As the title suggests, I'd like to get a slightly bigger wheel and tire combo on my '82 C20 2wd...it's got a 14-bolt in the rear and 8-lug wheels. Any help appreciated. Thanks!
I lifted my C10 with a Fabtech 3" kit about 4 years ago and have since replaced my suspension front and rear with factory C20 parts, keeping the lift. Unfortunately, it looks like Fabtech has stopped producing them; which sucks because I could really use the HD front springs with the 6.2 I put in last year. The only other suspension kit for '73-'87 2wds that I know of is Rough Country's 2" kit, and it doesn't look like they offer HD front springs for 6.2s and big blocks like Fabtech did. You can also go with a body lift, but they don't look as nice in my opinion. Here's my truck after I put the 6.2 in, with 265/75R16 tires.
Great pic! Can you tell me if that shows the lift, or with the C20 suspension kit? Also...I have the same white steel 16" 8-lug wheels...would 285/75r16 tires fit?
That is with both the lift kit and C20 suspension (the Fabtech kit is the same for both 1/2 and 3/4 tons). One thing I forgot to mention before is that no one (unless rough country includes them in their kit) offers longer brake lines for 2wds. The shop I had do my brakes/alignment just put some 12" extensions in that I still want to find some replacements for. I don't know about the 285s fitting on these rims. I bought my rims from a junkyard with worn out 265s on them, kept one as my spare, and found someone selling 4 takeoff 265s for less than 2 tires would have cost me. (same tires and 2 still had the factory markings) I had been looking into a new set of rims and 33" tires before that, needless to say I saved a lot of money this way.
Thanks for the info. Just from your pic alone I am going to just get a slightly more agressive looking tire than the 245-85r16's on there now (old as hell, cracked sidewalls) and it will probably be some 265-75's. It's a great truck as it stands now and I'm not going to screw with lifting it...got plenty of other plans to waste my good money! Thanks again for the info. I've attached a shot of my '82 for reference...I've got the same wheels as you! With the newer center cap and more aggressive tires you're truck looks REALLY good and I want to copy your style.
Thanks, I was kinda tired of the stock hub caps i had before the 3/4 ton swap and I've always liked this style. I got the hub caps for $25 shipped and the custom lug nuts for another $50 on ebay. Now I just need to save up for a good paint job before more of the paint flakes off (notice the black spot on my hood? ) The 265's should fit without the lift, although it might rub a little at the corners. My brother has a '78 C20 and before I swapped my suspension out he put 2 of the worn out tires I bought on the rear of his truck to help his fuel mileage a bit.
That's truly what I'm going for...the biggest tire diameter I can get without a lift to improve the final drive ratio. My '82 runs like a champ, but I swear the 6.2L sounds like a WWII bomber with how high it needs to run at 65-70mph...I must have 4.11 or 4.56 rear gears.
