Hello,
I am looking into new tires and have been wondering about this....
What difference is there if any, between 4x4 vs 4x2 in terms of suspension or tire clearance spacing? The reason I am asking this is because if you go to america's tire.com and enter your vehicle specs., the tire size that they give you for availability differs for a 4x2 vs 4x4. The 4x2 gets sizing up to 275/65R/17 while the 4x4 gets tires up to 285/70R/17. Is there more room in the tire well for a 4x4 vs a 4x2? I always thought that the clearance was exactly the same for both 4x2 or 4x4. A second part to my question is would placing tires meant for the 4x4 on a 4x2 cause problems for the tires?
thanks for your help.
PS i have a xlt supercrew 4x2 5.4 2010

 

Most of our pickups at work are 2x4's (dodge, chevy and fords), but we always buy All Terrain tires and up-size them to what ever size is availble in a 10-ply.

So, based on what I have seen, there is usually a generous amount of room for up-sizing tires on a 2-wheeler.

Also, 10-ply tires reduce the frequency of flat tires for a fleet to trucks which spend a significant amount of time driving on the shoulder. This is the only reason we use them.

good luck

 

to answer your question. Yes, there is a height difference between a 4x2 and a 4x4

4x4 sits 1" taller in FRONT, and 1 5/8" (2") taller out BACK

this is done using different front struts (4x2 are 1" shorter) and the use of a rear block.

 

I was wondering this too, I verified it at the autoshow this year. 2wd was parked next to a 4x4, the only difference I could see was the approx 1.5" spacer between the axle and leaf spring. The front looked identical and didn't really look any higher other than the slightly larger rubber.