That post you see on every Jeep social media feed - can I fit 35s with no lift or how much lift do I need to fit 35s or 37s etc.... A totally loaded question I typically keep out of. But lets look at it a different way. From a wheeling standpoint - not a "I just want to run big tires to look cool" standpoint.
What are you trying to accomplish? Yes we all want bigger tires re: the 46s above with my sex pose under a very custom air suspension, they add ground clearance, larger tires can be run at lower tire pressures, which gives you more traction, and many of those larger tires come in more aggressive tread patterns suitable for different types of terrain. Today almost all manufacturers sell factory lifted 4x4s. Both Jeep and Bronco have a model you can buy that come with factory 35s. Even GM now has a AEV prepped Colorado with 35-inch tires. For 90% plus of off-roaders 35s are probably going to do you just fine on most trails. Those new vehicles come with a basic 2-inch lift over their factory offerings to fit those tires. So that first answer is - how much lift do I need to clear 35s - seems 2-inches in most cases will do it!
So again, what are you trying to accomplish? I'll stay away from the massive tire guys, they all have extremely custom vehicles, larger axles, better gearing, big engines and all that comes along with running those types of trails. Ride quality and suspension flex are going to be everyone elses main target. for those who are overlanding with lots of gear - managing that added weight is also high on the list.
HOW MUCH LIFT? As little as possible to clear the tires you want to run and support the amount of gear you carry, after that there are more important things to consider - suspension flex, ride quality and sway control, control arm strength, general lift quality, shocks suitable to what you want to do, spring rate (more on this coming up). Most of the changes you will truly notice in a suspension change comes in the shocks (don's cheap out on shocks - and remote res shocks are really for those that like to go fast), springs hold your rig up at a certain height based on spring rate and weight of your vehicle.
Spring rate:
The spring rate - is how much a spring (coil or leaf) will compress with a certain amount of weight. This is huge in your planning. If a spring is rated at 200lbs that means, it will compress 1-inch for every 200 lbs of weight it carries (not the total weight of your vehicle divided by 4 - your springs do not hold up your axles and tires). So if you load your stock rig up with piles of camping gear, steel aftermarket bumpers and a big winch - don't complain that your 2-inch lift only seems to have raised your ride 1-inch over stock - you just added 100's if not 1000s of pounds. And with that added weight, your shocks will act differently - your handling will change as well. So if you overland and carry tons of stuff - that 2-inch lift will probably clear your tires - but you may need a 3-inch lift to actually get 2-inchs of height change loaded up with gear otherwise you may spend your days banging off your bump stops. Many lift kit companies will be relucatant to advertise their spring rate - just keep in mind what you plan to do with your vehicle - pack a lot of stuff? Go up an inch in lift.
So what to buy? Here is the best part. If you pick a good supplier - you can build your suspension in stages, even change spring length with the parts you already own. When I built my Jeep I order two sets of c
oil springs 4-inch and 6-inch, everything else stayed the same. Coil springs are relatively inexpen
sive - but going with a good suspension supplier gets you all the same other good parts, like good shocks and strong well designed control arms, well thought out geometry, track bars and steering brackets.
We will address the next step in the bigger tire story - Gear ratio's next time!
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