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clearing 31x10.50x15 tires

2K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  **DONOTDELETE** 
#1 ·
Hey Gang,

If everything goes right, I should have some new parts for my 88.5 Hdtp in a couple weeks. I'm picking up a used Calmini 2" s/r kit and also a set of 31x10.50x15 mud tires mounted on 15x7 rims.

Here's my question: I know I can't put those tires on there with just the 2" s/r, but what if I put on a 1" body lift and did some creative massaging with a BFH? Can I get away with those tires for a while as long as I don't do anything too extreme? I need the truck to function somewhat normally as a road vehicle, but it will be taken offroad a bit, too.

As it stands, unless I can do something relatively cheap and easy like what I suggested above (the 1" body lift) I will be taking the 31s off the wheels and putting on some nice 235/75-15s until I can get some more lift, 3" springs, probably. The stock wheels are going to get a set of studded snows for the winter, which was the original purpose of this trucklet, anyways.

Thanks for any and all suggestions,

~daxe


 
#3 ·
>>why not just go spoa?

Several reasons.

I already have the s/r lined up. I looked at both approaches and asked questions and read lots of info here and elsewhere and decided s/r was the way to go for me.

I'm not building this rig to be a heavy duty offroad rig and have no plans to do that or even go offroading to that extent (at the moment). This rig will be on the street 95% of the time and needs to be a spare daily driver for both me and my wife.

From my observations, going SPOA involves lots of "peripheral" modifications to accomodate the greater lift. Stuff like drop pittman arms or gusseted z links, driveshaft extensions and longer brake lines are things that I don't want to pay for or deal with at the moment.

#3 My state only allows 1.5 inches of lift, and I don't want to worry about that any more than is necessary. Too much height and you also need to be concerned with how it affects the handling. Raising the center of gravity is raising the center of gravity, no matter how you look at it, and overall on-road stability has got to suffer a little when you get higher. Since I don't need the extra height, it's not worth the extra concerns.

I am just getting into this hobby and I'm not sure how I will end up. I may well get the bug to build and build and get higher and higher, but I would probably get another Zuk to do that to. Preferably a convertible. I got this one to be an on-road snow fighter and a backup vehicle for me or my wife when our regular vehicles are sick and it needs to retain that functionality.

> btw 235 will fit with no lift what so ever just some trimming to the ends of the bumper and beat the lip at the rear of the front fender well up.

I have read that before and have conflicting info about it, but I believe you. Here's how the formula looks in my head, though: stock tires are 27" and 235s are about 29". So I can go up 2" with the mods you mentioned. Add the 2" s/r lift (2"+2") and maybe I can go up the extra 4" to 31s, which I already have lined up, as well. I thought if it was a little too close at that point, that a 1" body lift (relatively cheap and supposedly "easy") would ensure that everything would fit OK. I thought body lift because it doesn't change the driveline or steering geometry.

~daxe


 
#4 ·
If you add the 2" S/R and the 2" body, I wouldn't recommend anything larger than a 30"x9.50".

Reasons:

1) Wider than 9.50" and you'll be rubbing the springs at full lock, unless you backspace your rims. Even with the full 5" combo, wider that 9.50" on standard rims will rub the springs.

2) You might possibly get some rubbing on the rear of the front wheel well under compression, especially if the tire is turned.

Again, if you are going the 2"+2", I strongly recommend 30" tires.

Yankee Tim/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif
 
#5 ·
Daxe without some sort of gearing correction the 31's will
have your truck gasping for breath where you live. At the least you need a babylobster or a 4.16 t-case. then there
is the issue of if they will fit.. You should talk to
Dbenj He is running 235 mud tires and is looking to go
to a SPOA maybe you buys can work something out.

Glenn
87' Zook Spoa,M/L 33's, 4.16 tcase,4.62 gears Camo,Header,2"exhuast, Cam.
Lockers, 8klb winch, -Wildweasel2 NE4WI- club http://www.cs.umass.edu/~glenn/personal.html
 
#6 ·
>>If you add the 2" S/R and the 2" body, I wouldn't recommend anything larger than a 30"x9.50".

I was actually only talking about a 1" body lift, so that makes it even worse.

>>>1) Wider than 9.50" and you'll be rubbing the springs at full lock, unless you backspace your rims. Even with the full 5" combo, wider that 9.50" on standard rims will rub the springs.

Aha. This is good to know. Out of everything I have read, that's the first time I think that was mentioned.

>>Again, if you are going the 2"+2", I strongly recommend 30" tires.

This is only the question it is because I already "contracted" to get some 31s. A collection of circumstances had me ending up with them when I was really only shooting for the rims they are mounted on. I guess it makes no sense to orient an entire series of mods around a set of tires, eh? I should just unmount them and hang on to them until I find someone who needs 'em.

Thanks, Tim.

~daxe


 
#7 ·
>>Daxe without some sort of gearing correction the 31's will
have your truck gasping for breath where you live.

The old 15mph up every hill in 1st gear @4000rpm trick, huh?

> At the least you need a babylobster or a 4.16 t-case. then there
is the issue of if they will fit..


Yeah..like I replied to Tim, basing everything around a set of tires seems increasingly silly.

> You should talk to
Dbenj He is running 235 mud tires and is looking to go
to a SPOA maybe you buys can work something out.

Hmm..this is true... (looking for Dbenj info..)

thank you Glenn.

BTW, I drove past your house yesterady with the whole family in the car, just so I could point it out to my wife. I saw all kinds of Zuks in the yard and would have stopped in to say Hi but the kids were being kids and getting home seemed more urgent.

~daxe

 
#8 ·
I put the 31's on 7" rims for running it on the street and flat towing, and even while flat towing if I take a corner too sharp with my Trooper I can hear the tires rubbing on the springs. See the attached pic. This is with the 5" Calmini lift and 2" body lift. On the last run (break in and fine tuning), we also noticed some SEVERE rubbing on the lower wheelwells with the 32" Swampers, so it's time for the Sawzall and BFH. With the Swampers I cut the center out of the stock rim, inverted it, and welded it back on. A little wobble at cruising speed, but they're bias ply tires and I never balanced them. The local shop checked for runout and said they were fine though, just something to consider.

I have some 1/4 to 1/2 worn 235/15 BFG AT's I'd let go cheap, I was going to use them on the Commando and for "inspection tires", but haven't needed them yet. They'd be nice for the street, especially in the snow, but they aren't too great in the mud department.



JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 5" Calmini, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!
 
#9 ·
JEEPN -

First, this paragraph will pertain to 31" tires, although you are running 32's (which should work). Are you using the 4" bumpstop extensions that came with the kit? If not, then the rubbing will not go away. When I had 31"s on mine with the 5"combo, I was running a 2" bumpstop extension. In order to do this I had to do a 2" body lift and longer stocks/upper mounts. This worked, but 31x10.50 on 7" standard rims resulted in rubbing the springs slightly. CALMINI recommends either 9.50" wide or BSing the rims.

Then I went to 33"s on 2" BS rims. The spring rubbing disappears with the BS rims, but with 33"s the rubbing of the tires to body was too much. It needed the taller bumpstop extensions. But that is what I got for trying to make a square peg fit a round hole.

But, if you bumpstop it right, the 32"s shouldn't rub the body. Springs yes, body no.

Yankee Tim/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif
 
#10 ·
Well, I am running the 32x9.5's off-road, with the 2" backspacing in the front only, backspacing won't help the rear. The 31's are just my street tires (the ones in the pic).

No, there are no bumpstops on it, never came with any. I didn't install the lift, someone else put it on before I bought it. Rather than install bumpstops and limit what little flex I have now, I'm going to modify the body to accept the tires better. I'm not worried about warping springs as this is as stiff as a board. Just ask Max, he was complaining about it the whole day, and even rode with CharlyA to help his back. He claimed he was taking pictures, but I know better. It rides awesome down the road, but that's not why I bought it. I'm going to cut out the wheelwells and move them up about 2"-4" and see how that works. I think the 32's are a little large for the current setup, but they're awesome tires and I like the clearance. With the YJ springs I'll end up putting on bumpstops, and fine tuning that suspension more, with this one I just want to wheel it.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 5" Calmini, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!
 
#11 ·
Yea it is a regular zook yard. (I just added 2 more flatfender Jeeps back there last night too.They are around till we break them down for parts.) I really need a bigger garage.

Glenn
87' Zook Spoa,M/L 33's, 4.16 tcase,4.62 gears Camo,Header,2"exhuast, Cam.
Lockers, 8klb winch, -Wildweasel2 NE4WI- club http://www.cs.umass.edu/~glenn/personal.html
 
#12 ·
i am spoa (4,5") and before any fine-tuning the rear lowe fenderwall of the front axle would chew up my BFG MTs pretty badly

put the rear springs upfront... just get minor rubbing on the spring packñ...

so i guess a 2"s/R and a 2" blift would not clear them...

ohhh... btw... i dont have bump-stops

alfred

 
#13 ·
Now that you heard all these guys talk about tire sizes. Here is a pic of my ride a the '98 Sierra Trek. I was running a 2" Calmini Shackle reverse and those tires are 31x10.50x15 BFG Trail T/As. I ran this set up for over a year and only had to trim the bumper and pound up the fender lips in the wheel wells(look under your fenders you'll know what I'm talking about) I had a 4" backspace on the wheels and rubbed the springs at full lock, but I got used to it. They will fit, try for yourself and see. I wheeled it alot with this set up and had a blast. If your only going to use the truck on-road 95% of the time go for it! You can add a body lift if you need it later. My .02

88 Zuk
locked and loaded
http://www.zukin.homestead.com/main.html
 

Attachments

#15 ·
>>>They will fit, try for yourself and see.

I know it is in my nature to bolt them up and see how it looks regardless of what anyone says, so since I will have them around I might as well! If I don't like it or can't get up my own street or it rubs too much or whatever, I can just yank 'em off and put the old tires back on.

~daxe

 
#16 ·
>>>I have some 1/4 to 1/2 worn 235/15 BFG AT's I'd let go cheap, I was going to use them on the Commando and for "inspection tires", but haven't needed them yet. They'd be nice for the street, especially in the snow, but they aren't too great in the mud department.

These are the same tires I was going to get, myself, so if I could grab 'em cheap that would work really well. Are they mounted presently? I'm now trying to figure out how to have my two sets of rims and tires..one for winter (235 studded snows) and one for summer (235 BFG ATs), since I may end up getting rid of the chrome spoke and 31s..blah blah blah. I also just got wind of another set of stock rims, I think. I'm getting confused. I'm gonna have to write this stuff down.

~daxe

 
G
#17 ·
Better springs are way important, if you can afford them
The edge of the guard that's rolled under will cut your tyres to pieces if you don't beat them with a hammer.
If your tyre hits the rear inner guard, as i'm sure it will, move the whole axle forward. Easy to do.
Gearing will peeve you, but sounds like you're willing to cope. You basically become a 4 speed. (5 on a downhill with a tailwind)
You can always find a 410 T case which will help out.
You can do it, ........but.
Alfie.

 
#18 ·
No, they're not mounted. I like the 235 AT's in the winter, I won't run anything else. I run the 265/16's on the Trooper and 31's on the TJ, never been disappointed yet.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 5" Calmini, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!
 
#20 ·
>>>>I like the 235 AT's in the winter, I won't run anything else

very few things genuinely impress me, but when I got a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS50s for my Neon, it was nothing short of amazing. On snow, shallow or deep, and on ice, the thing was glued to the road. Even last winter when we got close to 2 feet of snow, I plowed through that in unplowed parking lots and didn't get stuck. All I can think of is how amazing those same tires would be on a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

A lot of this centers around one thing in particular. I live on a VERY steep hill, which tends to get iced up really good. On about 5 different occasions in the 5 years I have lived here, I have been unable to get up the hill to my own driveway, and I live in the first house on the street! This happened with my Neon even with the snow/ice tires and also in my wife's Subaru Legacy with all season tires. On some winter mornings, I will drive out of my driveway and literally SLIDE down the hill right into the (relatively) busy road at thebottom of the hill. The only way I can keep it from gaining huge amounts of velocity is to deliberately stuff the right front wheel into the snowbank/gulley on the right side of the road and fight it all the way down from swapping ends, which has also happened on occasion. There's nothing quite so thrilling as sliding out of control downhill backwards in your car, heading for a blind corner on a busy road.

There is no safe place at the bottom of the hill to leave the car, either, even if I was able to walk up the hill to my house. I need to be able to drive up the hill and turn into my driveway and be there for the night, hoping the plows and sand trucks will come by before I have to leave again the next morning.

I am more concerned with this one situation than plowing through snow on the road. I have driven hundreds of miles at a stretch during blizzard conditions in not-so-snow-worthy cars (like Z24s and 65 Lemans') with all season tires. I am an experienced and skilled winter driver (and a professional driver, besides!) I just need to be able to defeat the elements in this one case. I think my little hardtop Zuk with a nice set of studded snow and ice tires will be abel to claw its way up my hill and maybe wouldl even allow me to crawl DOWN the hill with less danger of sliding out of control and getting killed.

~daxe

 
#21 ·
Did I mention I also run chains for winter wheeling? Sounds like you need a set.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 5" Calmini, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!
 
G
#22 ·
hey daxe,
dean(dbenj) here. yup- the bug has bit me and Im going SPOA. The big question is when can i get this great group to help me!! If only I was not moving this holiday weekend, i would be at the fabfest, ready to go. Anyhoo, once i do the lift, Im going to need 31's- maybe we can do some sort of swap. Ive got Dunlop Mud Rovers mounted on AR black 15x7. Tires have about 1500 miles on them, nubbies still present. A little nick from the stock bumper at full lock, but otherwise no problems. My only lift is 1" shackles.I think I'd like to keep the rims. What kind of brand/shape are the 31s? Mine is a daily driver, but once I go OA, it will be a weekend toy.
And in regards to Z2K+1...definitely go! I went last year and was a definite newbie(Glenn can attest to that!) and had a blast. The trails we went up had go-arounds, so if i didnt feel comfortable..around I went.The Hardcore folks didnt look down at me, but rather encouraged me and guided my lil smurf up the trails. And I do like the idea of a "mixed run" that Glenn had mentioned- sure is fun to watch zooky,Tim,max and Glenn get vertical.
Sounds like wayne will be leading us stockers -which is great- he knows his schtuff. So for the shrimps, we have myself, Jim,you(!!) and who else?? In the words of Ken Dorfmann.."Oh Boy, is this gonna be great!!"

dbenj
88.5 zook, mini mudders, 2"shackles,Thorley Header,K&N,Pony Carb,GM Alt,custom ski bumper,yankee off road hood latches.
 
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