Tire size bilstein 5100 front 1.1” 3rd notch

Hey everyone,


I’ve got a 2005 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4x4 with Bilstein 5100s set to the 3rd notch (1.1 front lift using stock springs) and a 1” rear block. Currently, I am running 265/70/17 tires and looking to upgrade to an all terrain tire.


I am considering moving up to 255/80/17 for a taller, narrower option or sticking with the 265/70/17. Not a big fan of how wide the 275/70/17 look but definitely open to suggestions.


Will the 255/80/17 fit without rubbing, or would additional trimming/modifications be needed?



Id love to hear or see photos from anyone who’s run these sizes on a similar setup. Looking at Toyo Open Country R/T Trail or Falken Wildpeak tires. Leaning more towards Toyo for the lighter weight 52lbs vs 58lb falcon at4 in the 255.

Thanks in advance!

 

Personally I wouldn't change the 265/70/17. Go for a more aggressive tread pattern if you want, but leave the size alone. 3 reasons: speedometer calibration, gas mileage, and gearing.

 

Welcome. Check this thread for your question first, So ... you wanna buy / just bought a 1st Gen Tundra, eh? | Toyota Tundra Forum specifically the suspension section, 6 paragraphs down. Here a copy and past of it.

Suspension, wheel and tires ...

• If you're new to suspension, and the words folks use are intimidating, or you need help evaluating what you have/need, this series of replies may help you understand more.
• NO, you probably won't be cleanly tucking 35s on a 1GT w/o issues unless you're prepared to drop a significant chunk of money on a proper 5"-6" lift, tub your firewall, cut or hammer pinch welds, remove your mud flaps, add wheel spacers, but still rub. Yes, it's possible to do, it's just not cheap, and there WILL be side effects. Be prepared to drop more than the insured value of your truck to do it right, DO NOT use strut spacers!!!
• YES, 33s are very do-able with minor rubbing. Specific brands/situations to avoid comes later in this post. Do yourself a favor, buy from a known, reputable manufacturer: Bilstein, Toytec, Icon, Fox, ADS, Elka, Eibach, etc. i.e. 'quality' name brand. After install, many members here can tuck ~33s (285/70r17 or similar) with minor rub at the pinch weld/mud flaps *IF* they follow alignment specs below. WHEEL CHOICE IS CRITICAL. More info follows.
• MOREOVER, understand something: 2" of lift w/oversized tires is a significant lift! I have roughly 2¾" lift with my Toytec coilovers, and I'm running 275/70r17 tires (32.5") and my pre-teen kids have trouble getting in & out. I sit ~4" higher off the ground than stock. I'm 6'1" tall and need my OEM steps to get in comfortably. I firmly believe if you drive a road queen, do mild offroad, fire roads, etc. you'll be perfectly happy with a 1" - 1½" lift and upsize 1" on tires (265/70r17, i.e. 31.6" - 32").
• Speedos read high with oversized tires. 2000-2004 owners have an easy plug & play solution to fix it.
• We have members with no "real" lift, i.e. a basic strut spacer ("puck") for ~1½" of lift who clear 275/70r17 with mild to moderate rub. But, PSA: Avoid spacer lifts due to UCA/spring collision issues. FYI: Spacers lift 2x their height (¾" puck = 1½" lift).
• Wheel fitment (backspacing/offset info) ... backspacing/offset plays a HUGE role in whether or not you'll rub with larger-than-OEM tires. If you need help understanding what ballpark to play in, this is a good thread to read. Gist: Best fit to put you near the fender edge w/o rub on 8½" wide wheel is ~4¾" backspace, 9" wheel aim for ~4.5" backspace. Popular Tundra OEM 7½" wheels had 5" backspace, Tacoma OEM is not ideal at 5.5" backspace. With leveling, oversize 275/70r17 tires on 17x8.5" wheels @ 0 offset (i.e. 4.75" backspace) should only have minor rub.
• Wheel fitment (caliper rub): If your truck has larger 13WL calipers, beware of caliper rub on 16" wheels! 13WL is std on 2003+
• Wheel fitment (from other Tundras): 2007-2022 Tundras use 5-lug wheels. In 2023, Tundras started using 6-lug axles again, but the hub bore is smaller (95mm on 3rd gen vs. 106mm on 1st gen), so they technically won't work unless you spend a couple hundo on custom-made spacers.
• Some other tire size considerations see HERE and more over HERE.
• Wheel fitment (from other Toyota models): Anything from PRE-2024 Tacomas, 4Runners, Land Cruiser, LX470 and GX models that are 6-lug will typically fit. Someone here is probably running it already, and pics of it are in the OEM wheels thread. Make sure the hub bore is 106.1mm on the donor wheels else you need hubcentric adapters.
• There are two basic types of lift: Adjustable and Static. "Static" is either non-adjustable, or it requires some disassembly to adjust (example: struts w/variable circlips, like Bilstein 5100). "Adjustable" is typically a coilover, which can be adjusted any time, on the fly, to truly dial-in height as needed. Obviously, after adjusting your suspension, go get re-aligned. Suspensions typically settle after install, you may want to wait a bit before alignment, or get realigned again later.
• Virtually every lift kit you see online is going to be geared towards DOUBLE CAB 4WD, its specific weight and geometry. DC 4WD (/Seqoia) is the heaviest of all 1st Gen trucks. If you have an AC or RC truck, and/or you are 2WD instead of 4WD, be forewarned, you'll get more lift than advertised on pre-packaged lifts! This is a painfully pre-purchase warning for any V6 and 2WD folks driving AC/RC trucks out there!
• Extras... At 1.5" of lift or higher, you'll want extended swaybar links, Suspension Maxx sells, to avoid travel limitations. As you approach 2.5" of lift with 1GT trucks, you're closing in on thresholds of OEM travel and should consider extras to compensate. Examples: You'll want new upper control arms (UCA) to more easily hit alignment numbers. At 3" and beyond, you may need to snug up your OEM CV boots or get ORS extended boots or similar to avoid grease-sling or ripping, and probably add bumpstops, etc. There are a lot of considerations - think about it, or ask questions in the forum if you need a sanity check!
• 1st Gen diff drops are a joke, unless ½° of angle is significant to you? Save your hard earned money.
• When buying new upper control arms, There are a few types, know what you're getting, read more here to help you decide.
• For rear lifting, try to avoid using blocks (esp. if towing, axle wrap is bad mmmkay), consider an AAL (add-a-leaf) kit to get an extra 0.75" - 2.0" lift instead (*if* you don't need your overload leaf!), or many members have found a new ATS "HD" leaf pack was a very wallet-friendly way to get a solid, no-brainer 1.5" - 2" lift, part# 90-221HD for 4WD, 90-287HD for 2WD and it includes an overload leaf. WARNING: The Icon 51100 add-a-leaf kit ONLY gives 1st Gen Tundras between 0.5" - 0.75" of lift IRL! The Wheeler's offroad kit is a better option for 1.5" (ish) of lift. NOTE: You should look into buying an LSPV relocation bracket unless you want a lesser braking experience after lifting.
• One OEM suspension upgrade Toyota offered for the 1GT was Bilstein, others got KYB. For "leveling" a truck and lifting up to 3" or more while keeping factory-ish ride, many people therefore opt for Bilstein. The Bilstein 5100s are a very popular choice because you can adjust the spring cup to different heights using circlips/notches to get more or less lift *if*using non-lifted springs. You could also get a bit deeper into the Bilstein line for more money, and go with the 5160 or 6110 line.
• If you choose the popular option of Bilstein 5100, you have two spring options: Stick with stock springs and adjust circlip notches up, or go with a lifted spring at bottom notch. Lifted springs may provide better ride, and some vendors will pre-assemble your strut w/springs for an upcharge, making it a bolt-in affair. Regardless what you choose, there are limitations! Like, to re-use factory springs, there are limits on which 5100 notch you can use (see chart here for OEM spring notch guidance). If you go with aftermarket lift springs, like from ARB/OME/Old Man Emu, Dobinsons, or Eibach, Bilstein says to stay at the 5100's bottom notch/circlip to avoid problems/damage. For a true-to-OEM-stock-replacement strut without lifting, the Bilstein 4600 is your way to go. Note: You can also use the Bilstein 4600 with aftermarket lifted springs, maybe save a buck!
• To pick the right lifted spring for Bilstein 5100s, some guidance. With OME (Old Man Emu, not 'OEM') springs, it can daunting which spring to pick, between the 2883, 2884, 2885, 2886, 2887. We have tons of user experiences and know what you can expect better than any vendor:
  • For AC/RC with 2WD, both V6 and V8, you'll get near-level with OME 2883. Don't do 2884 unless you plan a rear lift.
  • For AC/RC with 4WD, go 2883 for a sport rake, 2884 to get level, don't go with 2885 unless you plan a rear lift
  • For nearly all DC applications, you'll get a bit of rake with the 2884, level with 2885, and if you plan a rear 1-2" lift, 2887 is probably your choice.
  • With any suggestion given here, your lift may take a bit to settle at final height.
  • If you're AC/RC be forewarned: Nearly all who doubted the above were left squatted out back, thinking 2884 or 2885 was right for their AC/RC 2WD truck. It'd just not the case, and a lot of vendors don't know/bother to inform their customers, so heed the above.
• If you choose Bilstein 6112s for lifting, be aware their documentation has bad info for AC trucks. More info HERE. On AC V8/4WD, circlips at 6/4 should give 2 - 2¼" lift.
• Know many companies, like OME/Old Man Emu don't actually make kits for the 1st Gen Tundras, most kits are adapted from 4Runners and Tacomas therefore, depending on your cab type & drivetrain, you can really screw yourself w/too much lift, travel issues, or damage. It's especially true for AC/RC trucks - If a vendor says their 1st gen OME kit is good for 2"-3" of lift, that number is more for DC/4WD trucks, AC/RC 4WD owners can expect to exceed 3" lift ... and if AC/RC 2WD owners can expect 4" or more. Yes, 100% serious, we've seen it happen, folks here had to replace their brand new lift after. DC 4WD owners probably won't see this problem. DC 2WD owners may get more than advertised, but not nearly as bad as the RC/AC guys do, and you may not screw anything up, but be prepared. Note: OME is a great company. I suspect they're only doing this to avoid the DC/4WD and Sequoia owners from getting pissed if they didn't get a full 2.5"-3" from an OME lift kit.
• Alignment numbers after lifting: This is important, if you want a roadworthy driving experience without eating tires after your lift, there's a sweet spot for the 1GT that's been road-tested and proven. Specifically ask the shop to aim for the following, per our resident expert:
  • For 'normal' or 'mostly freeway': -0.3 camber, 2.6 - 2.8 caster, 0.1 - 0.2 total toe (0.05 - 0.10 per side).
  • For those who like to corner faster: -0.5 camber, 2.6 - 2.8 caster, 0.1 - 0.2 total toe (0.05 - 0.10 per side).
  • Basically, get that camber closer to -0.1 if you're mostly driving freeway, but aiming closer to -0.3 may help offset outside-edge tire wear.
  • IF you are running SPC upper control arms: Some shops may be unfamiliar with this product, it allows camber/caster to be set from both lower and upper control arm, versus OEM, which only allows setting from below. My advice? Consider pre-clocking your SPC uppers at "C" before going in for alignment, or tell the shop that's installing to clock at "C" instead of "D" so you can max out the caster later. Possibly the easiest way to get there would be to max out the cams with the LCA as far forward as possible (front cams pointing inward, rear cams pointed outward). Use the SPC balljoint slot to get things in the ballpark, lock down the balljoint, then fine-tune with the cams on the lower control arms. On mine, with my alignment already good, I found clocking the UBJ at "D" puts you in the OEM ballpark, "C" puts you close to the numbers above. When you get it home, make sure the UBJ shim is properly in its slot, then confirm the nut is torqued to spec (150ftlb)!
• This was said earlier, some lifts to avoid: Avoid Rancho struts, and maybe all of their stuff, the lower bushings on their 1GT truck kits blow out, fast. Avoid Rough Country kits. They're cheap as hell, and too many people have come here with damage or issues from the kits, which is unfortunate when you can pay a hundred or two more for a solid Bilstein 5100 kit.
• Other things to avoid for moderate offroading: Strut spacers --- talk with a pro before mixing spacers with a lift kit. Skip lifting blocks, add-a-leaf is a better option, while a new leaf spring pack is ideal. As mentioned above, the "HD" springs from ATS are well-proven by forum members. If using blocks or strut spacers, and even wheel spacers, aim for steel vs. alloy parts if possible.

 

Without rubbing at full lock? Or under load?
People's answers will vary.

 

Sounds like very good reasons to stick with my current size. When I first got the truck it had 16” wheels- 265/70/16, I sold the 16’s and got some used 17s with 265/70/17, do you think I need to correct the gearing or speedometer with this change in size from factory 16’s to the 265/70/17?

 

You'll be fine. This is what would be considered a +1 which is still within range of the stock tire size. You may or may not even notice.
I am up to a +3 on mine and still run stock gearing and the difference on the speedo is marginal, maybe 1 mph difference.

 

Thanks this is super helpful! I read over this whole thing, I think I’m in pretty goodshape, the only thing is I installed 1” rear blocks. I wish I would have read this before or I would have just left it for now. Do youthink I should take them out right away or can I leave them for a bit until I can afford a more reliable option? I don’t want to cause any issues to my driveline or u-joints,I do keep it all properly greased if that matters. I’m not currently towing anything and I only off road a few times a yearduring the summer and fall.

 

tbh, I've had rear blocks in mine for a long time and I've towed a 3000lb camper all up and down the east coast with them and didn't think twice. Did I know better at the time? No. Am I in a hurry to change them out? No.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-2248#post-3815441

 

If you’re not binding in the rear, no shudder; and you’re not seeing premature wearing of the rubber on the center support (“carrier”) bearing, you’ll be fine. Switch up to AAL when you can. It’s a pretty easy upgrade, just need to have a couple C-clamps on-hand to hold the pack together while you work. Maybe skip the ICON AAL kit unless you’re cool with removing your overload leaf.

Rather than answer this question like above, I’d rather explain to you how YOU can tell. It doesn’t help for us to say yes/no, you don’t learn anything.

What affects your speedo on the 1st gens is the overall diameter of the tire. Larger diameter of tire is bigger around (circumference-wise), thus it will turn slightly less revolutions per minute (RPM). If the speedo is calculating speed based on the revolutions of the wheel, and you put on a bigger diameter wheel that makes less revolutions per minute, it’s going to report you’re going slower than reality.

Thankfully, you NEVER need to do the math on this. If you go to any search engine and type TIRE SIZE CALCULATOR, you’ll get a slew of them.

I like this one for basic calculations, and to find the closest tire dimensions in a larger or smaller wheel using the tabs at the top of the output grid: I like this one if I need to compare the difference between two tires: Click on that 2nd link. Plug your two tire sizes above into it… what’s the overall diameter difference, or are they the same? Good calculators will show you the % of difference. Anything less than 1-2% is negligible. Some comparison tools will actually give you the MPH skew at specific speeds.

 

Thanks, this is really helpful! What AAL would you recommend? I'd probably want to stay within 0.5" to 1" range if possible.


For tires, I'm thinking 255/75/17 might be a good in-between size, from the width of 275/70/17 and the height of 255/80. The 275/70/17 might be a good size but worried they might rub on the factory UCA. Sounds like tire place might let me test-fit them first to see how they actually fit in the wheel well. If I need to stick with 265/70, I will, but they seem a little small now that my truck sits 1" taller. I'm sure l'll be happy either way once I get the bald all-seasons off and swap to something with more aggressive tread.

 

275/70r17 is a not so common tire size.

 

I have 255x85xr16 which is the same 33x10, just on a 16" wheel. I rub at 2" of lift ever so slightly on left inclines or declines. If you're stuffing them on turns, such as offroading, you're gonna rub both sides.

 

33s are 2" bigger than stock and definitely not close to within stock range for us.

 

If you haven't yet read the suspension/wheel/tire info from our community thread which covers all this stuff, which @The Black Mamba so kindly linked and copy/pasted above, you should. You should read that whole thread if you haven't, actually. That's years of collective knowledge, all in one post, and it covers AALs. Specifically the "For rear lifting" bullet. We stuffed all that info in there to avoid folks needing to ask for more advice here.

There are a couple of vendors selling AAL kits. Beyond what's covered above, Toytec also sells their kit, you can pull leafs out of a donor leaf pack and install in yours (may need to cut the ends down) to make a bastard pack. If it were me, and I wanted to keep my overload, I'd probably go with the Wheelers pack, even if I'd be sitting ¾" higher in rear. Get a tape measure. Look at the ¾" mark. Do you really think you'll be able to see the difference of that much out back?

Just note, as also mentioned above, we try to cover all the bases, you should get an LSPV relocate kit if your truck has LSPV (some DC with AutoLSD button don't).

Likewise, while you have the U-bolts off, since U-bolts can stretch and aren't something you want to have in/out several times, you should update your bumpstops. This part for the Hilux (48306-35110) is taller and sold by Partsouq, which is trustworthy, and will do the job, it's bolt-in easy. Pic below.

Here's the thing you may not be considering: Some tire sizes aren't available in all tires. Like, I was on the fence between the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend EXP and the Baja Boss. Only one of those tires came in a 275/70r17, so that made my decision for me.

If I were to give you any advice:

• Pick a tire. At least have 2-3 manufacturer/model tires chosen, ones you're confident will handle your weather conditions, won't be too noisy for you, fit the aesthetic you prefer, are within the added weight range that's OK for you, and have the load rating you can tolerate (usually C for softer or E for harder, E can be stiff as hell, hard on bumps). The C-range Wildpeaks I installed were 50% noisier than my E-range Mickeys and it drove me fucking nuts the WHURRRRRRRRRRR rolling around town in the 35-55mph range. I loved the slightly softer ride, but the significantly noisier driving really pissed me off.
• Once you have those choices, see what sizes are available. Most manufacturers, like this example from Mickey Thompson, will give you some sort of grid, sometimes in PDF format, of all tire sizes available for their models. Verify they have your tire in the size you want. Pay attention to the weight of the tire you choose; how does it compare to the weight of your current tire, so you know how much rolling mass per wheel you're adding? I went from ~35lb per tire with my original tires to ~60lb with my Mickeys, which nearly doubled my rolling mass, and believe me, I can feel it in the pedal, my cruise control can't handle miniscule changes in elevation at highway speeds without downshifting, it's generally very annoying.
• And that's something else you need to consider with tire size - if you're only looking at this from a "will I rub?" perspective, you may be in for a world of hurt after spending $1,200 getting new tires that will piss you off the next 60k-90k miles!
• Note the alignment numbers above. They're key, esp. with oversized tires and whatnot, to reducing or eliminating rub. There's an orchestrated dance of things here which will either have you eating shit up, or having smiles per gallon. If your tires dig into your pinch welds, you WILL damage the tires. I can show you what that damage looks like firsthand if you need to see it.

​

 

Do you mean by 3/4, the wheelers AAL would actually give me closer to 1.75” of lift after removing the rear block, even though it’s listed as 1.5?

I do have LSPV, should install the LSPV relocate kit now for the 1” block that I have currently? The wheelers relocate kit says for 2” and 2.5” lifts?

I looked over the tire calculators and doing some measuring I should be able to fit the 275/70/17 no problem. However do you think it would be worth getting the 255/75/17 to reduce weight? It is about the same height as the 275. Or would it be better to just stick with the 265/70/17? I would love a slightly taller tire but my mane concern is keeping the truck close to stock as possible for longevity and reliability, why I opted for only the 1.1” lift.

I’ve slowly saved up oem parts I order online, so far l’ve replaced most of my front suspension components including upper/lower ball joints, leaking steering rack, control arms, links, pcv and rear-diff breather etc with all oem parts, except the 5100’s. In hopes to keep it as long as possible.

 

He means the AAL will give you 3/4" of lift.

if you wanna keep it as close to oe as possible. Get proper lift springs to allow the shock to cycle properly.

stay away from lift spacers and moving clips (lift spacer from the bottom)

after you figure out tire sizes, look into how readily available those tire sizes are and in the brand/style you want. it will REALLY narrow things down.

 

That makes sense, I’d actually prefer 3/4 total lift than 1.5” with the wheelers AAL.

How much long term damage am I really doing with the 5100 clips set at the middle notch 1.1” setting? Am I going to prematurely wear out new oem suspension I just replaced by a significant amount or long term wear on larger components? They don’t ride harsh at all but I do have new oem TRD Toyota bilsteins in the rear so maybe that helps.

For the AAL, I don’t mind if it wares out my rear shocks a little faster than normal. Again I’d be more worried about long term damage on larger components if that is a factor?

Tires: they have 275 and 255, wildpeaks, K03, and Toyo, so for me it’s come down, height, weight and durability. Toyo open country being the lightest, wildpeak and k03 being more durable after taking to multiple reps, watching video reviews. I’m ok with a little road noise. In the 275 k03 and wildpeak both weigh 58lbs. Toyo 52. The 255/75 will be much less weight but I do also car about looks and performance and there’s not much info people using this size for 1st gen, visual appearance or performance so I’m more hesitant. At this point I’m leaning towards the 265/70/17 falcon at4 SL

 

Here’s mine 2” lift with 265/70r17 Mickey Thompson Baja boss. Sometimes I think they look perfect, other times I think too small.

 

Those look great! I feel the same way, close up they look decent, if I step back across the street they start looking too small. Mine are all seasons though so that probably doesn’t help. Good looking truck btw, love that color

 

Thanks brother it’s been a long road like most others on this forum. Have wayyy too much money in it but it is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned and I’ve had quite a few trucks. Yours is awesome too