How tall a tire on a lowered Suburban

[SRD art]

Hey all, I've got a 77 Suburban I want to drop 6". It currently has 265-75-16 tires on 8.5" wide wheels with 4.5" backspacing (about 31.75" tall). Can I run those tires for now with that much drop? I plan on 275-45-20s on down the road, about 29.7" tall.

Thanks for any insight!!!

[SCOTI]

Definitely would not work for a 6" front drop.

[SRD art]

Thanks for the input.

Maybe I should back up, how much drop will an axle flip yield on a 1/2 ton Suburban?

If I match the front drop with an axle flip with, anybody know how tall a tire I can run?

[bbbc10]

I don't think you should match the front drop with the rear drop as the rear is higher than the front by 2"

[SCOTI]

4-5" drop up front could get by w/a 28" tire. For 6" drop, a ~27" tire would be better. However much more drop there is subtracts from that 28" starting point.

All trucks are different so there is no one correct answer.

[SRD art]

Originally Posted by bbbc10

I don't think you should match the front drop with the rear drop as the rear is higher than the front by 2"

To clarify I meant to have the truck sit basically level at the rockers or frame, not necessarily the amount of drop be the same in the front and rear.

27" sounds super short for a 20" wheel. :/ I want a decent ride too. The truck will be a family cruiser and sometimes we drive 4 -6 hours to go see family or take my pro touring car to autocross events.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by SRD art

To clarify I meant to have the truck sit basically level at the rockers or frame, not necessarily the amount of drop be the same in the front and rear.

27" sounds super short for a 20" wheel. :/ I want a decent ride too. The truck will be a family cruiser and sometimes we drive 4 -6 hours to go see family or take my pro touring car to autocross events.

It is a super short tire for a 20" wheel. My old 74 was a 6/8 drop & I couldn't creep down my alley w/o scrubbing the fenderwells w/a 255/40/20 front tire (28" tall). The 295/40/20's in the rear were fine.

If you're trying to level the stance, a 4/6 drop would accommodate a 28" front tire. Beyond that drop, your options will be a shorter tire, removing the inner wells, or swapping in aftermarket units.

[ultrahd4me]

Here's a pic of a suburban a friend of mine owned. It had a 5/7 drop with 20x8 & 20x10 wheels. The tires were 255/35/20 (27") and a 275/40/20 (28.5"). No problems with rubbing but It was a little harsh on big bumps because of the low profile tires.

[SRD art]

Thanks for the great info guys. I have a spare set of front inner fenders so I can do a little fab work and widen or make them taller. How about turning, should I expect any rubbing with the 275-45-20?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by SRD art

Thanks for the great info guys. I have a spare set of front inner fenders so I can do a little fab work and widen or make them taller. How about turning, should I expect any rubbing with the 275-45-20?

That's a fairly large combo for the front so it will boil down to wheel width & back-spacing. Keep the BS aggressive & it will minimize the rub on the outer edge.

[SRD art]

I'm looking at MB Old Schools, 20x9.5 with 15mm offset (5.8").

[lolife99]

That's a wide front wheel.
Most run a 20x8.5 with a 5.25" or greater backspace.
(that would be 6.25" BS on your 20x9.5" wheels)

[cheap]

With a 4/6 drop on 7 inch wide wheels i fit a 29 inch tire up front and never rubbed, and fit some 31x10.5 on the rears with a bunch of extra room

[SRD art]

Thanks for the great info. I've spent my life with muscle cars, Click HERE for a link to my other toy, my 79 Cutlass wagon that I drive to work and have set up for autocross on the weekends. I'm in the middle of an engine swap on the car and some visual upgrades, (see rendering below) then I'll get on the Burban next. This is my first personal lowered truck project so I really appreciate the insight.

[SRD art]

I got some more first hand info- I visited with an old friend last night who has a dropped crew cab that has been converted to 5 lug and dropped the same way I plan to do mine. He runs a 265-35-22 which is 29.3" tall on a 9.5" wheel. He said with front inner fender wells it rubbed quite a bit. He removed the fender wells and it hasn't rubbed since. That's encouraging. I'll be looking at modifying the fenderwells when I get the wheels and tires and test fit it all.