My quest to fit 325/60r20 on 2 in level

So fitting these tires is a bit more involved than i hoped it would be . Got a screaming deal on some 325/60r20 which in theory are only "slightly" larger than 35x12.50s . They are falken At3w and i got them for 1246 out the door. so starting out 1000 bucks ahead no small feat. I knew the tires were going to need help fitting , but these things are big. Like stupid big. I love it though lol where i failed in my theory of size was that the biggest 35x12.50 is usually 34.8 or so alot are like 34.5. These are 35.4 claimed. Umounted they are slightly larger than 37.

So my first attempt was to remove mudflaps and push some plastic out the way. Plastic pushing heating or any of the above was a non starter as these tires also were hitting on the metal part of the bumper itself . Below is my first round of


This however was not enough so im going up another 2 inches or so on the plastic and will be cutting pretty much all the metal in the picture below the plastic off too. I also will clearly be needing a bmc as well.

On the bmc i have a question. How agressive can o go? I need it not only to fit for mall crawling but in actual offroad use. Like moab offroad use. The picture below , how much can i trim of what the red arrow is pointing too, can i get into that "second tier" where that bolt is? The yellow is the parts that also need trimming , probably the most. I plan on angling the knub end back at an angle for max clearance.
Tire shop has been super cool in test fitting and being flexible with me.

Any other help or insight , tips or tricks? Thanks ! Im waiting to cut the body mount until i have the bmc plates so i dont make any gaps to weld that are too big

Edit : wheels are fuel torque 20x9 +20 offset. Dont want to go taller on lift , but am planning a dobinsons kit possibly . I like the 2in if i can keep it there though

 

Nice Will!

Are you on OEM or aftermarket UCA?

Well, pushing the plastic will definitely be a no go as you have experienced. You’re going to have to trim the front bumper caps OR get a new front bumper.

But I’m assuming you’re going to get cutting, so trimming it is!

I actually just had to go through this to fit my 37s on 2.3” lift.

Here’s a few photos of what I did to my bumper caps and how aggressive I went with my BMC. Haven’t plated yet (I do have Relentless Fab plates) because I don’t know how to weld… lol.




Mind you this is to fit 37x12.5 so there was a lot more trimming involved on my end. I no longer have the plastic piece covering my fogs, but I’m not too bothered by it for the mean time. I had to cut away the mounts for the bumper caps, but I used the welded nut that was cut off, drilled another hole, and then pulled the 12mm through to make sure the bumper caps were fully secured to its’ frame.

As for the BMC, I had to cut once and trim 3 extra times to get some more metal off.






And also, running 37s, required the pinch weld mod as well.

Alignment after all this also plays a key role in making sure you can turn full lock. Articulation will be another story of its’ own and that’s where you’ll really see where you’re going to rub even with the perfect alignment specs.

 

have you looked into pushing the bumper forward by installing a bumper spacer kit? you can move it forward 1/4" or 1/2". I think I had some listed in my build sheet that I used.

 

That would help too! I forgot to mention that I also did the CB front bumper shims.

 

my first post has the spacers mentioned. I was fitting the same size tire, but with a wheel with -19 offset.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/fotnots-ol-blue-build.65869/

 

Well the bumper is a temporary solution , as i have a coastal offroad winch bumper coming. So once it gets here and i have time to weld it up, it will be a non issue. The larger issue is the bmc, which from what i can tell with these tires , there wont be much difference between 37 prep and these. They made some 35x12.50r20 at the tire shop look small in comparison. I did tell my wife if i ever wanted to run 37s, im already doing all the leg work for it now haha. Im on stock ucas for now

 

May as well prep for 37s while you're at it! It's only a couple mods away. Definitely a UCA will help you achieve those caster numbers.

I'd say for the BMC, get as close to the body mount bolt as you can. If you can get close to it, then you're going pretty aggressive on the chop.

 

This actually confirms my plan for the bmc. I was thinkim going to cut what i think i need and then go get the tires put on but not weld up the plates to allow for adjustment if i need to grind down or cut more later to fine tune it. I actually think these tires being at 12.8 to 13ish width may be just as much cutting as a 37 lmao. If you were close to me id say come on by and i would weld yours too lol but your on the opposite coast

 

Im thinking im going with jba ucas. I like that theyre bj ucas and seem to be really strong. Im anxious to get the tires on so i can assess my gear situation and if i truly will need them or not. I have a pedal commander and hypertech calibrator, and when i did the gear claculator it shows that my gears will essentially be equivalent to 3.88 which im thinking should be fine especially with the hypertech adjusting for shift points. Knowing if im doing gears or not will impact how much i can spend on the rest lol

 

Oh and i already have an rci skidplate so i know i wont be rubbing there

 

I'm running SPC for the extra caster. I'll show you my alignment numbers in a moment.

I'm on stock gears right now. Been driving on 37s for about a week. Only very noticeable on inclines. But technically, when you're 60mph+ on 37s without a re-gear, you're driving at least 70-80mph.

 

Here’s the final alignment numbers with SPC.

 

Yea i did alot of reading about that, and that was my reasoning for buying the hypertech. From what i gathered there were alot of guys (on 35s mind you) that said after the hypertech getting the shift points back in line, the truck felt much better and didnt need a regear. Personally i think 4.88s are a little hot for 35s but i dont tow regularly.

 

I like the price of the spcs but im more concerned about strength. I dont see a ton of offroaders using them. Got any insight on that?

 

From what I know, lots of Tacoma and 4Runner guys run them too. With our trucks, I know most tend to go uniballs. Or Icon Billets.

 

Yea mine is still my daily and i live in salt lake, so maint on uniballs would be stupid lol go figure, salt lake uses alot of salt on the roads. Lol jba uses a propritery bj but from what i understand a stock one will fit too to get you out and that is very appealing. I like to keep things simple for repair purpose on the trail or away from home without needing special parts

 

Same, mine is my daily and I'm in Connecticut. It gets pretty salty when snow is expected. Uniballs will just require a lot of maintaining, which isn't too bad. Just gotta clean and lube often so that way it doesn't squeak.

JBA has a specified ball joint that you'd have to purchase from them. But then that'll be the same as SPC too.

JBA's are screwed on via bolts right? SPC would work in a smidge too, loosen the ball joint bolt (that's held by 150 ft/lb torque)... and then swap it out. Either UCA will work though!

I'd say finding a competent alignment tech is probably harder, LOL!

 

Luckily i dont think that will be a problem since im in the offroad mecca of the us. Cant throw a dead cat around here without hitting a custom 4x4 shop.

 

I've hit some moderate trails three times with SPCs and they've been fine. That obviously means nothing about durability. If I was shooting for a 'real' offroader I'd have gone with something different. As my truck is a limo, and its purpose is more for family trips, eh, they're good enough. Figure out what makes sense for you.

You already know this since you're welding, but make your own plates, and use card stock for your templates. Regarding how much to cut, mine are the same as Phuc's pics, and the filler is up against the actual cab mount bearing plate and nestled under the frame. It'll make sense once you get in there. See: https://www.tundras.com/threads/dirty-seven-club.40397/page-62#post-2676740

One thing to note is I don't think hitting ~6.5+deg of caster is going to be possible with filler plates and SPC uppers. My guess is Phuc's able to pull those numbers because he doesn't have plates installed yet. My SPC settings are pretty opposite to his, where I have only 3.1deg of caster, and you can see where rocks lodged in the tread have hit the plates. It would be helpful to angle the plate rearwards but that only makes the inboard gap worse. A good year of my career was spent around design/testing/general weld methodology, and I wasn't willing to just "fill 'er up." For most guys at home with a simple brake press, you're not getting more than a single bend, so fancy contouring isn't going to happen. The 3deg of caster drives fine IMO.

 

I'll get a photo of how the plate will sit when I get it welded.

I spoke with @eccracer104 and the plate would actually sit more inside and rearward so that way it'll clear a bit more. But then from the looks of it, might have to fill'er up if anything since there might be a gap on the inner side of the body mount.

I think you're running setting "F" for your SPC right? I'm running setting "A".

 

Exactly on settings, that's why I said we have pretty opposite setups with the uppers. Not telling you what to do but just know that gaps are the crux to weld strength. In the most basic terms, an ideal connection is metal contacting metal with the weld gluing them together. It took me three filler plate attempts before I got smart enough to make a template - huge time saver.

As I intend to keep this truck for a long time, and since the 3rd gen isn't of interest from the powerplant perspective, I'll probably be holding onto this one until our vehicle choices are fully electric. For that reason I tend to fall on the side of high safety. But that's not saying kicking it back and filling bigger gaps won't work. It may be just fine.

 

I'll take your word on the welding knowledge as I have no knowledge on weld contacts and how to make sure the connection is super strong to withhold flex.

 

Ok so had cutting round 2 this am. Bumper and plastic should clear now. Started to get to work on my bmc and the "plastic" next to it , and peeled the plastic back to see whats behind it...... pinch weld. So looks like i will be doing the pinch weld mod as well..... sooooooo lets see some pics and advice on the pinch weld lmao. I guess i never really gave much thought to it so im in uncharted waters now

 

Go to your local HD and pick up a pair of tin scissors. Use it and return, lol. But it'll cut your fender liner like butter.

 

Oh cool. I have some of those . Talking about these right?

 

Yup, I was using these

 

So for the PWM, I used my angle grinder and sliced the pinch weld every 1” then used a 4lb sledgehammer to hammer it inwards toward engine bay.

After, used a flap disc to grind it and sprayed it with gloss spray paint and rubberized coating.

 

OR you can get a nice clean cut like how @JRS and @KevinK did!

 

Question, can i increase caster once i get my high clearance bumper to gain more clearance on the body mount? Obviously wont help right now , but just thinking ahead

 

Ok got enough trimmed where i think the tires will fit to drive home now. Its not pretty but i only wanted to get enough to clear for driving and then once i get the tires on clean it up and really figure out how far i need to go for offroad flex etc. i know theres still more to cut, will look pretty(ish) then lol i was pressed for time and couldnt find my daughters keys to rearrange my driveway to take the wheels off in the garage

I also did the first 3 inches of pinch weld to get it clear for driving home