hross14

So i am a little torn between trying to just go the 33 route or the 35 route. What have ya'lls expereince been with the two sizes?

--Did it really make that much of a difference off roading?
--How crazy of a trail were you on before you wish you had 35's?
--What trail rating would you attempt with 33's/35's

Just a little background--97 4Rnr SS #7 lift (Tundra lift @2") LSD rear (future locker probably f/r) and a 1' Roger Brown lift

so what says you? anybody ran both.

Thanks

hross14

anybody?

colsoncj

I dont know about 35's, but if you have 33's and your following a similar rig to your own which has 36's, you'll eventually get stuck or hit something.

I try a lot of things with 33's, but only things I know I can make... I dont wish I had 35's, I'm currently looking into the 37 to 40" area.

olharleyman

Can't say on 3rd gen but on my 2nd gen it made a huge difference from 33x115. to 35x12.5s. Minus the trimming on the pinch welds(5mins max with whizz wheel) and 5.29 the places I can go with the 35s is far better then the 33s. I did not think it would be that much difference but some places that I tried to get with the 33s are a breeze with the 35s. At the same time the roadability of the 35s is just about the same as 33s but the look the 35s give you is way more aggressive then the 33s and you will find people get out of your way a bit faster seeing you come rolling down the road. Over all I am very glad that I switched to the 35s except for mud and that will be remedied next tire change going to a BFG KM's instead of the KO's for mud only other wise I am very happy with the KO's for all around tires.

tc

Well, on the one hand, there is only one way to get more clearance under the diff - bigger diameter tires.

On the other hand, there is the issue of gearing. Smaller tires equate to a lower gear ratio, and that can be more important than the clearance depending on the terrain.

35's are more expensive. The cost of the tires, regearing, gas, etc add up.

A locked front/rear rig on 33's will outwheel an open/open rig on 35's any day of the week.

neliconcept

for one have you even put on 33s yet?

id stick with 33s and lockers front and rear and maybe get an inchworm or marlin crawlbox later, 35s isnt going to help all that much even with the right gearing.

AxleIke

for 35's on those trucks you need to modify the upper a-arms, you will also need fender beating to clearance.

What rating trail for each tire size? Whatever you feel comfortable with. There is a guy on here, Volcom, who does 10 rated trails with 33's. He's geared, with dual cases, and spanks them. TC, who's already posted, does 8-9-10 rated and spanks them, with NO lift, and 33's.

Albq Jim and Bighead on the board have your generation with 35's. Talk to them about what is needed to make it work, then you should be able to decide better.

Here is my philosophy: Get what will make you happy. At this level of wheeling, tires are merely a "bling" factor. Sure, you want a decent tire that will hold up, but tire size is really just how big you want people to think your wiener is. You have no lockers, no gears, no transfercase or driveline modifications. You will get stuck in the same places with 35's as you will with 33's.

So, what i'm saying is, get what you want. 1 inch of ground clearance is going to improve the performance of your truck like 1%. how much you like the look is going to determine how you feel about the modification. Don't let people tell you "oh, 33's can't do crap".

Buy what you think looks good, what you will be happy with, and what fits your wallet. You will need more modifications to fit the 35's, but it can be done.

d0ubledown

i've ran both. all the cool kids are running 35's...

44Runner

Ike is right. If you don't have lockers F/R, and a doubler then a little upgrade from 33s to 35s is that last thing you need to worry about.

Cargun

To be fair... my 36 Iroks are more like 37's. 33 to 35 is a pretty small difference, I don't think you'd necessarily notice it. Tire choice is probably more important than size. As Cory said though... 33's to 37's is a big enough difference to notice.

Cory on his 33's and my Jeep buddy on 33's follow me and my 37's down some pretty sick trails and make it. It may take some time, spotting, and the occasional rock stack, but they make it. I don't think either rig would be significantly better with 35's.

hross14

Fair enough--doesnt seem like there is that much of a difference in 33 versus 35's. I am pleased with my weiner and believe that form follows function--therfore i think i will just get the 33's, regear, lock the front and leave the LSD in the rear. I know i Know---without lockers F/R.......but it does wonders out here on the roads when it rains.

After i get another DD then i am going crazy--SAS.... yada ..yada. yada. But for at least the next 6-12 months i have to keep everyday drivable.

Thanks for the input.

Volcom

I can't afford bigger tires so I'm stuck with the 33's for awhile. I want 36-38's so I can really take the tough lines

96redtoy

of course 35's are going to get father then 33's because you have that much more grown clearence. but the price difference and a locker thats alot of the green stuff

AxleIke

LOL. Good one!

n16ht5

33s are fine. you start breaking stuff and losing lots of power when you get 35s and bigger. thats what I have noticed atleast. I had an 85 with detroits front and rear, and 5.29s with 33s. went anywhere. I put 36s on it every once in a while for trails, and man was it a dog on the highway. more clearance, and it went more places, but I didnt have as much power, and I was scared of breaking stuff a lot more. I used the 33s more than anything. course most of the wheeling i go is in the snow, and both tires were 12.5 wide, so it wasnt a huge difference, as long as I was floating on top. (aired down)


if you do more trails than street, 33s are fine. just dont overlift and it wont look funky

hross14

Well circumstances have changed and my old truck was totaled by a chick on her cell phone--Dark cloud Silver lining--Here is the scenario now

going 35's with a regeared Tranny (Marlin 5-1-5), Twin Sticking the Transfer case, Lock the rear (5.29's), LSD the Front, Possibly chunking the Back (ORS). Overall i think that would give me a great crawl speed. Stock wasnt bad for what i was doing but i think this will allow me to do what i really want to do--street races LOL...no just kidding--i really want to do Expeditions West Kinda treks.

Ocassional 4 trails i might hit from time to time (on a scale from 1 to 5)

Only part that scares me is the 7.5 front and CV's. Eventually somebody will make better parts for this part of the rig.

Once i get it done i will have pics and words--formed into sentences instead of grunts --

I will call her--"The Killer Bee" Black and Yellow--i heard that adds 2 inches of clearance 50 horses. Thanks again everybody for the input

44Runner

I wouldn't count on this. The only way to get stronger part in the front is by swapping the front out. It is doubtful anybody will ever make wax to polish that turd...

hross14

The front isnt that bad is it. Cant we just put perfume on it and sniff it anyways I am a slow crawler kinda person. wont be using crazy amounts of skinny pedal.

I guess if it keeps breaking then eventually i will have to SAS. Hopefully that is not the case.

colsoncj

sorry to hear about the truck! Sounds like a big build, should be fun

FredTJ

No, that's not particularly true.
Most of it depends on how the vehicle is setup (lock f/r, xfer case/tranny pushed up flush with the bottom of the frame rails, gas tank pushed way up out of the way, manual or auto tranny), and the MOST important thing is the driver skill.
With the Jeep (4Runner is just starting it's slow build up), I can/could regularly go, easily where others with much bigger tires couldn't begin to go.




Fred