03 gm 2500hd and 35's

[eric3311]

Hi . I have a 03 2500hd duramax 4by4 and im running 285/75 s on stock rims with a little trimming. I want to run 35's because some of the forest service roads i run on get dug up pretty good with tires around that size..I just realized i should go to a wider rim if i want to run 12.5 inch wide tires, so ill go with a 17by8.8 with 4.5 inches of backspacing and probably run mickey thompson 305/70's on them. I am thinking about a two inch leveling kit and maybe a body lift.. Anyone have any suggestions? I would like to have some clearance around the tires for chains every once and a while.. sometimes on the front tires as well.. Thanks again for any help..

[WildChevys]

i don't know if you can put a bodylift on the diesel. just level out the truck and you will be fine.

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by WildChevys

i don't know if you can put a bodylift on the diesel. just level out the truck and you will be fine.

yes you can

an easier option would be find a set of H2 hummer wheels or 07.5 or newer 17" 2500HD wheels, and mount a set of 35s or 315s with just a crank to level and a little trimming of some plastic(inner fender only for me)
these wheels have the width you want for a 12.5 (8.5" and 7.5" respectively) but still have enough backspacing to allow you to fit the taller wider tires with less lift, whereas most aftermarket wheels have too little backspacing and will cause them to rub

[rebelbowtie]

those wheels look 10,000 times better with chevy center caps!{/threadjack}

[crookedfoot]

GCncsuHD do you have a leveling kit or did you just crank your stock keys? thanks truck looks sweet btw

[eric3311]

thanks alot for the advise.. excatly what i was lookin for. how much backspaceing do i need to duplicate the newer wheel or the hummer wheel? I am trying to keep costs down, and have the tough country levelling kit.. ideally i will add a 4 inch suspension lift in the next year, and i thought a body lift wouldnt work too bad for what i need now. it would be great to know what i really need in a wheel to get a 35 on their with the new keys.. i will add some blocks and longer u bolts to match whatever i actually get on front..
does anyone have any ideas?

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by rebelbowtie

those wheels look 10,000 times better with chevy center caps!{/threadjack}

thanks, theyre gmc though {Professional Grade}

Originally Posted by crookedfoot

GCncsuHD do you have a leveling kit or did you just crank your stock keys? thanks truck looks sweet btw

thanks,

NO LEVELING KIT the truck DOES have "green keys" though, which are actually the factory keys out of a 1500 z71 truck, they happen to lift the 2500HDs ~2", and are the exact same thing you buy in the so called leveling kits, i installed them in this truck for the previous owner, and cranked them an additional 1" for 3" of lift in the front and 1.5" lift in the rear with an add a leaf,
the ride was too harsh for me so i decranked it down to about 1.5" lift in the front and removed the rear add a leafs, rides much better, and perfectly level, no need for the keys unless you want to go farther than 2" which i do not recommend anyway

Originally Posted by eric3311

thanks alot for the advise.. excatly what i was lookin for. how much backspaceing do i need to duplicate the newer wheel or the hummer wheel? I am trying to keep costs down, and have the tough country levelling kit.. ideally i will add a 4 inch suspension lift in the next year, and i thought a body lift wouldnt work too bad for what i need now. it would be great to know what i really need in a wheel to get a 35 on their with the new keys.. i will add some blocks and longer u bolts to match whatever i actually get on front..
does anyone have any ideas?

the H2 wheels are ~5.5" backspacing on a 8.5" wide wheel (~+19mm offset)
the 07.5 17" 7.5" wide wheels are ~5.25" backspacing (~+25mm offset)
the backspacing is actually measured by me, and i used that to calculate the offset

[eric3311]

thanks.. i was looking at rims with only 4.5 inches of backspacing.. do you think the ride is really harsh with the supposed 2 inches you get out of the keys? (without cranking it up anymore than that).

[dozerboy]

I would get a BL you just wear stuff out faster by cranking and you don't want to bust a CV out in BFE. Plus you won't be running chains with just a crank. H2s won't work with most suspention lifts unless you get spacers. You can't beat H2s for cheap I see a set of H2s with the stock 35" BFG ATs for $500 often. You should get some tierod sleeves too.

[AirMale]

I have an 07 2500 classic 2WD. I found a set of H2 wheels for a $100 and was looking to a 6 inch lift that works with these.... what are some of my options???

[JDay]

That was really helpful. I've got an 03 chevy 2500HD and have heard both ways as to whether or not I could fit a 35 with a 3" level and 1" rear block. I guess I'll be rollin on 35" Toyos in the near future

[eric3311]

yeah i'll feel alot better with the 35's ..Mickey Thompson 315/70/17's work out to 34.6 inches so i think if i can get something like that on a rim with enough backspaceing it will work well. im just going with the two inch level and two inch rear blocks plus a body lift.. i can lose the keys and get a decent 4" lift sometime soon i hope.

[BigBlue02HD]

Here's two old pics of my 02' HD.

Green keys cranked, 2" rear blks, aftermarket BDS shocks, and 3" BL sitting on 315/75/16's on 16x8's.

[eldora16]

well i dont really see the need for a body lift, IMO it will look terrible on a diesel because the frame already shows a lot. I have an 05 2500HD 4x4 duramax sitting stock on 305/70/R16 with 16x8 dick cepecks. I had to do some minor trimming but thats it. My other buddy has the same truck as i do just an 06, but he has keys in the front with a 2 inch block in the back and he has 35x12.50 mud grapplers on stock wheels and his truck doesnt rub one bit. After seeing his tyruck the other night i decided to put keys and blocks on mine!!

[BigBlue02HD]

My frame does show alot... like in the pics above. I just didn't have steps at the time. Now I have the stainless steps which help hide the frame some, as well as to help me and the wife get in.

I didn't have any issues with the rims in the above pics (16x8's with 4" BS). But, when I went to the 16x10's with 4.25" BS I had to crank up all the way and do some inner wheelwell trimming. I still rubbed the chrome corner of the bumper at times. I got tired of the rubbing and harsh ride and went with my Cognito.

[foreman00081]

H2's will work with any full drop kit and you can pick them up cheap. im running them with 37/12.5's now on my 6" kit. dont go with a knuckle kit as they will most likely rub plus knuckle kits dont give you as much lift and they push your front tires out, couple that with a 4.5" BS wheel and your front end is going to be really wide and funny looking IMO. i also wouldnt waste your money on a level kit as you can get the same results from just cranking your stock keys up. i wouldnt want to go any higher than that either cause the ride is harsh enough just cranked 2" and the stress on the ball joints and suspension components is really increased from cranking.
heres mine with the H2's

[AirMale]

would you reccomend a "full traction 6" lift"?