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Lifted trucks are just plain cool. They command respect on the highway, they attract attention from other drivers, they give you a commanding view of the road ahead and, of course, they give you all kinds of clearance for when you want to go off-road. There’s a down side, though – the more radical your lift is, the more it’s essentially a re-engineering of the suspension and drivetrain, and that can come with some problems. 

 

When you lift the truck’s suspension, the only way to get ground clearance for the differentials themselves is to mount bigger tires and rims. That causes one problem right away, and that’s braking capacity. Bigger, heavier tires mean more rotating mass, and that can soon prove to be too much for your truck’s stock brake system. Overheating, premature wear of pads and rotors, longer stopping distances and practically zero reserve braking power for towing are some of the consequences here. 

 

If you go with radically oversized tires and wheels, you’ll need a brake upgrade which might include thicker drilled or slotted rotors, high-performance brake pads and multi-piston calipers. Depending on how much the truck is lifted, you may also want to consider aftermarket braided steel brake lines to compensate for the added height and suspension travel. 

 

Oversize tires will also alter your truck’s final drive ratio. It’ll feel like it’s got highway gears, and may not have the acceleration and torque that it had before. In effect, the bigger-diameter tires have raised the rear end gear ratio; for towing or performance, you’ll want to consider having the rear end gearing changed and going with lower gears. The formula for determining your new gear ratio is as follows: new tire diameter divided by old tire diameter, multiplied by current axle ratio = new axle ratio. Remember that the lower the gear ratio, the higher its numerical value will be. 

 

If you go with really big monster tires, be prepared to trim your fender wells and expand them. Tire size has to take suspension geometry into account, and the fact that the suspension will settle somewhat after the tires are installed. A tire that fits just fine when the lift kit is installed might still end up rubbing the fender wells later, especially when the going gets rough. Bigger tires and rims also weigh much more, and heavy tires are difficult to balance and keep properly balanced. Remember also that oversize all-terrain tires will have better road manners than mud-terrain tires with their aggressive, blocky tread. 

 

Lastly, you’ll need to remember that bigger tires will make your speedometer and odometer read slower than your truck’s actual speed. Along with the obvious potential for speeding tickets, this can affect your truck’s PCM computer readings and alter transmission shift points, ABS performance and traction control. On older trucks that still use a speedometer cable, you can change the cable’s gear at the transmission or transfer case. Newer trucks will need a speedometer calibration kit to tweak the truck’s Vehicle Speed Sensor information. 

 

There are other things to bear in mind with a lifted truck – steering geometry, disruption of driveline angles and others – but today we’re just talking about tires…because that’s important too. Too often, a lift kit ends up being a headache of many trial-and-error tweaks out in the driveway. If you’re going to install a lift kit, you’ll want to do it right. Fortunately, at Top Shop Truck Accessories of Palmetto, FL, that’s what we specialize in. Make an appointment with us today! 

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