I just got 32/11.5/15 tires and they seemed to fit fine but if I hit a bump at full turn I hear them rub or grind for a moment when the trucks tilted when turning. I'm sure it's the front bumper because I grinded down any other issues in the fender wells.

I don't like the look of body lifts, (frame showing) so I was wondering if there's another solid way to lift it 2 inches without changing the ride quality? Helps appreciated and recommended sites or items even more so thanks!

 

you could try cranking the torsion bars a little to see if that helps, its free. if not next cheapest route would be a 1 or 2" body lift. but since you don't want that, i'd go with a ball joint spacer up front and an add a leaf or zuk mod out back with new extended shocks all around.

 

I ran torqued torsion bars with 33"s. Did get low profile bump stops to allow a bit more suspension travel.

 

Ball joint spacers will pick you up a bit without hurting too much ride quality. Cranking the t bars will absolutely effect ride quality.

I fit 33s stock with no rubbing on my 92 (pinch weld removed only) , 35s with a little rubbing (fenders cut 2"), so its definitely possible.

They are probably rubbing on the pinch weld. You mentioned you did some grinding, where? Best way to tell is to flex the truck out and actually LOOK where its rubbing.

 

I have a 1990 ex cab also with 32" tires. not even close to rubbing, and bone stock.


are the turn stops adjusted in too far allowing for tighter turns?


When I checked my tires for clearance, I noticed it has no front back movement on wheel, if yours does, perhaps bushings?


I would check the front height and compare w/spec. It might be torsion bars, and a few turns would fix you right up.

 

Well I tried to flex it out, and to my surprise...it wasn't rubbing..? And I had it flexed good too...then I thought about it and realized it only rubs because the inertia of my truck turning pushes the body down on the other side causing them to rub.

Also I forgot to mention they're on 15x10 wheels so they're pretty wide, which is why they rub.

I grinded down that Steel nub that sticks out on the bottom of the wheel wheel on the back closest to the cab of the truck to a nice round Finnish since at full lock when I first got them they were hitting those pretty bad.

Now I only really hear the noise when Im pulling out of a fast food place or somewhere that has a hump to turn back onto the main road if you know what I mean? Where the main roads a little lower than the exit of a place. I'll try to get some pics up in a little bit today!

 

With the new wheels and tires

 

Idk why the one pic is sideways...sorry lol

 

if its still doing it, let it contact a few more times, then look for the wear spot and adjust accordingly. i have 33x12.5s on 8" and wanted to keep it low - it took a good amount of pounding to get firewall/pinch weld clearance during the times like youre describing (turning and hit a good size bump to bottom out suspension). firewall ended up a bit further in than "flush" if you only cut off the pinch weld. also had to trim bumper. i also have bj spacers and adjusted tbars - my ride height is 22.5" from center axle to bottom of fender.

 

How do bj spacers work? And it seems like they only raise the front and I want to keep my truck level just up a little more without having to do anymore smashing or sawing off the bumper I just don't know where to start hammering until I find out where it's hitting And I'd rather not resort to a body lift but after spending $1400 on new wheels and tires I don't want my rubber getting destroyed

 

Whether you go with ball joint spacers or torsion bar. I recommend you replace the studs on the axle output flange with grade 10 bolts. Will make changing CV axles a breeze and quick. As you know the increased angles will wear Cv axles quicker.

 

^this is good for all our ifs trucks. You can also simply grind down the splines on the existing hardware as another option.

With larger tires, aside from the rubbing issues, comes many other issues - like accelerated wear on all steering parts, wheel bearings and things associated with the extra leverage on the spindle/steering. Knowing how to diagnose wear and replace these parts is a good thing to know for future trail repairs.

As for bj spacers - lots of info out there. Not just raise height but also changes travel slightly.

To see where you're rubbing - if you can't tell from tire mark, put something either on the tire or on the firewall to see where it rubs. Could be a piece of paper taped to the firewall or smeared mud even. Just look for the mark the tire makes and go from there. Your only real options are clearancing the metal or lifting more.

 

Clicky through this one:

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=62417

Can you "feel" it rub at you feet? or does it sound like bumper? Inner lugs hitting pitman/idler arm? There is only so much it could rub on.

Thought about getting narrower wheels? Thats a mildly wide rim for that tire.

And if you do BJ spacers, consider getting manual hubs, that way your CVs wont be turning when you dont need them to. Or consider getting them now. haha. Its a worth while up grade.