Dilemma With 35's

Chevyracing61190 · January 29, 2009

I have a buddy that has a 94' z71 with 3 inch blocks in the back and his torsion bars cranked up 2". He has a set of 35x12.50's on it which brings a dilemma between us i thought you had to have at least a 4" lift to even start fitting 35's can someone who is right? can you actually fit 35's with a 3 inch body and torsions cranked 2"? If someone could help me with the right answer i would really appreciate it a lot.

BuckFeverZ · January 29, 2009

With stock wheels it is possible. However giving a straight yes or no answer is near impossible since every truck is different.

2000DV4.8 · January 29, 2009

With stock wheels it is possible. However giving a straight yes or no answer is near impossible since every truck is different.

Not to mention, stock wheels are too narrow to safely run 35s, and 2" of torsion crank is in the unsafe range.

Chevyracing61190 · January 29, 2009

I have a set of 35x12.50's already with some 18" rims but if i could do the 3 inch lift and a new torsion key kit that would be way cheaper then a 6 inch lift

BuckFeverZ · January 29, 2009

You go ahead and install the torsion key kit and let us know how it worked for ya when you loose a tire going down the highway cuz a balljoint failed....

2000DV4.8 · January 29, 2009

I have a set of 35x12.50's already with some 18" rims but if i could do the 3 inch lift and a new torsion key kit that would be way cheaper then a 6 inch lift

Initially, yes. But in the long run, you'll pay out the ass replacing front end components. Torsion keys are not a proper lift kit, which is why they're cheaper. It's a 'band-aid' to the lift dilemma.

Save your pennies, do it right the first time.

2000DV4.8 · January 29, 2009

I'll also quote myself from one of your other topics on this subject:

35s on a stock truck? No. You can fit a 33x12.5 with a 3" body lift, but the only way to fit 35s on a BL would be to either trim like crazy, or crank your torsion bars to the sky which brings up a whole new list of problems (horrible ride, worn out suspension and steering parts, which aren't cheap). If you crank over 1.5" the ride will go to shit, and you'll go through parts like pitman/idler arms, CVs, tie rod ends, and ball joints like crazy. Replacing those parts over time will end up being more expensive than a suspension lift. Do it right the first time.

Also, most 35s are 12.5" wide, which is too wide to safely run on your stock wheels, because the bead of the tire won't be seated properly in the rim.

There will be other 35" tires out there, you don't have to jump at this deal, it's not worth it.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...c=83681&hl=

All still applies.

Can I ask why you specifically want 35s so badly? Why not a 33?

Chevyracing61190 · January 29, 2009

i dont know i mean do you think an 18" rim would be to big lookin for a 33?

lenb · January 29, 2009

does anybody have experience w/rancho adjustable shock w/coilover? its says it gets 2 1/2" of lift. i would like to run 33.5" -34. 7's (tire spec msmnts.) the gmc all-terrain has rancho shocks w/18's ,but i don't know rim width.

J-man67 · January 29, 2009

does anybody have experience w/rancho adjustable shock w/coilover? its says it gets 2 1/2" of lift. i would like to run 33.5" -34. 7's (tire spec msmnts.) the gmc all-terrain has rancho shocks w/18's ,but i don't know rim width.

No experience, but its a decent way to net those 2.5"s I would stick with a 33" tire though. The rim width is probably 7.5"

J-man67 · January 29, 2009

i dont know i mean do you think an 18" rim would be to big lookin for a 33?

I think it will look OK...

08_Denali_22 · January 31, 2009

I just did the same lift on my younger brothers '97 and he is fitting 315/75/R16 Dick Cepek FCII's on 16x8 wheels. The wheels have a 4 5/8" backspacing. The lift we did was a 3" body lift with an 1 1/2" t-bar crank. The tires fit very well with only a slight hammer job on the rear of the front wheelwells and some trimming of the plastic airdam. The hammering is VERY hard to see. The angles in the front are not bad at all. Besides the cv's aren't what you should be worried about. The ball joints and tie-rod ends are the real issues.

Does this setup work on the street? Yes.

Will he rub on the street? *No, but hitting a speed bump hard with the wheel turned just at the right angle might rub.

Will he rub offroading? Probably, but he really doesn't take it in the dirt very often. When he does its mainly messing around in a field or in some mud. All of which flex isn't a huge issue.

Will he burn though suspension components at an accelerated rate? Yes but its not like he will swapping parts weekly. A balljoint that may go as far as 80k miles on a stock truck may only only go 50k on his. fair trade if your doing all your own work and can afford the parts.

Will this combo work for everyone? No. Some trucks are slightly different when it comes to the suspensions factory height. He just lucked out with his.

I'll post up some pics this weekend when I head back home. I think this combo looks perfect as far as tire to fender gap/lift height goes.