Regear with 33s?

Hey all, I am wondering if I can fit 33s/ if I’ll need to regear if I get them. I’m currently running BFG all terrain ko2s (275/65/17) which are 31.07 with full tread and I have 3 inch rear blocks and a 3 inch spacer lift up front. I want to know if you guys think I can fit 33s without having to trim my fenders and without rubbing at all and if I’ll need to regear. I love the look of the 33s but don’t want to regear. Thanks

 

Won’t technically have to regear, but you will definitely notice a difference in the bigger setup. And decrease in fuel economy. And more than likely you’re going to rub both on the front fenders and the body mount, especially at full lock/articulation. And then with stock wheels you might run into rubbing on the upper control arms too.

 

Make sure you re-calibrate your Speedo either way.

 

You might offer the method to do that.

 

You won’t have to re-gear, but will likely need a body mount chop, may need to address pinch weld, will have to trim a bit, may need some wheel offset. Upgraded UCA’s would help.

 

Before you go down this path, make sure you understand what causes rubbing. Contrary to common beliefs, lifting isn't the solution to clearance and instead it just moves where the rubbing happens in the travel of the suspension. After tire size, alignment and wheel offset are what you need to be paying attention to.

These videos should be required content for anyone with an IFS Toyota: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1k07Og-0sYXYGQTINrUwipVNUowO6jGz&si=w7DmlNpgfNZdCmuJ

Some additional info that's worth watching: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1k07Og-0sYW5XSPx_g_yJsdpBXKh1w-2&si=8uGKXt6Dn73jbqqM

 

find out the stock gearing of your truck if its in the 4's like 4.10 you will still notice it but it won't be terrible to 4.3-4.5 is better. This size tire is a good middle ground (i think you have 17" wheels)

 

Good Idea.
Try this link.

 

Need to re-gear...depends on your priorities.

Gas mileage and off road performance were my improvement goals when I went with 285/70/17's and a 3" lift/body mount chop for tire clearance up front/and a re-gear from stock to 5.29 Nitros...we were also towing a 4,400 lb. travel trailer at the time. For those metrics, it made sense to re-gear.

The re-gear also lightened my wallet by about 3 grand, pro install included. Body mount chop was in the 300 range...tires and wheels first round was about 2,500...suspension lift was 3,500 installed...it adds up quickly.

Mileage numbers are in the 18-21 mpg range averaging...which is good for us. I average 280-350 miles per tank.

Also, having the 5th and 6th gear OD actually usable was a huge benefit. And the off road performance is undeniable...Tacoma climbs like a tree frog.

I also spent some time crunching the numbers on wheel/tire weights to find the lightest combo I could...ending up with load range C BFG KO's coming in at around 51lbs. and a set of Kansei wheels that weighed in at 24lbs each. Roughly 76lbs at each corner.

In summary...look at your wallet/vanity (lifts are cool!)/off road performance/on road performance priorities and...send it!!

 

That guy is crazy smart and does a great job explaining the reasons all these components do what they do, but application in reality has a say too. In my particular experience (and others too I believe), putting a 285/70-17 under my truck with stock UCA’s and 0 offset yielded UCA rub…which was mitigated by a -12 offset that yielded body mount rub. So, to run the tire I wanted to run so that I could get closer to the trail performance I wanted, modifications were needed.

There are lots of tradeoffs playing with these trucks to get them where each of us wants them.

 

For sure. Once you start using wide tires and wheels there may be compromises to make. This is why he tends to recommend staying as skinny as possible. Also, I do believe you could have solved your issue by upgrading your UCA rather than opting for low offset wheels.

Every situation is a little different, but the important thing is that if you're only focused on lift as a means of reducing rubbing then you're going to have issues. It won't be until you understand the overall dynamics that you'll have the tools to figure out the best solution to your specific issue.

 

But skinnier tires is a performance trade off for what I like to do with my truck. I did go with an UCA upgrade…then went to 34’s

 

I probably just don't have the experience needed but I'm still struggling to see where wider tires are a performance advantage (outside of deep snow where you want to float on top, but if that's what you're doing then you're probably building some crazy beast where this topic/conversation doesn't really apply.)

What is is that you're doing in your truck where a 285 is better than a 255?
(This is a real question, I'm looking to learn something - not trying to say you're wrong.)

 

Wider tires equals more contact surface which equals more traction. When aired down even more. Of course there’s a trade off (as always) with steering. I try to avoid the snow when I can, and I’m not trying to build a crazy truck, just one that I can get to cool places in that aren’t particularly easy to get to.

 

Speaking as someone who drives in deep snow often, you need REEEAAAALLY big tires to accomplish this. I've never seen any vehicle do it successfully. Basically nobody is floating on top of snow with any reasonable sized tires. For example, the Arctic Trucks Hilux uses 475/70 R17 Nokian's lol.

 

Tinkerer's Adventure actually did a video on this. The 255s had a similar contact patch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wAJAOxh8LE

 

That's what I always used to think but the more I looked into it, the more I found conflicting information. I'd be very interested to hear your take on Kai's video comparing tire widths: https://youtu.be/6wAJAOxh8LE?si=jyHIMCbrUhmPTxb-

Not saying that video is definitive or properly captures all real world scenarios but it definitely makes you think.

 

Yeah, that's why I mentioned a "crazy beast". I guess I should have ellaborated in that I was talking about something with MASSIVE balloon tires.

Looks like you just beat me to it! We're definitely thinking alike here.

 

that’s a very interesting video…especially when he brings the KO3 into the equation. Seems not all tire designs/construction are equal.

 

I'm running 255/80/r17's on 4runner Trail Wheels and 3rd gen takeoff suspension. (the "lift" doesn't really matter).

I had to trim a tiny corner of my inner fender and remove front mud flaps. Other than that, no rubbing on-road. I get a slight scrub if I'm at full lock up an off camber situation off-road, but I can live with that. No cab mount chop or pinch weld modifications for me yet.

Also note- you'd need to calculate your fuel mileage correctly based off tire size and actual miles traveled.

For example, and this is from memory so do your own research: 255/80/17s are 8.5% larger than the factory 245's that came on my truck. So you'd take your miles driven according to your odometer X 1.085 = actual miles. I'm averaging 18.5mpg with the 255's and they're heavy. I did add a crappy Amazon throttle controller which helped the sluggishness a lot, to the point that it was nearly unnoticeable that I put on larger heavier tires. It scoots along just fine. Once I get a tune it'll be even better and I can ditch the controller.