I've read NUMEROUS posts on lifts versus tire size and just get more and more confused . . .

2.5" leveling kit allows use of 35" tires
4" suspension lift allows use of 35" tires
6" suspension lift allows use of up to 35" tires
8" CST lift kit claims up to 35" tires

My last truck was a 2000 Dodge Ram. I put a 5" suspension lift on it with 35" tires and they rubbed, even with trimming. I added a 3" body lift and solved the problem.

An earlier post stated someone had 35" tires rubbing on their F150 with the CST 8" lift

How do you fit 35" tires with the leveling kit? Surely there can be no travel room for off roading?

Can anyone help me understand? If I want 37" or 38" tires do I need suspension and body lifts? HELP !!!

 

Dont forget that some of this has to do with the fact that the tires are very wide as well. Sure there is height in the well, but at full turn the tire cant fit. Some people trim the wells to make it better. If you want the tire to look right and tuck into the well with the stock 5" backspacing, then I would think the tallest you would want to go with would be 37s. But then you need to think about regearing as well.

 

How wide the tires and rims are will make a difference in clearance as well. You might be able to fit an 8" wide rim and a 12.5" tire just fine, but step up to a 10" rim and a 13" or wider tire, and it will fit totally different, even though both combos are 35" tall.

 

Exactly. Plus, the complete suspension lifts out for the 04=05's increase the trucks front track width, which causes fitment problems. There are a lot of variables in tire fitment other than just the size of the tire itself.

 

Thanks for the input. I take it that if I go to 9 or 10 inch wide rims and a tire bigger than 35" I'm most likely looking at doing both a suspension lift (6") and a body lift (3") or will likely rub?

Also, if I install a 3" body lift will my console shifter "shrink" like my last truck's 4wd shifter did?

 

Whether or not the shifter remains in the same position after a body lift depends on how Ford made it. On an S-10 I lifted, the transfer case shifter was connected directly to the tranfer case and didn't move when I lifted the body. On a K5 Blazer I lifter, the shifter was connected to the transfer case by a linkage and it moved up 3 inches when I lifted the body. I'd ask Performance Accessories directly.

 

Thanks. On the last three vehicles I lifted the shifter stayed when the body lifted, resulting in a loss of or shrinking of the shifter. Didn't bother me with the 4wd shifter, but would bug the heck out of me with the transmission shifter on my console.