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Newbie Question about Lift, Tires, & Wheels

2

215Grappler

3️⃣ Silver
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Hey folks, I'm a newbie and I know this topic has been beaten to death but in all honesty I'm totally confused. I have a 2020 Tacoma Off Road coming in October with 16 inch wheels and the tires are P265/70R16. I want to get 33 inch tires to go off roading and for aesthetic reasons as well. I have read so many posts and viewed so many YouTube videos that I think I have information overload. My questions are these:
- Can I put 33" tires on 16" wheels or do I need to go up in size?
- What size lift do I need to accommodate the 33" tires? I'd prefer not to do any cutting or chopping if at all possible.
- What type of lift will I need - leveling or suspension? I don't plan to do any rock climbing. I'll mostly be off roading on fire trails, sand, etc. Nothing extreme.
- If I need a suspension lift can i get a decent one for under $1,000?

Thanks for your help!
 
I can’t give input on the tires, someone else for sure can though.

You want a suspension lift, leveling with make the ride terrible and doesn’t do anything for you other than raise it a bit. Performance of your suspension will suffer

You could get a set of add a leafs, 5100s front and rear for around 1k, possibly even 6112s/5160 combo. This is all Bilstein but there are others just not familiar with them.

However, you may rub upper control arms with 33s, depending on the wheel setup. I’m 99% sure you will have to do some massaging to the fender well plastics as well.

Most common lifts will give you 1-2” lift. 2.5 with 6112s and anything over 3” you’ll need the UCAs to correct tire.
 
285/75/16 is pretty much a 33, Its a 32.8x10.8
In my experience, I run a 17" wheel and had 285/70/17 which is pretty much the same tire, Never rubbed massaged or had to do any further modifications.
With that size you can pretty much get away with without running the risk of rubbing. with after market wheel I had to trim the bottom of the front bumper and I was good to go.
 
Stay away from the leveling kits as stated above. They ride like crap and the only benefit is it will make your truck look bigger. It wont perform better and will hurt it in the long run. You can get into a decent 2in lift for around 1400. Old man Emu, Ironman, and some others will fall into that price bracket. You can fit a 33in tire with a 2in kit. However.... the right tire needs to be chosen. You can do 33s on a 16in wheel. But the wheel width needs to be proper. 7-8in widths will work best. And the back spacing should be chosen wisely. I currently run the OME front coilovers. I have 255/85-16 (true 33in) tires on a 16x8in wheel with a -12 offset (4.25in backspacing). They fit well bc they are only 10.5in wide. Although the 285/75-16 is about a 32.8in diameter it is wider making a cab mount chop almost always necessary.
 
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I had 285's on stock 16inch trd off road wheels, and did fine with the front bumper corner trimming. I added wheel spacers, but then they rubbed the body joint in the front (cmc, just behind the front wheel well), so I left the rear spacers on (looks good, actually felt a little more stable due to the wider stance)

I feel your hesitancy to trim your truck, but trust me, the truck will look great, and if you're careful, the truck will look just fine. I sold it 2 years and 30k miles after purchasing it for $4000 less than I paid for it brand new.
Here's some photos for how that looks.
1F63794E-BEBE-4CAE-90E8-A77F2E862D63.jpeg
88D00BFF-3F9E-4076-A9F3-C7B26642FFC7.jpeg
A0149105-E245-4CFC-A9A4-E7D3718133ED.jpeg
 
Biohazard said:
I had 285's on stock 16inch trd off road wheels, and did fine with the front bumper corner trimming. I added wheel spacers, but then they rubbed the body joint in the front (cmc, just behind the front wheel well), so I left the rear spacers on (looks good, actually felt a little more stable due to the wider stance)

I feel your hesitancy to trim your truck, but trust me, the truck will look great, and if you're careful, the truck will look just fine. I sold it 2 years and 30k miles after purchasing it for $4000 less than I paid for it brand new.
Here's some photos for how that looks.
1F63794E-BEBE-4CAE-90E8-A77F2E862D63.jpeg
88D00BFF-3F9E-4076-A9F3-C7B26642FFC7.jpeg
A0149105-E245-4CFC-A9A4-E7D3718133ED.jpeg
Click to expand...

@Biohazard did you have to lift your truck to add the 33s?
 
I know @DobinsonsUSA offers a quck ride kit which bring front and rear shocks, front coils and rear blocks. for $805 and you can use code MJSTACOMA for an extra 5% off.
 
215Grappler said:
@Biohazard did you have to lift your truck to add the 33s?
Click to expand...
I did not, stock trd offroad suspension.

rubbed the UCA's the tiniest at full front stuffing and turning, and definitely rubbed the front bumper before I trimmed. (I think I also trimmed a smidge of the rear fender, but not much).

if you're looking for a little larger tire flair and aren't pounding it at the local rock crawly quarry every weekend, it'll work great.
 
Putting a 2" leveling kit on a 2019 TRD OR with 17" Method 305. Tire size recommendations for max fit without rub? 285/70 or 275/70?? Daily driver with some light desert trails
 
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