33's/BL/TT/AAL reliability questions

[Hokie]

Hey guys... I hate starting new threads b/c soo many people do it with out searching, but I have thouroughly (sp?) researched this topic and have talked to various members and when I build it, I want to build it right.

My '99 Sport is my daily/only vehicle and I love it to death. I'm going to do a TT/AAL lift and when these dang RT/S's wear out, I'm going to put on 265/75-16 or 285/75-16's on stock rims. Here are my questions/concerns....

I do not forsee selling this truck for many many years, so i am looking for the best in reliability/longevity.

How much BL would be needed to fit the 33's (285/75-16)? I've read none >>> 3"+ trimming.

How bad would a BL kill my mileage/power? (I have a 4.10LS) theroretically the MPG should go up with bigger tires, but is that offset by the increased drag of the BL?

Will the BL negatively affect my truck's handling? I'm thinking in terms of over all safety (roll over) since the TT/AAL will firm up the handling.

Most importantly... will the 33's over stress my tranny? With Ford's track record, I don't want to sign a death warrant for my tranny. I just read that Gerald is having problems with his tranny and I'm considering the same setup as him.

Any wierd problems that can be expected from doing this setup? Thanks alot guys and sorry for the long post.

 

[rokke17]

Dont know, just subscribing so I can see the answers

 

[jimbo74]

depends on how much triming you care to do..... you may fit without the bodylift.... try it, then if you think they dont fit, put the bl on later..... your hiway mileage will increaSE, although your city mileage will decrease.... the 4.10s can handle it... 4.56s would probably closer to stock, but the 4.10s will be fine... you just may notice a little bit more sluggish performance off the line.....

 

[Doug]

Ive had the same setup youre desribing for about 6 months now and so far ive been happy with it. i have 4.10s and a 5spd manual and i get about 16 mpg not that great but not to bad for a truck in general. as far as the trannies i think you're doomed any way you go.

 

[Hokie]

Originally posted by Namitey
as far as the trannies i think you're doomed any way you go.

Not what I wanted to hear

Hows about safety/handling? My mother is afraid I'll flip the truck if I lift it too high... (I obviously am not going to drive my X like I used to drive my Acura or dad's Triumph...)

I know Gerald is running this setup without swaybars...

 

[Jefe]

With 33x12.5's on 8" rims, normal backspacing, you might be able to get away with triming only plastic with a 2 or 3" bodylift and the TT/AAL/Shackle. wider rims, and/or less lift will obviously result in more trimming.

I ran 4.10's with my 33's for a long time and it was very decent. I had 3.73 stock.

If you have the swaybars connected, and drive it like its a lifted truck it will be very safe.

 

[Hokie]

Just for clarification (not that it would make that much of an affect..) I'd be putting on the metric equivalent of a 32x10.50-16 or a 33x11.50-16 on to my stock 16x7 rims.

A 285 is actually only a 11.25" width

 

[hawaiianexp00]

ok i wanted to know the same thing right now i have a TT/AAL and as soon as my shakels get here i am going to put them on, I also wanted to use the stock rims also how big can i go without a bodylift, trimming is not a prob, so how big can i go

 

[section525]

Hokie.. I have a 3" body lift, TT, shackles, and aal (with no sway bars) and I'm running 32's. I've had no problems at all with my setup. Gas mileage hasn't decreased really and if I had sway bars on I'd feel just as safe as stock. I say go for it. Also, I only have 3.73s (but a V8)

I'm going to be doing the same lift you're talking about on my GF's X this summer! I can't wait!

hawaiianexp00- You can probably only go 31's without a body lift. Unless you're Digger196. Then you could go 32's. But I think most Explorers will rub pretty bad with 32s and not BL.

 

[Hokie]

For you guys running 33s or 285's.. what do you do for a spare? Where do you put it? Its not smart to run mismatched tires with an LS diff right?

 

[Alec]

Dead Link Removed



You'll either have to run a full sized spare on the back, inside, or roof. If you run a smaller spare you'll have to put it on the front axle and not drive very far.

 

[Hokie]

I wouldn't plan on driving far anyway... but if its on the front how could it mess things up? the front diff is open and I've done the brown wire mod so i have true 2 wheel high...

 

[Alec]

Just not good for steering or your tires. Pretty unsafe to have one corner lower than the other.

You'll want to have at least a 31" as a spare.

 

[GJarrett]

Anytime you lift it will affect handling some. Body lifts affect handling less than suspension lifts since much of the weight is not being lifted; only the body is. If you leave your swaybars connected and drive sensibly you'll be fine.

My tranny problem was last summer and it was a torque convertor and I doubt that tire size had a lot to do with it; like has been stated, our Explorer trannies are lousy anyway.

When I first went to 285/75r16s I compared the mileage (I also have the 4.10). My theory was that since a 4.10 is fairly low gearing, that my SOHC could handle the bigger tires and may even improve the mileage. That's pretty close to true. As I recall, my mileage did not drop and may have even gone up a fraction.

I once drove from a run at the Slabs back to Dallas (200+ miles) with a stock size front spare while the other three were the 285/75r16. I drove slow and it didn't seem to have any permanent effect. I'm not sure I would recommend that to anyone else though. No way would I try that in the back - you'd fry a limited slip in no time and it would raise total Hell with a locker.

 

[Hokie]

Thanks Gerald. I was hoping you would respond. I guess now i have to decide if I want 2 or 3" of BL. I'm thinking i should be able to fit 285/75-16 with a 2" susp. and 2" BL since they will be on my stock rims. I'd rather have the 2" for a slightly lower CG...

 

[Digger196]

i got 32's on 15X8 rock crawlers and just have a TT up front and i only had to trip the inside front fenders. i got a pic if ya want! i went with the bigger the better and trim to make them fit rule <--- just made that up.

 

[Hokie]

For those with a BL, what did you do about your spare tire carrier? (since the hole to drop the spare tire would no longer line up)

 

[Robert]

You are asking about doing what I have already done. My transgression went like this (in this order):

1) 265 75R16 (minor trimming, see first picture)
2) TT/shackle (not required, for looks only)
3) 3" body lift (not required, for looks only)
4) 285 75R16 (more trimming, see second picture, required)

I also have 4.10 LS and hav parts on order to regear to 4.56. This will put my driving ratio back to stock (or at least as close as possible to my stock ratio). When I went to my 265 tires, my average mileage went from about 16.5 to 18.5 MPG. Now with my 285s my mileage has dropped to about 15.5 MPG. It is still very driveable but I can definately feel the power loss off the line. My other complaint is that at about 55 MPH, my engine is turning about 1400 RPM which causes the engien to lug a lot, which in turn causes the torque converter to constantly unlock and then lock back up. Add in the fact that I tow my 3000 lb. tent trailer at least once a month (twice a month in the summer) up and down 7500 foot mountains. I've towed my trailer once with my 285s and it did find, however my trip was entirely flat. I kept OD off (you should anyways) and at 65 MPH my engine was about 2600 RPM. This combination worked out fine. When slower traffic got in front of me and slowed me down to 50-55 MPG though it was really lugging. As I've said though, my main deciding factor is my towing. If I didn't tow, I probably wouldn't have been so quick to shell out the money to get it regeared to 4.56s. Of course if gas keeps going up like it has been, then picking up my lost 3 MPG won't hurt either.

 

[Alec]

You either cut a new hole in the bumper or make sure the bumper lines up after you remount it.

 

[Robert]

Here are the pictures

Picture # 1

Picture # 2