Will 315s fit?

[raider5486]

I have 04 Silverado Z71 and was wonderin if there is any way I could run BF Goodrich All Terrains 315/70 R17 witha 3" PA body lift? Im tryin to stay away from messin up the ride too much and dont want to pay for suspension, but I reallly want to run the 315 instead of droppin to a 285. Thanks

[GF7PE]

that shouldnt be a problem at all

[Chris97K1500]

What size rim are you wanting to run on the truck with these tires? If you go with a 10" wide rim you are going to be pushing it. You WILL have to trim the lower front air dam and possibly the inside wheel well next to where your feet are. I've put a 3" PA BL and 16x10 rims with 305's (33x12.50) and it rubbed bad until we cut the airdam and used zip ties to pull the plastic inner fender back. With 8" rims I've seem 305's and 3" BL clear with no trouble. A tire close to 35" might be pushing it. If you're staying with stock tires, IMO, 315/70's aren't a smart decision. I had to learn the hard way when I went with 35's. One tranny later and regearing, (about $4K total) I wish I never would have gone bigger than 33's. On stock tires you ARE going to wear the middle section of the tire much faster than the sides. My Brother in law didn't believe me either when he went with a 12.5" wide tire on stock Z71 rims. 500 miles later he bought 16x10" MT classic II beadlocks from a dealer on Ebay. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, only things that I wish someone had pointed out to me before going with 35's. Just out of curiosity, 315/70R17's from BFG's site are 34.5" and 12.0" on 8.5" rims, 285's are 32.8" and 11.5" on a 8.5" rim. That's almost no difference in width (1/4" wider on both sides of the rim, and 3/4" of an inch difference in ride height between the two tire sizes. Not to mention, you WILL see a huge power decrease with 35's, unless you have 4.10 gearing from the factory. If you tow, the 35's will change the shift points to the point I'd recommend, at least, a PCM tune to change shift points to match your tires if you go with 35's, with 33's, it's not as big of a deal. These are all the things I never thought about until after I was 4 grand less richer ! Good luck, Chris

 

By the way, my truck had 4.10's from the factory and still destroyed a tranny with 35's the first time I towed with the truck since changing from 33's. I had pulled the same 18ft. trailer with 4 ATV's numerous times with no trouble with the 33's.

[BDZ71]

if you keep them on stock wheels they will fit.

 

Might have to do a little trimming but should not be anything major

[raider5486]

Yea, Im not really towing anything right now and I think Im gettin the 17x8 MT Classic IIs. I realize I will have to do a little bit of trimming, but it shouldnt be anything big. And do you really think it can mess up my transmission seeing as how the tires arent oversized or anything? This is the first Ive heard of it but I really appreciate your input as I will start askin about that now.... Hopefully it wont be too bad if I dont tow anything as I am doin this mostly for looks

[Chris97K1500]

The 315's are 3" taller than stock tires, which works out to be about 10% difference. The truck will perform 10% less than what it does now. Say you have 300hp, now your truck will perform like it has 270hp. Just some things to consider. I think it a good idea to go with the 8" rims, but I wouldn't go bigger than the 285's, which aren't small by any means. I know the "looks" bug can bite hard, just make sure it doesn't bite your wallet later on. Chris

[BDZ71]

height differance is not the only factor to factor in when you try to figure out how much performance is going to be lost when you go bigger.

 

One 35 for example could way 30lbs less than another brand 35. Thats a TON differance in rolling mass.

Rolling mass is what is going to take away your power not (necessarely) tire height. You could have a 36 or a 37" tire or so that is light and weighs the same as a heavy 35 like the SSR's or PJ's, and not be much worse off if any at all as far as power loss