Duratracs
- Thread starter mtaylo32
- Start date
Blaise
Well-known member
I run 265/65/18 which are both narrowed and shorter and it still required modifications on my LR3, which has fewer parts to move. I have yet to flatten the rear seams (rubbing on both sides) but the front fender liners also needed to be moved along with some wires.
Strongly voting 'will rub, will need mods.' Just run a slightly smaller tire.
PS Don't buy lift rods. Please.
Strongly voting 'will rub, will need mods.' Just run a slightly smaller tire.
PS Don't buy lift rods. Please.
soflorovers
Well-known member
Perhaps you've answered this before and I don't remember, but why are you against the lift rods? Also, I had 275/65/18 Duratracs on my 2008 LR3 with Proud Rhino lift rods and they were a perfect fit. I would occasionally get some rub against the frame horns at 100% lock when making a tight u-turn and some rub while reversing at full lock at any speed above idle (maybe against the front wheel well liner?). Overall, I felt the rods and that tire size were the perfect combination and required zero modification if you were willing to live with very minimal and almost unnoticeable rub.
soflorovers
Well-known member
Realistically, you're probably better off going to an 18". Fortunately, there are plenty of choices now for an 18" that fits an LR4.
Anyone running Tuffant steel wheels yet?
As of March, they were taking preorders - something like $1k for 5 wheels, plus 250 for shipping to east coast. I am revisiting this now and seeing if anyone has pulled the trigger and is running these? My goal for now is to run 265/65/18s on these, which is the max size you can run without...
www.landroverworld.org
Blaise
Well-known member
1. Rods reduce your suspension articulation. I've done the math/measurements and doing over a 25mm lift puts you into no-no territory for the bump/droop ratio. You're also essentially running around in extended mode which is not good for your compressor or CVs or ball joints.
2. If you get an EAS failure, you can't get home. My 265/65s do not rub when fully aired down on a flat surface.
Note/Edit: Your setup with 35"s is obviously a huge outlier here, I'm talking specifically about stock trucks
soflorovers
Well-known member
Fair assessment. Do the rods reduce articulation if the truck is left in normal mode? I know they absolutely do if you're running in off-road height (i.e. extended mode for non rod trucks). I know that a truck with rods is not in "extended" mode full time. As for the EAS failure, that's going to happen regardless of whether you acheive your lift via a GAP tool or rods. The limiting factor there is the size of the tire. As to your last point, you're right...my new rig is an outlier. It's running an SYA kit to prevent that fully aired down rubbing, but it also has lift rods and a custom height setup with a GAP tool.1. Rods reduce your suspension articulation. I've done the math/measurements and doing over a 25mm lift puts you into no-no territory for the bump/droop ratio. You're also essentially running around in extended mode which is not good for your compressor or CVs or ball joints.
2. If you get an EAS failure, you can't get home. My 265/65s do not rub when fully aired down on a flat surface.
Note/Edit: Your setup with 35"s is obviously a huge outlier here, I'm talking specifically about stock trucks
@Scott Brady summarized it well elsewhere on here:
"I believe the rods and the IID Tool are the appropriate solution, though primarily to shift the maximum adjustment range for using the IID Tool. The IID Tool can only lift the trucks about 20-50mm (on average) depending on how far the sensors are up in their calibration range. For example, I could only lift my Range Rover 20mm with the IID Tool, because one of the rear arms was already nearly 200 on the cal.
By installing the rods, it moves the truck up and then you can fine tune with the IID, reducing the lift slightly or even adding a bit more. For the LR4, I found that the rod lift + 10mm in the rear was about the maximum we could go and still reliably achieve "Off-Road" height.
Given that a suspension "lift" with these cars is only a few rods and an IID Tool, the cost is low. Go with the best solution and do both."
Blaise
Well-known member
I don't agree with Scott's summary.
The rods are indeed a solution if you cannot achieve off-road height or look to make a small lift and cannot do so via the GAP tool. This is why I run a single lift rod on one corner... I was at ~235mm calibration to achieve factory height on my LR (hehe, left rear) sensor.
This way with the rod its closer to 190, I can add +25mm for higher speed dirt driving without the 25mph limit, and a 25mm lift in Off-Road which makes for a 60/40 bump/droop split which is the generally acceptable maximum without being 'topped out.'
Add more than 25mm and you're hurting more than helping. I do think running rods vs the GAP tool is more likely to cause a failure as you'd be in off-road height at all times vs just when you choose to be.
The rods are indeed a solution if you cannot achieve off-road height or look to make a small lift and cannot do so via the GAP tool. This is why I run a single lift rod on one corner... I was at ~235mm calibration to achieve factory height on my LR (hehe, left rear) sensor.
This way with the rod its closer to 190, I can add +25mm for higher speed dirt driving without the 25mph limit, and a 25mm lift in Off-Road which makes for a 60/40 bump/droop split which is the generally acceptable maximum without being 'topped out.'
Add more than 25mm and you're hurting more than helping. I do think running rods vs the GAP tool is more likely to cause a failure as you'd be in off-road height at all times vs just when you choose to be.
Jwestpro
Explorer
Johnson scam site wants you to buy stuff more than anything else, hence all the sizes that laughably “require” the modified rods.
The rod mod is in fact not “required” for any size unless you’re using the strut spacers. A 2” version rod is then ironically required to offset the effect of the strut spacers.
Strut spacers actually DO create additional available lift while rods do not provide effectively any more than system can reach by way of its own “extended mode”. Max on the struts is simply max, no magical rods change that.
Way better than the rod nonsense is the LLAMS electronic tool which allows +/- on the fly over-riding the speed limiter. It also just ads on top of the factory lever choice so in off-road height you can then add either +20 or 50mm which is near the safe limit of the struts.
one way to look at your tire size question is do you want involved, or simple. 31.5 is max diameter for simple and if it’s too wide like a 275 and/or wider offset wheel, it may still have a couple rub points.
Jwestpro
Explorer
The articulation, during slow trail mode with objects pushing one side upwards a lot higher, wouldn't be affected much but it would somewhat. Nobody ever seems to consider that it would always be less stable on steep side slopes due to the center of gravity effectively set closer to the tip point. It is laughable really what people compromise for vanity.
Additionally, on roads or at speed it absolutely reduces the strut extension remaining because the 2.5”already uses that much up. This is also inherently less stable and less overall driving performance.
That is with Just rods though. You have the strut spacer and should have the hub to arch distance set to near factory + 50mm to maintain the correct strut length and retain full travel at speed.
If it sounds like it makes any sense to ride around at 2-2.5” extension, then see how ************ it is to ride around at - 2”. It’s the same bad idea really.
Similarly it's best to put longer travel dampers and taller springs on a traditional solid axle lift as opposed to just the springs.
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