I am looking to get in contact with anyone who has experience, knowledge, comments, etc. with lifting a 2004 3500 4x4 Dually. I am interested in more than a 4" lift, and am looking at 6 or 8 inches of lift with 36" or taller tires. Yes I am insane. I know that my tire options are limited becase I have a Duramax/Allison combo and need to stay with at least D range tires, E Range preferred. For this application my questions are:


What lift kits are available or recommended for a 3500 Dually?


Does anyone have a recommendation on a wheel manufacturer that can make a custom rim (offset, etc) that would work with larger tires, or is there something that exists that might work. ( I do not want to use a wheel spacer.)


Anyone have a photo of a newer dually that is lifted?


Any other feedback or constructive comments are welcome. Thanks!

Welcome and good luck ....


Not a whole lot of info out there as the offset on the duallys in order to exchange front and rear tires ....


Most aftermarket wheels have different offsets making the front rear exchange impossible ....


I'm doing a tad bit off research on this but it's discouraging ,must just say ,wont work ... When asking why you never get a real answer ...


I tell them stock wheel has an 8.5 offset wheels I'm running Ultras have a 7.5 offset in the front ...Doing the math thats a bigger drop in back spacing ,an inch ,then needed on the 2500HD...


RCD says there are other differences ...... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif


Calling CST and Tuff Country ...Then I quit ....


There's always this guy => http://www.siblingrivalry.com/compare.html


Mac


http://www.siblingrivalry.com/images/header/sib0502-02.jpgEdited by: Mackin

Mac,


It feels like I am treading in uncharted waters! I have built my own suspension compenents in the past, similar to some of the fabrication on the Sibling Rivalry trucks. The black dually is clearly 4 linked, so that wont work for me.


I heard via Fabtech that the difference between the 2500 HD and 3500 is ONLY the rear u-bolts. The 3500 axle housing diameter is larger so custom u-bolts would need to be fabricated. That is easy enough, I just have not purchased the kit, and was hoping someone else had some experience.


As for the wheels, I know that companies like Stockton Wheel or Paulson Wheels in California could make some custom wheels with offsets that would allow for a universal spare (front rim, turned around to fit on the rear.) The problem with this is that I do not want a simple steel rim. I did read on this Forum that the diameter of the center of the rim needs to ride on the rear hub. There are a lot of manufacturers that have rims that are supported solely by the lugs, not the hub. Anyone care to comment?

visit www.chromewheel.com (http://www.chromewheel.com) they have a few pics of some lifted duallys. They sell big tire and rim combos, which is what youll need when you lift yours. I think they offer links for lift kits, and the site can put you in touch with some of the guys who lifted theirs. The chevy arrival blue lifted dually on this site is pretty sharp! I have the same truck and its got my wheels turning. ( will have to get rid of the girlfriend to afford that mod!!)http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

I can't comment on the hubs or the wheels except for the neepers (don't know the back spacing, but offer more room). I personaly like the SuperLift because they address the Track bar issue with the steering as well as lift. They lower and stabilize it with a linkage set up. This will help greatly with tire wear in the long run. The way they have it set up, it won't allow the tires to toe in and out on breaking and 4wd acceleration and wander associated with the design of the stock track bar. I still recomend the tie rod sleeves as a minimum if you are going with larger tires, or ever think about going off road. Super Diesel Edited by: Super Diesel

VIEWNU I have never lifted a dooley but I can help you with the lift and tires. For a 6" or 8" lift I would recommend CST. IMO they offer the most complete lift on the market. There shouldn't be a difference in the axles diameter wise, only width wise. I don't think Fabtech knows what they are talking about but then again I've been wrong before. The biggest problem your going to run into is the rear tires. Because you have a dooley offset is important and many guys run spacers in between the rear wheels so they clear each other. You'll be limited to a 12.5" wide tire or skinnier. Parnelli Jones and I possibly Super Swamper now offer 35x12.5 E load range tires which sounds like what your looking for. Only problem is they are pretty wide for a 12.5" wide tire when compared to say a 35x12.5 BFG A/T(as pictured below). The BFGs are D load range.

http://www.socalsupertrucks.com/trucks/22_1.jpg*


http://www.socalsupertrucks.com/trucks/22_3.jpg


http://www.socalsupertrucks.com/trucks/22_2.jpg

This was posted in another thread.
<font size="1">


This is a common question and the answer is one that most do not want to hear. When Chevrolet redesigned the new 16"x6.5" dual wheel for 2001-current trucks, I had the privilege of working with a GM engineer and Alcoa. I was told they designed the wheel to run no tire larger than an LT215. Their goal was to create less bulge on the tire. They did this by designing a 16"x6.5" rim width, basically .5" wider than a traditional dual wheel. Most would think you could run a wider tire, but they then pushed in the offset and changed the curvature of the wheel. Now to answer your question on the spacer, this is a bad idea. The modern dual wheel is a hub piloted system, meaning the entire weight of the vehicle rest on the center bore. The purpose of the swiveling flange nut is to create a large amount of pressure on the two flat faced wheels against the hub. This allows all the pressure of the wheel to return to the center bore. If you allow an object between the dual wheels you increase the chance dramatically of vibration or stud breakage and you will automatically void your warranty. If you run the larger tire without the use of a spacer, the tires will rub together creating heat and increase the chance of "blow outs". So for the purpose of this discussion by increasing the size of tire you reduce the overall performance and weight carrying capacity of the truck using a 16" wheel.

Modern steel wheel manufacturers can not justify a cost to produce a wheel with a different offset. One reason is the ability to produce enough volume for the tooling and the second is the liability of re-engineering the wheel. Your alternative is to move away from the 16" wheel, but finding a wheel with the correct center bore and offsets will be hard to do. Alcoa Wheels will be producing a 19.5" version wheel that will directly fit on the new Chevy/GM trucks in the coming year.</font> <edited><editID>y2kboti</editID><editDate>38130.4776157407</editDate

Is that truck lifted ?? Looks like torsion bar cranked and bigger tires ....


Your positive a CST will not have the need to shorten the backspacing ??


Most if not all aftermarket ALUM rims will not be interchangable from front to rear ...The exception of course is possibly the Ricksons or Alcoha .... But the price, huge and ride quality will suffer ...





Mac

VIENU


I am doing the exact same deal right now. The WELD Velociti 8's just landed here yesterday. These will not allow you to rotate (rear to the fronts) the wheel / tire conbo as the inner side of all the wheels are not finished the same as the outter. These wheels come with a 6.5" backspacing , I will be running the Swamper TSL radial 36 X 12.5" I am speaking with CST now on their 6-8" lift, seems to be a good lift.


Lets see your ride when you get it finished.Good luck with this project.


MB

Is that truck lifted ?? Looks like torsion bar cranked and bigger tires ....
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif Hell yeah it's lifted. That truck is a good 6-8" taller than a torsion bar lifted truck! You can see the subframe in the first picture if you look closely.

Thanks everyone for the informative feedback. The pictures of the white truck is about the height I would like to achieve, (without a body lift).


As for the tire recommendations, those are the two brands that I am looking at (PJ and Swamper). i am leaning towards the PJ becuase my experience with the Swampers are that they have a softer tread, hence they wear out faster.


MB please keep posting as you make progress. I am curious to learn any unforseen issues. I like the Velocity series wheels too, so I am sure they will look good. As for reversing the rim from front to back, do you mean that the inside is not finsihed (i.e. Chrome or polished...a look issue) the same as the outside or are you referring to flatness of the rim at the point of contact (mechanical fit issue). I was referring to carrying a spare tire/rinm combo in the event of an emergency, where the look would not matter but it definitely would need to function.


BTW did you get a different offset on your Welds or stay with the stock offset?


VIEWNU

VIEWNU don't be fooled. The tread on the PJs is probably just as soft as a radial Swamper. I have aroun 20k on my PJs and they still have a decent amount of tread left but I rotate them every 3-5k miles. The PJs tend to wear alittle uicker while towing or constant highway driving.

P.S. that white dooley does not have a body lift on it.Edited by: y2kboti

Good info on the PJ's. I also took a closer look at the Velocity 8's and realized that they would not work. I know that on my older dually, my alcoas could be turned around and made to work.


I looked up the website for that white dually and will contact them to see what lift kit they installed. Hopefully I can continue to get more good feedback here and some other answers that I can share.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


V-

Sorry I reread what I originally posted and failed to say that is a CST 6-8" kit.

Is that truck lifted ?? Looks like torsion bar cranked and bigger tires ....



http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif Hell yeah it's lifted. That truck is a good 6-8" taller than a torsion bar lifted truck! You can see the subframe in the first picture if you look closely.


Allrighty then ...


Next question what lift kit ??


Mac

VIEWNU Do you have all the info you need on the Velociti 8's ? Let me know if I can measure anything up for you.


I tryied the Kleine web site as well, no info on the truck. Keep us posted if you find out whats in it.


Thanks


MB

I was down in La Juanta two weekends ago. I saw a 3500 F**d dually with a lift kit on it. Not real tall. The interesting part was the wheels and tires. Chrome or Alloy I was not sure. However, I was sure; they were for a big rig!!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif I have never seen this before. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

I am also planning on lifting my dually. I'm not looking for a big kit just about 4'' or so with some 285/70/19.5 tires.

[QUOTE=y2kboti]


VIEWNU I have never lifted a dooley but I can help you with the lift and tires. For a 6" or 8" lift I would recommend CST. IMO they offer the most complete lift on the market. There shouldn't be a difference in the axles diameter wise, only width wise. I don't think Fabtech knows what they are talking about but then again I've been wrong before. The biggest problem your going to run into is the rear tires. Because you have a dooley offset is important and many guys run spacers in between the rear wheels so they clear each other. You'll be limited to a 12.5" wide tire or skinnier. Parnelli Jones and I possibly Super Swamper now offer 35x12.5 E load range tires which sounds like what your looking for. Only problem is they are pretty wide for a 12.5" wide tire when compared to say a 35x12.5 BFG A/T(as pictured below). The BFGs are D load range.

http://sirius.siriusmail.net:8080/socal/trucks/22_1.jpg


http://sirius.siriusmail.net:8080/socal/trucks/22_3.jpg


http://sirius.siriusmail.net:8080/socal/trucks/22_2.jpg

This was posted in another thread.
[quote=Southwest Wheel]


This is a common question and the answer is one that most do not want to hear. When Chevrolet redesigned the new 16"x6.5" dual wheel for 2001-current trucks, I had the privilege of working with a GM engineer and Alcoa. I was told they designed the wheel to run no tire larger than an LT215. Their goal was to create less bulge on the tire. They did this by designing a 16"x6.5" rim width, basically .5" wider than a traditional dual wheel. Most would think you could run a wider tire, but they then pushed in the offset and changed the curvature of the wheel. Now to answer your question on the spacer, this is a bad idea. The modern dual wheel is a hub piloted system, meaning the entire weight of the vehicle rest on the center bore. The purpose of the swiveling flange nut is to create a large amount of pressure on the two flat faced wheels against the hub. This allows all the pressure of the wheel to return to the center bore. If you allow an object between the dual wheels you increase the chance dramatically of vibration or stud breakage and you will automatically void your warranty. If you run the larger tire without the use of a spacer, the tires will rub together creating heat and increase the chance of "blow outs". So for the purpose of this discussion by increasing the size of tire you reduce the overall performance and weight carrying capacity of the truck using a 16" wheel.

Modern steel wheel manufacturers can not justify a cost to produce a wheel with a different offset. One reason is the ability to produce enough volume for the tooling and the second is the liability of re-engineering the wheel. Your alternative is to move away from the 16" wheel, but finding a wheel with the correct center bore and offsets will be hard to do. Alcoa Wheels will be producing a 19.5" version wheel that will directly fit on the new Chevy/GM trucks in

the links don't work.
Road Boss I updated the links for you. Scroll up to my original post and you will see the pictures again.