Need advice 37's and Lift!

[Mike777]

Yes, yes before you say it I know there a ton of threads, but I need some advice on the set up I'm thinking about. I'm looking to add the BFgoodrich All Terrain T/A K02 37x12.50x17 C2. I currently have a Black Diamond with the SAS package.

A few questions.... since I'm a little out of my depth with this type of work on a car.

1. Will there be any rub without a lift? I've read so many different threads and there is differing opinions on this matter. I would love to hear from people that have actually bought these K02s.
2. Any ideas on good not necessarily cheap but reasonable lift kits that are adjustable? If I absolutely need one right now or if I can just buy the tires and do it later. I did read the thread on lifts from a few days ago but seeing if there any others out there I should consider if necessary.
3. Anyone know if these will give a little poke? I'm currently running with the SAS package.
4. I've also heard differing views on whether you need spacers or not?
5. Will this screw my tie rods? I've read plenty of horror stories of people off roading and blowing their tie rods when they go with bigger tires. Was going to go with the broncbuster brace here if I need it because I do go rock crawling every few months or so.

Sorry for the million questions, but really appreciate the responses in advance!

If you have any pics of your rig on 37's whether its K02 or not feel free to share as well!

Edit: Including my answer below since I had a question about the why.

Thats a fair question, I would say I want and need the lift but I dont want to spend the cash at this time so I can do it later. I want to hop on the 37's while I can get a deal on them. I do understand they only give 1 inch at this time.

Last time I went out I didn't have enough ground clearance for some obstacles and had to go around. Most of the trucks doing the tougher obstacles were running 37-40s with ease.

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[Mike777]

Let me ask you:

If you don't know what is needed for 37s, and don't know if a lift is needed or not, why is 1 inch difference in clearance worth the massive cost for your purposes?

I'm not being snide or mean, I just see so many of these posts and I'm absolutely lost why 37s are such a big deal to run for most people on here, especially knowing they break so many components where 35s maintain warranty and are designed specifically for the sasquatch bronco.

Thats a fair question, I would say I want and need the lift but I dont want to spend the cash at this time so I can do it later. I want to hop on the 37's while I can get a deal on them. I do understand they only give 1 inch at this time.

Last time I went out I didn't have enough ground clearance for some obstacles and had to go around. Most of the trucks doing the tougher obstacles were running 37-40s with ease.

 

[Mike777]

37s crawling will not beat travel. You're INFINITELY better off running better shocks than bigger tires.

Budget minded I'd look at better shocks with a lift - bilstein makes the 6112, icon has some 2.5s as well as fox and I'm sure Eibach or a few others do and they'd help you WAY more than tires and cost less than a set of 5 tires. Articulation and travel are your friends.

More droop/travel lets your tire contact more and move you. Bigger tires actually inhibit travel and will make it harder to do what your goal seems to be.

Buy some good adjustable height shocks. Also, unless they're free KO2s are not worth the money to upgrade from the stock sas tires. BFG mt t/a KM3s, Geolander m/t g003, or falken wildpeak at3ws are all MUCH better choices.


Do it right up front, do it once, and you'll save yourself a ton of money, problems on a trail, and stress.

I do appreciate the candor and help! It's definitely something to consider just going with the better shocks/lift instead of buying the tires right now. I was looking at the Bilstein and Eibach options the other day.

 

[Wannabe Techie]

Watch this Video. Best way to see what you are asking.

I personally went with 35s Ko2s and a 2 inch lift because I wanted to keep it simple at first. May upgrade later. I also don’t plan on doing crazy hard trails. Good luck to you.

 

[popo_patty]

 

[Mike777]

Watch this Video. Best way to see what you are asking.

I personally went with 35s Ko2s and a 2 inch lift because I wanted to keep I simple at first. May upgrade later. I also don’t plan on doing crazy hard trails. Good luck to you.

If you dont mind me asking which lift did you go with? Just watched the video thanks for the post.

 

[popo_patty]

Going back to this video I made, there a lot more un-answered questions that I’m going to dive into shortly with a post as well as video going into fitting 37’s and the different issues you may run into depending on your budget, goals and setups. I’m lucky enough to be around several dozen broncos modified in different ways and for difference purposes and have been slowly studying the different brands, issues and builds coming out. We also hit trails with them constantly. I don’t have time to answer all your questions atm and a true answer would require a massive amount of typing. Which is why I am working on a huge thread that I will continually edit that goes into all sorts of topics.
That being said, I’m always down if you wanna chat to walk you through my experiences (I come from the Jeep world, am a trail guide on the rubicon for the Jamboree every year and do lots of wheeling in my Bronco on every type of terrain)
If you wanna chat, shoot me a DM and I’ll give ya my number and I’ll walk you through it all.
I’m not affiliated with any company. I just love to test stuff and try it out and compare the results for learning.

 

[Wannabe Techie]

If you dont mind me asking which lift did you go with? Just watched the video thanks for the post.

I just did Procomp. Had them done at 4WP. I think at the time they were both owned by same company. There are a lot more options nowadays. But did lift and level.

 

[Bmadda]

I have a bit of experience in this area, so here is my $.02. More important than suspension lift is fender and frame clearance. Stock Sasquatch suspension handles 37s and beyond NO PROBLEM! 1st off at a minimum you gotta do some frame trimming in the crash bar/front body mount area to get full turning radius. JKS big tire kit is an excellent solution...you can get enough clearance w/a sawzall and some zip ties if you wana stay cheap...but it's a much cleaner look and frees up TONS of room. KO2s tend to run small, so they should require the absolute minimum to fit cleanly (don't get me wrong, they are a GREAT tire! I have owned many sets of KO2). For fender clearance I use body lift. Some people object to it, but for me it's a tradition. Small body lift+JKS big tire kit will fit any 37 on the market w/full articulation from stock suspension...no need to even touch it! Now, on to your "tie rod" question...here there are many options as well. Hoss 3.0 tie rods will fit the stock rack, and are 2mm thicker. Icons are 4mm thicker, however, that leads to the stock rack being the "weak link" (although we have seen cases of stock rack failure w/stock tie rods). Hoss 3.0 rack swap is a common mod now. Ford part # NB3Z-3504-M. You would need it programmed, and there's a guy in TX who does them drop shipped. The racks frequently go on backorder, so if you want one don't hesitate. I use 1.5" spacers simply to widen the stance...to me it just looks right, but not required...no different from going to 0 offset wheels, just a whole lot cheaper. Dont buy cheap chinese ones tho...hub centric from a known good manufacturer. All told the answer is yes you can fit 37x12.5 KO2s on a sasquatch without ANY suspension lift at all, but that doesn't mean it wont take a little work to get full steering/articulation...however these mods will "future proof" your rig when you decide to go bigger

 

[Copperhorse73]

@Bmadda is 100% correct. Just get the Jks max tire kit, 1.5” body lift and don’t touch the suspension. Rides great, full articulation, doesn’t mess with geometry, and is waaaaay cheaper than other options. Regarding steering, get the bushing for driver side and some tie rods or splints Unless ya plan on going crazy off-road

 

[Mike777]

I have a bit of experience in this area, so here is my $.02. More important than suspension lift is fender and frame clearance. Stock Sasquatch suspension handles 37s and beyond NO PROBLEM! 1st off at a minimum you gotta do some frame trimming in the crash bar/front body mount area to get full turning radius. JKS big tire kit is an excellent solution...you can get enough clearance w/a sawzall and some zip ties if you wana stay cheap...but it's a much cleaner look and frees up TONS of room. KO2s tend to run small, so they should require the absolute minimum to fit cleanly (don't get me wrong, they are a GREAT tire! I have owned many sets of KO2). For fender clearance I use body lift. Some people object to it, but for me it's a tradition. Small body lift+JKS big tire kit will fit any 37 on the market w/full articulation from stock suspension...no need to even touch it! Now, on to your "tie rod" question...here there are many options as well. Hoss 3.0 tie rods will fit the stock rack, and are 2mm thicker. Icons are 4mm thicker, however, that leads to the stock rack being the "weak link" (although we have seen cases of stock rack failure w/stock tie rods). Hoss 3.0 rack swap is a common mod now. Ford part # NB3Z-3504-M. You would need it programmed, and there's a guy in TX who does them drop shipped. The racks frequently go on backorder, so if you want one don't hesitate. I use 1.5" spacers simply to widen the stance...to me it just looks right, but not required...no different from going to 0 offset wheels, just a whole lot cheaper. Dont buy cheap chinese ones tho...hub centric from a known good manufacturer. All told the answer is yes you can fit 37x12.5 KO2s on a sasquatch without ANY suspension lift at all, but that doesn't mean it wont take a little work to get full steering/articulation...however these mods will "future proof" your rig when you decide to go bigger

This was a fantastic response thank you! Question on the JKS - I was watching the youtube video on it. With the rear delete it could potentially cause issues in a crash because it's there so the tire doesn't go into the cabin. Driving family around I'm not sure about that kind of mod. Without it I think it should still work.

Do you have a recommendation on body lift and spacers? I've looked at multiple so just curious what your thoughts are there. I may do that first and do the 37's later or just keep 35's.

 

[Mike777]

Sasquatch doesn’t have crash bars.

I know the video I was watching must have been from a stock Bronco. But there is another bar behind the tire not the front according to the JKS youtube video. I guess it wouldnt matter though since there is no bar there currently just cutting off the rest.

 

[35tires]

There is the frame mount for the crash bar, but no bar. 37s shouldn’t bother it at all depending on the rim you choose. Offset is your friend.

 

[mike8675309]

This was a fantastic response thank you! Question on the JKS - I was watching the youtube video on it. With the rear delete it could potentially cause issues in a crash because it's there so the tire doesn't go into the cabin. Driving family around I'm not sure about that kind of mod. Without it I think it should still work.

Do you have a recommendation on body lift and spacers? I've looked at multiple so just curious what your thoughts are there. I may do that first and do the 37's later or just keep 35's.

Really? You are looking at lifting your vehicle, and replacing the stock size tires with bigger tires and your primary concern is safety in a crash?

If that truly is your concern, you shouldn't change anything and just stick with your stock setup and remain as safe as Ford was able to make it. The sasquatched Bronco tires and suspension are very good. Make sure you have the skid plates necessary to protect things, then if necessary ride on them at those few places where 37's would make it easier.


We don't know what the risk looks like by removing crash bars but increasing the size of the tire. Even with a lift, you would need to remove one or both crash bars to fit larger tires with a reasonable offset.

 

[Mike777]

Really? You are looking at lifting your vehicle, and replacing the stock size tires with bigger tires and your primary concern is safety in a crash?

If that truly is your concern, you shouldn't change anything and just stick with your stock setup and remain as safe as Ford was able to make it. The sasquatched Bronco tires and suspension are very good. Make sure you have the skid plates necessary to protect things, then if necessary ride on them at those few places where 37's would make it easier.


We don't know what the risk looks like by removing crash bars but increasing the size of the tire. Even with a lift, you would need to remove one or both crash bars to fit larger tires with a reasonable offset.

I know there is no full crash bar just the small piece in the front/back since I'm running an SAS bronco. I just didn't know if it made a difference. Apparently not so doesn't matter if the rest is cut off.

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