Hey, one of my first posts here. I have been lurking around for a while trying to find answers to my questions without having to post, but for this one I could use a little help.

I have a 98 dodge 2wd. Its currently sitting on 265/75/16's (more or less a 31" tire) however I really want to grab the 285 BFG A/T KO's for my truck. Now I'm still riding at stock height, how much lift will I need to clear them and what is a better lift, suspension or body, for this truck?

I think this question has been answered for 4x4 owners but since the suspension set up is different I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into.

Thanks

 

I will always advocate a suspension lift over a body lift...... but, that's just me. On the 4x2 trucks, it gets a bit more interesting though....... supposedly, you should be able to get away with a 3" lift, to clear those tires, but, it's possible the 2by's sit some lower than their 4by counterparts...... Basically, you are going 2" larger diameter, measure things out, and see where that's gonna put the tire. (and don't forget clearance at max compression....... gotta have room to stuff those larger tires into the wheel well...)

If you off-road the truck at all, I would add a bit to your measurements, just as added insurance..... If you don't do the off-road thing much, not as much of an issue.

That said, body lift is prolly cheaper. I don't know if the make coil spacers for the 2by's. You can get away with 2 to 2.5 inches without having to change control arms and such.

 

You will likely rub the rear of the front wheel wells at about 3/4 turn. A 2" lift doesn't actually help that much (or at least that's how it seemed to me). You could potentially trim the plastic at the rear of the wheel well...

 

1.5" on the front is all you need

 

I just put the Daystar 1.5' spacer on my truck a few days ago. I should have written down the measurements before and after but now I can't remember it. My truck seemed quite a bit lower in the front as most 2wd's do. Now the front sits higher than the back. I'm going to see if it "settles" any over the next few weeks and if it doesn't get level then I'll probably raise the back up a hair. I bought a set of 15x8 wheels and am looking for some 33' tires so when I get them I'll let ya know how they clear

 

For the back, some of the 4x4 models came with an extra rear leaf (so I think there were 5), you should be able to snag a pair from a junkyard for $50 and that will give you a little extra lift and payload capacity. Some junkyards have a knack for or valuing used parts, I think that up to about $80 is reasonable, but I paid $50 here in Phoenix without haggling, and they were in great shape, no rust (which is the norm around here) and even still had a clean paint job.