33" tires on a 1986 Bronco

[Justshootme84]

Today I swapped out the 31" tires for some 33x12.50 AT's on the 86 Bronco. In this first pic, it looks like enough room to turn without any contact.

In this second pic, it also looks like plenty of room in the rear fenderwells. I have not flexed the suspension to see if the tires will rub, but I think they will. IF they do, I'll trim the fenders, since they are a little rough!!!

 

[Ziggy]

Why trim, add about 3" of lift.

 

[Justshootme84]

LOL, :-& #036;

 

[79bigbronco]

cowboydan has been running/wheelin' with 33's for a yr.on his 87, he gets rub at full crank, using, 15x10"rims, never has had a problem rubbing in the fenders, and he's run the susp. thru full travel many times. I,ve seen 35's on a stock 80's bronco, with the fenders trimmed to the chrome line.

 

[Forsaken]

Hi

The names Forsaken and i am new ( first post ) But i have been wheeling for over 25 years .

As far as i can tell from your photo you will have a bit of rub from the suspension but should not touch the fenders , my truck has no lift and i run 33's with no problems .

 

[84rustedandbustedbronco]

Yes it will rub i just put 33s on my they hit the sway bar and the wheel guard inside the wheel well

 

[808bronco]

So here's my 2 cents.

I've got a '96 with 31's on it, and the tires come very close the the bumper and sway bar when I'm turning the wheel. I *know* 33's wouldn't fit with the stock bumper, not to mention the black plastic air dam that attaches to the bottom of the bumper.

But 31's seem to be the biggest you can go without some sort of modification.

 

[Justshootme84]

There does seem to be some difference in how tall a tire you can run stock between the 80-86 vs. the 80-91/92-96 Broncos. I think there is a tad bit more room in the fenders for the 80-86 style, but the suspension is the same for 80-96. I do agree that the first contact you'll have is in front with the radius arms at full turn, and in the front of the rear quarter panels. THe status of the suspension, actual tire height and rim size can be the determining factor on a 33" tire. The stock suspension and shocks on my 86 are totally shot and sagging. Before installing the 6" lift on my 84, just installing new shocks added 1-1/2" height and easily cleared the 32x11.50's that were on it at the time. Ido plan to add a 4" suspension lift to the 86 Bronco, after the 88-front clip swap.

IF I would decide to trim the fenders by cutting out just the indented lip area, I think 35" tires would fit. My experience has been that a suspension lift is much more practical for ride quality and offroad prowess than just cutting the fenders.

 

[Seabronc]

I have 33 x 12.5's for my 83, and they do not rub except for the radius arms on full turns. I seems to have a lot to do with suspension condition, lift, setback on wheels, and the width of the wheel the tire is mounted on. Soon some trucks, there is no problem and on others you got to do some additional work.

The manufacturer warranty is voided if you mount them on wheels that are narrower than 8.5 inches. Stock wheels for the 80's were around 7 inches and if you stuff them on a stock wheel, the profile wil be higher. Also, if you stuff them on the stock wheels, which can be done, you void the manufacturer warranty and if you pop a bead resulting in a serious accident, you are on your own, (just had to add that 0 ). The wheel range specified by all manufacturers for 33x 12.5 x 15's is 8.5 - 11 inches with a 10 inch rim used to get the advertised dimentions.

A quote from the tire rack,

"The measuring rim width is the industry standardized rim width upon which the tire must be mounted in order to confirm it meets its dimensional targets. Because the width of the rim will influence the width of the tire, a standard rim width for every tire size is assigned and must be used. This standardized measuring rim width allows all of the tires produced around the world to meet the same dimensional standards and therefore, be equivalent with regards to their physical size. The measuring rim width is sometimes referred to as the tire's "design rim width"."

Another thing to think about when going to 33's is the fact that you will probably have to change your differential gear ratio. If you don't, you will probably make the truck into a power DOG. You can see a chart in the Jeff's Bronco Graveyard 80 and up catalog that is used to help select the right gear ratios based on tire size. See page 30.

Good luck on your choice of tires,

>-

 

[4 Wheelin Rust bucket]

i run 33x12.50 dunlop radial rover RV's under my 86 with no rubbing. when she starts to flex though its another story...........

 

[89Bronco_EB]

I have an 89 EB 5.0, i run Goodyear Wrangler RTS 33"x12.50R15 tires and i have no lift and no rubbing. hope this helps

btw summitracing.com sells a 3" body lift for about $90.00

 

[cowboydan]

cowboydan has been running/wheelin' with 33's for a yr.on his 87, he gets rub at full crank, using, 15x10"rims, never has had a problem rubbing in the fenders, and he's run the susp. thru full travel many times. I,ve seen 35's on a stock 80's bronco, with the fenders trimmed to the chrome line.

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the only place my tires rub is on the radius arms. still have my inner fenders and i think it's safe to say that i have maxed out the travel but we don't need to talk about that right now :-" ...lol my lil' pic near my name shows my 33x 12.5 on a 10"rim and i go wheeling all the time. not much room but looks can be decieving

 

[4x4ever]

I run 33x12.5 on my 80 bronco and the only time they rub is on a full crank. 33's are the biggest tire a ford will take without a lift, however you'll get some rubbage if you give it a full crank. If you decide to go any bigger you'll have to jack that mother up.