Lifted it onto 37s!

[RockyJ]

I got a flat tire the other day. A bite into the sidewall that trashed the tire.

...so I had to replace it. I did. I'm kinda a noob and have never changed a flat tire on a truck before. Did I do it right?


Before:

After:

Zone 6" lift, SS Runner Struts, Pro Comp fonts, 17" Fuel Boost wheels and 37" nitto Trail Grapplers.

I really did get a flat and trash the stock tire but fortunately it was the very day before my lift was going to be installed!

A new front bumper is desperately up next. I like the look of the Kore but may not be patient enough to wait for its release. The ADD bumpers look pretty awesome too. I'm open to suggestions, as well.



I do have a couple questions for you guys as this really is my first lifted 4X4...

Is a little vibration when I get up to about 75+MPH to be expected compared to the factory setup (33"s on 20" rims, no lift)? It's not much and I didn't notice at first but it's definitely there when I think about it and it wasn't before. If that's not normal, where do I start looking?

What should I do with the original 4 wheels and 3 tires? Would one of the 33s make a suitable spare for my new 37s and fit under the truck in the factory location? I suppose the factory donut wouldn't work as a spare with these new big tires, right?

Thanks for all the help guys! I'll need more, I'm sure. I'm having too much fun!

 

[MADDOG]

Ya done good!

 

[brandonjansen]

First place to check for issues is the pinion angles. You should have around 2-3 degrees different between the driveshafts and the pinions in order to avoid vibration. The kit should be setup to have those setup correctly but it's worth double checking.

As far as a spare goes, the 33's are useless for you. Can't run one of them with a 37....

 

[2014StormTrooper]

Looks legit lol

 

[RockyJ]

Just noticed that the control arms are mounted differently on the front crossmember on each side.

Is this right? Looks like the control arm isn't fully seated on the passenger side. Or is that normal? I couldn't find any detailed photos or video of this area and the Zone installation instructions are vague on this step.

Is this screwy or am I just paranoid?

Thanks!

 

[Dantheman]

Was an alignment done after the lift? I don't think it should be sticking out that far.

 

[RockyJ]

Was an alignment done after the lift? I don't think it should be sticking out that far.

Yes, the shop definitely did an alignment and it doesn't pull to either side on the highway.

 

[Dantheman]

Hmm maybe somebody else can help you out better. When I hit 75+ on the highway I get really bad vibrations, more of a death wobble, but I think it is coming from the rear passenger side. Do you think the vibration is definitely coming from the front?

 

[RockyJ]

Hmm maybe somebody else can help you out better. When I hit 75+ on the highway I get really bad vibrations, more of a death wobble, but I think it is coming from the rear passenger side. Do you think the vibration is definitely coming from the front?

I'm not sure where the vibration is coming from, actually. It's very subtle. I felt the high speed vibrations before taking the photos or noticing that the control arm mounts look different in those pix. The vibration could be related or unrelated, I'm not sure. "Death wobble" sounds more severe than what I'm experiencing. My keys and change and such in the storage compartments and my water bottle in the center seat cup holder started rattling around, which never happened before with the same stuff in the same places on the same roads at the same speed. Maybe I just should't expect as smooth a ride with the big trail grapplers as I did with street tires? ...but I'd like to know.

I put the transmission (the column shifter, not the 4X4 gearbox) into natural on the highway and the vibration didn't change at all. Not sure if that rules anything out, but that's about all I know at this point.

Can anyone else confirm if that control arm looks to be installed properly or not? That's really concerning me!

 

[RockyJ]

FWIW - the shop did say it was pulling to the right before the alignment (after the lift install). I expect pulling one way or the other before an alignment is expected when installing new suspension gear, but I wanted to share all the info I have in hopes of help. Thanks!

 

[Revo]

Is it more of a wobble or vibration?

 

[saintsreturn]

not sure about the wobble, however, you def fixed it right! very nice!

 

[CMil527]

Looks great!

 

[RockyJ]

Is it more of a wobble or vibration?

Vibration. It happens while accelerating and coasting just the same, but only noticeable over about 70MPH. If the rain here stops before dark, I'm going to get some straight-on photos and try to check my pinion angles, as a previous poster suggested.

 

[Revo]

Curious to see what this could be, hopefully you get it resolved asap. You've definitely got yourself a nice looking truck now!

 

[brandonjansen]

Death wobble doesn't happen on IFS trucks such as a Ram 1500. True death wobble is only on the HD trucks that have a solid axle. Just so you're all aware.

If the wobble is mainly present over 70 mph it could be your wheels. Did they come with hub centric rings? And were they installed? If not, I'd bet that's your issue.

 

[BigDaddyRam]

helluva way to change a flat. looks great.

 

[RockyJ]

Death wobble doesn't happen on IFS trucks such as a Ram 1500. True death wobble is only on the HD trucks that have a solid axle. Just so you're all aware.

If the wobble is mainly present over 70 mph it could be your wheels. Did they come with hub centric rings? And were they installed? If not, I'd bet that's your issue.

I didn't know about concentric rings so I looked that up. Very interesting. I'm seeing mixed answers on if Fuel wheels need concentric hub rings or not. I'll ask the shop when I talk to them. They forgot to leave the socket for the lugs in my truck anyway so I'm heading up there this afternoon.

 

[Forcepro]

Yeah, look into hub-centric rings.

BTW, which shop did your lift here in the springs?

What you want for one of your stock wheel/tire? Need one for a spare.

 

[RockyJ]

Yeah, look into hub-centric rings.

BTW, which shop did your lift here in the springs?

What you want for one of your stock wheel/tire? Need one for a spare.

R&R Offroad did the work. I'm on my way up there now.

I have pictures of the factory wheels/rims, but I don't think I want to split them up. One tire has a bite in the sidewall though so I would let the set go for cheap. If you're still interested I can send you pix.