Lift
If you start changing the suspension itself that's when things can start to get interesting. You will never NEED the diff bracket you're talking about, but it will help with premature wear. I did about a 1.5"-2" torsion crank and I have replaced my passenger side CV axel twice in the last year and a half as well as new inner tie rods and tie rod ends. My upper ball joints are also in need of replacement. Some of that was already close to needing replacement just because it had 150,000 miles on it, but the fact is that cranking the torsion bars changes the angles and puts more stress on the front end components. you don't get this with the body lift.
If I were you I might look into 33's over 35's. Decide if you want to do a suspension lift or a body lift and go from there.
A 2 or 3" body lift would clear 33's without touching the suspension. Or you could do like I did and put 1.5" lift blocks in the rear and do a torsion crank up front. At the end of the day it's your truck and your choice, but I'd say that if you are dead set on running 35's you need to do A LOT more research first. There are a lot of factors to consider and I'd hate to see you stuff a pretty brand new 35 into the sheet metal and do hundreds of dollars worth of body damage. Without the right amount of lift and the right backspacing on your rims that is almost a guarantee.
If you go with a suspension lift something like this wold work:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Dakota-4-7-V8-2-LIFT-BLOCK-KIT-4x4-/221291696276?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ADakota&hash=item3386035094&vxp=mtr
Keep in mind that the front of your truck probably sits lower than the rear as it is now. that's why I only did a 1.5" lift int eh rear and cranked the front closer to 2". You could go with anything from a 1.5" to a 2" in my opinion. You just need a kit with the blocks and longer u bolts. Don't worry about a kit with the front indexing keys. All you do to lift the front is turn one bolt on each side until it's at the right height. Then you'll have to get an alignment after that so factor that into your costs. Figure around $60-100 for the lift plus probably $50-80 depending where you go.
A body lift will probably put you in the $225-400 range depending on which kit you buy but you won't need an alignment afterwards.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Dakota-4-7-V8-2-LIFT-BLOCK-KIT-4x4-/221291696276?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ADakota&hash=item3386035094&vxp=mtr
Keep in mind that the front of your truck probably sits lower than the rear as it is now. that's why I only did a 1.5" lift int eh rear and cranked the front closer to 2". You could go with anything from a 1.5" to a 2" in my opinion. You just need a kit with the blocks and longer u bolts. Don't worry about a kit with the front indexing keys. All you do to lift the front is turn one bolt on each side until it's at the right height. Then you'll have to get an alignment after that so factor that into your costs. Figure around $60-100 for the lift plus probably $50-80 depending where you go.
A body lift will probably put you in the $225-400 range depending on which kit you buy but you won't need an alignment afterwards.
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/Se..._pn=PCW51-5865
Wud these work with a 33
Wud these work with a 33
These should work.
Last edited by Tom A; Dec 13, 2013 at 08:39 PM. Reason: Added link
Wheels are really a personal preference thing. For tires, it depends what you plan to do with it and how much you want to spend.
A 33x12.50R15 tire will fit nicely on either a 15x8 or 15x10 rim. Some would say it looks a little better on the 10-inch rim, but it's also more likely to rub your fenders, less protected from rim damage in rocks, and will be a little harder on wheel bearings. Personally, I would (and did) go with the 8-inch wide rims.
I used to have a 5.5" Tuff Country lift on my truck with 33s and 1" wheel spacers/adapters and the tires still used to rub the fenders once in a while when the suspension was compressed while the wheels were turned. Keep that in mind if you plan to use the truck off-road.
I used to have a 5.5" Tuff Country lift on my truck with 33s and 1" wheel spacers/adapters and the tires still used to rub the fenders once in a while when the suspension was compressed while the wheels were turned. Keep that in mind if you plan to use the truck off-road.


