Dana 35 33x10.5 vs 32x11.5

[maclgallant]

Dana 35 /8.8 4.56 gears 4.0l

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what would be harder/harsher on the dana 35?


33x10.5 or 32x11.5

from what i have read the wider the heavier

when comparing lets say a 31x10.5 vs 33x10.5 there seems to be a small difference in weight around 5lbs usualy

but 32x11.5/12.5 seem to be about 10-15 lbs heavier than 31x10.5

so seems to me 33x10.5 would be better


so my question is ....

is it the weight ? or is it the tire diameter thats hard on the Dana?

MY pic : 33x10.5
Reason: less weight,better mpg, less resistance , and extra clearance/lift and im' guessing easier on the d35 ??

what would you pic and why



ps i'm sorry if this has been covered if so please link

 

[padilla94]

Tire diameter affects it.

 

[brinker88]

Im running 33x12.50s with my D35 with 3.27s and have had no problems other than the wheel bearings coming loose.

 

[maclgallant]

i want to correct to weight claims as per BFG MT km2 32x11.5 50.5 lbs 33x10.5 49.76 lbs

weight difference is more noticable when going to 32x12.5 or 33x12.5 vs the 33x10.5

 

[disciplerocks]

35x13.50s with 4.56s and a 4.0. No complaints here.

 

[pillen140]

I have 35x12.50s on my truck with a dana 35. Also no complaints. I used to have 33x10.50 right before I got the 35s.... had no complaints there either. The actual height difference isn't that much like 3/4 of an inch actual size when comparing those two sizes you listed. But the width is more than an actual inch depending on tire brand. I wouldn't worry about a 1lb weight diffence either. Pick which one you think will be an advantage, wider or narrower/but slightly taller.

 

[06RangerXLT]

Im running 33x12.50s with my D35 with 3.27s and have had no problems other than the wheel bearings coming loose.

how? you driving around in 4 low?

33's are fine regardless of width on that axle. its the 35's ya wanna watch for.

 

[pillen140]

how? you driving around in 4 low?

33's are fine regardless of width on that axle. its the 35's ya wanna watch for.

I ran my 35s with 3.73 for quite a while. The 4.88s I put in now are way better, but it really wasn't all that bad.... and that's with a 3.0L. The wider the tire, the heavier the tire, the 12.50s will also put more stress on the wheel bearings and everything as well. Can still run either one, but the 10.50 do put a lot less stress on everything.

 

[brinker88]

how? you driving around in 4 low?

33's are fine regardless of width on that axle. its the 35's ya wanna watch for.

That's the thing I dont understand. I run it in 4Lo like everyone tells me to and on the highway the rpms are at like 6000rpms....is my tranny going to shit?


Lol no, but for real...

I have problems keeping my nuts tight

 

[4x4junkie]

Tire diameter plays the biggest role with stress on the differential, gears & axle shafts.
Tire width and weight can have some effect on wheel bearing life, however wheel offset plays by far the biggest role on bearing life. Wheels with close to zero or even a slight positive offset are best here (15x7" or 15x8" wheels w/3.75" backspacing, for example).

Both 33x10.50s and 32x11.50s are within what the D35 should be able to handle.

For those complaining about bearing nuts loosening... The fix is to torque the outer locknut to 225-250 ft-lbs instead of the 150 the book calls for (this if you have manual-locking hubs). They shouldn't come loose after that.


Edit:
Just noticed "2008" listed on his profile... I probably wouldn't recommend 35" tires on a 1998+ front axle, however the 32s or 33s should still be fine.

 

[brinker88]

^Junkie, thanks for reminding me...I totally forgot about reading that somewhere

 

[Capt Jay]

Didn't read the rest ^.
Torque is where the problem is, it's not the diff. that's the problem. It's the axle shafts and more times than not, the outer U-joints. Torque is what kills. the taller the tire the more torque that is applied ( I'd give you the formula but I don't feel like it). That being said. The Dana axle will handle both combos. I've been running 33x12.5 for years and haven't had any problem. I'm still open in the front and that will have a lot of affect. So that all being said, go taller if you can. Clearance is where you get hung up and the only thing that raises clearance is tire size. Not suspension lifts of body lifts, just tire size.

 

[legoms013]

Either tire works fine under the D35. It can take either one without problems. It is not until 35's will you potentialy get problems....

I prefer the 33x10.5 tire though for a few reasons.

Smaller footprint, means higher psi, equals better traction by a marginal amount in most wheeling situations.

Has the height and clearance of a 33" tire, but the width of a 31" tire.

Because it is narrower, it weighs less.

Also because it is narrower, more often than not your vehicle will still comply with local laws about tires not protruding from the fender wells too far.

I run 33x10.5 KM2's on 15x7 steelies, with 4.00" of backspacing...and I really like the added extra width (half inch per side) and they are perfectly in line with the outside edge of my tires.

So my vote is the 33"

 

[Capt Jay]

Smaller footprint, means higher psi, equals better traction by a marginal amount in most wheeling situations.

Has the height and clearance of a 33" tire, but the width of a 31" tire.

:

What?
That's great until you get to a point that you need traction. Surface area IS friction. The larger the contact patch the more traction you have. That's also part of the reason we air down before going out to create a higher contact area and more traction.

 

[legoms013]

rolls eyes...

I'm not gonna explain...cuz I am lazy. think what you want but here is some good reading in the meantime (excerpts, and link at the bottom...please read it all):

"Traction on rocky trails: Another common misconception is that when airing down it is the increased amount of tire on the rock (more contact patch), that allows better traction. It is not the contact patch that creates better traction, but the tires ability to conform to the surface irregularities (deformation and mechanical keying). When an aired down tire comes in contact with a rock on the trail, the tires tread collapses under the vertical and horizontal forces, causing the tire to wrap the rock, as opposed to sitting on top of it. The wrapping effect provides greater shear resistance, and in turn better traction. (Technically: the shear load is distributed over multiple planes, not just a horizontal one)."

"While the coefficient of friction (Ff = Cf x Fv) is linear and not affected by width (on a perfectly smooth surface, traction is consistent despite width), it is the variability of the road surface conditions off-highway that improves traction for a narrow tire. The greater the contact pressure, the greater of effectiveness of the friction elements of Deformation and Mechanical Keying."

"On a smooth surface (like concrete), a tire gains most of its traction by adhesion. On an irregular surface like granite and boulders, a tires contact patch will deform as a result of vertical pressure. The wider the tire, the less the rubber will deform to the surface irregularity given the same vertical pressure. The greater the deformation, the greater the tires resistance to shearing forces (spinning). This is the strongest argument to using a narrower tire."

"Real world example: When climbing a ledge with a jagged surface, the narrower tire will wrap the protrusions with more contact due to the increased deformation depth. The wider tire will rest on the surface of the protrusions and will have a greater chance of spinning (shearing)."


http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html