33x12.5 On Stock 03 Silverado

kev86vinal · January 30, 2008

i have a stock ride i want to put 33's on i had 265-75-16 with no problem. i have the 5.3 with tow and plow package.

-kevin

2000DV4.8 · January 30, 2008

i have a stock ride i want to put 33's on i had 265-75-16 with no problem. i have the 5.3 with tow and plow package.
-kevin

My advice? don't do it. Why?

1. In order to fit 33x12.5 you'll either have to crank the hell out of your torsion bars, or do a lot of trimming. Cranking the torsion bars enough to fit those tires will make your truck ride like crap, and put a lot of extra stress on all the front suspension components (ie. tie rods, ball joints, CV's). This not only will cost you extra money, but it will be dangerous to you, and others driving around you, because if you lose a ball joint, or a tie rod end, you can't control the truck.

2. Putting a 12.5" wide tire on a 7" wide wheel is asking for trouble. It is way too narrow of a wheel for the width of the tire. When you run a tire that wide on a wheel that narrow, the bead of the tire is not sitting correctly on the lip of the wheel, which will increase the posibility of a blowout. Again, this is dangerous to you, and others around you. Not to mention the tire will not be contacting the road the way it was designed, causing it to wear unevenly.

What do I think you should you do?

1. Put on some 285/75R16's and crank your torsion bars 1" MAXIMUM. A 285/75R16 is a 32.8"x11.22" tire, and should fill out the wheel well fine.

2. Or get a body lift (usually under $300 if you install it yourself, or about $700 total if you get it installed) and run the 33x12.5 on a minimum of an 8" wide wheel.

cambo · January 30, 2008

i have a stock ride i want to put 33's on i had 265-75-16 with no problem. i have the 5.3 with tow and plow package.
-kevin

My advice? don't do it. Why?

1. In order to fit 33x12.5 you'll either have to crank the hell out of your torsion bars, or do a lot of trimming. Cranking the torsion bars enough to fit those tires will make your truck ride like crap, and put a lot of extra stress on all the front suspension components (ie. tie rods, ball joints, CV's). This not only will cost you extra money, but it will be dangerous to you, and others driving around you, because if you lose a ball joint, or a tie rod end, you can't control the truck.

2. Putting a 12.5" wide tire on a 7" wide wheel is asking for trouble. It is way too narrow of a wheel for the width of the tire. When you run a tire that wide on a wheel that narrow, the bead of the tire is not sitting correctly on the lip of the wheel, which will increase the posibility of a blowout. Again, this is dangerous to you, and others around you. Not to mention the tire will not be contacting the road the way it was designed, causing it to wear unevenly.

What do I think you should you do?

1. Put on some 285/75R16's and crank your torsion bars 1" MAXIMUM. A 285/75R16 is a 32.8"x11.22" tire, and should fill out the wheel well fine.

2. Or get a body lift (usually under $300 if you install it yourself, or about $700 total if you get it installed) and run the 33x12.5 on a minimum of an 8" wide wheel.

I agree....cause I did it and regret it....for the most part.

After 7 months of maxed out torsion bars. Busted cv boots and already replaced the left hub.

Now I am running 285/75/R16 with maxed keys.

GatorFan · February 5, 2008

I am running 285/75/16s on a 16X8 wheel and love the stance. I did not want to lift mine 6" because I already lived through that and got tired of it after a while. I used Ford T-bars on this truck and have had no issues to date. That was 5 years ago. Go with the 33" tires and a little turn of the T-bars and you will be happy.

mattro · February 6, 2008

I am running 285/75/16s on a 16X8 wheel and love the stance. I did not want to lift mine 6" because I already lived through that and got tired of it after a while. I used Ford T-bars on this truck and have had no issues to date. That was 5 years ago. Go with the 33" tires and a little turn of the T-bars and you will be happy.

Nice truck GatorFan it looks like it's for sale on a lot because of how shiney it is. Even shined the flares. I think if you turned the keys just enough to clear the 33s you'd enjoy the stance but may need a little longer shock. My truck hasn't had any problems yet either with torsion keys turned shocks and 35s...rides so smooth with 35s I might add

hotrodgirl · February 7, 2008

i have a stock ride i want to put 33's on i had 265-75-16 with no problem. i have the 5.3 with tow and plow package.
-kevin

On our 2003 Silverado, we have 295/75/16 on stock wheels and sitting stock. My husband had to cut off a small piece of plastic from the inside if the fender and that is all. I can't help you on the snow plow stuff since we don't get to use any of that equipment in the South.

GatorFan · February 8, 2008

I am running 285/75/16s on a 16X8 wheel and love the stance. I did not want to lift mine 6" because I already lived through that and got tired of it after a while. I used Ford T-bars on this truck and have had no issues to date. That was 5 years ago. Go with the 33" tires and a little turn of the T-bars and you will be happy.

Nice truck GatorFan it looks like it's for sale on a lot because of how shiney it is. Even shined the flares. I think if you turned the keys just enough to clear the 33s you'd enjoy the stance but may need a little longer shock. My truck hasn't had any problems yet either with torsion keys turned shocks and 35s...rides so smooth with 35s I might add

Thanks. I finally washed and waxed it after all of the snow/ice here in Atlanta finally went away. I used the Ford T-bar keys because I didn't want to max the T-bar bolts. The indexing allowed me to lift up the front 2" without even turning the bolts from stock, and that was enough for me because I wanted to go with 33" tires this time. My last truck (6" lift + 3" body lift) ran with 38" tires and I really got tired of it after a while. It was fun using the truck up in Montana and going 4Wheelin in the mountains but as soon as I moved to Texas, the truck was just too big for driving in San Antonio traffic. I am very content with the look now and have turned my attention more to the power area of the truck. Thanks for the info about the 35s.