Wear and Tear with Larger Tires

Okay.. so now I've come to the point where I need to decide what size tires to go to. I've seriously been considering 33's, as they seem about the best overall size for a multipurpose vehicle. However, I'm concerned about the wear and tear on the drivetrain. Our drivetrains were designed for tiny little tires, and on my last truck (Full size '79 GMC) I experienced extremely limited U-joint life, poor braking performance, and even an axle failure after going from 31's to 33's. (this was with stock Dana 44's) What has been the experience of those of you who have already lifted your exploders? Have you had problems in these areas? Have you had to beef things up at all? I'm concerned about turning my rig into a bigger money-pit than she already is Dead Link Removed I'd really appreciate hearing thoughts and experiences in this department from everyone here. Thanks!
-Sully

 

[RangerX]

I bought my '93 in '95 and it came with 31's and 3.73 stock. In '96, I went to 33's and 4.56. One year ago, I went to 37's, still with 4.56, for onroad use, which is most of my mileage. With this pairing, my gearing is very close to the stock setup (31's, 3.73). I have all original u-joints, axles, etc(knock wood!). I think excess wear and breakage comes from running large tires and not switching to an appropriate gear ratio.

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Bill Collins
93 Ranger XLT 4X4
Modified

 

[Ken Cooke]

Hey RangerX,
37's on a Ranger?!? I bet you have the clearance for most anything! How is your gas mileage? Is your Ranger in any way unstable when offroading? How else did you set up your Ranger to run those 37's? Traction bars? Lockers? I'm impressed.
-Ken
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'94 Ranger XLT w/wee little 32" TSL-SX's