Tires and Lift for '04 Z71

[bbro1285]

I have a 2004 Silverado Z71 ext. cab. Everything on it is stock. I'm looking to go bigger tho. Not sure if i want 33's or 35's. Will 35's fit with 3" body lift? If not, do you think 33's will look too small with a 6" lift? Also, what brand and type of tire do you recommend. I'm not a frequent off-roader. Would mainly be for occasional play and the just in case times as well as the aggressive looks. Any one have any reasonably priced recommendations? Any insight would be great. thanks.

[FiTxAg04]

Originally Posted by bbro1285

I have a 2004 Silverado Z71 ext. cab. Everything on it is stock. I'm looking to go bigger tho. Not sure if i want 33's or 35's. Will 35's fit with 3" body lift? If not, do you think 33's will look too small with a 6" lift? Also, what brand and type of tire do you recommend. I'm not a frequent off-roader. Would mainly be for occasional play and the just in case times as well as the aggressive looks. Any one have any reasonably priced recommendations? Any insight would be great. thanks.

I'm not sure, but I think I've read some posts on here that you can make 35s work with a 3" body lift, but you will also have to crank your torsion bars and do quite a bit of trimming...not to mention many on this forum will advise you to stay away from body lifts.

33s would look way small with a 6" lift... If you spend the money for such a lift, then definitely go with 35s... 33s would just not look good. Personally, I like a 4" lift. Enough to get you outta trouble and look aggressive, and a little cheaper. 6" lifts are sweet, though.

[bbro1285]

hey thanks for the info. i have another question though. how do stock wheels work with bigger tires? can i use the same wheels with 35's, what about 33's? how do i know what will fit on what. Maybe a dumb question, but i'm still learning. also does anyone know approximately the effects on mpg these larger tires will have?

[bigbadram51]

Im not sure how well stock wheels will work with 35's but if your spending all the money on 35's and a lift and def. the regearing you will need (unless your pickup is already running 4.10's, to turn those monsters), might as well get some sweet rims at the same time. Cognito makes a sweet setup, actually they only sell a 7" for half tons, they go up to a 12" for 3/4 tons. (which includes a full drop down of the diff, which keeps driveline angles in check). Also with a congnito, you can turn it into a 9" with a couple other parts. go to www.cognitomotorsports.com for some more info. When I get my 2500HD, im looking into the cognito 7"

[Snowbrdr1122]

Originally Posted by bigbadram51

Im not sure how well stock wheels will work with 35's but if your spending all the money on 35's and a lift and def. the regearing you will need (unless your pickup is already running 4.10's, to turn those monsters), might as well get some sweet rims at the same time. Cognito makes a sweet setup, actually they only sell a 7" for half tons, they go up to a 12" for 3/4 tons. (which includes a full drop down of the diff, which keeps driveline angles in check). Also with a congnito, you can turn it into a 9" with a couple other parts. go to www.cognitomotorsports.com for some more info. When I get my 2500HD, im looking into the cognito 7"

Cognitio makes plenty of kits for a 1500, I'm acutaly in the process of deciding whether to go with a 10" Cognito or a 7" Cognito with a 3" body lift. Should be done in the next month or so, only thing I'm waitin on is my good ol tax returns!

[PamzJoe]

BBro1285, Let me see if I can address some of your questions. Yes, if you go with the six inch lift w/35's you will lose about 2 miles per gallon. A coworker has an 05 Siera Z71 crew cab. He has the formentioned setup and lost 2mpgs automatically. More exposed under carriage causes more drag. As far as the body lift, I've seen some that dont look bad. But you get no added ground clearance, more creaking noises from the body, & also more body roll. Definetly go w/35's with the six inch if thats what you end up doing. I just put 285/70/17's on my 05 Silverado Z71 ext cab, with a set of leveling keys, & a set of 17"x 9" pro comp wheels. The guys at work thought I got a lift. It looks sweet! For sure spring for wheels.
Joe

P.S. I was told by the guys at 4wheel parts, that 33's are the max you can do w/ the 3inch body lift.

[Elbert]

Originally Posted by bbro1285

I have a 2004 Silverado Z71 ext. cab. Everything on it is stock. I'm looking to go bigger tho. Not sure if i want 33's or 35's. Will 35's fit with 3" body lift? If not, do you think 33's will look too small with a 6" lift? Also, what brand and type of tire do you recommend. I'm not a frequent off-roader. Would mainly be for occasional play and the just in case times as well as the aggressive looks. Any one have any reasonably priced recommendations? Any insight would be great. thanks.

make sure to find out from the mfg on what size wheels they support. A lot of the suspension lifts require changing to a aftermarket wheel due to backspacing conerns. THe larger the lift the bigger the tires need to be to look "right". I would suggest moderate sized tires because as you go larger you are going to have issues with drivability, balance...etc. Also you are going to have handling issues the larger the tire and the higher the lift is.
If you just want something to look good I would go with a moderate lift and matching wheels, don't forget you'll most likely be buying a set of wheels.

Ask around your local area to see what some of the other guys are running. the bad part is that if you make the wrong call its very expensive to correct or change. It would be even better to ride in a couple of lifted trucks to see if you like it, beyond the looks.

I have a 92K1500 and I installed the small rancho 3" lift kit and went with 285-75-R16 tires on newer style GM truck wheels. While no monster it does what I want it to do. I also ended up changing the gears on the front and rear from 3.42 to 4.11. You'll also have issues with the speedometer. Also had to install a sterring shock absober to address the larger tire issue, which I"ve not fully resolved. So there are a number of things to consider before you act.

[jeverett]

Please don't get a body lift....go ahead and do it right and get suspension.

You can fit 315's, which is a 33" witha 4" lift and it looks good, and shouldnt rub at all. With a 6" lift, you can fit 35's with no problem. My buddy has a 99 with 6" susp, 3"body and he is running 38s and doesn't have any problem with the tires rubbing. Also remember if you go way up in tire size, swap the gears..you'll save your tranny .,.and not to mention gas.

[PamzJoe]

Yeah, my 18 year old son just learned that the hard way. He's got a '97 Tahoe that had a 3" body lift on it when he got it. He put a 6" suspention lift on it back before Christmas. Looked real good except he was running 33's on it. I bought him a set of 37/12.50/15's for Christmas. A week later he called me (he lives w/his Mom) & told me his truck was in the shop getting his transmission rebuilt. Cost him $1600. I have to admit, I did'nt know any better either.
Joe