Transforming my truck...

[rainjer]

This is how my truck looked when I bought it. The previous owner put a 4" lift in it and 31" X 10.5" tires on it.


This is what it looks like today.


I put the stock tires back on the other day and pick up a Leer tonneau cover on CL today for it. It is amazing the difference in power from changing the tires. I thought the the tires were too big for the 3.0L engine when I bought it but after driving it for a couple days on the stock tires I know my hunch was correct.

Jeremy

[wagondude]

That should get you a few MPG's better. You might check ino removing the lift if you don't feel you need it. You will get a couple more if you cut the amount of air going under the truck.

[rainjer]

He did the lift correctly....New spindle in front, new spring in the rear...

Jeremy

[pete42]

it all has to do with gearing the tires are a part of the system.

pete

[doug hodder]

That's a good looking truck Jeremy! It should work well for you and your camping lifestyle. Doug

[campmaster-k]

Doug dont you have the very same truck?

[jstrubberg]

I drive a Jeep every day and am active on a couple of forums for modified Jeeps. One of the mistakes just about everyone makes is slapping a lift and larger tires on their rig without regearing the axles.

Any time you change the tire size, you change the final drive ratio for the whole rig. If you go to a larger tire, you force the engine to run at lower rpms at a given speed. What that translates to for an internal combustion engine is less horsepower and less torque. Your rig becomes anemic and your gas mileage falls through the floor.

My Jeep stock got about 18mpg. When I lifted it and put 35" tires on it, I dropped to 13.5mpg. I regeared and flashed the computer for the new gears and mpgs rose to 16.5. The rig also stopped searching for gears every time a headwind blew.

[rainjer]

I would say changing the tires made some difference in the gas mileage. I was averaging 17.4 MPG with the 31 X 10.5 on it. This tank I got 21.6 with the stock tires....

Jeremy

[rainjer]

That's a good looking truck Jeremy! It should work well for you and your camping lifestyle. Doug

No hitch yet.... I will get one put on in the spring. Since I have the jeep I am in no hurry. I also still have the canopy so I can swap the tonneau of and on with it. IT only takes 10 minutes or so.

Jeremy

[doug hodder]

Doug dont you have the very same truck?

Nope...I got the 4.0L 4wd off road package on mine.