After reading "Bull's-eye" in the Feb. '06 issue, I cannot believe you wrote a story about a lifted truck and did not mention even once how much lift was installed on the truck. Did they tell you how much lift this truck has, or did you forget to ask?
Take heart. If this is your worst mistake in journalism, it can only get better.
David B. Spurlock
Fresno, CA
Hey David,
There's nothing like a kick in the groin and a pat on the head to make the day better...
The answer to your lift-height question is that Harold Hannemann's Super Duty runs Fabtech 6-inch-lift springs front and rear. The truck is shod with 38x15.5R18 Toyo Open Country M/Ts.
We don't mind lift-height/tire-size questions. Yours was far from the first and certainly won't be the last.This seems like a good time to mention what factors affect tire-fitment/lift-height requirements on a given vehicle, so here goes:
-- Tire size (duh). Bigger tires need more room to run. Adding lift is not the only way to create that required room.
-- Body clearance/body contours. Bigger factory fender openings can clear larger tires at a lower lift height. Certain fender or body contours lend themselves to tire rubbing.
-- Wheel offset. Wheels with offsets that push the tire centerline outward, away from the ball joints, can increase tire rubbing because the tires swing in a wider arc as the truck is steered. The arc on which the tire pivots or swings is called the scrub radius.
-- Wheel spacers. Spacing the wheel farther away from the ball joints has the same effect as using wheels with greater offset.
-- Body lift. A body lift spaces the body farther away from the tires, so less suspension lift is needed. Body lifts can create as many problems as they solve if not performed correctly.
-- Fender flares. "Cut-out" aftermarket fender flares can be used to gain tire clearance at a lower lift height.
-- Fiberglass fenders and bedsides. Aftermarket fenders and bedsides, such as those seen on Hannemann's Super Duty and virtually every prerunner, can add gobs of tire clearance so that larger tires can fit at lower lift heights. Without the fiberglass fenders and bedsides, Hannemann's Super Duty would need 8 inches (or more) of lift to clear its 38-inch Toyo tires.
-- Spring preload. This applies to coils and coilovers. Adding preload to coil springs will in turn add lift height. Too much preload, however, will bind the coils against each other.
-- Spring rate. If you have two springs (leaf or coil) of the same lift height, and one is stiffer, the stiffer spring will maintain a taller ride height.
-- Bumper clearance. Stock bumpers tend to curve toward the tires and often require trimming to fit bigger off-road donuts.
-- Listed vs. actual tire size. Many tires vary from their listed size. Tires labeled as 33-inchers are quite often slightly smaller in diameter than 33 inches.
Our final word: Taller is not always better. Today's off-roader can use a variety of truck-building methods to fit larger tires at lower lift heights and still have a competent, smooth-riding off-road truck.