My 78 Bronco fits 35" Grabber M/T's at stock height and only rub when off road so why is it that all the lift companies say 4" lift kits will fit 33" tires? I'm confused about what lift to buy in order to fit a set of 36.5" tires I have without any rubbing. My Bronco came from the factory with 14" installed height coil springs up front and quad shocks.
I was wondering what size tires you guys and gals out there were able to fit and what size lift it took to fit them. Anyone else out there able to fit 35's stock?

 

I have 6" suspension lift and 3" body lift on my '78 Bronco, and I measured from the ground to the wheel flare and got 46" of clearance. So if I put 40s on it, there would be 6" of clearance between tire and flare. I'm only putting 35s on it, for several reasons, but there's a LOT of room for more.

 

I have a set of 33's and a set of 36's both fit with plenty of room with my 3" body lift, never had an issue with either set.

 

I think a lot of the advertising is geared towards the newer model vehicles on the road today. I have a 77 F150 with no lift and if you look at my gallery you can see there is a lot of room for tires on this vehicle. Your Bronco is nothing more then a shortened F150 with a different body. Back in the 80's is was common to see bias ply tires, 35" in dia. on these vehicles. Although tall, they were narrower. Most manufactures of tires make their 35's with a 12.50-13.50 cross section and those will rub, both front and rear, on the frame in turns. There are some 35x10.50's out there today and if you want the 35's then that is the way I'd go.

 

So would you guys go with a 3" body lift to fit 36.5" tires or spend 4times more and buy a 4" suspension lift? Is the extra inch really worth all the extra money?

 

on the older ones you can get a bigger tire they may think all the broncos are the same, a 90+ i know needs a lift to fit 33+ tires

 

I like body lifts, not just for the extra tire clearance, but for the greater accessibility of the drivetrain and all. Having that space under there is nice.

 

There are pluses and minuses for both kinds of lifts. But if you are doing serious off roading, you will want the suspention lift. I might add you may want to consider cutout flares. They allow much bigger tires with no lift. Also, tire companies mesure ther tires differntly. I know it sounds stupid, but I assure you I speak the truth, unlike some tire companys.

 

Something to keep in mind and along the lines of helirich's response is the fact that tire sizes are nominal dimensions. The ACTUAL dimensions of the tire can be located in the literature from the individual manufacturers. For example, a BFGoodrich 35x12.50 (nominal dimension) has an ACTUAL dimension of 12.7" section width when mounted on a 10" wide wheel and an actual diameter of 34.7" when properly inflated. When you get into making clearances in fractions of an inch it is quite often important to check into the actual dimensions because tread design, wall thickness and wheel size will affect the actual dimensions of the tire regardless of the nominal dimensions.

 

Wheel offset (backspacing) makes a difference too. I have 35" BFG T/As on my '78 with a 4" lift (I think, was on the Bronco when I bought it) and it only rubs if I turn all the way left or right ( hits the radius arms) I had 31s on it with different ( shallower) wheels and it rubbed every time I did anything but drive straight on a flat road

 

I have a 79 Bronco and had 36.5s on it for over 300000 miles with no lift they only rubbed a little on the radius arms on tight turns.