Quick Question on Leveling Kits and Bigger Tires

[swrider]

Hello everyone, thanks for stopping by.
I am a little confused with a simple concept and can't seem to find the right answer. I have a 2014 Chevy Silverado, Z71 and I am thinking of adding a leveling kit to it. Mainly just for looks because I don't like the rake that it has from the stock suspension. The question comes in when trying to figure out tire size. It currently sits on 265/65 R18, and since I will be needing new tires pretty soon, I was thinking of going up in size to a 285/65/ R18. Will the leveling kit allow enough clearance to fit the bigger tires???
I have seen claims that it does, but that left me wondering, since the leveling kit only goes on the front of the truck, does that mean that I have more clearance in the back to fit bigger tires without doing anything else or worry about rubbing???
If anyone can clarify this noob question I would gladly appreciate it. :ylsmoke:

 

[plainjaneFJC]

The back is much simpler, usually if it will fit the front you can be pretty sure the back is fine, especially since you rear tires don't turn. I would check on a Chevy specific truck forum and I bet you'll see a lot of guys with a similar setup and no issues. Good luck.

 

[Atl-atl]

A few things for you to consider. Chevys have very "square" wheel openings. This makes it hard to fit bigger tires. That being said, most of the time if you go up a tire size on the stock wheels you will be ok, especially with a leveling kit. Its when you get aftermarket wheels that stick out really far that you run into rubbing issues on the body. There is potential that, when running wider tires on the stock wheels, you could rub on suspension parts either under flex or when turning. Im not familiar enough with modern chevys to tell you exactly what tires fit with what suspension you have but lots of people out there know this and can help you, maybe someone here will chime in.

Regardless of your opinion of the company, call someone at 4 Wheel Parts in Vegas. The guys there put leveling kits and bigger tires on new trucks all day long. They will know exactly what tire size you can fit with your setup and a simple phone call doesn't obligate you to buy anything or go in the store.

 

[swrider]

Thanks for the reply guys.
I was actually thinking of swinging by their shop later o today after work, its either a great thing or worst thing having that particular shop so conveniently located on the way home

 

[Stryder106]

On my 02 Avalanche 1500 I leveled it and ran 285/70-17 on a 0 offset wheel. It had some slight rubbing - but that was cured with some very minor trimming of the excess plastic on the inner fender liner. I also (not due to the tires) trimmed my front bumper as I fabbed a custom one that is more appropriate for overland usage. I was told I could not run a 33" tire unless I lifted it 4.5" nor could I run a 35" tire unless I lifted it a minimum of 6.5". Well - I did some additional trimming of the fenderwells and firewall - 35"s fit just fine and I could likely run a 37" if I wanted to. I used CST keys in mine. FWIW - 4WP (or any of the manufacturers) will tell you the specific spec for whichever way you want to go - it's a liability thing. Good luck.

 

[nswanny]

285's fit perfectly fine on my 2002 when I had it with super minor trimming. Leveling kit wasn't even needed, but sure made it look better though.

 

[KAkers]

I ran that size on a 2010 with leveling shocks. They were supposed to add 1.7 inches. I didn't measure the fenders to see what the actual lift was but they worked fine.

 

[CRolandLJ]

I put the rough country 2.5 inch leveling kit on my 2014 Silverado Z71 and their recommended maximum tire size is 285/65 R18. I ended up going 265/75 R18... i think (Sold the truck so i forgot) because i didn't necessarily want anything a lot wider, just taller. I loved the look, the hit on fuel economy was minimal... 1.5 MPG or so before correcting the speedo...so probabaly less in actuality.

It was a relatively easy install... took me about 4-5 hours by myself (would be much faster with a second set of hands or doing it the second time). The biggest obstacle was separating the upper A-arm from the ball joint.... it basically just takes a sledgehammer.


Good luck.

 

[rayra]

The rear wheel well opening is already wide enough. And as already mentioned, quite square. Just take a tape measure and measure from the center of the wheel to the bottom corners of the rear wheel well opening and you will see that there is plenty of room for 285s. Or even more simply, just measure across the bottom of the wheel well opening.