zach351
New member
whats the biggest tire i can run on a stock 89 without havin to trim? Im thinking about putting a lift on it nothin big just like a 3" body to get it up just a tad bit more. Anyone hav suggestions on what size lift i should get?
tires
- Thread starter zach351
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Johnny Wayne
New member
Hey Zach look up under the IMPORTANT TOPICS and it and go to what tires you can run with what and it will tell you.
Broncobill78
New member
It depends on what you're doing with it. The largest tire Ford equipped them with stock was a 31". If you're not doing anything with it that really flexes the suspension you can usually get away w/33's but they WILL rub the radius arms in tight turns and may hit the sheetmetal if you do any climbing or rock-crawling with it. If it's mostly trail-riding and around town stuff then you can pull it off.
it will depend on your rims. stock rims, the largest i could run without rubbing the radius arms on my 89 was 30x9.50. 31x10.50s rubbed under full lock steering. other than that there was no clearance issues. The same truck i ran 32x11.50's on different offset rims with no radius arm rubbing and no fender clearance issues. 33x12.50 is really pushing it even with the right size rim. you would probably be okay for a street driven truck but offroad you will run into some issues.
here is a 32x11.50 on my 89f150, no lift.
here is a 32x11.50 on my 89f150, no lift.
Seabronc
New member
I have a 3" suspension lift. With 31 x 10.5s mounted I have no issues with my truck, but with the 33 x 12.5s I get a bit rub on the radius arms at full lock. If you want to add a lift for clearance then go with a suspension lift, it provides better ground clearance. I have read reports of overheating problems after a body lift as it shifts the relationship of the fan and radiator.
Good luck,
>-
Good luck,
>-89eddie89
New member
My dude stay away from the body lifts!!!!!!!!
jsomedaysoon
New member
just food for thought but i put 33's on my truck with factory rims and not long afterward three of my wheel studs popped off one of the front tires. i'm thinking it rubbed the radius arm so hard that it put exesive presure on the wheel studs. i'm not sure this is what caused it but just something to think about.
ive seen wheel studs pop off from over torqueing repeatedly, usually with air tools. When your tire hits the radius arm your tire should take up all of the load. i guess its possible but i would doubt that did it so shortly after the tire swap.
just remember whatever tire size you use in relation to the back spacing and width of the rim will make all the difference. To gain enough clearance for 33s' i would either do an add a leaf, or shackle lift in the rear and you can do either a spring spacer up front or longer coils up front. remember with the ttb you need to have your camber bushings replaced to get your camber back in line.
really the best thing you can do is fit the largest size tire in the stock wheel well(if your willing to cut) and run with it.
im going to put 35s or 36's on my 85 with stock lift. this will ensure the stock ride, i can still fit it in my garage when needed and in my opinion it looks alot better when your wheels fill out your wheel well as opposed to have a small wheel well and a large lift to fit your tires.
just remember whatever tire size you use in relation to the back spacing and width of the rim will make all the difference. To gain enough clearance for 33s' i would either do an add a leaf, or shackle lift in the rear and you can do either a spring spacer up front or longer coils up front. remember with the ttb you need to have your camber bushings replaced to get your camber back in line.
really the best thing you can do is fit the largest size tire in the stock wheel well(if your willing to cut) and run with it.
im going to put 35s or 36's on my 85 with stock lift. this will ensure the stock ride, i can still fit it in my garage when needed and in my opinion it looks alot better when your wheels fill out your wheel well as opposed to have a small wheel well and a large lift to fit your tires.
zach351
New member
i was thinkin bout runnin 33's or 35's if i did get a lift what size and how much work would be involved?
are your fenders rusty? and are you willing to cut them?
do you plan on offroading or are you just going to run a street truck mostly?
you can get cutout fender flares for your truck. about $350 i think. this allows you to cut your fenders out and still have a nice finished look to it.
my bronco fenders are rusty which is why i dont mind cutting them away. i can run 33's stock suspension with some rubbing. ive seen broncos with 35s cut fenders and stock suspension before.
you can get 2" taller springs for $175. allignment bushings for $55 to fix the camber(you will have to fix it). and in the rear you can probably do the shackle flip for your lift of you can get 2" add a leafs and replace your bottom leaf. I think i got my trail master add a leafs for $150.
instead of buying taller springs for about $100 you can get coil spacers that will simply space your coils springs up. you still need to fix the camber.
the larger tires you go with the more wear you are going to put on your truck. i wouldnt run anything over 33" tires without seriously considering some sort of brake upgrade. running a steering damper and making sure your power steering system is up to par. anything over 35" tires and you will probably need to start thinking heavily about upgrading axles unless you are just using it as a street truck. your dana 44/8.8 should handle 35s okay. my 3.55 gearing pulled 32s and 33s okay with my 4speed but 35s you should really regear as well.
its not really as simple as just slapping on large tires, there is alot of things that need to be considered when you do that to keep the truck safe.
if you can cut your fenders away(and probably remove your inner fenders up front), you dont have to worry about a lift and you dont have to worry about allignment issues but you still need to worry about gearing, steering and brakes.
do you plan on offroading or are you just going to run a street truck mostly?
you can get cutout fender flares for your truck. about $350 i think. this allows you to cut your fenders out and still have a nice finished look to it.
my bronco fenders are rusty which is why i dont mind cutting them away. i can run 33's stock suspension with some rubbing. ive seen broncos with 35s cut fenders and stock suspension before.
you can get 2" taller springs for $175. allignment bushings for $55 to fix the camber(you will have to fix it). and in the rear you can probably do the shackle flip for your lift of you can get 2" add a leafs and replace your bottom leaf. I think i got my trail master add a leafs for $150.
instead of buying taller springs for about $100 you can get coil spacers that will simply space your coils springs up. you still need to fix the camber.
the larger tires you go with the more wear you are going to put on your truck. i wouldnt run anything over 33" tires without seriously considering some sort of brake upgrade. running a steering damper and making sure your power steering system is up to par. anything over 35" tires and you will probably need to start thinking heavily about upgrading axles unless you are just using it as a street truck. your dana 44/8.8 should handle 35s okay. my 3.55 gearing pulled 32s and 33s okay with my 4speed but 35s you should really regear as well.
its not really as simple as just slapping on large tires, there is alot of things that need to be considered when you do that to keep the truck safe.
if you can cut your fenders away(and probably remove your inner fenders up front), you dont have to worry about a lift and you dont have to worry about allignment issues but you still need to worry about gearing, steering and brakes.
a few other things that just popped into my head. when you get into large suspensions lifts then your steering geometry gets messed up and you need to make sure your drag link. pitman arm etc are all in a good place geometrically. also you will need shocks. you can do 1" lift, maybe two and keep your shocks but anything more and you will need longer travel units.
also, im sure all this information is already located in the post/sticky about lifts and tire sizes.
here is a link to a lift page
http://zenseeker.net/4x4/Lift.htm
if you plan to tuck 33" tires without cutting and without modding anything you can maybe adjust your steering bump stops so you dont get any tire rub on the radius arms.
also, im sure all this information is already located in the post/sticky about lifts and tire sizes.
here is a link to a lift page
http://zenseeker.net/4x4/Lift.htm
if you plan to tuck 33" tires without cutting and without modding anything you can maybe adjust your steering bump stops so you dont get any tire rub on the radius arms.
Last edited by a moderator:
zach351
New member
thanks for the help man i really appreciate it. after reading all this i beleive im gonna stick to runnin the 33's as of right now. i am a regular offroader my truck has spent more time in dirt and mud than it has on pavement =]. but as amazing as it may sound i have no rust at all.
Broncobill78
New member
Ahh yes. The wheel stud issue is back.
I will once again post the info and the scans since they seem to have a way of getting lost in the background clutter.
Somewhere along the line (and I only know that it's PRE 87' since the 87' *and* 88" manuals have this BOLD print warning but I don't personally own a set of 86' or earlier manuals (except for the 78/79 manuals I have) to check it against and nobody who DOES own a set has come forward to make any sort of comment)
Somewhere around 86' Ford switched from the old style one-piece acorn type lug nuts to a two-piece captive washer design. The rims were ALSO redesigned when this happened and as you can read from the factory manual using one style of lug nut with the other style rim can & will cause the wheel studs to break. Ford has *specifically* told us this will happen and has strongly advised against using one style with another. Using a set of newer rims with older acorn lugs will snap the studs. Using the old rims with the new lugs will *also* snap the lugs. I cannot imagine in any way that the difference between a 31 (the *factory* tire that a lot of Bronco's were equipped with) and a 33 will rub so hard that the lugs will snap. I've run 33's for 2 or 3 *years* on early 80's Bronco's and never had a problem. Sure, they rub, but not nearly enough to cause a catastrophic failure of the wheel studs. That sort of thing is brought about by something like what Ford describes or some clown cranking them down w/a 500lb impact wrench.
As for the whole lift issue, man are body lifts a pain in the ass. You not only have to change a whole LOT of $hit but as SeaBronc mentioned cooling problems are common because the fan shroud is moved up & above the radiator but even beyond that there are just dozens of small niggling issues to deal with, every linkage & connection requires attention, the brake lines get stretched, the fuel filler neck needs work, the accelerator, brake & clutch linkages have to be modified. The list just goes on & on. The worst part of it is that even after doing all that work you haven't gained a single inch of ground clearance. At least with a suspension lift the problems are more managable and at the end of the day you've not only increased the clearance under the truck but you've increased the suspension travel and that menas the truck can do more & go further than it could before. A body lift does *nothing* to help with the off-road capacity of the rig, it just cranks the body up so someone can stuff large tires underneath and make it LOOK like it's capable of doing something off-road, because after all, appearances are everything and who cares if the thing can ACTUALLY perform off-road, just so long as it LOOKS like it can.
Also, with the larger tires you may want to consider a swap to a saginaw steering box. It'll make steering a LOT easier and it won't give up the ghost nearly as quickly as a stock pump will.
Last edited by a moderator:
i did see a really cool article years back someone that took a late 80s bronco, suspension lift, 35" tires and a body drop. they cut the fenders and dropped the body down on the frame so they could still pull in the garage. i dont remember all the details but it was neat.
zach351
New member
im all about performance offroad to tell the truth i could really care less about the looks. when i was young my dad used to take me wheelin in his jeep and over the years i have developed a love for offroadinig. whatever u guys suggest i get will probably end up being what i get.. sooo any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks for having the patience to work me through this i really appreciate it =]
zach351
New member
im all about performance offroad to tell the truth i could really care less about the looks. when i was young my dad used to take me wheelin in his jeep and over the years i have developed a love for offroadinig. whatever u guys suggest i get will probably end up being what i get.. sooo any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks for having the patience to work me through this i really appreciate it =]
My truck is stock with 33-12.50s and no rubbing, it all depends on what wheels you run, mine has 15x12s on it. You can also run 15x10s with no rubbing if you get the backspacing right. I think it looks awesome, plus i havent had them crush my fenders either...yet /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> they have tucked up pretty tightly though.
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> they have tucked up pretty tightly though.redneck, do you have any good pics of your fender clearance? im running 33x12.50s . i think the main issue with mine is under compression i think they clip the fender and dont tuck. im just curious how yours look with the 12" wide rims.
thanks
thanks
zach351
New member
ya man get some pics up i need to see if i think it would work out on mine
