A/C compressor Options and a Tires Question

[brettniles]

Recently had my A/C compressor go. Shopping around on rock auto.com found a kit with all the necessary components by a company called Global Parts Distributor. I can also buy all the Denso parts separately for about $80 more. In your experience, is it worth the extra cash to get the OEM Denso parts?

Secondary, noob question prob: Can I put a 12.5 inch tire on my stock steel rims or do I need to plan to invest in wider rims down the road? Currently running 31/10.5/15 and I don't mind the look of the rims, but would potentially like to size up to 33/12.5 after I do the OME suspension and diffs.

 

[KidVermicious]

33x12.5 is stupid fat. You CAN put those on a 7" wheel, but most tire shops won't, and even if you find a place to mount them you'll take a huge MPG/power hit and rub like crazy any time you turn sharp or stuff a tire. OME will not be nearly enough lift to fit those, you'll need a) a body lift or b) significant trimming and pounding to clear them properly, maybe even tubbing, and even then you might rub frame depending on what backspace your wheels are.

 

[brettniles]

33x12.5 is stupid fat. You CAN put those on a 7" wheel, but most tire shops won't, and even if you find a place to mount them you'll take a huge MPG/power hit and rub like crazy any time you turn sharp or stuff a tire. OME will not be nearly enough lift to fit those, you'll need a) a body lift or b) significant trimming and pounding to clear them properly, maybe even tubbing, and even then you might rub frame depending on what backspace your wheels are.

Glad I asked. I swear I've seen people with 33x12.5s under their OME lifts around here. Okay then. Follow up question, would it be stupid to go to 33x10.5 and use 1" wheel spacers to set the tires out a bit wider? I've seen a truck with 33x10.5s and it looked like it was gonna tip over because it's stance was still narrow as stock. Trying to avoid that look. BTW, functionality wise, this truck is going to be for light overland and winter snow driving.

 

[KidVermicious]

Glad I asked. I swear I've seen people with 33x12.5s under their OME lifts around here.

Maybe you did. Lots of guys go for a particular look over functionality, and you don't exactly need a lot of functionality when you're cruising the mall or splashing in mud puddles. But anybody who tells you they can stuff 33x12.5s with no body mods is lying or doesn't know what "stuffed" means.

Okay then. Follow up question, would it be stupid to go to 33x10.5 and use 1" wheel spacers to set the tires out a bit wider? I've seen a truck with 33x10.5s and it looked like it was gonna tip over because it's stance was still narrow as stock. Trying to avoid that look. BTW, functionality wise, this truck is going to be for light overland and winter snow driving.

Not stupid at all. The 33x10.5 has a lot going for it, not least of which is easier fitment. But if you push the tires too far out going for a particular look, you're going to lose everything you gained by going to a skinny tire in the first place. If the tread extends past the line of the fender at rest, it's going to interfere with the fender when you try and stuff the tire. And the farther the outside of the tire is from the point of steering (your upper and lower ball joints), the wider an arc it will describe when you turn the wheel, which leads to steering scrub and a greater chance of interference with the body and frame at steering lock.

I'm not a fan of wide tires, I think it's possible to have too much tread, but I'll definitely concede that once you lift it the stock track width feels a little narrow. If you only wanted to push it out a couple inches, wheel spacers will work, but be ready to do some fender trimming and pinch weld mods, and you might need to adjust the steering stops and lose a little on your turning circle in order to keep the tire off the frame. You can go wider than a couple inches with less backspace on the wheels or a wider spacer, but if you do that you run into a serious steering scrub problem and a lot more leverage on suspension and steering parts that could cause trouble down the road. At that point I'd suggest looking into a long travel setup or swapping to a solid axle that has the width you want.