-speed? VVT-I? Are you regearing?

 

[duvinclunk]

What tire do you plan to go with? 4-speed or 5-speed? VVT-I? Are you regearing?

I was planning on the 315/75/16 BFG KO2. It is a 5-speed with the available motor in 2004. I will be regearing and adding F/R lockers at the same time.