why 33s and not 32s?
- Thread starter kpla51
- Start date
gwittman
Adventurer
I run a Ford Ranger that came with 31"x 10.5" tires and 4.10 gears from the factory. I purchased a spare set of wheels and mounted 32"x 11.5" tires for my off-road adventures and have run them for around 10 years. The 32" tires worked well off-road but were marginal with the 4.10 gears in moderate rock crawling. Acceleration was less than with the 31" tires but not bad enough to change gears.
I just recently switched to 33"x 10.5" tires for off-road. They are going to require re-gearing to 4.56 gears. They work OK with the 4.10 gears on pavement but will not be very good with them off-road. I still use 31" tires for daily driving and towing. I think the 4.56 gears are going to be a little low for that but doable.
The main reason I wanted the 33" tires is I want that extra 1/2" clearance off-road. I have moderately scraped the skid plates with the 32" tires and 33" tires would have allowed it to clear. My last trip I even put a small dent in one of the catalytic converters which sits up higher that the skid plates. Again, 1/2" more clearance would have saved that damage.
Yes, having more clearance will probably entice me to take more difficult trails and scrape again, but I will still incur less damage than I would have with 32" tires. I have not had to lift it for the 33" tires but I think I may need to do a 1/2"" body lift just to make sure there is no rubbing with extreme articulation encountered while off-road.
I just recently switched to 33"x 10.5" tires for off-road. They are going to require re-gearing to 4.56 gears. They work OK with the 4.10 gears on pavement but will not be very good with them off-road. I still use 31" tires for daily driving and towing. I think the 4.56 gears are going to be a little low for that but doable.
The main reason I wanted the 33" tires is I want that extra 1/2" clearance off-road. I have moderately scraped the skid plates with the 32" tires and 33" tires would have allowed it to clear. My last trip I even put a small dent in one of the catalytic converters which sits up higher that the skid plates. Again, 1/2" more clearance would have saved that damage.
Yes, having more clearance will probably entice me to take more difficult trails and scrape again, but I will still incur less damage than I would have with 32" tires. I have not had to lift it for the 33" tires but I think I may need to do a 1/2"" body lift just to make sure there is no rubbing with extreme articulation encountered while off-road.
troyboy162
Adventurer
Dont figure in a lift to clear tires. Unless you extend your bump stops the tire will still travel in the same arc when the suspension is compressed. Keep that in mind when reading opinions here:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/256010-will-255-85-16-fit-stock-2013-taco-2.html
That guy hits the rear mudflap. You can probably run less caster and bring the wheel forward some to compensate and clear. Caster can move your tire quite a bit. I think I moved mine about a inch forward.
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
Generally back spacing, wheel and tire width affect fitment more than height alone. If you're pushing the tires out and increasing scrub radius you're more likely to rub during compression, especially while turning. A "lift" (taller coils without drop brackets) is going to compress the same way the stock suspension will, it will just take more force. Some good progressive bump stops will minimize rubbing along with proper wheel fitment. For the rest, get your hammer or recip saw out! 
Personally I felt like the stock dclb was under geared when I drove it. Might as well regear and setup for taller tires anyway.
Personally I felt like the stock dclb was under geared when I drove it. Might as well regear and setup for taller tires anyway.
It is under geared stock. 4.56 is perfect for 33s
budgetbuilder
Observer
I faced this dilemna recently..I had 32 bfg a/t's on my 1st gen 4runner...stock height. I have since regeared to 4.88's.
I had no rubbing problems but the tires always seemed about an inch too small for the truck visually. I lucked out and found a local on craigslist that wanted to swap their 33's for 32's and the tires just happened to have the same tread. We did the swap and I love the look of the 33's however I now have some rubbing. I had to hack up the back part of my fender and bang the isshh out of the pinch weld. It seems to have done the trick but im pretty sure I will have some more rubbing when I take it offroad, I guess I will have to take my sawzall next time I hit the trails!
I may be adding some 4crawler ball joint spacers to help with rubbing.
If I were to do it all over again...I would probably go with the 33's from the beginning.
I had no rubbing problems but the tires always seemed about an inch too small for the truck visually. I lucked out and found a local on craigslist that wanted to swap their 33's for 32's and the tires just happened to have the same tread. We did the swap and I love the look of the 33's however I now have some rubbing. I had to hack up the back part of my fender and bang the isshh out of the pinch weld. It seems to have done the trick but im pretty sure I will have some more rubbing when I take it offroad, I guess I will have to take my sawzall next time I hit the trails!
I may be adding some 4crawler ball joint spacers to help with rubbing.
If I were to do it all over again...I would probably go with the 33's from the beginning.
austintaco
Explorer
Don't forget, it's the end result that matters. Bigger tires, no re gear, fine without a load. Load up for a trip, and then see what you think. Where do you like to drive? Flat or rolling drives are not as big of a deal as going into the mountains or if sustained elevation gains are along the path you always take to your destination.