Yet another noob leveling thread..

Hey all,

I'm new to the forum and just picked up a new Ram. It's a 2012 quad cab Outdoorsman with a Hemi in it. Sorry, no pics just yet. As most of you know, the front end sits too low. I have a few questions about leveling the truck. It looks like the HBS 2" leveling kit will be the way I'm going.

Is there any difference in the front suspension of the Outdoorsman compared to other models? I assume the standard HBS kit will work?

I plan to keep the stock 17" wheels but I'd like to put a larger tire on it. I really like the look of a wheel well stuffed full of tire so I'd like to go as big as possible without rubbing. HBS says they test their kits with 33's and have customers running up to 35's but they don't indicate width. I'm looking at BFG All Terrain T/A KO. Will a 305/65/R17 fit? Per a size chart I found that tire measures 32.7"X12.2". Is that too wide? If so, could I go with a 285/70/17 which measures 32.8"x11.5". According to Tire Rack, the 315/70/17 isn't rated for severe snow, so I'm not interested in it. Wheel spacers aren't legal here in PA, so they really aren't an option.


Any input is welcome. Thanks guys and gals!

btw- there are some GREAT looking trucks here!!

My girlfriends run wheel spacers on her trucker for 2.5 years now here in PA
Her tires also stuck outside of the wheel wells for 2 years

The 285 tire is probably going to be your best bet if you don't want any rubbing, same height as the 305 but you won't rub
A 315 is what would probably give you the best look but it's gonna be iffy on the width

Technically, a spacer 1/4" thick or less passes inspection, but will that give me the clearance I need?

So you think the 285/70/17 should fit without rubbing?

A few more Q's about the leveling and tires-

Does anyone know how far the speedo will be off with the over sized tires? What's the best way to correct it? (if it's even enough to worry about)

I'm not a fan of stability/traction control, but will the system continue to work properly when leveling the front end? I assume there are sensors that detect body pitch which will no longer read zero?

Maybe I'm just over thinking the whole thing...

I think your just worrying yourself to much lol
If you really look into pa vehicle code most cars on the road wouldnt pass

Your stock tires are a 265/70/17 which is about 31" (stock 20" tires have a 275mm section width an are about 34" tall for comparison)
285/70/17 are just about 33", that would make your speedo about 6% slower then what you are actually doing, when your speedo says 30 you would be doing about 32mph, 60 would be about 64mph and so on

I highly doubt 285 will cause rubbing, I believe there is someone here with 295 section width on 20s and they had a little but of rubbing and had to use to a 1/4" spacer

My girlfriends dad has 285/70/17 dynapro mt on his 09 2500 the tires look great and have no clearance problems
I've never heard of any problems with the stability control, I don't think it's really that advanced

Another option is trying to find a 285/75/17 tire
Btw welcome to the forum, it's always nice to see others from PA!

Thanks for your input. It's much appreciated. I guess I'll worry about getting the truck leveled first, and make a decision on tire size later.

Thanks for the welcome, fellow PA'er!

You can run a 285 without a spacer. Some trucks can do 295 and some can't. When you go above that you most likely will definitely need a 1/4" spacer

I still rub at full lock. 295s, 1/4" spacer, 2" level. Wheels (if I remember correctly) are -18mm offset

heres my truck when i had the RCX 2.5''/.75'' leveling kit with Nitto Terra Grapplers 285/75/17, no rub at all with them. i think your truck sits higher than other 1500s being an outdoorsman so you should definitely clear a bigger tire. my truck rode a tiny bit rougher going over bumps than stock with the spacer kit but not to any extent that i wouldnt do the leveling kit. hope this helps!

0212353 said:

I still rub at full lock. 295s, 1/4" spacer, 2" level. Wheels (if I remember correctly) are -18mm offset

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Are the wheels you have now the same offset as the factory wheels? Do your tires stick out past the fender flares? It doesn't look like it from the pic, but it may just be the angle.
Great looking truck, btw!

durango4819 said:

heres my truck when i had the RCX 2.5''/.75'' leveling kit with Nitto Terra Grapplers 285/75/17, no rub at all with them. i think your truck sits higher than other 1500s being an outdoorsman so you should definitely clear a bigger tire. my truck rode a tiny bit rougher going over bumps than stock with the spacer kit but not to any extent that i wouldnt do the leveling kit. hope this helps!

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The 285/70 would be the smallest I want to go, and a 305/70 would be the largest. I'll keep looking around for pics and info on what other guys have found that fits/doesn't fit, rubs/doesn't rub, and what doesn't stick out past the fender flare. I'm not really a fan of spacers, but I may have to go with a 1/4" to fit the tire I want to stuff under the truck. I'm not really worried about a rough ride. It is a truck, after all. LOL.
Thanks for posting a pic! That looks much better than stock.

I'll probably order the leveling kit within the next week or two. Tires will probably have to wait a little while. Dang things are expensive.

Thanks for the input guys!!

factory offset on the chrome 20's is 19.4mm. Honestly i believe 0212353's are an 18mm offset not -18mm. So his wheels are very close to stock.

I would say to definitely figure on using 1/4" spacers since you want wider tires.

What style tire are you looking for?
I know they make a 285/75/17 Toyo open country mt which would be your ideal size 34" tall 11.25" wide

I was leaning towards a set of BFG All Terrain T/A KO. I've had great experience with that tire in the past. 34x11.25 would work well, but I'm not looking for a mt tire.

A few more Q's-

I haven't looked into wheel spacers yet. Can anyone recommend a manufacturer or warn me of one to stay away from?

I wanted to keep the factory wheels. Will a tire that measures 11" or 12" wide mount on a 7" wide wheel safely?

Thanks.

For 12" they recomend an 8" wide wheel
Ive run 35x12.5 on a 7.5 inch wheel and 315/70 as well

The tire saga continues... LOL...

OK, I finally had a few minutes to sit down and relax. (I have a rather hectic schedule at the moment) The 285/75/17 seems like it would be a good fit, but BFG doesn't make the All Terrain in a 285/75/17. My options in that size seem pretty limited. Nitto, BFG mud terrain, and Toyo seem to be about it. The Nitto may be an option.

As far as what fits on my 7" rim, per BFG's website, a 305/65/17 rim width range is 8.5"-11", a 285/70/17 rim width range is 7.5"-9", and 275/70/17 rim width range is 7"-8.5". It looks like the 305/65/17 is just too big for the factory wheels, and the 285/70/17 (and a 285/75/17) is a 1/2 in off.

Durango4819 put 285/75s on the 7" wheel. No issues, right?

Motorsport-tech makes good quality spacers. They are on eBay, I put 1.5" spacers on my 2010 trx4 and I love them. I have bilsteins set at 2.1"(I think) and I'm waiting for the $$$ to get a set of Kumho road venture mt, 315/70/17.

OK now I am confused. For leveling my OEM 2011 Big Horn, I'm reading to go with Bilsteins 5100 adjustable. When I try to order its telling me this is for lifted trucks only. I'm trying to have my truck sit higher, but I am in no need of a 6" lift. I'm running aftermarket SRT 20" wheels but my factory wheels were also 20". Does anyone have a link to exactly what I am in need of please?

DRkNESS said:

OK now I am confused. For leveling my OEM 2011 Big Horn, I'm reading to go with Bilsteins 5100 adjustable. When I try to order its telling me this is for lifted trucks only. I'm trying to have my truck sit higher, but I am in no need of a 6" lift. I'm running aftermarket SRT 20" wheels but my factory wheels were also 20". Does anyone have a link to exactly what I am in need of please?

Click to expand...

Bilstein, Innovation and High Quality Since 1873

Same ones I used on mine

Draper S said:

Motorsport-tech makes good quality spacers. They are on eBay, I put 1.5" spacers on my 2010 trx4 and I love them. I have bilsteins set at 2.1"(I think) and I'm waiting for the $$$ to get a set of Kumho road venture mt, 315/70/17.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that company in mind when the time comes.

Step 1 is done. 2" HBS leveling kit has been ordered.

Ok, I had a spare second to take a breath, the kit is installed. It took two of us a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete both sides. Install was pretty easy, and we did it without a spring compressor. I know you guys love pics but I haven't gotten that far yet... sorry. Noob fail... LOL.


Now back to the tire saga. I really wanted to keep the factory wheels but they are just too narrow for the tires I want to put on the truck. For a BFG All Terrain 315/70/17 I need at least an 8" wheel, I'd like to go 8.5"-9". Can I make up the difference in wheel width with back spacing and offset to prevent rubbing while keeping the tires from sticking out past the factory flares?

New wheels and tires may be a while down the road (have to sell the bike first to fund the purchase) but I'd like to figure out what I need sooner than later.