Need suggestions and input. Base Taco 15 or 17inch wheels?

Bingo - staying w/ 245/70/17 and the 2" lift - thank you for all of your help, time and patience. Good man - will post before and after pics in the event that it helps someone else like you helped me! Thanks...now to get after the mods!

 

lol good luck man! Make a little thread about your truck build so me and others can see it.

 

hi there jsheets1 - I just got back from the local auto repair shop (guys I trust) who said that the 2' lift isn't totally necessary and that I'd be able to have 245/65/17s installed with NO LIFT required and I'd have NO (or minimal) rubbing. I'm ok removing the black box if needed but wanted to get your take (and if you have heard of others) that have installed 245/65/17s with NO LIFT and have NO Rubbing. Thanks in advance - ready to get these wheels and tires installed this week!

 

That should be fine once you have the black box removed. You do not need the lift for that size, but that would be the max size you could get. Anymore than that, and you will need a lift.

 

thanks and sorry - to clarify tire size is 245/70/17 (not 65, not sure why i put that) - same scenario applies yes, no need for the 2" lift / spacer for the front? thanks in advance for confirming and letting me know

 

Hmm I'm not sure if I've heard/ read of anyone running that big of a tire 100% stock. So I couldn't really give a definite answer on whether or not it will rub. I can say, because I have the 2" front lift and that size tire, that it is pretty tight in there. At full lock, the front has about 1/2" of clearance and the back has 3/4"-1". You could give it a go a report back to us lol but I'm fairly certain it would rub without a lift.

 

ok - so there is that much of a difference w/ 245/70/17 vs. 245/65/17 meaning one 'needs' a 2' lift vs. not?

 

Yes, there is a 1" height difference between the two. 1" can be a lot in terms of what will/ will not rub. If you don't want the lift, the black box mod and 245/65r17s would be your limit. Is the shop that you took it to familiar with 5 lugs? The 6 lugs can fit up to a 265/75r16 or 265/70r17 completely stock with no rubbing. They might be thinking your 5 lug should be able to do the same or they might have pulled up the stock 6 lug tire size and assumed our trucks can run those stock too. They can't. Sadly, our 5 lugs suspension is completely different than the 6 lugs and they sit much lower.

 

OK, makes sense thanks. When I was there today that was the first thing I said was that it is a 5 lug vs. 6 lug set up - he seemed to think it'd be ok w/ 70s but being that you have them on your truck I take your word for it. I'm now back to debating 235/75/15 vs. 245/65/17. What height would I gain from these options (235/75/15 vs. 245/65/17) vs. what's on there now which is 215/70/15s? UGH.....appreciate your guidance and all the time you're taking. I'll pay it forward

 

Okay so each tire is:

245/65r17= 29.5" tall, 9.6" wide (2.6" taller than stock)
235/75r15= 28.9" tall, 9.3" wide (2" taller than stock)
215/70r15= 26.9" tall, 8.5" wide

So, you'd gain the most height from a 245/65r17 tire, being 2.6" taller than the stock size. You would have to do the black box mod to clear it with no issues. OR you can go with the 235/75r15 and that is 2" taller than stock and not have to do any modification. The equivalent size in for a 17" wheel would be 235/65r17 (you would have a 29" tall tire= 2" taller than stock, and "shouldn't" need any modifications to fit)

You do have to divide all those numbers by 2 though (because it's a circle lol) so a tire that is 2" taller than stock will only give you 1" more height.

Theoretically if you did the 2" lift:

245/70r17= 30.5" tall, 9.6" wide (3.6" taller than stock)

3.6/2= 1.8
1.8+2 (for the 2" spacer)= 3.8" of total lift in the front

vs

245/65r17 ONLY= 1.8" of total lift

 

OK. if only you provided more details - LOL - kidding of course. More math for me and some decisions to make (both financial and overall look, lift, height, etc.) what's got me a bit is the lift install cost(s) needed alignment ($400 total for all) then tack on approx $1,300 more for the wheels and tires...all for 1.8 inches of lift vs. 1 inch of lift if I went w/ the 235s. See what I mean?

 

Oops my bad... The 245/65r17 would only give you 1.3 inches of lift, not 1.8...

However, all that extra cost is for the lift and would give you +3.8" of lift (so nearly 3" over just the 235/75r15!)

If cost really is a concern, I would just go for the 235/75r15, keep everything stock until you could afford going for the full 2.75" front/ 1.75" rear lift with 265/70r17s. That would be a full 5" over stock height!