bobjohnson2121

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the dumb question but...

In an effort to make my 92 pickup a little more street friendly as it's not my primary offroad truck anymore, I am looking to make the tires a bit smaller.

Currently it has 35 x 12.5's. The truck has a 3 inch body lift which I want to get rid of, and a 5" suspension lift which I think I will keep. I want to put as small a tire on there as possible which won't look stupid with a 5" lift.

So my dumb question is: If I want to go from 35 x 12.5 to 32 x 10.5, do I need to get new rims to accommodate the skinnier tires, or will the old ones be ok? I can post pics if need be.

Thanks!

bhawkin00

If your running a 8" wide rim. Switching from 12.5s to 10.5s will be fine. I ran a 31/10.50 on a 10" wide wheel. It was difficult to get the bead to seat but other than that no issues.

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Post some pics. I think it will be too high with a 5in lift with 32's. Why not uninstall the 5in lift and keep the body lift?

bobjohnson2121

Thanks for the replies. Here are a couple pics as she sits right now. Second one is one of the rims in question.

It would be cool if I could just get 10.5" tires and be done with it. I don't need any type of spacers or anything to make up the extra 2 inches?

I was just thinking about getting rid of the body lift as it's pretty useless for everything except fitting larger tires, which is what I'm trying to get away from.

Basically I'm trying to turn the truck into more of a daily driver. I guess 33 x 10.5 wouldn't hurt my gas mileage all that much instead of a 32.

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Looks like those rims are 10in wide

bhawkin00

I agree..looks like 15x10" wheels to me. I ran the 10.50's on my 10" wheels. I wouldnt recommend airing them down as they would come off the bead easily. I ran them for probably 20k like thst with no issues

Laurentian

Not to highjack thread but while we are at it :
I purchased a set of near new BF A/T KO 33 x 12.5 x 15 and am
debating whether to mount up on an 8 or 10 rim.
Looking at an offset of 3 3/4" range.

I don't want too much protrusion as the law in my area is
getting tougher on that. I do have some small 2" or so flares.

93Xtra-Cab

Why even get new tires? With a 5" lift, even with the body lift removed, you should still be able to fit the 35" tires with ease. 32" tires would look way too small IMO.

Get the 8" wide rim. With a 10" wide rim and 3.75" backspacing, the tire will stick out of the fender way too much and rub.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i think it comes down to what you're defining as being more of a DD. some people DD rigs on IFS/35s all the time.

Is your truck regeared for the current 35s? This may make a difference for switching tire size. If you are, I'd say stay with a 35, but perhaps try to get a narrower contact patch with a different tire or even go up to 16" wheels where you have other tire width options from some manufacturers. Going to an aggressive all-terrain might help quite a bit if you're not wheeling a lot - lots of quality aggressive ATs these days that are trail proven and excellent on the road.

As for the lift, it's up to you. I'd remove the BL like you want, then see how it is - I'm guessing you're just looking to reduce aerodynamics and lower your CG for more stability, right? If you REALLY want to, there's always the option of going close to stock height and just chop your fenders and tub the firewall to clear those 35s -- with this option you'll have a rig that is low on the street for aerodynamics and properly geared to turn the tires; then it'll be ready to drive straight to the trails and be nice and stable with low CG and stuffing big tires to get over obstacles.

you mention gas mileage - what's your current average?

Laurentian

8", what I was leaning towards. Thanks for reply, lots of very good info here !

On edit : for a 22Re what is better : steelie or an Baja type alu. wheel ?
From what I can tell there is over a 5-8 lb. difference between the two in
that size, all being equal.

93Xtra-Cab

For the 22R-E, you'll want the lightest wheel possible

However, it all depends on what you're using the truck for. Steel will take more abuse than aluminum. Steel will bend and then you can always hammer the rims back to being straight while aluminum will break apart.

So, in short, there are advantages to both. Sometimes, the the need for rim strength outweighs the need for weight savings. If you're driving it mostly on the street and doing some light to moderate wheeling, then aluminum would be ideal.

Laurentian

OK Thanks, alu fits the bill for my mild build, thank-you !

bobjohnson2121

I did not put on the 5 inch suspension lift, 3 inch body lift, or 35's, that was the PO. When I asked him if he regeared it, he said no... but he was pretty clueless about the truck. I am assuming it is the stock 4.10s, but I've never dug into it and counted the teeth.

Lots of good information from you guys, thanks. Basically since it is only going to get light wheeling if any at all I figure I should make it more street friendly. I thought an 8 inch lift was too much to begin with anyway. I also thought 35's on half ton IFS was too big, but it seems like plenty of people do it.

Better gas mileage is definitely a plus, and one of my main reasons for the tire change. My commute is about 25 miles a day, which isn't a whole lot, but not right around the corner either. Since I don't think the gear ratio matches the tire, it's tough for me to accurately tell you my MPG, but I would say 14-16 is a good guess.

Laurentian - no worries on the thread hijack, I hope you got the answers you were looking for!

94 SR5 Mountaineer

The tallest road-friendly tire available in 10.5" width is a 33x10.50. Brands that I know of include BFG All Terrain and Mud Terrain KM2 and also the new General Grabber Red Letter. Super Swamper makes a 34x10.50, but you wouldn't want that for mostly highway use. You will want either a 7" or 8" wide rim.

A 33x10.50 can easily fit with only a 3" body lift. If I were you I would ditch the bracket lift and rear blocks, as they don't do anything for off-road capability anyway (Assuming that's what your suspension lift consists of). However you might need to get some shorter shocks if you go that route.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

This size tire can fit on a stock wheel and stock height rig with almost zero modifications, which is why it's a popular size tire that many times you have to order/wait for because it's not sitting on the shelf (because people buy them up fast for stock vehicles). Only mods might be to slightly adjust t-bars and/or pinch weld modification, depending on how low the front was set previously. For sure this size will clear your body lift or suspension lift with plenty of room to spare.

93Xtra-Cab

OP, if you're going to change rims when you get new tires, have you considered going to a 16" rim and a metric tire size? A 285/75/16 is converted to roughly 33" x11.5". This size tire is much more widely available than a 33x10.5x15. Just a suggestion. I still think the 35" tire would look better with the 5" lift, however if you're running stock gearing, the truck would like the 33s better than the 35s.

Another thought...take the money that you would put into buying tires and rims and spend it on the correct gears to match the 35" tires. The correct gears in your application would be 4.88, 5.29, or even 5.71. That just depends on who you ask. I'd say go for 5.29, but there always seems to be a giant debate over what ratio gears for whatever size tire.

Since when does a 33x10.5 tire need a 3" body lift to clear them? They should fit stock, possibly with a little modifications, as highonpottery said. He could get rid of both the body lift and suspension lift and still clear the 33x10.5 tires.

True, but as he states in his original post:
Therefore maybe a bracket lift and blocks might be alright for his application as a street truck since offroad capability is not much of a concern.

Although, if it does have blocks, you should get rid of them. Blocks suck

94 SR5 Mountaineer

Didn't say he had to have it, just assumed the OP wanted to leave SOME lift on the truck. 8 inches to no inches is a big change