As most know I just got through installing a lift and adding 37" tires. This last week I finally got the alignment done and have since added several miles to the truck. The lift turned out nice and I like the extra height, but I thought I would share some interesting observations with you.
The new tires are huge, they weight right around 100lb each without the rims. And trust me there is a huge difference between the aluminum wheels/tire combo and the steel wheels/tire combo i have on the inside rear duals. I just can't imagine all those guys running around with large tires like these on 1500 series trucks, heck I've even seen a few Toyota's with very large tires, it just doesn't make since. That poor engine must be killing itself at each traffic light? Anyhow, It is interesting to note that I see somewhere between 100-150° more EGT's at highway speeds with the new combo. And the automatic seems to also be running alittle more temp, somewhere in the 10-15° more range. The truck still has plenty of go, but I can tell a difference, it was quicker off the line before the swap. What is nice Thu is the transmission feels better suited to the bigger tires then before. I suppose because it has a bigger load on it? But it shifts better, smoother now, and I like the city gear it now has, much better for the stop and go traffic. If you didn't have a transmission cooler on your truck before, I would highly suggest you install one even if you don't tow. In soft soil conditions, mug or anytime they are in a high friction place, they will add alot of heat to the trany, and without help it doesn't take long for the transmission fluid to peek. I sometimes visit the sand dunes and I could see them heating up the trany there.
The Dick Cepeek tires are absolutely quite. I did do alot of looking around and most reports were they are a nice road tire, but you just never know till you try them out for yourself. I would highly recommend them to others, who like big aggressive tires that are not loud on the road.
The higher EGT's are a reflection of load, so with the higher temps I can see the truck has to work harder to push the heavier tires down the road. I just can not see how people would run large tires with small ring & pinions, it just would not be fun (my opinion).
The ride is nice, Not alot different from before. I am still trying to see what it wants in regards to air pressure. I haven't installed the dual steering stabilizer, but I'm not sure it even needs one? I may leave it off so I don't create more load on the steering box then I already have.
I am also going to play with the shock pressures to dial in the ride even better, now I just set them all at 200psi. Till later.
The new tires are huge, they weight right around 100lb each without the rims. And trust me there is a huge difference between the aluminum wheels/tire combo and the steel wheels/tire combo i have on the inside rear duals. I just can't imagine all those guys running around with large tires like these on 1500 series trucks, heck I've even seen a few Toyota's with very large tires, it just doesn't make since. That poor engine must be killing itself at each traffic light? Anyhow, It is interesting to note that I see somewhere between 100-150° more EGT's at highway speeds with the new combo. And the automatic seems to also be running alittle more temp, somewhere in the 10-15° more range. The truck still has plenty of go, but I can tell a difference, it was quicker off the line before the swap. What is nice Thu is the transmission feels better suited to the bigger tires then before. I suppose because it has a bigger load on it? But it shifts better, smoother now, and I like the city gear it now has, much better for the stop and go traffic. If you didn't have a transmission cooler on your truck before, I would highly suggest you install one even if you don't tow. In soft soil conditions, mug or anytime they are in a high friction place, they will add alot of heat to the trany, and without help it doesn't take long for the transmission fluid to peek. I sometimes visit the sand dunes and I could see them heating up the trany there.
The Dick Cepeek tires are absolutely quite. I did do alot of looking around and most reports were they are a nice road tire, but you just never know till you try them out for yourself. I would highly recommend them to others, who like big aggressive tires that are not loud on the road.
The higher EGT's are a reflection of load, so with the higher temps I can see the truck has to work harder to push the heavier tires down the road. I just can not see how people would run large tires with small ring & pinions, it just would not be fun (my opinion).
The ride is nice, Not alot different from before. I am still trying to see what it wants in regards to air pressure. I haven't installed the dual steering stabilizer, but I'm not sure it even needs one? I may leave it off so I don't create more load on the steering box then I already have.
I am also going to play with the shock pressures to dial in the ride even better, now I just set them all at 200psi. Till later.