To 33 or not to 33

[bigred4x4]

Ok so I'm coming up on needing some new tires Iv been running 32x11.5x15 on a 15x8 wheel (3.75" back spacing) for over a decade now and it's time for new meats I was heavily considering bumping up to 33's I have a 3" bl and shackles on a 4 door and will be doing a tt soon so will they fit with out rubbing? Also I have stock 3.73 gears how much difference will I see with the 33's another thing is I just bought a brand new 32" spare with rim about a year ago and was hoping I could still use it with 33's if I had to? Any suggestions/comments on running the smaller spare definitely Don't want to buy 5 new tires especially since I just got this one.

And any comments on off road performance difference with people that have ran both sizes would be appreciated as well.

 

[bigred4x4]

Ok you guys talked me into it I can't resist I'm going 33 worst case I do a little trimming and use my New 32 up front as a donut to get me to a tire shop I have a disconnect front end (shouldn't over work the differential) and there isn't much size difference anyway so I'll be ok I just like getting second opinions to consider

 

[boominXplorer]

33s for sure, they arnt much different in price. They shouldn't be too much tighter to the fenders on your current 15x8s but if you were running 15x10s they will make all sorts of love to the backs of the front fenders. A cutting wheel and hammer will come into play on 10" wide wheels.

A 32" tire will work just fine as a spare on an open differential. You don't want miss matched tires on limited slip or locked axles

 

[Rockwood]

I run 33x12.5x15 BFG ATs on 15x8 3.75 eagle 589s on my sport. It has 410s and what some guys call "cheap" aftermarket shackles and a maxed out TT up front. Minor trimming to the backs of the front fenders and bumper corners. No trimming in back and they tuck nicely. It gets wheeled on a regular basis and I'm not kind to it! As far as using a 32 for a spare, I don't think I would. Even though you have a CAD up front, if you run a trac loc or locker out back, the height difference in the tires could raise a little hell back there!

 

[RangerX]

bigred, what's your axle gear ratio, and do you have auto trans or manual?

 

[Rockwood]

bigred, what's your axle gear ratio, and do you have auto trans or manual?

Think he said 373 gear

 

[bigred4x4]

I have an auto trans and 3.73 gears thinKing about 4.10 and a front locker soon though well see how it does I'm planning a orv kinda mini mountain over land trip soon that'll be a deciding factor if I need to continue with the mod s

 

[bigred4x4]

Also I do have a trac lock rear and would only run the 32 up front I would swap some tires around if I have a flat in the rear and would probably just drive it to the nearest tire shop or straight home if I was local. I figure I could just pull the plug on the abs sensor if that becomes an issue and should still be ok with a locked front if I kept the cad unlocked right? Because now I'm considering the locker,changing the gears and rebuilding the trac lock (it still works but it's old so why not if I'm there anyway)

 

[Rhett]

I have an auto trans and 3.73 gears thinKing about 4.10 and a front locker soon though well see how it does I'm planning a orv kinda mini mountain over land trip soon that'll be a deciding factor if I need to continue with the mod s

Here's The Ranger Station gear chart:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/gearandtirechart.shtml

if you have the OHV V6 I'd say 4.10 or even 4.56 gears. 4.10 for a little more highway. 4.56 for a little more slow/offroad. I'd give strong consideration to 4.56 if you have the V6 and plan to run 33's. As someone on this forum said long ago -- "Don't fear the gear", it's not that bad on the highway with overdrive, especially with 33's.

If you have the V8 then 4.10 would be fine, in my opinion.

 

[bigred4x4]

@rock wood ....Iv been running the autozone lift shackles my self for probably about a combined 12 years now on the two explorers Iv had/have with no issues at all and Iv also beat the crap out of it a few times I had to recover my old explorer (2wd on 31's and no recovery points) by hooking the strap to the shackle and yank it sideways out of a mud pit (don't ask Iv also been stuck and yanked out in park and I wasn't even in the truck Iv wheeled with dumb people before) it did bend it pretty good and i replaced it right away I carry a spare set but it held together lol now that 2wd 97 I truely beat on that's how I know explorers are pretty tough.

 

[bigred4x4]

Well honestly I try to wheel it as much as I can there just isn't much around me anymore without going on a small road trip so that's why I was leaning on the 4.10 because it does see mostly street and high way

 

[boominXplorer]

I know your local to me, I've got a pair of 4:10 axles out of a 97 sport if your interested. The rear is l/S. I'd take $300 for the pair, send me a pm if interested.

 

[Rockwood]

I know your local to me, I've got a pair of 4:10 axles out of a 97 sport if your interested. The rear is l/S. I'd take $300 for the pair, send me a pm if interested.

That is a smoking deal!

 

[Rockwood]

@rock wood ....Iv been running the autozone lift shackles my self for probably about a combined 12 years now on the two explorers Iv had/have with no issues at all and Iv also beat the crap out of it a few times I had to recover my old explorer (2wd on 31's and no recovery points) by hooking the strap to the shackle and yank it sideways out of a mud pit (don't ask Iv also been stuck and yanked out in park and I wasn't even in the truck Iv wheeled with dumb people before) it did bend it pretty good and i replaced it right away I carry a spare set but it held together lol now that 2wd 97 I truely beat on that's how I know explorers are pretty tough.

Yea, like I said I'm not easy on mine, its been beat on for the last 15 years! The only thing I did to the AZ shackles was drill the holes out to 9/16" to use the factory bolts and I used one of the smaller bolts and some stainless pipe to string the middle for support. no issues at all.

 

[bigred4x4]

Well it'll probably be a few months before I do it I'd like to have the locker as well before I start I will pm you when the time comes because I was looking at $250 at least for just the ring and pinion s

 

[bigred4x4]

How much is minor trimming? I don't mind taking out some of the inner fender plastic but the metal ..... I have the rocker panels and around the "fender flares" coated with line x body paneling don't know how well that will go over what about a 33x10.50 ? I . Would like to stick to the 12.5 though if I could it's crazy to think just a extra half an inch in all directions of tire would make that big a difference I don't have a tt and the 32's never rub if the 33's rub slightly I could live with that also pertaining to the tt Iv been afraid to do it on my 96 because on my 97 I wore the insides out on those mud terrains within a year and ate through wheel bearing s after the tt and yes I got an alignment afterward I'd always picture worn out tires, ball joints , tied rods prematurely with a tt yada yada any comments anybody? Also my leaf springs flattened over time with the shackles Iv fixed it but will the torsion bars do the same is it fixable? Or do they have to be replaced at the end of the day I want 33's but part of me wants to stick to the 32's

 

[Rockwood]

How much is minor trimming? I don't mind taking out some of the inner fender plastic but the metal ..... I have the rocker panels and around the "fender flares" coated with line x body paneling don't know how well that will go over what about a 33x10.50 ? I . Would like to stick to the 12.5 though if I could it's crazy to think just a extra half an inch in all directions of tire would make that big a difference I don't have a tt and the 32's never rub if the 33's rub slightly I could live with that also pertaining to the tt Iv been afraid to do it on my 96 because on my 97 I wore the insides out on those mud terrains within a year and ate through wheel bearing s after the tt and yes I got an alignment afterward I'd always picture worn out tires, ball joints , tied rods prematurely with a tt yada yada any comments anybody? Also my leaf springs flattened over time with the shackles Iv fixed it but will the torsion bars do the same is it fixable? Or do they have to be replaced at the end of the day I want 33's but part of me wants to stick to the 32's

You have a 3" body lift so you may not need to trim at all. I have no body lift and have had the torsions maxed out since I built it 15 or so years ago, I daily drive it and wheel it, the front end is the same height as it was when I did it. I also ditched the front and rear sway bars to get some extra travel. But to answer your question, I still have the factory small flares and all the rocker plastic, cant even tell its cut. I took about a 1/4" or so off the backs of the fenders and took the rolled edge out of the front bumper. Also trimmed out the bottom of the plastic inner and replaced it with a piece of mudflap. Sounds crappy but looks good and keeps the mud outa the door jamb. Mine does not rub at all. As far as wear on the front end parts, any rig will wear out parts faster when you increase the tire size and "adjust" the height. The only real way to maintain proper geometry is with a lift kit. Alignment and camber/caster cams keep mine in check. I've replaced the hub bearings twice and rebuild the front end three times in 315K (not a typo) You said you do a majority of street driving, mud terrains always wear faster on the street, not necessarily irregular as you mention, but they wear faster than an AT.

 

[bigred4x4]

Ok I didn't catch that you didn't have a body lift so yea I'm defiantly doing it the 3.73 really arnt to bad with the 32 it'll still burn them down in posi in the dirt or a wet road it's just slow accelerating unless you give it more juice between shifts like 3k rpm range and.4 lo will slam you in the seat lol it's a nice low end torquey little 6 banger but I can tell it struggles a little on the beach if the sand is soft I'll see how bad it is when I get my new tires but I'm not expecting much difference still though I'll put 4.10's and a front locker in as soon as I get the money a few other small things and tires have to come first.

 

[bigred4x4]

I too have the camber cam bolts I put them in when I did my upper arms. So what pressure do you normally run for street and off road I run 32~35 street and a little below 20 for off road but I was reading on some other forums that a lot of people go as low 8 psi! On a 15x8 And say you'll notice a much bigger difference south of 14 I ran about 14 on my.2wd for the beach never had issues so I might try it next time

 

[bigred4x4]

Btw I'm also going to get a lifetime aLignment it could definitely use it every six months or so I think it'll be worth it