Need to run 285/70 Nittos for 5 days before lifting... problems?

I will most likely wind up getting the wheels/tires installed pre-lift and run like that for about 5 days or more. Specs are below, am I asking for trouble?

285/70/17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers
KMC Bully wheels 17x8.5 with 0mm offset and 4.75" backspace.

 

Lift isn't the only issue its more turning and the tire front to back where it rubs.

I'm not familiar with rims and offset but most rub on the bumper and mud flap. May need BMC.

 

I'm would be even worried 285/70R17 tires with factory +4 offset 17x7 TRD Pro wheels with no lift. I would assume 17x8.5 with 0mm offset would not be easy at all.

 

I'm sure you'll be fine for that amount of time. You will certainly get an idea of where the new wheel/tire combo rubs. Just know that lifting alone will not cure any rubbing issues. Alignment ability will be the biggest factor post lift. IFS is not like a solid axle lift, where up means clearance for bigger tires.

 

This is true. Lifts don't enable larger tires with Independent Front Suspension.

 

Just don't turn...

 

I should have clarified more... I also bought UCA arms and I am aware that IFS is a different beast compared to coming from solid front axle. I know there will be rubbing and I will need to do a little nip and tuck after the lift as well as a pro alignment, all of which I am ready to do. It's just the timing of everything with my schedule and installing the lift.

 

Did you sell your stock rims?

I'm not sure why the new rims/tires has to go on first.

You won't be able to turn lock to lock so be prepared for that.

 

I had 285/70/17 Toyo Open Country AT3s installed on RRW RR2-S 17x8.5 with 0 offset on Tuesday. No lift on a Limited. They rubbed a lot when I took it home. Fender liner adjustment and removal of the mud flap over the BMC and it rubs a lot less. I can hear it rubbing at not quite full lock while going over bumps but I can’t see where it’s hitting yet

 

I would just like to say welcome to the forum, oh your not a newbe.

 

Please elaborate.

 

Lift doesn't clear tires. If you stuff a tire, it ends up in the same place as if you had no lift. If you don't off-road, you might not notice the rubbing. But, that doesn't mean you actually clear the tires. Alignment, wheel offset, and trimming are what clears tires.

And, I don't really see how a lift clears tires with a solid axle, either. Unless you lose upward travel when you lift?

 

I'm still not seeing the difference with a straight axle lift. Unless you lose upward travel, your tires ends up in the same place when they're stuffed.

Or, is that what you're saying (that suspension lifts on solid axle vehicles reduce up-travel)?


You're correct about the body lift. But, those aren't as common around here.

 

My observation from years of Jeep vehicles is solid axle vehicles usually have upper and lower control arms that attach to the axle top and bottom, and go horizontally rearward (front) and forward (rear) parallel to the frame, unlike IFS CAs. IFS control arms are much shorter, run 90 degrees to the frame, and thus are more affected by lift amounts compared to the much longer solid axle control arms. Being no expert in lift geometry, I cannot say that's the reason, just know it's quite a bit different. Lifting a Jeep usually meant bigger tires would fit. The only other component needed, usually, on a solid axle lift, was a longer or adjustable track bar to re-center the axle side to side.

They do have adjustable control arms that will center the wheel in the wheel well front to back also.

 

That can be a problem. One needs to drop the bump stops unless the fender wells are enlarged on a SFA rig. Pretty much the same as with IFS I imagine.

I had a straight axle leaf spring Chevy 4x4 pickup when I was a kid, I ran 31s on it stock with no problem, then lifted it 4" and put 35s on it. I had to trim the rear edge of the front fender, because at compression the 35s would hit, because it still had 31-in sized wheel wells. Didn't rub on the street, only under certain situations off road.

Using Jeeps as an example, the nicer kits come with adjustable control arms, so you can lengthen them to move your axle a bit, to increase tire clearance in the wheel well as the suspension cycles.. Nice thing about Jeeps is you don't have to worry about clearance in front of the tire, since there is no fender there. Also, unlike most IFS lifts, it's pretty easy to add down travel. Most rock crawlers prefer down travel to up travel, so even if they have to limit the up travel with bump stops, it's still worth it.

Also, on an SFA Jeep, as the suspension compresses, the axle moves forward, since moves in an arc with the lower control arm as the pivot. In my old Chevy, the spring shackle was at the rear of the spring, so as the leaf spring compressed, the axle moved rearward slightly which was why my tire made contact with the rear part of the fender.

I'm not sure about IFS though, as the suspension compresses, does the tire move forward or rearward at all?

Or does it only arc inward and outward, essentially widening and narrowing the track as it moves.

 

Well said. There is literally no comparing IFS lifts with SFA lifts, they are two totally different beasts.

 

I love how my own thread got derailed into a SFA conversation and I'm totally OK with it since I come from (and still have) the Jeep world... lol.

 

Lol, I can't help myself. I've owned 2 solid axle 4x4s and I absolutely love them, the IFS low key disgusts me when it comes to lifting/off-roading.

I had a lifted 97 ZJ, and a lifted 73 square body.

@glwood54 you mentioned kind of the same thing I did, looks like we were writing our posts at the same time and you beat me to the punch.

 

I still have a '91 YJ on F150 axles with 37s and 5.13 gears. That's my rock crawling toy, this Toy will be more for cruising through the desert and ripping sand

 

My point is that, unless you actually change the geometry of the suspension, IE different control arms, alignment, etc, the front tire is going to wind up in the same place when It is stuffed, no matter how much you change the ride height.

 

When you put taller coil springs on a Jeep, it gives more room before the tire is 'stuffed'. On a TJ, 33" tires would fit with 4" of lift, ideally, though, with a combination of spring & body lift. A 4" spring lift on a TJ introduces too many other issues.

Last derail post from me. Sorry.

 

That's what you are misunderstanding about SFA. With a change in height you allow both more up travel and down travel on a SFA. The higher the lift means you allow the tire to stuff to a higher point so it isn't going to the same place when it's stuffed. You can get away with quite a bit of height before you need to change UCA and LCA on a SFA vehicle. 3.5" of pure lift coming from the coil springs will allow a 37" tire to completely stuff up in the wheel well on one side with no touching and massive droop on the other side and that's still keeping the factory UCAs and LCAs. On one of my rigs I had a 3.75" lift with upgraded UCAs and LCAs and I was running 38" tires and when I had one side fully drooped I could sit on my tire and tuck myself up in the wheel well. The other side was completely stuffed and both tires were on the ground.

Also there is really no alignment, other than toe, on an SFA. Longer LCAs and UCAs will allow you to set proper caster and pinion angle but using stock arms you can only adjust toe, that's it.

 

LOL, it's all good and you are correct. Much more of a pain with lifting TJs and YJs. You get into tummy tucks or t-case drops, engine mount lifts, making sure the fan doesn't hit the shroud with said engine mount lift, pinion angles being steep, etc...

 

Unless you are actually limiting the up travel, or changing the geometry of the suspension, at some point in the articulation the front tire will wind up exactly where it would with stock suspension.

To clarify:

A Jeep's front axle is connected to the frame with four links. Unless you change the length of those links or where they are attached to the frame or the axle, the axle is going to travel the same path regardless of how long your springs are.

I think the reason this is so difficult to compare is because you are comparing two completely different vehicles. Putting a solid front axle on a 4Runner would not clear tires. Jeeps have way more room to clear tires from the get-go. It's not a solid front axle thing. It's a Jeep thing