325/65 R18 Nitto w/ Eagle 18 wheel install

[F1campion]

Last night I installed a 2" daystar leveling kit on my 03, 3500, SWB, SRW Laramie and today went to Discount Tires to have 325/65 R18 Nitto Grapplers (35x13) and 18" Eagle wheels installed. Bad news, they rubbed bad. I have read that some have successfuly installed the BFG 315/70 R17's with 17" wheels and a leveling kit and thought that I would be ok even with the extra width. I thought wrong. What I noticed is that the wheels rubbed worse on the passenger side. I was told that the wheels would shift to one side after installing the leveling kit and it looks like it would shift to the driver side. After pulling off the new wheels:{ and going back to stock, I drove home and did some measuring. What I found was that the passenger side sits about 1/2 inch lower than the driver side. Looking for alternatives, like suspension lifts I found a shim that is used to correct the side to side leveling problem. I was not able to measure any offset to one side or the other due to the lift.



1. I really would like to stay with an 18" wheel, does anyone know of a tire that is a 315/70 R18 or equivalent?



2. Has anyone else run across the side to side leveling problem?



3. Does anyone know of a cheep suspension lift that works on the new trucks. I think I need 4" minimum.

 

[nickleinonen]

how wide are those 18" of yours? and how much backspacing do they have? the factory 17's are only 8" wide and have lots of backspacing [like 5. 5"-6"iirc]

 

[F1campion]

The wheel dimensions are 18x9. 5 with a -. 5 offset. Quit a bit different from stock. The difference in width is 325 = 12. 8in and 315 = 12. 4 with a difference of . 4 in total between the BFG and the NITTO. I have seen trucks with 35's and non-stock wheels that do not have as much (positive offset) or backspace.

 

[PHolmes]

The left side spring is stronger on the Dodges, just take a look at the part numbers on the springs. If you install a leveling kit make sure you don't mix the springs up.

Phil

 

[F1campion]

When we did the leveling kit install we did one side at a time so the springs were not swapped. I really think that the difference is due to the factory allowed leveling tolerance of 1" from side to side. When I measured mine I measured from the bottom spring cup lip to the top of the lip on the upper spring cup that the shock tower is mounted to. You say that the springs have different part numbers. What does that mean? Do they have different spring rates, installed loads, etc? Do you know?

 

[Prairie Dog]

Yes they have different capacities. If you look at old trucks of any make from the 80's or earlier you'll notice they sit lower on the drivers side because of the drivers weight always being there. Because all springs sag over time and because the driver is normally alone in the vehicle, the sag is more of a problem on the left side.

As a side note, I dont think after market spring suppliers follow this method though.

 

[GWDiesel]

F1Campion

Is the reason for the stronger spring on the drivers side is because of the weight of a 34 gal fuel tank and the drivers weight

on that side?? GWD

 

[Diesel Dan]

Hey Michael Schumacher( F1champion)



BF Goodrich makes their new mud terrain in 35/12. 5/18 which is almost identical to the 315/70/17. I know it is a mud tire but they have made it quieter, and it last longer, which were most of the complaints of the original. It might be an option. Good luck with your dilema.



Best regards



DD

 

[F1campion]

DD-



Thanks for the tip, I will check on the BFG mud terrains. As a side note read closer, F1campion not F1Champion. Campion boats makes their Chase series which you can order with the F1 graphics package in 24, 27, and 31 foot lengths. I own a 27 foot (800 Chase) with that graphic package and a HP500EFI Mercury Racing engine, center fuel cell (balance and CG), Bennett racing tabs and IMCO external steering. If I removed my windshield and installed a racing faring, I could legally enter my boat in the APBA F1 class. :--) F1 = Formula One in the car world but F1 = Factory One in the offshore performance boating world. Just a little FYI.



Also a friend of mine spotted a 2500 with 325/65-18 Toyo's and 18" Weld wheels zipping around the parking lot at the local Home Depot. This leads me to believe that the offset or backspace of the wheel was my problem and very important if you want to stuff a 35in tire under our trucks.

 

[PHuckleberry]

Did you install longer control arms? I seem to remember that lifting with out the arms brought the axle back into the rear of the fender on the 2nd gens.

 

[Simms]

F1campion,



Let us know if you work something out. I was going to run the same setup on my 2500. Full Throttle has a 5" kit out right now, but I would like to wait for some more manufacturers to come out with theirs.



Generally, a two inch space doesn't affect the axle that much. That is why longer control arms are not always offered with a 2" leveling kit or even a 3" kit sometimes. It really comes into play when people are running a 5" coil and they stack a 3" spacer on top of that. A 5"+3" spacer with just the 5" control arms usually move the axle back approximately 1".