I actually think those tires are aggressive. Yes with the 2in body lift you can fit 33's. It is best to crank up your torsion bars all the way at the same time, or reindexed keys. Yes it is easy to do and just like the details I gave on that post as well as the details in the installation manual that is in the post as well.

All you do is unbolt all bolts on side of the cab and loosen all the others on the other side of the cab then jack it up one side and insert the spacers then put in the new bolts just loose then remove the other side and jack it up then insert the spacers. DONE.

 

I'm not terribly technically inclined, so I'm just trying to make sure it won't be something I start and can't finish leaving me with a truck that's unusable.

- Will I need to do any fender trimming to avoid rubbing in turns?
- How wide is too wide with a tire on this truck?
- What are the pros and cons to cranking the torsion bars? Does it increase
wear on the tires or cause misalignment?
- If a tire is pinned for studs, why is it not a good idea to get them on the tires
and pull them when winter is over?

Sorry this has turned into a comprehensive thread on how to get my truck built and strayed from which AT is the best.

 

with the body lift and the tbars cranked or reindexed keys you should be able to fit a 33/12.5/15. I dont think you will have to trim anything but if you do it should be minimal.
after you crank the tbars you will need an alignment. it will make the ride alittle stiffer in the front, but some people like that. I havent had any excessive where on my truck since I did the tbars in march.

 

I was going to do this with an extra set of snow tires I have, but when I was talking to my buddy about it he said when he pulled them that the tires wore out really quick. They have a softer rubber I guess. I'm not speaking from personal experience, just going from what my friend said. And since it was his personal experience, I believe him. It was for a car, not a truck but wouldn't think that matters.

 

What if the tires are the Toyo Open Country M/T 33x13.50R15 though? They'd be a little wider than the standard 33x12.50s and according to the site, they're coming in at 33.1x13.9 and I want to make sure that could work. Thanks.

What's the difference between torsion bars, index keys, and torsion keys? Do they all mean the same thing? Also, when I tighten everything up, how much stiffer are we talking when it comes to ride?

Thanks for all the help guys. I will obviously keep everyone posted and add pics when I get things figured out.

 

i honestly havent seen that wide of a tire put on one of these trucks with out a really good lift kit. i would think that you will have rubbing issues being that the 12.5 barely fits but i could be wrong.

if you look under you truck there is long bars running along the inside of your frame. they go from your suspension to a crossmember about half way down your truck. those are your torsion bars. all of them have torsion keys connecting them to that crossmember which controls how tall and how stiff your suspension is. torsion keys are index keys.

I think the best way to reference the ride would be to compare it to a leaf springed 4x4 like the oldschool chevy C10 4x4.

 

Alright, it looks like I'll be trying for a total of 4'' on the lift. I'm going to do a 2'' body lift, 2'' add-a-leaf in the back, and crank the torsion bars in the front to the max 2'' for a final total of 4'' of vertical. Based on the calculations I read in the FAQ section I'm assuming the 33s will fit in there fine and the width will be the only issue I have to overcome at that point.
Now for the part I'm a bit foggy on - If I understand backspacing correctly, my current wheels are backspaced to 4'' and so are the new wheels I just got, except rather than being 15x8, they're 15x10. So my new issue is tire width and getting it to fit without rubbing on everything.
If I shaved the fenders a little bit will that inhibit the rubbing enough to make it a non-issue? Is this something I would *need* to do?
Does anyone run the Toyo M/T 33x13.50s on their Dakota? Thanks for the continued support guys. As soon as I start getting this stuff going I will be taking pics and tracking my progress.

 

I have Kuhmo's on my truck now but when they go I'm going back with BFG AT's. Honestly, for the money its well worth it. I've run generic 'no name' tires for a while but putting a decent tire on your truck is worth its weight in gold. If you're looking into a mud terrain tire, make sure the tire is siped for the rain especially with you living in Seattle. Normally, most MT's do not have the same siping that an AT would have so keep that in mind.

Toyo's are good tires and they are expensive. If you're looking into a MT, have you checked out the Goodyear MTR Kevlar? I'm running them on my Jeep now in the 35" flavor. When I used to daily drive it the tires outperformed my expectations in wet conditions. I don't know if you wheel your truck but they have been outstanding offroad too. They are actually siped quite well for a mud terrain too and with the dual type tread, the smaller lugs work well in the rain.

If you're going to run a wide tire, I would suggest a few tips for optimum tire life. First off, don't go by manufacturers suggested pressure. In most cases, you'll only use 90% of horizontal tread. What I do is take some chalk and draw a line across the tire. Now, drive it around the block and see where there is still chalk. In most cases, there will be on the outside of the tire so lower tire pressure until you're on the whole contact patch. On my MTR's thats about 22psi.

Hope this helps!