Tire Size, Very Specific
 

Hi! I know this question has been asked 99,999,999,000 Times, but my needs are very specific.

First off 1997 GMC Jimmy SLS Bone Stock-ish


The General Consensus is 31x10.5 are the biggest tires you can put on however, Not big enough ;)

Not in a financial situation to put a lift kit on, I've done 8 Full Turns on my T-Bars(Roughly 2 inches) and the previous owner has somthing like 1.5in shackles on the back. My plan is to crack T-Bars to the Max, then back off 1 maybe 1.5 turns. I'm going to be putting on 15" Rims (Hopefully a crazy like -19 offset if I can find them, if not next biggest negative offset I can find) and a 1in Spacer on all fours. The bottom of this truck is rusty As F and a little modding to the wheel wells wouldn't be hard to say the least. Could I fit 33x10.50s or 32x11.5s on there with all the spacing and little bit of lift?


TL;DR

97 GMC Jimmy SLS
1.5in Rear Shackles
T-Bars Fully Cranked then Backed off 1-1.5 Turns
A Little Trimming is no Problem, not gigantic I don't want hole in the cab
1" Wheels Spacers
Negative offset 15" Rims
Either Toyo OC M/Ts or Nitto Mud Grapplers

90% Road Driving 5% Muddin 5% Trails
Rural Area, No Snow.... Ever(Florida)

What's my max tire size with 1" Spacer
and max tire without 1" Spacer

Hoping to put 33x10.50s or 32x11.5s


Thanks :D

Still, without a body lift at least, 31x10.5...

Any bigger and the tire will be making contact with the sway bar and frame (I think some have this issue even with 31's still, and add a spacer with 31's to fix that issue). Larger than 31's and using spacers isn't any better because when you get the wheel further out to make the tire miss the sway bar and frame, the tire will then start hitting the inner wheel well on the bottom of the rear of the fender

With a T bar and shackle lift on my 04, I BARELY fit 31x10's on some 2wd aftermarket offset wheels, and even after trimming the front lower valance and hammering on the fender, it STILL rubbed...


Attachment 30370

Attachment 30371

More offset only exaggerates your issue of fitting a larger tire.

from my experience, you just trade frame/sway bar interference with fender interference by changing offset or adding spacers

perfect example, some 275/70/16 General Grabbers (a smidgen over 31x10.5) that I tried to fit on my 04 with some Firebird wheels (same offset as stock 4x4 wheels), bone stock suspension with no adjustments, hit the frame HARD when turning... DEFENITELY not runable. If I were have added spacers, would have gotten rid of my frame interference, but they would have then hit my fenders because it was already close as they were...

Attachment 30367



In that instance I ended up settling with some 235/70/16's (roughly 29x9.5) that I found. Not much larger than stock, but at least fit for the time being... Looked great on the Blazer too :P

Attachment 30368

Attachment 30369

Thanks for the help! :) @blazen_red_4x4 What setup are you running there? Thats pretty much the look i'm going for and the tread and spacing on those are pretty aggressive. I want it to look a little more aggressive especially since I have the wimpy 97 jimmy front end....for now.

Specs are in my first post :)


I lowered the torsion bar crank a little to give a better ride, plus I was riding a little higher in the front than the rear and I prefer the leveled look myself... I've since downsized a little since the 31's still rubbed... 235/75/15's (roughly 29x9.25) since I got a GREAT deal on the wheel/tire package, but I'll be swapping them for some better tires soon, 30x9.5's.


Attachment 30366

Hey!, I love your truck and am looking to duplicate what you've done to it, I was just curious to what lift and what wheels and tires you've put on and the back space of the wheels.

Read what he posted and you will answer your question!

Unless your torsion bars are already saggy you can lift the front past the point where the CV axles will bind and wear out super fast. 1.5" is suggested by people who have done it, and have experienced the consequences of overtaxing your CV axles and tie-rods.


FYI, I fit 32s (265/70/17) on my Blazer with a 2" body lift, 1.5" T-bar crank, and 2" add-a-leaf (shackle will accomplish the same lift). I had 1.25" spacers on the front and a ZR2 axle in the rear. The only time the tires would rub was I would just touch the frame at full lock, and I had to trim the front fenders quite a bit.


On my Sonoma with the same lift, I was able to fit 33's but even after trimming I rubbed the fenders when turning and I didn't touch the rear fenders but it was too close for comfort.

If your suspension has any age you will be replacing it in a month or 2. Even brand new with that much of a crank on tbars parts will last a year or so. spend the money on a lift kit. it will be cheaper in the long run