GrantK
New member
As most know going to 285/70-17 tires requires modifying the wheel well to prevent rubbing. There are probably several ways to do this but Harper7's wheel well mod seems to be the prefered and for good reason, it works. Thank you harper7!!!
Here are some things Mr Murphy taught me in the process that may help others doing this mod to get the best results. Not having enough days with 72 hrs in them I ended up jumping the gun and installing my new rims and tires before doing the wheel well mod. I knew it would rub a little and decided to roll the dice. I got lucky, this time, and no real damage was done, just a few scuff marks on the wheel well liner. I do not recommend going this route and urge others to do the mod and have the caster adjusted first!!!
When doing the wheel well mod there are 2 bolts to remove (based on a ’12 TE). Both are mounted just in front of the well on the horizontal surface. One is located at the edge of the surface near the side of the truck; the other is several inches in from the side and edge of the wheel well. The important thing when doing this mod is to relocate the mounting holes in the liner so it is pulled as far forward as possible. If you don’t get it far enough you’ll have to do the mod twice, just like me, :wow: and there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as too far forward.
After removing both bolts, jiggle the liner and pull it forward to get it off the lip that sets its stock position. Then keeping the liner more or less square, push, pull ,wedge, cuss and scrape knuckles getting the side mounting point as far forward as possible and then a little more (too much doesn’t seem, to exist). Mark this point through the bolt hole and then slide the liner back and make a hole through the liner about ¼” dia. where you marked. Put the liner back in and place the bolt through the new hole but don’t tighten completely, just enough to hold things in place.
Repeat the process for the bolt that is several inches in from the side and wheel well edge. There is a little ramp that this mounting point can slide over, it seems to be OK to pull the liner forward and let the bolt hole slide over the ramp up onto the main flat surface to get the liner even farther forward. Try to keep things squared up but being a little off doesn’t seem to matter. Mark the mounting hole location on the liner, slide it back and make the new ¼ hole in the liner. Slid the liner into its new location, put in the bolt and securely tighten both bolts.
It's now ready for the shop and having the caster kicked up to as close to 4.0 as possible. The shop might argue a little saying that 2.5-4.0 is in spec but just explain to them that you need it at 4.0 to allow for larger tires.
I guesstimate that I moved the liner’s side bolt hole forward about 1” and the inner bolt hole at least 2”. This is an easy mod and takes less than ½ hr. if you do it right the first time, doing it twice (like me) will take an hour.
I hope this saves others some time and having to do the mod twice.
Here are some things Mr Murphy taught me in the process that may help others doing this mod to get the best results. Not having enough days with 72 hrs in them I ended up jumping the gun and installing my new rims and tires before doing the wheel well mod. I knew it would rub a little and decided to roll the dice. I got lucky, this time, and no real damage was done, just a few scuff marks on the wheel well liner. I do not recommend going this route and urge others to do the mod and have the caster adjusted first!!!
When doing the wheel well mod there are 2 bolts to remove (based on a ’12 TE). Both are mounted just in front of the well on the horizontal surface. One is located at the edge of the surface near the side of the truck; the other is several inches in from the side and edge of the wheel well. The important thing when doing this mod is to relocate the mounting holes in the liner so it is pulled as far forward as possible. If you don’t get it far enough you’ll have to do the mod twice, just like me, :wow: and there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as too far forward.
After removing both bolts, jiggle the liner and pull it forward to get it off the lip that sets its stock position. Then keeping the liner more or less square, push, pull ,wedge, cuss and scrape knuckles getting the side mounting point as far forward as possible and then a little more (too much doesn’t seem, to exist). Mark this point through the bolt hole and then slide the liner back and make a hole through the liner about ¼” dia. where you marked. Put the liner back in and place the bolt through the new hole but don’t tighten completely, just enough to hold things in place.
Repeat the process for the bolt that is several inches in from the side and wheel well edge. There is a little ramp that this mounting point can slide over, it seems to be OK to pull the liner forward and let the bolt hole slide over the ramp up onto the main flat surface to get the liner even farther forward. Try to keep things squared up but being a little off doesn’t seem to matter. Mark the mounting hole location on the liner, slide it back and make the new ¼ hole in the liner. Slid the liner into its new location, put in the bolt and securely tighten both bolts.
It's now ready for the shop and having the caster kicked up to as close to 4.0 as possible. The shop might argue a little saying that 2.5-4.0 is in spec but just explain to them that you need it at 4.0 to allow for larger tires.
I guesstimate that I moved the liner’s side bolt hole forward about 1” and the inner bolt hole at least 2”. This is an easy mod and takes less than ½ hr. if you do it right the first time, doing it twice (like me) will take an hour.
I hope this saves others some time and having to do the mod twice.
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