Hi all,

I am planning on lifting my 4 door Tracker(1997) after Christmas and I am unsure wether I wanna go with 30's or 31's for tires.  I am planning on doing a 2" coil with a 2" bodylift.  I am not concerned about rubbing or what not, my concern is being able to turn them.  I do some highway also.  I have a 16v 4spd auto with stock gearing (5.12's) and don't plan on upgrading the gears anytime soon.  My question is would you guys go with a 31" tires for the extra lift or maybe keep it at a 30" tire and hopefully have a little bit of an easier time turning them.... or would the difference be minimal.  I kinda like the 31's better but don't wanna be stuck in a mud hole and not being able to turn the tires at all.

Any opinions\info from someone with the similar setup or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I'm running 30x9.5s on a 2" spacer lift, on a stock geared 4-door, no body lift(though it wouldn't hurt ).  My little 1.6 16v turns them ok, but it sometimes wants to downshift out of overdrive on the freeway, especially when there's a strong headwind.  From what I've heard, gears are almost a must for 31s or larger.

The bigger you go the more it hurts but I have fitted 33's to that and it was still driveable but O/D wasn't used much anymore on the road. Crawler gears sorted out the offroad side of life perfectly. A cam and exhaust solved the onroad. Tall and skinny is my preferred choice.

It depends on what you will be using the vehicle for.

I had 31's on mine, and only an 8V motor. She was sluggish around town, but the second you drop it into 4-LO it makes no difference.
Never bothered me having no power on the street, I didn't buy or intend to use the rig to go fast. Make sure you have the 5.12's and you will have no problems.
My next sidekick will have 33's, 16V motor and 5.12's.

Bryce

Thanks for the replies, I am not sure which route I will go but will most likely go with the 31's, cause I know if I get the 30's, I will wish I had the 31's.  IF it is really unbearable, I will sell them and buy smaller, but I can't see it being a huge difference.  I am not really worried about street performance either, just don't wanna be stuck in the mud and punching the throttle and the having the wheels stay put. 

are you sure the axel gearing is 5.12 ?? most automatics came with 4.62 gearing. easy way of determining it is to jack up the rear end, put the vehicle in neutral and turn the driveshaft while counting the tire rotation. if you do have the 4.62's you can swap them for some 5.12's or (rare)5.38's to get some highway speed back.
good luck
jason

Not being a smartass but you do know you will only gain a half inch of ground clearance with the 31's over the 30's?

Not being a smartass but you do know you will only gain a half inch of ground clearance with the 31's over the 30's?

True, but sometimes that 1/2" makes all the difference.  I have been able to climb over a lot more obstacles with 33" tires over 31" tires with only 1" more clearance.

31" tires are more likely to be the 10.5" width then the 30, which are usually at 9.5 or so.  So they look cooler.  Which is important. 

I do realise that it will only gain a little bit of height but the 31's are wider and look better, (like mentionned) and also my Tracker is a 4 door which they all came with 5.12's.  Mine is also a 4spd auto and not the 3spd. 

I know that a half inch could help but then you have bigger tires to turn which will rob your power at all times, put more of a strain on your drive train and hurt your mpg's a bit also. Plus they take more energy to stop or slow you down. I'd love to run bigger tires myself but these little motors can only do so much. The other thing to consider is if you do go with the bigger tires and want to go smaller you will lose about $50 bucks for mounting and balancing plus nobody will pay a new tire price for a slightly used tire. Just my two cents.

You are all entitled to your own openion, so its just a matter of preferance.

I have personally gone more places with a 31x10.5x15 tire than my 30's could. They look better and fit the wheel well better.
If its only an extra inch or two, then the difference in mpg and power wont be enough to turn you away either.
In regards to that, it depends on the weight of the rim, and the width of the tire.
I havent been able to find any 33x10.5 or smaller width tire, so I just might go with 32's? (any input here guys)
Also, which is better, the 3spd audo or 4spd auto?
Sorry for slightly jacing your thread, but its good questions too.

If you get the 31's and it bothers you THAT MUCH then just throw on an intake/exhaust/cam/header or shed a few pounds.

All depends on what you want to use it for.


I can promise you that if you have your t-case in 4LO, you truck would turn over even 35's no matter the gearing. Its more a question of on road performance that matters...

Bryce