Front Suspension Spacers, Wheels Spacers, and 32" Tires?

[Coloradolawdobe]

Hello all,

I found a couple of members over on trailvoy who say they are running a 1.5" front suspension lift and wheel spacers and are able to fit 32" tires without any rear adjustments, does that sound accurate? I have PM'd these members and they don't seem to be in the mood to respond. Although I am by no means an expert on the subject it seems like it might be too tight a fit to actually work. I suppose there could be some rubbing, but has anyone here done this themselves excluding any hearsay evidence of others doing it? Also, there is no need to direct me to the "will it fit thread" as I have spent many hours looking around and can't seem to find this "particular" answer. I have also gone through every single build thread on both this forum and trailvoy and was only able to find these two particular members who have this particular setup which is why I am so skeptical. Also, the response "over 30.5 requires a lift and spacers" does not answer my question so no need including it in a response. Thank you in advance!

~~Rich

[gotspeed1]

Not that it answers your question, but, I've got that set-up, but with 2.5" up front and 83 springs and I rub like all hell.

[Trail X]

Hey Rich. Curious, why would you want to have no lift in the rear, with 1.5" of lift in the front?

[rgraboske]

Rich,

A user name Harry Moto on this site has that set up with 255/75/17 tires. I actually have all the parts together for the same set up.

[Coloradolawdobe]

James and members,

Well, its not that I don't want the rear lifted, per se. However, because the rear end sticks up so much as it does normally I was really just hoping to get the vehicle level. I certainly don't want the front higher than the rear which I think is your concern (which is mine too!) because that would look ridiculous. Really, I just want some lift in the front and the thing level to give me a little added approach angle. Also, everyone has been awesome for all the advice so far!

[fishsticks]

You will rub if you flex it at all. I could rub my 32's with 4" of suspension lift. 3" of body lift fixed it. Now I rub 35's...

[Trail X]

You will rub if you flex it at all. I could rub my 32's with 4" of suspension lift. 3" of body lift fixed it. Now I rub 35's...

Keep in mind, he probably won't be disconnected by the sound of it.

[navigator]

Rich, Rough Country has a leveling lift with 2 inches in the front and 3/4 in the rear. I have it installed on mine. I haven't measured it but it looks pretty much level. It might be slightly taller in the front but I'm not sure. It could also be that the rear was jacked so high for so long that with it sitting level it looks like the front is higher.

It is on sale right now for $129.
http://roughcountry.com/chevy_trailblazer_leveling.html

I'm running 255/70/16 right now but plan to go up to a 265/75/16 ~31.6 with spacers next go around.

It could be that a wider tire at 32 would rub but the 255 being narrower might not rub. It is really hard to know unless you find someone who has done it.

[navigator]

Rich, also if I had it to do over I would have waited and went with the the 2.5 inch in the front with 2 inches in the rear. My TB doesn't really even look lifted, just level. I don't bottom out on ruts at the beach anymore but it isn't quite the look I was hoping for.

[MrSmithsTB]

The rubbing also has to do somewhat with wheel offset. With stock wheels and wheel spacers, a 32" tire seems to be a perfect fit with 2" or rear lift and ~3" of front lift. I.E. marks lift, smaxx, bds... anything less in suspension or more in tire/ and you run the risk of rubbing. I have Mark's kit with silverado wheels and 32" BFG mud terrains and the fit is great. I still think I will add a 2" body lift, but that is only because I want to be safe and leave the option for 33" tires in the future.

[Harry Moto]

Hey, guys, sorry to be slow in responding but I don't hang out here every day.

I've got the 1.75" SMAXX lift in the front and no lift in the rear, (well, I've got the 'in the spring' airbags but they provide basically zero lift at 5 psi) 1.25" spacers (had to grind the studs, but didn't want to stick out at all) and the 255/75x17 Silent Armor tires (32" diameter). I DO rub, once in a great while, with the wheel turned and the suspension flexed. My Scouts all rubbed a lot worse, the TB doesn't even move the plastic inner fender that it rubs on. In my opinion if the rubbing doesn't damage the truck, it doesn't matter. Rocks rubbing the crankcase, that's another matter. (thanks for the steel skid plate, Mike!! 8^) Much better!)

On one of my first outings I parked with the front wheels near lock due to the trail/parking bit constraints, and I was pretty tickled to see that the front tire turned in was about 1/8" (yep, one EIGHT of an inch) clear of the plastic inner fender. You can't design a better fit, IMHO. Having done a number of runs with this setup you can't see where the tires rub unless they JUST did it, as a tiny bit of dust will cover the marks. What I'm sayin' is it barely touches, and it jest don't matter. Ok, I think I've beat that one to death, you all know how I see it! LOL

The truck is pretty much dead level. Depending on where it's sitting, how the light is, what angle I'm viewing it from... it's either dead level, slightly tail high, or slightly nose high. My standing rule is 'if you don't know which way to go for sure, don't adjust it!'. So theoretically lifting the front 1.75" (claimed) more than the rear should put you at dead level. Prolly...

With the 1.25" spacers the outside edge of the tire is just about perfectly even with the outside of the body/fenderwells. It doesn't LOOK like the wheels/tires have been moved out. When you look at a stock truck by comparison, you see that the wheels are significantly inside the wheel wells. Mine are in, but by a fraction if at all.

I love the look; the thing looks (to me) almost perfectly stock, but a number of people have told me how cool it looks with the lift and the tires. Clearance is a matter of personal preference, but if you want the stock look I'm thinking this is the most clearance you can get. It's entirely enough for my purposes.

[Harry Moto]

Rich,

A user name Harry Moto on this site has that set up with 255/75/17 tires. I actually have all the parts together for the same set up.

Rob, when we chatted last about this I made mention of some topping out issues in the front end with the SMAXX lift. I was thinking about getting the outside lift (lifts the whole strut, not just an insert in the spring) but then I saw what they cost!

Now that I've lived with this set-up for a while, it seems that the topping out issue only happens on one speed-bump here at work, and only if you hit it at about 4 to 6 MPH. Then it launches the front end up and as soon as it's going good you're over it and the wheels drop, clunking the stops. If you go faster OR slower it doesn't happen, and it's never happened when I've been off-roading. I top out, sure enough, but not with a 'clunk'. So, I presently have no plans to change any of that stuff. Love the look, love the performance, and didn't spend too awfully much.

I look forward to hearing how your project goes; I'm hoping you like it 1/2 as much as I like mine, you'll be thrilled!

Disclaimer: Don't anyone assume that ~any~ 255/75x17 will fit like this. There are variances in different manufacturers versions of a given size, and there is generally some variation between individual tires. They aren't machined, so sizes will vary slightly. Considering how close mine come, getting a different brand or type means all bets are off. IMHO, YMMV, Etc.

[Harry Moto]

Ok, It's a slow night at work, so I wanted to hit one more topic; I searched and searched too, came up with a little here and a little there. I did not find a direct answer to my questions, so decided to pull the trigger and see what happened. It turned out great, and I'm very happy about that. There was no guarantee, so I just figured I was gambling with that money. The Mrs. has a lot more of a problem with that than I do, so I simply neglected to tell her about any uncertainty I felt. I'm bad that way, sometimes.


Anyway, my point is yea, it's pretty hard to find information sometimes. I've put in my data point. If someone out there has done something different, please post up with numbers and explanations, and of course PIX! This place is a great resouce, and the more we put into it the better it will become.

<ADDED>
For more info, pix, etc, check out my earlier thread: http://forums.offroadtb.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1902