33 inch tires on 2 inch rc level kit?

[Merrick]

Hi guys, I am new on this forum and have been reading up about the right tire size for my hoe. I have a 2003 Tahoe LS 2wd, my goal is to have a good looking truck that I can take on mild trails. the rough country kit that I bought is a 2 inch kit that has front torsion keys and four shocks and rear .75 inch coil spacers.

I was wondering what tire size would look good with is kit, rough country says the kit will be able to fit 285/75 r16 (33s).

Can I fit a bigger tire? (i don't care if I have to trim a little bit)

What all terrain tires do you recommend?

Any other ideas with what else I should purchase as a new tahoe owner?

I appologize in advance if i asked a obvious question, I am new to forums and tahoes.

 

[M1Gunner]

If you want bigger tires you’ll need a bigger lift. My original set up was a 6in RCX suspension lift and 35x12.50’s and it still rubbed on the inside driver fender closest to the driver door, especially when turning hard left. And that was after remolding the fender line back on the front bumper to keep the front from rubbing.

my set up now though doesn’t rub at all but I’m runnin 37x13.50’s with 6in suspension, 3in body, and 2in wheel spacers

 

[Chubbs]

The problem with putting the biggest tires that you can onto a 1/2 ton truck isn't rubbing. I read a thread on another forum where dude mounts 38" mud tires on a BONE STOCK 1500 z71 and asks about changing up the gear ratios because his transmission started slipping. Anyways, he said the huge tires & 10 inches of lift was his idea of practicality for what he liked to do. I had to laugh. Without a corresponding gear ratio to compensate for 10" of tire diameter, it's only practical if 1 has made a choice to keep a particular mechanic in business. And now what was an otherwise sound tranny beforehand requires a rebuild. That's about $3k donated to the stimulus of our economy. I don't have time for that so give me the 265/16s, please.

Now, 285 is too big of tire size on a 2WD. Keep it close to stock for dependability. Otherwise, you better get AAA membership. I never liked the look of 33s as if the truck had to be built around them. You need a 6" suspension to effectively ride 33" or thereabouts, espc off-roading.
4WD can get away with 285 for obvious reasons but only 2-tires propelling that much mass is going to burn something up quick & usually at the worst possible time.

The torsion bar key is a cheap & popular way of lifting the front up on these 800-series truck but it's not all what it's cut out to be. If used properly for leveling the truck as-designed, it works well for the most part. It creates nothing but problems when used in replacement of a well-designed & engineered suspension kit. All you have to do is browse the 1st page on a few of these sub forums to find what results from maxing out those "leveling keys." You are safe up to 1-1/2" but anything over that you do at your own risk.

im not saying you can't put big *** tires on your truck but I think you should join a few different forums and learn the limits of this vehicle. When I bought my Yukon I was too busy updating all of the maintenance items to worry about tires & wheels. Bought it in April and had 90% of maintenance done @ my bday in August when I swapped out the bald tires that came on it. I already lost an inner tie rod joint from the 275/60/20 in just 4 months. That's why I'm suggesting not to get in a rush with tire selection.

 

[Merrick]

The problem with putting the biggest tires that you can onto a 1/2 ton truck isn't rubbing. I read a thread on another forum where dude mounts 38" mud tires on a BONE STOCK 1500 z71 and asks about changing up the gear ratios because his transmission started slipping. Anyways, he said the huge tires & 10 inches of lift was his idea of practicality for what he liked to do. I had to laugh. Without a corresponding gear ratio to compensate for 10" of tire diameter, it's only practical if 1 has made a choice to keep a particular mechanic in business. And now what was an otherwise sound tranny beforehand requires a rebuild. That's about $3k donated to the stimulus of our economy. I don't have time for that so give me the 265/16s, please.

Now, 285 is too big of tire size on a 2WD. Keep it close to stock for dependability. Otherwise, you better get AAA membership. I never liked the look of 33s as if the truck had to be built around them. You need a 6" suspension to effectively ride 33" or thereabouts, espc off-roading.
4WD can get away with 285 for obvious reasons but only 2-tires propelling that much mass is going to burn something up quick & usually at the worst possible time.

The torsion bar key is a cheap & popular way of lifting the front up on these 800-series truck but it's not all what it's cut out to be. If used properly for leveling the truck as-designed, it works well for the most part. It creates nothing but problems when used in replacement of a well-designed & engineered suspension kit. All you have to do is browse the 1st page on a few of these sub forums to find what results from maxing out those "leveling keys." You are safe up to 1-1/2" but anything over that you do at your own risk.

im not saying you can't put big *** tires on your truck but I think you should join a few different forums and learn the limits of this vehicle. When I bought my Yukon I was too busy updating all of the maintenance items to worry about tires & wheels. Bought it in April and had 90% of maintenance done @ my bday in August when I swapped out the bald tires that came on it. I already lost an inner tie rod joint from the 275/60/20 in just 4 months. That's why I'm suggesting not to get in a rush with tire selection.

Great I will start reading other forums about my tahoe specifically, thank you for the help!

 

[M1Gunner]

As @Chubbs mentioned, proper GEAR RATIO.I forgot to mention that I also regeared my front and rear to 5.13 gears from the stock 3.73’s

 

[M1Gunner]

When I had my 35’s I never regeared and I beat the piss out of this thing with no issues to the driveline and tranny but I wouldn’t go any bigger than 35’s without doin somethin with your gears.

 

[Chubbs]

Some folks are luckier than others. More than a few testimonials from folks blowing the gov lock with stock tire size. Lots more asking for suggestions on carrier upgrades due to busted side gears, sheared pin, etc.
I don't like spending my hard earned cash on catastrophic failures that could have been avoided. With that being said, I would avoid oversize tires on the stock GM 8.5. But that's my opinion. Some people out there think the same way or don't have $1,000 on-tap to keep their DD on the road so if someone chooses not to do his own research, I have advised with what I'm aware of.

@M1Gunner sometimes I wish I had the cash flow to test the limits of my equipment but since I don't, I just have to read up on others experiences. and like I said before, I wouldn't push a 2WD like I would a 4x4, if & when the situation calls for 4wd and I can take some load off of the back axle. This OP is talking about off road with his 4x2

 

[M1Gunner]

I agree though, it is better to be safe than sorry. Now if I didn’t have every tool I’d ever need for this truck and wasn’t a certified advanced level master tech I probably wouldn’t be as fortunate as I apparently have been. That would be my luck lol. Like desk top computers, I only know the basics and have absolute CRAP luck with computers lol

 

[CamReynolds]

Hi guys, I am new on this forum and have been reading up about the right tire size for my hoe. I have a 2003 Tahoe LS 2wd, my goal is to have a good looking truck that I can take on mild trails. the rough country kit that I bought is a 2 inch kit that has front torsion keys and four shocks and rear .75 inch coil spacers.

I was wondering what tire size would look good with is kit, rough country says the kit will be able to fit 285/75 r16 (33s).

Can I fit a bigger tire? (i don't care if I have to trim a little bit)

What all terrain tires do you recommend?

Any other ideas with what else I should purchase as a new tahoe owner?

I appologize in advance if i asked a obvious question, I am new to forums and tahoes.

i have rcx keys with no spacer and fit 33s without trimming. no rubbing. and i kept my gears the same. does fine

 

[TwiztidPixel]

I have 2" keys on the front, nothing in the rear. I had to trim my front valance a bit and the wheel well liner on the driver's side as the tire lugs would catch it while in reverse. Keep in mind that not all 33x12.5" tires are really 12.5" wide (For example Atturo tires are narrow even though they're listed as 12.5"). If you get a real 12.5" wide tire you'll probably need to trim. It also depends on the wheel you'll be using, what its width and offet is. For reference, my wheels are 20x9" with a 0 offset.

Regearing, IMO, is not needed for a 33. The only "con" that I've encountered is the truck downshifts on pretty mild inclines on the highway (65ish mph).