31 or 33

[DiddyZook]

Gotta put some rubber on before I can have some fun !!


I have been planning on 31" mud terrains for some time, but the more I look at / read about other rigs on here I am being tempted to up the size a little. There was a time when 31" looked big, but now with so many builds dwarfing this I am questioning whether I will regret not going bigger to start with. It will be cheaper to go 33" to start with rather than drive 31" for a while and then upgrade. Bigger than 33" stills seems a bit extreme.

Am I being tempted purely for poser value? maybe.

What are the benefits or pitfalls of each size?

Has anyone faced this dilema before and regretted the choice?

This is one of those things that is much easier when hypothetical rather than when you know that it is about to happen. It is easy to dream of building an awesome truck and start rattling off cool modifications you have read about to your mates stating that you would do it, but when the time comes and you have to plan and budget every change you think a little different

[Gonzo]

Go the 33's

[nicbeer]

What vehicle?

where do ya wheel and or what terrain.

how much $$ do ya want to spend to modify.

cheers

[BundyZook]

Would stay with 31's unless you wanna change your diffs. Suzi drivetrain will break shit with 31's if you give it enough let alone 33's
if its just for looks get a custom spray job and a shiny chrome bullbar.

Tosh

[Mudzuki]

Go the 33's

Ill second that!

[-Mick-]

I did the same thing and stayed 31's for now. Reason being I'd certainly get pinged on 33's around here

That aside you'll need rockhoppers and axle strength is questionable.

31's were easier for me, but I already had em

[redzook]

31's to stay reliable 33's if u wana hold up everyone when u break

[DeWsE]

31's to stay reliable 33's if u wana hold up everyone when u break

I concur......and people crack the schits when you hold them up, something to think about

[CRUSHU]

i had a 1l zook with standard gearing, and 33" bfg muddies, 9.5" wide.

they were a perfect size with the 3" lift. they rubbed smoothly on the front wheel well.

[sierrajim]

crushu

Did the gearing suck?

BTW that car now has 36's but not so standard gearing.

[CRUSHU]

crushu

Did the gearing suck?

BTW that car now has 36's but not so standard gearing.

they are a slow piece of shit anyway. you can not possibly get any slower, no matter what size tyre. i went from 31 x 10.5 to 33 x 9.5, and the difference was neglible

[sierrajim]

that's what gearing is about, getting slower.

A 1.0ltr on 30-31's can work but on 33's that's a big jump.

Did you actually wheel it? The tyres (old old style BFG MT's) looked like they had only been driven on the street. There were no real noticable marks on the tyres.

I think that the 33" tyres would LOOK better but as far as wheelability the 30-31's would be the go.

And by the way (no offence intended) F100's are regarded by many as a slow piece of shit too. Over time you have modded yours so that it would no longer be classified as slow, the same can be done within limitations to a sierra.

[RB zook]

31's to stay reliable 33's if u wana hold up everyone when u break

hahah

go with 31's unless you want to go toys.

i had 33's on for about 2 mounths than 2 axles in 2 weeks
hence the need for lux diffs

[CRUSHU]

that's what gearing is about, getting slower.

A 1.0ltr on 30-31's can work but on 33's that's a big jump.

Did you actually wheel it? The tyres (old old style BFG MT's) looked like they had only been driven on the street. There were no real noticable marks on the tyres.

I think that the 33" tyres would LOOK better but as far as wheelability the 30-31's would be the go.

And by the way (no offence intended) F100's are regarded by many as a slow piece of shit too. Over time you have modded yours so that it would no longer be classified as slow, the same can be done within limitations to a sierra.

I have not seen a F100 or even a chev as slow as a sierra, and i doubt it gets a lot better if you hot them up, without forced induction. a friends c20 with a 2 barrel small block, and over 1200kg of tools in the back, will run circles around my old 1l sierra. nothing short of an engine conversion would fix that.

i took it to toolangi a few times with the club, to the 4wd park in werribee, did some at the pajero challenge, just playing in the slop. also heaps in the old pit in rutherford road. not wheeled heaps, but never stopped or got stuck except for when the clutch died in toolangi. i stand by my comment. i never had a drama except for on the road with the lack of performance.

what you loose in performance of bigger diametre tyres, you're not adding extra weight.
when you go bigger tyres, you add extra height, width (generally) and weight. with the 33 x 9.5, you only add height, the weight is similar, and the width is actually less.

BTW, mine was open diffs, maybe that is why they didn't break any thing

[jabtronic]

I'm facing the same dilemma myself (31's or 33's)

But anyway, can anyone give me a firm answer as to how much lift is required before 31's or 33's fit under the zook?

At the moment mine will have 5" lift (2" BL, 2" SusLift, 2" ext shackles) will this be enough to run 33's or will more lift be required? (Virtual lift etc)

I'd prefer to go SPOA but I live in QLD... nuff said

[Guy]

break break break ..
If you drive it like a spastic monkey get bound up stay on the power you will break.. often .. with 31's 33's 35's or 44's

Now .. the practicalities of running 33's on a Zuk.

You will need to either run about 5 inches of lift (possibly more) if you dont plan on either movng the axle forward, trimmimg guards, or "modifying" the firewall with you favorite BFH.
You will need to address the lack of avaliable power both on an offroad (your clutch will hate you as will most road users) this can be done with either bigger motor and or lower gears (lower gears with diff locks is where I would start) and you do rate a higher chance of breaking stuff.


For 31's you could get away with a small body lift and\or normal lift springs, a 1litre T/case would see your gearing OK as well. (I would still get difflocks though).


If it's for a Vitara .. forget all the above ..

[nicbeer]

33's should be fine under that lift. 31's fit with 2"bl and mild chopping.

cheers

[DeWsE]

33's should be fine under that lift. 31's fit with 2"bl and mild chopping.

cheers

It all depends on a lot of things. I had moved my diff forward and massaged the firewall with a BFH and I still rubbed with 33’s. I think this was due to the offset of the rim and the width of the tire.

31’s are much more safer, and I would only recommend 31’s on zuk diffs.
1. Reliable,
2. Braking distance

Fark trying to stop in time with 33’s on standard brakes.

[moose]

33 swampers for nearly 4 years , daily drivers & offroad !!!

never(touch wood) broken an axle OR CV !!
standard gearing , rear ARB !!
fried the clutch a few times , but always cooled down OK !!

only put in 1.6 about 12 months ago !!

& yes YUG , I did used to drive like a spastic monkey !!!

[Guy]

33 swampers for nearly 4 years , daily drivers & offroad !!!

never(touch wood) broken an axle OR CV !!
standard gearing , rear ARB !!
fried the clutch a few times , but always cooled down OK !!

only put in 1.6 about 12 months ago !!

& yes YUG , I did used to drive like a spastic monkey !!!

esoom os did I .. I broke all sorts of stuff .. but never axles/cv's ..

These sydney guys must be really stoopid



































I will go hide now as I have not used low range in anger in close on 12 months

[moose]

SSHHH , & now its got 35,s !!

[jabtronic]

Can anyone recommend the offsets required for 15x7 or 15x8 rims running 33's on standard length diffs?

[-Mick-]

Can anyone recommend the offsets required for 15x7 or 15x8 rims running 33's on standard length diffs?

No one can answer that unless you give at least the tyre width and track width (narrow or wide track zook)

[jabtronic]

33x12.5x15 on a WT leafie

[SAWZALL]

The smart thing to do is

1) Spend about 6 months staring at the car and burning $5 notes as you do this. During this time you will decide how far you are going to take the Zuk..

2) Build it once with the tyre size you decided upon during your 6 months.

3) You will still come out ahead as opposed to the person that rebuilt their truck 5 times in that 6 months (ie me)

Having said that, IMHO if you want a DD 31's, weekend toy 33's

[moose]

with 33,s on a WT , you want the biggest offset you can get !!
due to ....
1..limited turning circle - the tyres hit the springs , real easy !!
2...x-tra stress on CV,s , due to tyres hit springs , specially at full noise !!

either get the biggest offset , or get springs moved to NT configuration !

[Red_Zook]

I have 32' mongrels, i do drive like a spastick and i have broken.... 2 back diffs 2 back tailshafts (caused by springs warping twising the diff forward and maxing out uni's) and a front diff..... but that is all onroad, i dont sceem to do any damage off road.... conclusion run 30's on road and maby 33's off road, most of my mates run 31's one has 31 tsl's not many problems a couppel just have 31' mud retreds no probs and a few guys have soa with 33's and they have problems. up to u big buddy

[RB zook]

if you seriously want to run 33's dont expect the suzuki diffs to last



i got the shits and im in the middle of the lux cunversion

31 stay zook diffs

33+ go lux diffs or simular

just my opinion

[Jay D]

I have just fitted 31" muddies and for a daily driver wouldn't want to go too much bigger...that said, my engine/driveline is basically stock, and I reckon even with more in the go department wouldn't go any bigger on standard diffs/axles. I only had the 31"s put on today, and already after a trip home via wombat forest am loving the upgrade from stock roadies!!

[zookjedi]

[quote="DiddyZook"]Gotta put some rubber on before I can have some fun !!


I have been planning on 31" mud terrains for some time, but the more I look at / read about other rigs on here I am being tempted to up the size a little. There was a time when 31" looked big, but now with so many builds dwarfing this I am questioning whether I will regret not going bigger to start with. It will be cheaper to go 33" to start with rather than drive 31" for a while and then upgrade. Bigger than 33" stills seems a bit extreme.

you say the more you look at and read about other rigs your tempted to go the Mcdonald route and upsize , but consider alot of those people running bigger rubber have mods to compensate , ie birfeild rings , bigger diffs , bigger engines , lower gearing etc .
if its the poser look than 33's would be better than 31's , but surely you'd go bigger for a poser than 33's?
you say it will be cheaper going straight to 33's than going 31's than upgrading latter , well i guest that depends on how much driving you do and how soon you'd be modifiying the rest of the car , it could be a real pain in the ass fixing your rig all the time waiting for your clutch to cool down etc , 31's will keep it a bit more reliable (though your clutch will still cope a caining on the rocks if you lock it with no gear mods) ,

i personally think to many people modify their cars to look like such and suches car or because old mates car goes anywhere etc , start driving regularly and you'll be able to go the same places even more than than some of the bigger rigs around simply by knowing YOUR car and its attributes, let your driving catch peoples attention (be it good or bad ) not the size of yer tyres ?

trust me my wife is always reasuring me that its not the size that matters , it how you use it (no not your genitals , she says that does matter )