I just had the idea of putting 44 inch tires on my 75 bronco. I haven't seen this too often. 38's are about as large as I usually see. I realize that at this point the dana 44 is close to, if not beyond its limit. Even with 36's and a 5 inch lift, my tires sometimes rub the radius arm when turning, but has anyone actually tried 44's with any success? If so, please let me know how it was done?

thanks,
Bud

 

I wouldn't go with 44's if you actually wheel it. Unless you want to upgrade to a Dana 60. You're right, the 44 won't last long even if its upgraded to HD shafts and joints. And even with 1 ton running gear, I've seen 44's and hard driving grenade 60's like they were toothpicks.

I have seen 44's on Broncos with only 3" suspension lift. But that was with MAJOR fender cutting and not much travel. With front and rear flares and a 3" body lift, you may be able to get away with 6" suspension and limited travel. Because of the short wheelbase and narrow track of the EB, I don't recommend any more lift than that on something that will actually be driven.

A lift kit will not change the tires rubbing on the radius arms. A couple of possibilities could be:
1. not enough wheel backspacing which has the tires farther in the wheel wells than normal
2. turning stops out of adjustment
3. steering/ suspension geometry off. This can cause a multitude of problems. If the steering box is not centered, it will enable you to turn farther one way than the other. Front axle not centered under the Bronco- drop track bar bracket may fix the track bar to draglink angle, but with a taller lift, may not bring the front end back underneath enough.

Jason