I have a 3" BL w/ 32x11.50 BFG M/T and my rims have pretty good back spacing. I want to get a set of 33x12.50 BFG A/T and upgrade to Sway-a-way torsion bars. I get some rubbing when turning kinda sharp while hitting a decent bump. I know i could beat down the wheel well seam, but i really wouldn't like to do that just yet. So if i get bigger TB's and crank'em a bit, should i be fine? Oh yeah, my front end is lower than the rear by about an inch, so could i get about an inch by cranking the TB's (i understand the effects of adjusting the TB's). Thanks guys.

I have actually experience this once, changing my Jeep rims. The problem is manly the tire size. These tires are about 30% larger circumference than the stock tires. This is like starting out in second gear would be with the stock tires.The only way to compensate for that is to change the axle ratios by the same amount. If you have a 3.72 axle ratio (just a guess) you will need to change the gears in both axles to about 4.84. You will need to go to an off road specialty store they will be able to set you up with the correct gears and probably install them for you. The larger tires make the engine work harder because they roll harder so you will probably still get poor mileage but getting the gearing right will help a little.

Youll still rub under compression, hammer the seam down for sure, 33s arent too bad with stock gearing.

Thanks guys. After being a lazy a$$, i decided to "really" use the search feature. I apologize. All that sifting pretty much answered my questions. I think i might stick with 32's due mostly to drivetrain stress w/ 33's (is it that much difference???), but i still might get the Downey TB's cause my front end has the "nose dive" look. With that all done, i'm not sure if the tires won't fill out the wheel wells enough, because my worn out 32 MT's just don't seem to look right sometimes. I'll try to take some pics so as to get ya'lls opinion. The most wheeling that i do is just going down to the beach with kids every couple of weeks, but i do like the look of oversized tires. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Drifter doesn't really seem to know what he's talking about... :p

The jump from 31 to 33" tires is only about 7%. No, its not that much more drivetrain "stress." However, with an automatic, it may change how the transmission shifts into/out of overdrive (it may kick down out of overdrive more often than you'd like). You can lock it out of OD if happens too much on hills or in a headwind, etc.

You don't need the aftermarket t-bars to crank in a little lift. They are just stiffer springs. If you need/want stiffer, then go for it.

Another option is the ball joint spacers. They will add lift and suspension travel, without making anything stiffer.

As was mentioned, cranking the bars won't really keep the tires from rubbing. The suspension is still allowed to travel up to its bumpstops. It may happen less often since it has to travel farther to get to that same point though. You can limit the travel by spacing the bumpstops down, but then you have less overall travel.



Hammering the firewall seam is by far the simplest solution...

After further investigation, i found that the TB on the driver's is adjusted different than the passenger's side which may be the reason that i think i has the "nose dive" look sometimes.



Drivers side bump stops:


Let's get ya'lls opinion on tire size:



BTW, ya like my decals? The guy on ebay said they help with performance, but i haven't noticed a difference.

I think all of that is normal. Mine t-bars are also adjusted different side to side, but the truck is level side to side. They basically stayed that way when I un-cranked them an inch too. I too thought it was odd, but the important thing is that it sits level.

Pickups generally have higher rear ends so that they level out (or don't sag as badly) when there is a load in the bed. That's why a lot of the smaller pickup lift kits on the market are called "leveling kits," and lift the front only, or lift the front more than the rear. You could call cranking the t-bars or BJ spacers a "leveling kit" if you wanted.