[kjrmayfield]

Hello all,
i have a 2001 silverado z71 ecsb. I'm running a 4" tuff country ez ride lift and 285's. I'm thinking of trying to run 35's. I've been told that a 4 inch lift on a z71 is actually a 3" for some reason or another. Will the 35's look stuffed in the wheel wells? and will they rub because of the lower ride height? any pics of a similar setup would be great and any yays or nays from someone who has tried this would be appreciated too.

Thanks

 

[sierraman]

i think 35's might be pushin it on a 4" lift, i have seen 34.5" tires on a 04 z71 with just a 3" body lift and there was barely any room for them to move, couldnt tell you if they rubbed but it looked like they did, you might want to try a 34" tire just to be safe and if ya got any pics of the truck id like to see it, sounds like a pretty sweet ride

 

[finalday7]

35's would be pushin it with 4" lift If you want to run them I'd suggest getting a leveling kit and some bigger blocks for the back. You'll probly want to trim alittle bit of the plastic in the wheel well also. What size rims do you have?

 

[Holy Smoke]

If I told people I was 35,, I'd be pushing it. And then someone would have to give me a lift. :rofl:

 

[tbplus10]

6" of lift is recomended for 35" tires, even then you may have rubbing issues from time to time.
The Z71 uses progressive rate springs that are a little stiffer than the standard springs, when they're new they'll be a little taller, after a few years of wear they sit the same height as a standard truck, sometimes a little lower. Progressive rate springs wear faster than standard springs.
If you go with 35's you will want to regear also, otherwise you'll be looking for a new tranny soon.

 

[ProzacKid]

Hello all,
i have a 2001 silverado z71 ecsb. I'm running a 4" tuff country ez ride lift and 285's. I'm thinking of trying to run 35's. I've been told that a 4 inch lift on a z71 is actually a 3" for some reason or another. Will the 35's look stuffed in the wheel wells? and will they rub because of the lower ride height? any pics of a similar setup would be great and any yays or nays from someone who has tried this would be appreciated too.

Thanks

Yeah, you're probably going to be pretty tight with 35's and only a 3-4" lift. I agree with the idea that you'll want to look at least at 6" or more of lift to keep from rubbing and/or worse.

 

[kjrmayfield]

heres my bucket....haha

I think I'll stick with 33's or 285's , besides I like the way my truck sits and the ride is awesome. Like a car.......Almost.

 

[finalday7]

Those 285's look perfect on it.

 

[95CTburb19]

I agree. I think it looks great like that. Plus going from 33-35 is a big step. At that point you start having to replace and upgrade stuff. It can be hard on the wallet.

 

[kjrmayfield]

I think I'll stay with the 285's. On another note, Even though my truck is lifted a few inches it still looks like a factory lift, say like on the 2500 or 3500. Would re-keying the torsion bars to level out the Chevy "rake" make a difference in the looks dept, or is more lift the ticket?

 

[cao88c]

I've never been a fan of IFS, and I'm less of a fan of tweaking the torsion bars to achieve lift.

IFS was developed for the suburbanites who wanted a pickup truck without the pickup truck ride (I remember the old straight axel 4x4's and the "death wobble"), and unfortunately now everyone is stuck with it.

That being said, IFS is the weakest possile setup for a truck, why would you want to make it even weaker by tightening the torsion bars?

If you want to level it out, use some coil spring spacers. Check out JKS Manufacturing. I agree, your rig will look a lot better sitting level.

 

[udderchaos]

Tightening the torsion bars gets rid of your downward wheel/suspension travel. The truck will ride rough. You will still have your upwards travel. When you hit a pot hole, it will feel like the whole truck fell in....

 

[dwill3015]

OK, we have had this discussion in many other threads about torsion bars and lifts. Most lifts nowadays (for the IFS Chevy's) are 2" more in the front than in the rear. If I was going for a 6" lift on my truck it would consist of a 8"-6" lift, or for a 4" lift it would be a 6"-4" lift. If you have a 4" lift on your truck front and rear, you will still sit 2" lower in the front or "raked" as you call it. As mentioned before, you can easily crank up the torsion bars in the front to achieve the 1-1/2 to 2" but will sacrifice your factory ride comfort. By installing a set of torsion bar keys, you will achieve the lift in the front without giving up your ride comfort. They also call this a "Leveling kit". Here is a link to a site that better describes in detail what it is and how it works. The torsion bar keys are the only leveling kit for 1988-2006 Chevy full-size torsion bar equipped trucks, and for 2007 and newer 1/2 tons with the coil-over strut front suspensions they make the coil spring spacers.

 

[Pete95Sierra]

Torsion bar keys are not a bad idea.... they really barely effect the ride unless u push them over two inches so if you do get them just go to about an 1 1/2".... they will definatly make your truck look bigger and better with them and they are pretty cheap too.... if you do decide to get them get a 295/75/16 tire (they are a 34/12 or so)..... BFG ATs come in this size as well as nitto terra among others... i suggest going that route if you get the torsion keys but if not just stay with 33's they look great already... nice truck

 

[black jack]

You could even go 305s. I had 305r70/17s on my 02 and it wasnt lifted sock hight and looked good. I think the front was leved but i dont know . traded it on my 05. but only spot it rubbed was pass sit in one small spot . but that was because the shock went bad.

 

[Pete95Sierra]

yea a 305/70 is a 33/12.5 or so.... like i said if you dont go with a leveling kit get that size if you have 16 inch rims which is prob your stock size