Help a newbie with leveling/wheels/tires

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mpittman

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First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I have read the great and awesome "guide to leveling" in the sticky section. Great thread. But, I do have a few questions that I'm not sure about. I have a 2015 Crew Cab Big Horn.

1. I'm going to level the front end with Bilstein 1500's @ either 2.1 or 2.8. Probably 2.8.

2. I'm also going to be changing the wheels and tires. The wheels that I like have an offset of -24, it does not come in anything else. If I get 295/60/20 or 35x12.5 tires with the -24 offset, am I going to have rubbing if the bils are at 2.8? I don't want to have to trim or modify the wheel wells or fenders. Also, the tires I'm looking at are Nitto Trail Grapplers, which I know has a reputation of rubbing issues.

3. I'm also considering dropping down to a 18" wheel, rather than 20"s. I like a beefier looking tire, a little less "low profile". Is there anything I need to do or worry about going from a 20" wheel down to a 18" wheel, or even a 17"?

Thanks for any input or experience you can share with this setup!!
 

brandonjansen

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20x10 -24 offset wheels aren't going to work with 35x12.5's if you don't want to be trimming. That setup would require trimming of both the inner fender liner and the pinch weld with only a level. You'd need to stick with 295/60/20's or find different wheels.

There's no issue stepping down to an 18" or 17" wheel. It all comes down to your preference and what you think looks better. Handling may be slightly reduced with the larger sidewall but ride quality will increase slightly. So there's pros and cons.
 
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mpittman

mpittman

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20x10 -24 offset wheels aren't going to work with 35x12.5's if you don't want to be trimming. That setup would require trimming of both the inner fender liner and the pinch weld with only a level. You'd need to stick with 295/60/20's or find different wheels.

There's no issue stepping down to an 18" or 17" wheel. It all comes down to your preference and what you think looks better. Handling may be slightly reduced with the larger sidewall but ride quality will increase slightly. So there's pros and cons.



Thanks Brandon. If I did 295/60/20 with a -24 offset, how far out beyond the fenders will the tires stick out? No flares, and I don't want to ruin my paint.




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vgoodson91

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Thanks Brandon. If I did 295/60/20 with a -24 offset, how far out beyond the fenders will the tires stick out? No flares, and I don't want to ruin my paint.




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-24mm is almost 1 full inch. Then you have to take into account the width of the tires, your looking at about 1.5" outside of the fender well. I ran -24 mm and 295/65/20 on my old 3rd gen and had the outside lug of my trail grapplers out passed the fender flares.


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brandonjansen

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Thanks Brandon. If I did 295/60/20 with a -24 offset, how far out beyond the fenders will the tires stick out? No flares, and I don't want to ruin my paint.




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20x10 -24 offset with 295/60/20's will stick out about 2.25-2.5" past the fender depending on the exact tire you end up going with. So yes, they'll be a ways out there. For comparison's sake, here's what 2" past the fender looks like with a leveling kit.

923175_10151364169920064_3773352_n.jpg
941647_10151364169450064_1621840214_n.jpg
 
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mpittman

mpittman

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I actually love that look. Would love to know what tires those are, and I assume Bils at 2.8? Spacer in the back? Even if you added some flares later, it would still look good.
 

brandonjansen

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I actually love that look. Would love to know what tires those are, and I assume Bils at 2.8? Spacer in the back? Even if you added some flares later, it would still look good.

That was my old truck. I was running a 2.5" leveling kit (it was before I knew about Bilsteins), 0.75" rear coil sapcers, 20x9 -12 offset Fuel Hostages, and 35x12.5 Toyo MT's. It ended up with a 6" lift and Bilsteins down the road and then I traded it in for my 3500.
 
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mpittman

mpittman

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any rubbing with the 35's and -12 offset with 2.5" level?
 

ctemp1

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Here's a stance I will be going for as well, only my wheel will be -19 offset with 35x12.5r20

Here is 2.5" front, 1.5" rear
35x12.5r20 with -25 offset. Owner claims it has light rubbing and trimed minor plastic
 

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brandonjansen

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any rubbing with the 35's and -12 offset with 2.5" level?

Rubbed on the back of the inner fender on the drivers side slightly. I was able to just tie back the inner fender with a zip tie and that was enough.

Here's a stance I will be going for as well, only my wheel will be -19 offset with 35x12.5r20

Here is 2.5" front, 1.5" rear
35x12.5r20 with -25 offset. Owner claims it has light rubbing and trimed minor plastic

A 20x10 -25 offset with 35x12.5's will require trimming to the back of the inner fender and likely the pinch weld as well.
 
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