37s on 6" lift?

[boy&hisdogs]

I want to lift my truck (Zone 6", which I hear is actually a full 6") and I'm getting close to needing new tires anyway. 35s would be easy, I know they will fit and flex fine because 1000s of people have done it and I already have 33x12.50 on there now with no lift at all. It would also be nice to de-crank and drive with flat CVs since I won't need the extra room.

37s are tempting... but it's a big commitment because I would also have to get new wheels since 37s for 16's are scarce, and I plan to gear the truck too so I have to pick a ratio to match.

But then again I'd hate to spend $$$ on a set of 35s just to think "I could have gone bigger" every time I look at it. I bet I could get 37x12.50s on there with a 6" lift and careful wheel choice and be fine on-road, but the real question is will it rub offroad, and more importantly, WHERE will it rub?

I will cut bumper all day long, but I don't want to cut visible sheet metal. I know about that little spot inside the fenders by the cab, or the little plastic filler pieces by the ends of the front bumper, I have no issue cutting those areas, but that's about as far as I'm willing to go and I definitely don't want a body lift.

So far I think I'll lift it, then get some cheap used 35s on there to test it out. If there's still room after that, then I'll move along with new wheels and 37s. If it looks like it would be a tight fit, then I'll stick with the 35s.

I'd appreciate some input if anyone here has ran 37s on only 6" of lift before (no body lift). I know some guys have done it with the DC 6.5" lift but that's not available anymore. Also, a lot of the guys that I see with 37s have them on super wide wheels, or have 37x14.50 or something else huge, which would make it way harder to fit than a 37x12.50 on a x8 or x9 wheel.

 

[b454rat]

I saw a truck years ago that had a 6" with 37s, and was stuffed. I personally don't like that look, but not my truck lol. I don't think they would fit without rubbing the fenders. Could put some cutouts on it, then run some 38s lol.

 

[351FUN]

I want to lift my truck (Zone 6", which I hear is actually a full 6") and I'm getting close to needing new tires anyway. 35s would be easy, I know they will fit and flex fine because 1000s of people have done it and I already have 33x12.50 on there now with no lift at all. It would also be nice to de-crank and drive with flat CVs since I won't need the extra room.

37s are tempting... but it's a big commitment because I would also have to get new wheels since 37s for 16's are scarce, and I plan to gear the truck too so I have to pick a ratio to match.

But then again I'd hate to spend $$$ on a set of 35s just to think "I could have gone bigger" every time I look at it. I bet I could get 37x12.50s on there with a 6" lift and careful wheel choice and be fine on-road, but the real question is will it rub offroad, and more importantly, WHERE will it rub?

I will cut bumper all day long, but I don't want to cut visible sheet metal. I know about that little spot inside the fenders by the cab, or the little plastic filler pieces by the ends of the front bumper, I have no issue cutting those areas, but that's about as far as I'm willing to go and I definitely don't want a body lift.

So far I think I'll lift it, then get some cheap used 35s on there to test it out. If there's still room after that, then I'll move along with new wheels and 37s. If it looks like it would be a tight fit, then I'll stick with the 35s.

I'd appreciate some input if anyone here has ran 37s on only 6" of lift before (no body lift). I know some guys have done it with the DC 6.5" lift but that's not available anymore. Also, a lot of the guys that I see with 37s have them on super wide wheels, or have 37x14.50 or something else huge, which would make it way harder to fit than a 37x12.50 on a x8 or x9 wheel.

FWIW, you can get cheap milsurp tires in 37". Mine were just over $500 for all 4 shipped freight to my tire shop.

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[Erik the Awful]

I'd check the manufacturing date on those surplus tires before installing.

 

[351FUN]

I'd check the manufacturing date on those surplus tires before installing.

They're usually about 5-6 years old. I work in the tire industry, tires are good for 10+ years if they're a good brand.

 

[Erik the Awful]

"Usually" being the key word. Trust, but verify.

 

[Fast_Z71]

My buddy when he was running a ifs setup was running 37s on his 96 K2500 with a 6 inch lift. He did have to trip the valance in order to have full turning.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

FWIW, you can get cheap milsurp tires in 37". Mine were just over $500 for all 4 shipped freight to my tire shop.

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Those are for 16.5" wheels right?

How are they on the highway? The tread doesn't look all that different than a regular M/T but I bet the rubber is a lot harder...

 

[boy&hisdogs]

So the lift and tires have been on for about a week. I can tell you that with moderate trimming (bumper, valence, and inside of the fender wells) 37s clear fine for normal driving, but will rub if you hit big bumps both on and off road. Like swinging too hard into an uphill driveway, hitting a curb, that kind of stuff. So far it's just been rubbing, no punctures, no chunks, and no damage to the sheet metal, just something to be aware of.

Also, if you put them on some kind of stock wheel (I have NNBS 17x8 w/ 5.5" back spacing) then they will rub way less than they would on an aftermarket wheel that sticks out more. I put 1.25" spacers on there to simulate an aftermarket wheel and while they still fit, I would not have had to cut as much if I had just left them on the stock backspacing.

If you plan to go 6" and 37s then wheel choice is critical. I'd go 5-5.5 inches of backspacing, maybe 4.5 at the max (most stick-outage) if you don't want to trim visible sheet metal. These values are for a x8 wide wheel. For reference, with my spacers it simulates a 4.25 backspace, and this is what I had to cut from the front fenders to clear it, and it still rubs there where I colored in red.


This is un-trimmed, with a fairly high crank. This is how I brought it home from the shop. It only rubbed on bumps while turning but I didn't want it cranked that high. I'm putting the IFS under enough stress as it is with 37s and wanted to keep my angles flatter to give it a fighting chance. After trimming I de-cranked it about 1.5" but I'm debating if I want to go back up maybe a half inch or so. Also keep in mind that these are old, used 37s. Fresh ones will have more tread and thus be a little bigger!

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The following images are my trim work. Don't worry, it's still in the trial-and-error phase, I'll go back in and clean it up when I feel like I've cut enough. I have bondo and touch up paint on standby . This is about a 3-1/4" long strip removed from the inside of the fender if you measured from the very innermost edge of the stock sheet metal. 3-1/4" is about as far as you can cut if you don't want to see your trimming from the side of the truck. Any more than that and it stops being "under" the truck and starts climbing up the curve of the fender.

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Here's the side view. You can't see this at all unless you bend down and look at it. Walking up to the truck in the driveway/parking lot you would never see it. BUT if you cut any more than this, that "notch" will start to grow fast and be more and more noticeable from the side view. Pardon the over-cut... not my best work... bondo and touch up paint standing by...

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And here's where I got it to rub today. Like I said, if I cut more it'll start to be more noticeable from the side view of the truck. I just need a few days to psych myself up for it. I'm half tempted to crank more but the problem with that is cranking only changes where it rides sitting still or on smooth ground. It won't do much to cure rubbing caused by big bumps. Even as-is it's still pretty livable, the rubbing is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. This is just a DD that goes camping and explores back roads. No high speed whoops or rock bouncing here.

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[badco]

I run 35x12.50 with no lift and I treat mine rough at times. My bumper and fender been trimmed since I had 33s on a set of 8" rallies that stuck out.