Looking For Pics Of 3" Bl With 275/60/20 Tires

RayGMC · August 16, 2010

I want to put a 3" BL on the truck. I bought the tires not too long ago so I'm not ready to replace them yet. My question is will they look to small if I install a 3" BL? Anyone else on here have this setup?

Matt_ · August 16, 2010

taking off the leveling kit?

stock or aftermarket wheels?

i think it'll look good, even with stock wheels. I ran stock sized tires (275/55/20s) on stock offset wheels after my body lift and the truck looked fine..... would have been perfectly fine leaving it like that. the 275/60s would have been even better...

im actually stepping down to 305/50/20s for my next set. The 275/60/20s are an inch taller.... just not as wide.

RayGMC · August 16, 2010

Stock wheels...I'm not sure about the leveling kit yet. I want the level look with a body lift. What do you recommend? I'm willing to keep the level look and risk changing the CV joints later if I have to. I did them on a Civic I had when I was 19. It wasn't that bad of job and they I don't think they were that expensive.

Matt_ · August 16, 2010

if it looks too tall you could always remove the leveling kit and rear block... that'll keep it level.

btw: those vibe issues will eat away at the differential seals and bearings.... yeah, CVs are relatively cheap (sub $150) and easy to replace. The diff seals and bearings are a bit more of a pita.

RayGMC · August 16, 2010

Ah..how would that work with the BL blocks? Can I add the 3" BL, remove the level kit, and use shorter blocks for the bed to level it? Would the bottom line up correctly, where the cab meets the bed?

Matt_ · August 16, 2010

thats not what i meant about removing the blocks. i was talking about the 1.25" block on the rear axle. if you remove them and the leveling kit, the truck will still be about level.. then just add the 3" body lift.

another option is 2" lowering shackles if you want to keep the block in there.

in other words, there are other methods to level a vehicle beyond just raising the front.

RayGMC · August 16, 2010

Thanks for the advice. I went outside to see what you're talking about. I'm inclined to keep the level kit and add the 3"BL though. I don't want to add a 3" BL and only get 1.5" if you know what I mean.

My CV angles are not bad with the 2" level kit and as described in the other thread the vibration only occurs when under heavy acceleration. At that rate it may take another 100K miles to wear down the diff seals and bearings. I guess that's a risk I'll deal with in order to keep the level look.

So you think the stock wheels and 275/60 Cooper Zeon LTZ will look ok with the 3" BL. Do you have a pic of the stock offset setup in your gallery?

Matt_ · August 16, 2010

not sure if i have any in my gallery. im pretty sure there some pics in my photobucket link though in my sig.

i dont think it'll look bad, but aftermarket wheels that are wider and with less offset would be ideal to widen the stance.

wescollins · August 17, 2010

I'd stick with a 1.5" BL if I were you. I've put on a lot of BL's, and it really does affect the ride quite a bit above this. Also you get a lot of frame showing and your spare tire either needs to be removed or it sticks out a lot. You will have to do more work extending cables, etc. I would probably just get a 4-6" real lift if I was going to all the trouble. Would look better and might save you those parts you're talking about down the road? Here's a pic of my truck, 1.5" level and 1.5" BL, with 275/60/20's, to give you an idea what that looks like. If you do add the 3" BL, it will look good as far as fender/tire goes IMO, but I'm not sure what you're gaining over the 1.5" lift.

sic lsx · August 17, 2010

i was going to do a 2" level and some 20x9's and 275/60's. 33's that should be good right!

RayGMC · August 17, 2010

Wes- I appreciate the pic and your opinion. My thought is, while I'm going through the trouble of installing a BL, I might as well do a 3" instead of a 1.5", right.

Sic LSX- You should be fine with that setup. What is the back spacing on the wheels?

I plan to install the black Dominator II steps so that will help hide the frame. My only concern is the trailer hitch. It will show the space for sure. What do you guys think about wheel spacers to help widen the stance a little?

Matt_ · August 17, 2010

i was going to do a 2" level and some 20x9's and 275/60's. 33's that should be good right!

As long as the offset is +18 to +30.

Wes- I appreciate the pic and your opinion. My thought is, while I'm going through the trouble of installing a BL, I might as well do a 3" instead of a 1.5", right.

I agree. And i've also done plenty of body lifts... not once did it noticeably change the ride quality (there's no reason for it to. Slightly higher COG, but still a lower COG than a 3" suspension lift... all-in-all, nothing that you'll feel unless you like taking corners at 80mph)

.

There's really not that much more involved in the 3" kit over the 1.5" kit. Less than 1/2 hour of the whole job is checking the electrical and brake lines. Most of the time is disassembly of the front clip and modifying the rear bumper brackets (i wouldn't install the 1.5" kit without the "optional" bumper relocation kit either).

I plan to install the black Dominator II steps so that will help hide the frame. My only concern is the trailer hitch. It will show the space for sure.

Trailer hitch doesn't look any different than previous generation trucks or other manufacturers that don't have extremely hidden hitches.

What do you guys think about wheel spacers to help widen the stance a little?

I personally wouldn't put wheel spacers on one of my own vehicles... not even one of those fancy sets.

If you want an OEM looking Denali style wheel but aftermarket to get a wider stance, check out the chrome Badlands:

RayGMC · August 17, 2010

Yeah, those are nice wheels. Everyone says not to use wheel spacers. What is so bad about them. Do they cause your original lugs to break or something like that?