Anyone else have a lifted ST with oversized tires?

[0uTkAsT]

I want to know if I'm that crazy or out-of-the-ordinary with my truck or not, because it seems like every time I go somewhere with the truck someone either wants to know every detail about it (which is kinda cool) or there's some smart@$$ telling me I'm going to wear out suspension components because of the lift, or kill the diff off-road because of the extra weight, or roll it over out on the trails because I threw off the CoG too much, etc...

Have any of you guys ever had any drivetrain or chassis problems arise after you've lifted or fitted oversized tires to your 07+ Explorers? I've been running 33" TrXus Super Swampers on the factory 16x7" alloys for about 6,500 miles now without any issues... Is it really just a matter of time before something wears out because of this setup?

I stopped by Costco the other day to have them rotate my tires and they said they "wouldn't touch it because of the type of vehicle it is and the 'improperly sized tires' it is wearing".

The same guys rotated the oversized 31" tires on my lifted Dakota dozens of times without saying a word. So what's the deal?

 

[JohnnyO]

31's on a Dakota wouldn't look oversized.

 

[GreenMando]

I,,,I stopped by Costco the other day to have them rotate my tires and they said they "wouldn't touch it because of the type of vehicle it is and the 'improperly sized tires' it is wearing".

The same guys rotated the oversized 31" tires on my lifted Dakota dozens of times without saying a word. So what's the deal?

OK, they are telling you to man up and rotate your tires. This is getting seriously embarrassing to even respond to.

 

[BradR]

You can't really be that lazy to rotate your own tires. Almost sad. But I guess to each his own.

As far as suspension problems on your truck, You shouldn't have any problems as long as you were able to find someone to align it and all of your parts are good and aren't being strained.

 

[kkreit01]

How wide are your tires? I doubt they should be on a stock 7" rim. I'm surprised anyone mounted them for you. If you paid that much for tires, why not buy some steelies at a decent width?

I didn't think Costco touched any vehicle unless they installed the tires? Mine used to do rotations for free (years ago). They then stated "only if they're our tires". But yeah, they are the most picky with non-OEM sized tires. They may sell them to you, but they won't mount them. I don't even think they will let you change speed ratings outside of OEM.

 

[0uTkAsT]

Ok smart guys, the tires are clearly not too wide for a 7" rim as they have been on there for about 10k miles now and a good amount of that has been off-road. They are only 255mm wide. The tires are 33.1" 255/85R16 TrXus Super Swamper Radial M/Ts.
I didn't go to cheap steel wheels because my factory alloys are powder coated and weigh 11 lbs less per wheel than Pro Comp or Cragar steelies.
The 31" tires did look oversized on the Dakota because the OEM tire on that year of 2WD truck was 28", they were aggressively treaded mud terrains so they looked even bigger than they were, and the truck was lifted which just emphasized the rubber that much more.
And finally, I can't rotate my tires myself because I live in apartment complex and doing anything to your vehicle, even just popping the hood, is prohibited. Considering I'm only 4 units away from the office, I don't think being cited $300 is worth it to rotate my own tires when Discount and Costco do it for free.
I was hoping to hear from someone who could actually answer my question which requires experience on the topic, but thanks.

 

[kkreit01]

Your rims are fine (wide enough) for those tires. In your original post, you only mentioned 33". I thought you maybe had a 33x12.5 -- in which case a 7" wide wheel wouldn't be approved. I bet they look great. However, I'm not surprised many shops won't touch them. Costco is one of the worst. We can thank "Ford Explorer + Firestone Wilderness AT". UHaul still won't rent trailers to us either. Stupid!

 

[FLOffroad]

A bit off topic, but - What pressure to do run your 33" at?
I know the door says 32psi for the 30" stock tires, but using oversized tires obviously affects that. Most places I can find online say you should just kind of guess and/mess around until you get the right pressure. I'm thinking about getting 31.9" soon with the Truxxx lift.

 

[0uTkAsT]

A bit off topic, but - What pressure to do run your 33" at?
I know the door says 32psi for the 30" stock tires, but using oversized tires obviously affects that. Most places I can find online say you should just kind of guess and/mess around until you get the right pressure. I'm thinking about getting 31.9" soon with the Truxxx lift.

I run 35-37 psi in them around town and air them down a bit off-road to 27-31 psi.

 

[FLOffroad]

Thanks

 

[Macnozzie]

I put the Roadbully lift in mine but no tires yet Got 2 sets when i bought it so gonna let those wear down then do some more shoppin. No problems with your tires? Got any pics up on here?

 

[JohnnyO]

Just an FYI, Road Bully discontinued their lifts. As far as I know the only one available now is a spacer lift from Truxx.