Stock ground clearance difference Access vs. Double cab

I just wanted to say hello to everyone! I just signed up as a new member and this is my first time posting. I've used the site for many years for its fantastic resources and figured it was about time to become a member.

My question is about the stock ground clearance of a 2015 SR5 4x4 Access Cab and a 2015 4x4 Double cab OR. I've had a 2015 access cab for the last three years but decided I wanted a double cab for the extra room of the back seats. I was lucky to find a barely used 2015 double cab OR. I still have not sold the access cab and they are parked side by side on level concrete. the access cab has 245/75/16 and the double has 265/70/16. When I first drove the Double cab OR it felt as if I was sitting a little lower? almost like I had better line of sight over the front of the hood? However, I remembered reading somewhere that the OR was suppose to sit a little higher? Anyway I took several measurements from the concrete to various points on the underside of the frame on both trucks. The access cab is consistently 1/2 higher in ground clearance from every point I measured. I think there curb weights are about 80# difference but I didn't think that was enough to explain the ground clearance difference? Also, wouldn't the 265/70 make the double a little higher?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I done a little searching but couldn't find anything directly related.

Thanks!

 

Tire calculator will show about .14 delta in dia for those. If both are new or equally worn.

Meaning only .07 for additional clearance with the 265's.

 

265/70/16 tires are the same height as 245/75/16. They are about 1" wider. That is assuming all things are equal. A set of new tires will be 1/2" to 1.5" taller than when they have 40,000 miles on them and there are minor differences between manufacturers as well as tread patterns.

The only place where ground clearance matters is the lowest point of the axle differential. There are lots of factors that can effect where the body sits.

 

Welcome!

The different feeling of height could be due to the fact that they have different seats in them.. The TRD models have nicer seats than the SR5 trucks

 

265/70/16 tires are the same height as 245/75/16. They are about 1" wider. That is assuming all things are equal. A set of new tires will be 1/2" to 1.5" taller than when they have 40,000 miles on them and there are minor differences between manufacturers as well as tread patterns.

The only place where ground clearance matters is the lowest point of the axle differential. There are lots of factors that can effect where the body sits.

Thanks Marshall R, The 265/70's are the original Goodyears on the Double Cab. The truck has 24K miles and the tread depth is passable but worn (I haven't measured it). However, the access cab has Cooper AT3's with only about 20K of wear (60K warranty). The reason I wasn't thinking about that was I took off one of the 265/70's and stood it up next to the 245/75 and it was noticeably taller.

The different feeling of height could be due to the fact that they have different seats in them.. The TRD models have nicer seats than the SR5 trucks

Do the TRD seats sit lower than the SR5"s. Honestly in the SR5 I feel like I'm sitting up higher. By the way, I'm not saying that a 1/2 inch difference in ground clearance would be noticeable in the cab, but something is going on?

 

Im not sure. Ive never noticed a difference between the two in my trucks, but then again, it wouldnt be as noticeable as one truck is stock and the other has a 3” lift. Was just throwing it out there as a possibility. Sorry i cant be of more help. It is strange that one seems higher than the other

 

No problem, appreciate the input. i'll keep checking into it. I have not measured the distance to the rear diff as suggested above. all my measurement points were at the front of the trucks. I'll try to do that later today. The way I think about it (not sure if I'm right) is if you set both trucks down on there frames and then raised them enough to install the tires, the only factor affecting the distance between the ground and the bottom of the frame (or the lowest point like the rear diff) would be the tire size and possible wear issues as mentioned above. Even though the goodyears are worn a lot more than the AT3's when I took tires off of each truck and stood them side by side the goodyears were still taller.

Just for clarification, when I said above that it feels like I have a better line of sight in the double cab OR, I mean the nose of the truck seems lower (from inside the cab perspective) so I see more. From outside the trucks I cant say there are any noticeable differences in rake.

 

Yup, TRD Bucket seats vs the standard seats in the SR5, suspension height etc is pretty much the same on all 6 lug trucks

 

Thanks, your right, I measured the bucket seats in the TRD OR and they sit approximately .75 inches lower than the SR5 seats. Thats obviously why I feel like I'm sitting higher up in the SR5. I think the ground clearance difference is unrelated.