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espidus
10/06/2011, 01:20 PM
I gave up on the American Racing Chambers for now so I was comparing 2 other rims. Since Iv'e had many headaches about rim combinations and how much the offset will cause the tire to stick out I have made an excel chart comparing dimensions ( I know they are slightly off in some regard, but only by 0.1" because of no way to input tire sizes such as 35x12.50r18 on "http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp", had to go with closest approx. of 315/70 r18 instead ). I want to check what you all think. Do you think the chart is fairly accurate? Chime in, let me know. If it proves good it will be easier to calculate how much a tire will stick out compared to another. Thanks.:)

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/rimtirecompv2.jpg
Edited 10/17/2011 - 3:03PM STD Eastern time


Size of tires compared:
stock = 245/60R18
On the ProComp = 35x12.5R18
On the KMC XD = 35x12.5R18
Little Beasts = 33x12.5R18 ( ooops, I meant R20, thanks LDub. But if you see my excel, it lists 20, so the comp is good )

35x12.5R18 is the tire im looking to get wheels for ( thats why Im comparing the ProComps and the KMC XDs )

Riff Raff
10/06/2011, 04:02 PM
You asked, so here's what I think..........I think you've set the bar a bit too high with your choice of wheels & tires to obtain 35" O.D. for the compact VX which has extremely cramped front wheel-well cavities. Sure L-Dub, Little Beast, JoFoToz have been successful in that regard, but it took them countless modification efforts, untold hours of hard work, tons of money, and they had to overcome many headaches just to have them fit on in a straight line, much less be able to turn left and right.

For the easiest possible fitting 35" O.D. set-up, you should use the 2000/2001 OEM 18x7 Stock Rim (either standard chrome OR have it powder-coated Black, etc) that has the correct factory offset/backspacing advantage of the OEM stock wheel and use the specific tire size of 285/75R18 (35" O.D.) (aka 35x11.50-18). This specific Wheel/Tire combo will give you the 35" O.D. you're looking for without all of the future headaches of installation.

There are four(4) tires made in the 285/75R18 (35" O.D.) size, they are:

A. Toyo - A/T
B. Toyo - M/T
C. Maxxis - "BigHorn"
D. G/Y - M/T-R with Kevlar

:luck:

Ldub
10/06/2011, 05:46 PM
I gave up on the American Racing Chambers for now so I was comparing 2 other rims. Since Iv'e had many headaches about rim combinations and how much the offset will cause the tire to stick out I have made an excel chart comparing dimensions ( I know they are slightly off in some regard, but only by 0.1" because of no way to input tire sizes such as 35x12.50r18 on "http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp", had to go with closest approx. of 315/70 r18 instead ). I want to check what you all think. Do you think the chart is fairly accurate? Chime in, let me know. If it proves good it will be easier to calculate how much a tire will stick out compared to another. Thanks.:)

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/rimtirecomp.jpg

Size of tires compared:
stock = 245/60R18
On the ProComp = 35x12.5R18
On the KMC XD = 35x12.5R18
Little Beasts = 33x12.5R18

35x12.5R18 is the tire im looking to get wheels for ( thats why Im comparing the ProComps and the KMC XDs )


You asked, so here's what I think..........I think you've set the bar a bit too high with your choice of wheels & tires to obtain 35" O.D. for the compact VX which has extremely cramped front wheel-well cavities. Sure L-Dub, Little Beast, JoFoToz have been successful in that regard, but it took them countless modification efforts, untold hours of hard work, tons of money, and they had to overcome many headaches just to have them fit on in a straight line, much less be able to turn left and right.

For the easiest possible fitting 35" O.D. set-up, you should use the 2000/2001 OEM 18x7 Stock Rim (either standard chrome OR have it powder-coated Black, etc) that has the correct factory offset/backspacing advantage of the OEM stock wheel and use the specific tire size of 285/75R18 (35" O.D.) (aka 35x11.50-18). This specific Wheel/Tire combo will give you the 35" O.D. you're looking for without all of the future headaches of installation.

There are four(4) tires made in the 285/75R18 (35" O.D.) size, they are:

A. Toyo - A/T
B. Toyo - M/T
C. Maxxis - "BigHorn"
D. G/Y - M/T-R with Kevlar

:luck:

IMO, neither of you can reed 2 gud...:rotate:

Little Beast rolls on 33 x 12.50 x 20"...:smilewink

And how exactly do you know how much my mods co$t Riff?...:_thinking

JoFotoz
10/06/2011, 07:12 PM
What the .....:eek:


Sure L-Dub, Little Beast, JoFoToz have been successful in that regard, but it took them countless modification efforts, untold hours of hard work, tons of money, and they had to overcome many headaches just to have them fit on in a straight line, much less be able to turn left and right.:


You are sooooo wrong (in my case at the very least)...

And frankly...how dare you pontificate from such a woefully oblivious stance..Yea ..there ya go :p

...I am speechless!

Well..Ok..not quite!


$400..... for a good used set of Mud Grappler 35's
$240......for a set of 4 fake beadlocks ( already had 'em )
$125......for two 913 OME coil springs ( already had 'em )
$50 .......for two 2 inch coil spacers.
$00........for alignment ( I have a lifetime alignment contract)

$815..Total.


A few more cranks on the torsion bars..
About an hour with a box cutter and sawsall to trim to fit.

Drive..do tight circles....back up..go forth..
...20 mins re-trim.

Say 3 hrs with tire fit and alignment.

Bobs yer uncle.

So pray tell Ruff Raff...

Where on earth do you get off on this...

but it took them countless modification efforts, untold hours of hard work, tons of money, and they had to overcome many headaches just to have them fit on in a straight line, much less be able to turn left and right


Sheeesh!

Riff Raff
10/06/2011, 09:04 PM
:laughing:LOL...............

neeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr mmmmmiiiiiiinnnnnnndddddddd.

Just the same..........................:luck:

JoFotoz
10/06/2011, 09:21 PM
Cheers Ruff Raff.....:_beer:


:laughing:LOL...............

neeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr mmmmmiiiiiiinnnnnnndddddddd.

Just the same..........................:luck:


...it really aint the angst and $$$'s and gnashing of teeth that you described!

atb

jo

espidus
10/07/2011, 05:57 AM
Well Riff Raff, that's why Iv'e been following Little Beast to see what he's doing. I'm getting a 3" body lift from Indy4x and yes I already got quotes on the labor from 3 places.

espidus
10/07/2011, 06:05 AM
IMO, neither of you can reed 2 gud...:rotate:

Little Beast rolls on 33 x 12.50 x 20"...:smilewink

And how exactly do you know how much my mods co$t Riff?...:_thinking

See my edit on first post.:yeso:

VX KAT
10/07/2011, 08:02 AM
BOARZHEAD (Jay) just recently did a 3" body lift and some monster 37x12 18s meats. Maybe he can give you some tips, as he's always really helpful.



http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/IMAG0152.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/IMAG0156.jpg

espidus
10/07/2011, 08:49 AM
;eekb; 37"s :drool2: ...nice.

I will definately PM him. Thanks.

VXorado
10/07/2011, 09:28 AM
I'm getting a 3" body lift from Indy4x and yes I already got quotes on the labor from 3 places.

You can install the body lift yourself pretty easily but you'll still need a little suspension lift to fit 35s or possibly a lot of cutting out of the front wheel wells. Either way you can do it without much difficulty. I'll have that body lift write up soon if you decide to install yourself.

espidus
10/07/2011, 09:34 AM
BOARZHEAD (Jay) just recently did a 3" body lift and some monster 37x12 18s meats. Maybe he can give you some tips, as he's always really helpful.



VXorado. Your setup ain't too shabby itself...:yeso:

see my questions on other thread....

Thank you.

espidus
10/07/2011, 03:16 PM
My VX as it is now for reference.

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/VXP3angle.jpg

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/VXP4angleBack.jpg

Will post more pics after body lift.

VXorado
10/08/2011, 08:16 AM
Nice looking proton! I don't think there has been a Proton with 35s...yet.

Here's the pic you requested, the tread sticks out beyond the cladding about 1.5". I would like to bring the wheels in more with positive offset at some point but I like my steelies & can't find exact replacements in different offset. I like the postition of the tires now but I'm afraid I'll get pulled over someday after my tires fling a rock into a windshield.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/IMAG02021.jpg

Etfren
10/08/2011, 12:52 PM
I'm going for a similar setup to VXorado with mine, although I've got a 4" suspension lift and no body lift (lots o' cutting!) on my rig thanks to the previous owner. Planning on getting some 15X8 steelies, theses ones to be exact:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Cragar/260/342-5860P/10002/-1

They are a +6 offset instead of the -12 that VXorado is running, so by my math they should stick out some (which I like the look of) but about half what his do, so about .75" outside the wheel wells.

Then I'm putting some 35/12.5/15 GY MTR's on. For the price of 15" tires compared to 18" tires for the stock wheels, its cheaper to buy new wheels and tires than to buy just the tires for my 18's that would need to be powdercoated anyway.

samneil2000
10/08/2011, 09:38 PM
I know it's popped up before and I can't remember the answer. Do 15's clear the front calipers?

Etfren
10/08/2011, 11:50 PM
Well they seem to be fine on VXorado's rig. I tried my friend's 15's with 35's on (only on the back, because I thought it was the back brakes it had to clear) and they fit fine with no issues. Tried two different sets actually, some steelies and some alloys with different offsets.

VXorado
10/09/2011, 06:38 AM
I'm going for a similar setup to VXorado with mine, although I've got a 4" suspension lift and no body lift (lots o' cutting!) on my rig thanks to the previous owner. Planning on getting some 15X8 steelies, theses ones to be exact:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Cragar/260/342-5860P/10002/-1

They are a +6 offset instead of the -12 that VXorado is running, so by my math they should stick out some (which I like the look of) but about half what his do, so about .75" outside the wheel wells.

Then I'm putting some 35/12.5/15 GY MTR's on. For the price of 15" tires compared to 18" tires for the stock wheels, its cheaper to buy new wheels and tires than to buy just the tires for my 18's that would need to be powdercoated anyway.

Thats exactly the reason why I went with 15" rims, not as blingy but you save a lot of money on tires. I purchased 5 MTRs from Discount Tire and got them for $210 each. The same tire for an 18" rim is $394 each. $1050 vs. $1970 ;)


When are you buying the Cragars? Those are the exact same rims I have but with the offset I want. I would like to see how they fit your VX when you get them installed.


I know it's popped up before and I can't remember the answer. Do 15's clear the front calipers?

Definitely no problems running 15" rims.

LittleBeast
10/11/2011, 11:06 AM
You asked, so here's what I think..........I think you've set the bar a bit too high with your choice of wheels & tires to obtain 35" O.D. for the compact VX which has extremely cramped front wheel-well cavities. Sure L-Dub, Little Beast, JoFoToz have been successful in that regard, but it took them countless modification efforts, untold hours of hard work, tons of money, and they had to overcome many headaches just to have them fit on in a straight line, much less be able to turn left and right.

For the easiest possible fitting 35" O.D. set-up, you should use the 2000/2001 OEM 18x7 Stock Rim (either standard chrome OR have it powder-coated Black, etc) that has the correct factory offset/backspacing advantage of the OEM stock wheel and use the specific tire size of 285/75R18 (35" O.D.) (aka 35x11.50-18). This specific Wheel/Tire combo will give you the 35" O.D. you're looking for without all of the future headaches of installation.

There are four(4) tires made in the 285/75R18 (35" O.D.) size, they are:

A. Toyo - A/T
B. Toyo - M/T
C. Maxxis - "BigHorn"
D. G/Y - M/T-R with Kevlar

:luck:

Haha, "headaches"..... "countless modifications"..... "untold hours"....."tons of money".....

Riff if VX.info ever writes a fictional book about the hardships of a simple lift I think you should write it :-)

You can count the modifications necessary and they are not that numerous or complicated.

You can definitely count the hours, normally on one hand and when you are doing what you enjoy the hours are nothing but pleasure :-)

The lift and everything is not that expensive either, the most exspensive part will just be the tires.

But if you have never personally gone through the process yourself and experienced the feeling of a job well done, and a custom ride in which you are proud of and feel almost is an extension of your personality, then you will never fully understand.

tom4bren
10/11/2011, 11:19 AM
I know it's popped up before and I can't remember the answer. Do 15's clear the front calipers?

Mine do ... but with my offset, I rekin that's no suprise.:)

Etfren
10/11/2011, 11:23 AM
Well you should all know that Riff's rig is stock height and on the stock wheels. He takes every chance he can get to praise the perfect fitment and low weight you get at stock height or lifted with the factory 18X7 (or 16X7 for 99's) wheels and how a 285 tire looks best and will fit on stock height with minimal trimming. :)

VXorado
10/11/2011, 12:55 PM
But if you have never personally gone through the process yourself and experienced the feeling of a job well done, and a custom ride in which you are proud of and feel almost is an extension of your personality, then you will never fully understand.

I completely agree with this statement.

The reality of fitting 35s:

Lift: Total 4"-5" obtained by coil springs, spacers, body lift, torsion cranking, etc.

Shocks: new longer shocks for the lift

Diff drop: Not required but 1.5-2" drop will help the front half shafts tremendously.

...and thats it! :)

tom4bren
10/11/2011, 02:02 PM
I completely agree with this statement.

The reality of fitting 35s:

Lift: Total 4"-5" obtained by coil springs, spacers, body lift, torsion cranking, etc.

Shocks: new longer shocks for the lift

Diff drop: Not required but 1.5-2" drop will help the front half shafts tremendously.

...and thats it! :)

Looks like you finally grew a set = Priceless.

VXorado
10/11/2011, 03:25 PM
Looks like you finally grew a set = Priceless.

;oob;...:laugho:

djvx
01/26/2012, 10:47 PM
Alot of Riff bashers here again. Shame on you all. :LineWave::laughing:But what many of you defend as not being a royal pain IS a royal pain for others. I come out on the side of Riff here. Maybe you had a 2nd vehicle to drive while you spent thousand(s)or more making and paying for tire, wheel, suspension, and body mods. Glory for bustin' your tail is great if you've got hours upon hours of free time and cash coming out of your #$$. I'm very glad you have cash and by no means am I a liberal class warfarer. It's not so much the money as it is the damn research, and the crap that constantly goes wrong, or the wrong parts, all that hassle. I'm just saying for you folks with the love of wrenching or pockets packed full of cash and extra rigs to drive while yours is gettin' modded felt mis judged by Riff I can tell you he was speaking for me on that one. :flower::razo2:

Riff Raff
01/26/2012, 11:38 PM
Yeah, so take that!!! Neener, neener, neener. But seriously, no harm; no foal. Ya' gotta love this VX family. It sometimes reminds me of when my relatives are over for Thanksgiving Dinner and the heated argu.... err.... "discussions" (yeah, that's it) that develop, LOL.

For the record, I praise those folks that go the extra effort and mod their VX's to their own personal liking (heck; they own it, so go for it). They take the risk of going through with the mod and that it may present some unknown challenges before final completion or may possibly open-up a whole new can-o-worms creating a domino effect of issues or continued required maintanance due to the mod. That is the risk versus reward factor. Bottom line-- be happy with your VX and do those things or intentionally NOT do those things in your continued quest to be a satisfied VX owner.

:bgwb:

JoFotoz
01/26/2012, 11:57 PM
WOW djvx...


Alot of Riff bashers here again. Shame on you all. :LineWave::laughing:But what many of you defend as not being a royal pain IS a royal pain for others. I come out on the side of Riff here. Maybe you had a 2nd vehicle to drive while you spent thousand(s)or more making and paying for tire, wheel, suspension, and body mods. Glory for bustin' your tail is great if you've got hours upon hours of free time and cash coming out of your #$$. I'm very glad you have cash and by no means am I a liberal class warfarer. It's not so much the money as it is the damn research, and the crap that constantly goes wrong, or the wrong parts, all that hassle. I'm just saying for you folks with the love of wrenching or pockets packed full of cash and extra rigs to drive while yours is gettin' modded felt mis judged by Riff I can tell you he was speaking for me on that one. :flower::razo2:


I must have done mine ALL wrong.
It took me about an hour of research here..
About three hours of labor and waiting for alignment...
And under $1000.

Thanks for the heads up on whats really involved :thumbup:

I'll set aside hours and hours this weekend, check my #$$ for thousands of bucks...

...and do it right this time :p


:jump:


jo

Vendetta
01/27/2012, 07:09 AM
One of the "problems" is that the VX looks so damn good in so many lift/wheel/tire configurations, it's tough for certain individuals to pick a combination among them that feels "best." And then we start nuking it out and spending a ton of time on here scrutinizing pictures taken at angles we'll never see in the real world, PMing other members for guidance, calling friends for their opinions, pricing out products from 80 different vendors, adding them to shopping carts to find the best total prices ('cause we're not all gajillionairres)... you get the idea.

But hell, think of all the great threads and info that's been shared 'cause of these nut jobs... like me. ;)

In the end, I went with"
OME 913 and torsion bar crank for ~3" lift
18x9 wheels with +25 offset
285/65/18 tires

Just waiting to get them mounted! The body shop is taking their sweet time with the debadge and paint touch up.

VXorado
01/27/2012, 11:54 AM
Alot of Riff bashers here again. Shame on you all. :LineWave::laughing:But what many of you defend as not being a royal pain IS a royal pain for others. I come out on the side of Riff here. Maybe you had a 2nd vehicle to drive while you spent thousand(s)or more making and paying for tire, wheel, suspension, and body mods. Glory for bustin' your tail is great if you've got hours upon hours of free time and cash coming out of your #$$. I'm very glad you have cash and by no means am I a liberal class warfarer. It's not so much the money as it is the damn research, and the crap that constantly goes wrong, or the wrong parts, all that hassle. I'm just saying for you folks with the love of wrenching or pockets packed full of cash and extra rigs to drive while yours is gettin' modded felt mis judged by Riff I can tell you he was speaking for me on that one. :flower::razo2:

C'mon Man! The VX is one of the cheapest rigs to lift. Buy new coil springs and crank the torsion bars... done ;). Even with all the suspension lift bells & whistles, its still cheaper than any new Jeep lift out there. I have a tiny amount of money invested into the VX compared to any new car for sale today. And my other car... only in my dreams :p

Your assumptions are way off... I will now assume that because you have a Harley, you have boat loads of money and spend all your time polishing the chrome exhaust pipes. Did I just figure you out? Probably not...

And I don't think anyone is against Riff Raff, its all for fun & okay to disagree with the "Tire Guru" every once and a while.

I understand your argument though... my advice to anyone is don't modify your VX without some time & money to spend. Leave it stock & enjoy it :yeso:

djvx, I'm a little surprised that you feel this way since you were just interested in building a rear door spare tire carrier. I spent more time on that project than anything else with the VX and your post sounds like you have no interest in modifying. Are you still planning on building a spare tire carrier?

VXorado
01/27/2012, 12:01 PM
In the end, I went with"
OME 913 and torsion bar crank for ~3" lift
18x9 wheels with +25 offset
285/65/18 tires

Just waiting to get them mounted! The body shop is taking their sweet time with the debadge and paint touch up.

Nice :thumbup:

You'll lose a 12mm inner clearance because of the rim width. Let us know how they fit in the front and don't forget to take some pics.

Vendetta
01/27/2012, 02:18 PM
Nice :thumbup:

You'll lose a 12mm inner clearance because of the rim width. Let us know how they fit in the front and don't forget to take some pics.

Uh-oh... what am I in for? I'm prepared to Dremel the cladding as much as needed, and bash the living daylights out of the front wheel well to make some extra room - but will there be any pesky mechanical issues like oh, you know - brake and steering interference?

-V

VXorado
01/27/2012, 02:52 PM
Uh-oh... what am I in for? I'm prepared to Dremel the cladding as much as needed, and bash the living daylights out of the front wheel well to make some extra room - but will there be any pesky mechanical issues like oh, you know - brake and steering interference?

-V

I wouldn't worry too much, 12mm is only .47". Worse case scenario is you'll need to adjust the steering stops out a little so you don't rub on the sway bar or something. I doubt a half inch will give you much trouble, just make sure to check the steering locked positions after they're mounted.

Vendetta
01/27/2012, 03:00 PM
Thanks VXorado. Now I can sleep tonight. ;)

Ldub
01/27/2012, 05:27 PM
Now I can sleep tonight. ;)

Well...you COULD...if there weren't about 13 OTHER things to worry about...:yesgray:

I'm a little busy tonight, what with this being "bourbon night" @ Ldubs tiki bar & grill...:dan_ban:

So I'll list the other stuff you should be aware of tomorrow some time...:yesgray:

djvx
01/27/2012, 10:30 PM
WOW djvx...




I must have done mine ALL wrong.
It took me about an hour of research here..
About three hours of labor and waiting for alignment...
And under $1000.

Thanks for the heads up on whats really involved :thumbup:

I'll set aside hours and hours this weekend, check my #$$ for thousands of bucks...

...and do it right this time :p


:jump:


jo


When I modded my rig I decided on old man emu's. I bought some General Grabbers, spent alot of time researching, but it went pretty smooth for me. Cost was a little over $1200 with alignment and a full size spare and an extra stock 18" rim. Minor clad cuts, and torsion cranks, the usual easy stuff.I think it takes an average vx'er more than 1 hour to decide on tires and wheels and do all the research. But doing basic mods like tires, rims isn't what I was talking about.
I've read alot of threads on Little Beast and several others who documented weeks of massive mods with pages and full threads devoted to the project. One was the vx'er with those kmc Rockstars, think he's from Utah or something, the list of parts he bought was like a page long, and it was thousands of dollars. Those are the projects I was talking about. Obviously what I opined about differs from your personal experience. Thanks for letting me know that.:winky:

JoFotoz
01/27/2012, 10:56 PM
Ya..what you "opined" about was super generic..

...and, if not refuted would scare the $h*t outta those
very happy to spend a w/end tinkering with their rides.

( No rental car..no bucks outta their #$$ )

There are levels...and one TRUTH is,

...lifting a VX is EASY.

I know it is...cause as a neophyte ......................

...I did two as a ( learning ) helper......
...and one, in 45 mins on my own.


My point wasnt to slam you, but to encourage others to TRY..
.
...rather than scare the $#it out of them.

:thumbup:

Jo

djvx
01/27/2012, 11:20 PM
My lift took less than an hour also. We jacked up, we pushed down wheel, pulled out old spring, slid in new spring. Did same both sides. Didn't even remove wheels. I cranked torsion bars. I may actually be the all time record holder in the fastest vx lift ever.:bwgy:

JoFotoz
01/27/2012, 11:32 PM
So..my question would be...


My lift took less than an hour also. We jacked up, we pushed down wheel, pulled out old spring, slid in new spring. Did same both sides. Didn't even remove wheels. I cranked torsion bars. I may actually be the all time record holder in the fastest vx lift ever.:bwgy:

...why all the angst about HOURS & HOURS and $$$$$$'s..
...and rental cars and etc ????


I must be missing s'thang!

jo

LittleBeast
01/28/2012, 06:37 AM
I think some people are so proud of how good their rides look that they don't want others copying them. Easier just to scare them away. Hahaha :-) ;-)

Oh and by the way any driveline vibrations after lift can be easily fixed by lengthening the lower links on the rear. With 2-3" of lift the links need to be 0.5-0.6" longer to correct pinion angle. This saves your u-joints and makes your VX's driveline as quiet as it was before lift. For 3-4" of lift the lower links need to be 0.6-0.75" longer. I can adjust mine ever since I bought the adjustable lower links from indy4x but this is not necessary. I am sure a driveline shop or professional welder can lengthen your lower links and get them exactly the same.

Once again speaking from experience these mods are not as hard or expensive as some make sound. The work is very rewarding as well, good luck :-)

djvx
01/29/2012, 10:35 PM
So..my question would be...



...why all the angst about HOURS & HOURS and $$$$$$'s..
...and rental cars and etc ????


I must be missing s'thang!

joI did the simple kind of lift, not the $3000 one. I didn't do Ball joint flip, or the HD tie rods, and many of the major stuff so many vx'ers end up doing. I wasnt looking at 35's or 37'' tires. The OP could find himself with a severe case of the mods:drool:, and it can and does get out of control for some. Riff was advising him and I was agreeing with Riff:flower:

djvx
01/29/2012, 10:41 PM
One of the "problems" is that the VX looks so damn good in so many lift/wheel/tire configurations, it's tough for certain individuals to pick a combination among them that feels "best." And then we start nuking it out and spending a ton of time on here scrutinizing pictures taken at angles we'll never see in the real world, PMing other members for guidance, calling friends for their opinions, pricing out products from 80 different vendors, adding them to shopping carts to find the best total prices ('cause we're not all gajillionairres)... you get the idea.

But hell, think of all the great threads and info that's been shared 'cause of these nut jobs... like me. ;)

In the end, I went with"
OME 913 and torsion bar crank for ~3" lift
18x9 wheels with +25 offset
285/65/18 tires

Just waiting to get them mounted! The body shop is taking their sweet time with the debadge and paint touch up.

I agree

espidus
03/30/2012, 01:57 PM
Well, 3" body lift from Indy4x installed. Will post pics soon. Have not thrown the 35"s on yet, but I have 'em. Need to trim the cladding first...

VXorado
03/30/2012, 04:24 PM
Well, 3" body lift from Indy4x installed. Will post pics soon. Have not thrown the 35"s on yet, but I have 'em. Need to trim the cladding first...

Right on. :)

I've used the VX as my daily driver for the last 6 months with the 35s and everything has been great. I'm very happy I installed the body lift instead of having all suspension lift. I did end up getting the Cragar +6mm offset rims because I didn't like the look of the -12mm rims.

You should scoop up the 4.77 gears that are for sale. I still have the 4.30 gearing and the acceleration isn't too bad but definitely would be better with 4.77s.

espidus
03/30/2012, 05:03 PM
Must save up for more mods, Id'e jump on the 4.77's if I had $$$ handy....

Here are some pics of the 3" BL w/o 35's on...

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX_lifted_1.jpg

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX_lifted_2.jpg

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX_lifted_3.jpg

espidus
03/30/2012, 05:47 PM
My big meat awaiting mounting...

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/35s.jpg

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/35s2.jpg

espidus
03/30/2012, 05:48 PM
As you see, I ended up buying the KMC XD's...

espidus
04/04/2012, 09:30 AM
My monster in progress...

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/vx2.jpg

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/vx3.jpg

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/vx4.jpg

Still need additional lift after the 3" BL and 1.5" torsion crank. Anyone know a good way to gain an additional 1.5" front and rear??? ( I am maxed with the torsion crank on one side, most likely due to bad indexing ).

Vendetta
04/04/2012, 09:43 AM
...Still need additional lift after the 3" BL and 1.5" torsion crank. Anyone know a good way to gain an additional 1.5" front and rear??? ( I am maxed with the torsion crank on one side, most likely due to bad indexing ).

Need or want? Looks like your all clear.

-V

H3_VX
04/04/2012, 09:47 AM
Need or want? Looks like your all clear.

-V

agreed, looks perfect as is.

espidus
04/04/2012, 09:57 AM
Looks can be deceiving...


I used a small hand saw to cut the piece of cladding that stuck out. It is still very close, turning seems fine while going forward, reverse is going to need some work, does not turn to well in reverse.

Quoted from my other thread. I must do like a 5 point turn in reverse to backup good, bad turn radius.

Plus the rear is very close too....

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/vx_rear_close.jpg

Anyone know why it would be differrent in reverse than going forward???

espidus
04/04/2012, 10:00 AM
Does anyone know what 'Zoid means under my username???

Vendetta
04/04/2012, 10:08 AM
I see. 35's... that's a meaningful step up from the 32.58" OD on the 285/65's of the same tire that Jeeperkate and I are running.

Didn't look that dramatic in the pics though.

-V

H3_VX
04/04/2012, 10:33 AM
Does anyone know what 'Zoid means under my username???

I'm not 100% sure what the 'zoid means, but I believe that changes to "VX'er" after 100 posts. Also, if you donate to the site you have a silver screenname. Someone can correct me if i'm mistaken.

espidus
04/04/2012, 10:54 AM
I see. 35's... that's a meaningful step up from the 32.58" OD on the 285/65's of the same tire that Jeeperkate and I are running.

Didn't look that dramatic in the pics though.

-V

I'll try a more dramatic angle for my next pics. lol.

What size rims are you running? Rim to Tire ratio plays a big part on how big the tires look. I'm sure itd'e look bigger if I was running 15" rims.

VXorado
04/04/2012, 11:31 AM
Looks good :thumbup:

You need to re-index the torsion bar- you can get at least 4" from the IFS. It won't be a fun job but necessary to give you enough turning clearance in the front. 2" IFS lift works well for me but I did a lot of wheel well cutting.

Also, you can get adjustable links from Indy to get the rear tire pushed back in the wheel well. You'll need all three links to adjust the pinion angle properly. The tire being forward shouldn't cause any problems... just looks weird. I had the same issue before the body lift but not anymore. Maybe your tires are a little taller because of the 18" rims vs my 15" rims.

espidus
04/04/2012, 12:01 PM
Do you know of anyu walkthroughs on re-indexing? Any special tools needed?

89Vette
04/04/2012, 02:59 PM
What about spacer in the rear and ball-joint flip in the front to add more height?

Since vehicles "float" on the suspension, that's why you can see some difference in reverse (vs forward). As you back up, the body floats/pitches forward. The opposite happens traveling forward.

Also, the rear chassis tend to pitch downward on launch. For reverse, the front would pitch down.

Nice looking Proton!

Ldub
04/04/2012, 09:23 PM
ball-joint flip in the front to add more height?

B J flip adds nothing more than a bit more down travel & a slight amt of neg camber.
Ride height is established by the lower control arm via torsion bar adjustment..:yesgray:..:flower:

espidus
04/05/2012, 09:39 AM
Is the torsion bar adjust the only way to gain height in the front? Will longer shocks add more height?

espidus
04/05/2012, 09:46 AM
I see. 35's... that's a meaningful step up from the 32.58" OD on the 285/65's of the same tire that Jeeperkate and I are running.

Didn't look that dramatic in the pics though.

-V
I'll try a more dramatic angle for my next pics. lol.

And here it is...

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/vxn4.jpg

and another one...

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af260/espidus/VX/vxn2.jpg

H3_VX
04/05/2012, 09:58 AM
WICKED Sweet pics espidus. BTW, is that your yellow H2 in one of the pics. I just assumed it was since it was parked next to your yellow VX.

espidus
04/05/2012, 10:29 AM
Thanx Much H3_VX, no photoshopping I swear besides to crop and brighten the image. That H2 belongs to my nextdoor neighbor, the driveways are close to each other. With the lift and tires my VX now doesn't feel inadequatly small next to the H2, lol. Now I gots to save $$$ for new gears ( 4.77's or 5.38's if I can find em ). Got lot's o' modding planned to go.

44ficus44
03/05/2013, 04:48 AM
so speaking of tires, ive got 265/75/16's mud radials on my vx. think the 285's would fit it with no prob?

VXorado
03/05/2013, 10:36 AM
so speaking of tires, ive got 265/75/16's mud radials on my vx. think the 285's would fit it with no prob?

Loaded question...
Rims? stock, aftermarket, offset.
285/75/16? 285 refers to the width but will change the height of the tire too.
Clearance? Do you have a lift now or running stock height?

285/75/16 will be adding over an inch height. I ran this size tire with a 1" lift and wheel well cutting.