35" tires no body lift work with all the trimming?

[SloPok]

Hey, guys. First post but I've been lurking for awhile. You guys are great. I'm looking at getting 4.88 gears and 35x12.5 tires. But I only have TT and shackles. I'll probably add a leaf soon since the rear seems to be sagging a bit. I did search for answers but mostly what I've found is comments like 35's aren't possible without a body lift with no real explanation as to why. I don't want to do a body lift for a few reason which I'll explain if you're curious.

My main question is will 35s be possible with a lot of trimming and wheel spacers plus the lift I already have? I'm really not concerned with trimming since the previous owner already wrecked the body. Probably frame damage too since the rear end is offset a bit. Looks like there's a lot of space left with the 31s that are currently on it. Will there be any structural/cab components in my way? Also what size wheel spacers would you guys recommend for the stock 15" rims? I'm not too concerned with the cv axles and bearings. I'll just swap them out when needed. I mostly just stick to 2wd unless I get myself in a bind.

Thanks for any help. And any other tips are appreciated.

 

[RangerX]

Welcome!
I think your only area of possible concern is the front corner of the rear wheel well, because the rear door is right there. But it seems like you could even cut off a small part of the actual corner of the door without opening up to the interior.
I cut away about three inches of the rear corner of the front wheel wells on my Ranger to fit 37s, and covered it with a mudflap. That was 20 years ago!
The other wheel well corners should be no issue.
I strongly suggest looking around for a used set of 15x8 rims, they will have a better backspace and then you won’t need spacers. You live in SoCal, should be super easy to find for cheap.
If you’re going to do much wheeling, you would be smart to carry a couple front axle half shafts, 35s are not friendly on the d35 IFS. I know you mentioned mostly 2wd, but it’s the times that you really need 4lo that will getcha.

 

[SloPok]

Noted on the axle shafts. Looks like I'm going 35s. I realized summit has good prices on rims, so maybe I'll just go that route. But they have backspacing all the way down to 1" Any idea what would be optimal? Or what can I rob 15x8s off of at the salvage yard and save myself the headache?

 

[BKennedy]

I got 35's on my Explorer after a 5" lift and trimming the front fender back to the first bolt in front of the door. It still rubbed occasionally. The rear is another issue. I think you need some lift to get away from the front of the rear fender opening. No trimming there since the rear door is about a inch away. I am not sure how much lift I have now but I would guess its at least 8", and my rear tires rub on that edge and on the inside of the inner fender when stuffed. I think you would be much better off with 33's max.

 

[BKennedy]

I got 35's on my Explorer after a 5" lift and trimming the front fender back to the first bolt in front of the door. It still rubbed occasionally. The rear is another issue. I think you need some lift to get away from the front of the rear fender opening. No trimming there since the rear door is about a inch away. I am not sure how much lift I have now but I would guess its at least 8", and my rear tires rub on that edge and on the inside of the inner fender when stuffed. I think you would be much better off with 33's max.

 

[MAS Tequila]

I have 33s with torsion keys up front and Ranger one ton aftermarket springs, warrior shackles and coil over shocks.

Giving me 2.5” of lift in the front and about 4” in the back.

The fronts rub while turning into any sloped surface.

35s, good luck, you’re going to need it.

 

[RangerX]

I realized summit has good prices on rims, so maybe I'll just go that route. But they have backspacing all the way down to 1" Any idea what would be optimal? Or what can I rob 15x8s off of at the salvage yard and save myself the headache?

Normal aftermarket bs on rims for these trucks is 3.75”.

Here’s another thread about fitting 35 on a gen2 Clearing 35"s with no body lift


And another Clearing 35's

 

[Blown]

I am running TT/shackles 265X75-16 (32's) on stock wheels and slight rub. When flexed, the front tires rub a bit in a turn at the bottom/rear outer part of the front fenders.

What could be done in addition to a spring lift, body lift, wheel backspace change, fender cutting and hammered/flattened body seams ..................................and a gear change to turn them big tires................????????

I wonder if loosing some caster would rotate the wheel far enough forward to clear the rear of the front fenders better?

 

[DAN 88]

I did a torsion twist, took a hammer to the body, then cut and welded the fender for clearance. The picks are with 33” tires. I haven’t test fit 35’

 

[SloPok]

Normal aftermarket bs on rims for these trucks is 3.75”.

Here’s another thread about fitting 35 on a gen2 Clearing 35"s with no body lift


And another Clearing 35's

Yea, looks like I'm going to go with 3.75" possibly 3.5" I've been through both of those threads. First one they said it wasn't possible with no explanation and op went with spindles since he's working with 2wd. Second one op said he couldn't find a body lift and they sent him in the right direction.

 

[SloPok]

I did a torsion twist, took a hammer to the body, then cut and welded the fender for clearance. The picks are with 33” tires. I haven’t test fit 35’

That looks super clean. gives me some confidence I'll be alright. Even if it isn't as pretty. What's your backspacing?

 

[DAN 88]

That looks super clean. gives me some confidence I'll be alright. Even if it isn't as pretty. What's your backspacing?

I don’t know, LOL. I bought them used. I think they are just some standard 15x8. I bought the stock, busted down non running explorer for $340 to make a gambler rig but never took it gambling due to COVID. Got the wheels and tires for another $150 off Facebook marketplace. Now it’s all fixed and works great. Too good to gamble!

 

[SloPok]

Cool. I bought this one for $200 from some kid that wrecked it. Had a bad misfire. Almost didn't make it home. But after some plugs it ran great. Also found some rims same style as yours on ebay with 3.75" backspacing for $35 a piece so snagged those. Tires are gunna sting a bit though.

 

[Rustyygirl]

I am stock height on 10.5/15/31(01 awd 5.0 200,000+ miles). I trimmed front bumper, only rubs on uneven slopes (I two track down trails, nothing too deep yet). Next is finding a 4” lift, new rims(mine are bent and rusted out), a metal brush guard/bumpers. And lastly a new roof rack/basket.