So Ive been taking my '82 brat off road finally  , the one thing i really enjoy is how well this little guy can actually climb! I'm ready to do my lift but I guess I wanna pick a tire size first. the tire ive been looking at is the general grabber 27x8.5x14. my question is how well can the stock motor push this tire? I'd hate to lose my low range advantage over the legacy in my group ;P 

 

Side note: after browsing literally hundreds of photos of lift/tire size, can this tire fit with a 2" lift and some trimming. not all 2" lifts look the same, im ordering from SJR. I'm leaning more towards a 2" lift in the front over a 4"/2" to keep the center of gravity lower,(+ less work/cost). 

 

-Cheers!

Edited June 30, 201411 yr by m12-lrv

Also, I am rockin the 5 spd trans, Ive heard that they have a deeper low range.

read more. Because if you had you would see that those motors are pushing WAY bigger tire than you are contemplating.

NOT cheers...

Edited June 30, 201411 yr by monstaru

trust me i have done A LOT of reading, but i have not seen mention of stock motors and performance. MCbrats monster runs an EA-81 with 33" tires, but he is also running a trans-case after a low range gearbox. Also, im way over a mile above sea level in elevation while off roading. not much air to breath, my car at sea level would feel like it was supercharged. and to be fair, most of the lift/tire threads do not mention motor size.

A simple "yes you should have no issues climbing a 45+ degree slope" will suffice.

-CHEERS

Sjr does not offer a 2" lift for your brat

Another colorado boy! Im a bit south of castle rock...

When it comes to ea81, tire size and driveability, its all relative i guess. You could throw 35s on there and run it offroad, but would you personally be able to deal with that on the highway? not me. Im runnin 215x75-14s (26" with no lift) and my ol' 84 is a bit of a pig out on the highway. But hey, it was with stock tires too!

Off road mine does ok...theres only been a couple times atop a gnarly climb where i was like, "aw shoot, she isnt gonna make it and ima hafta back down this mess"...but it always made it. Amazing how slow that little motor will spin.

Im still in the middle of swappin in my 5spd, so i cant opine as to whether the low range in it will make a lot of difference over the 4spds.

But I'll say go for it and get the 27s. Better that, than wishing you had gone bigger.

 

Gesundheit

Edited June 30, 201411 yr by spazomatic

I ran tires that were just under 27" on my brat that was lifted 2". It worked well. Still had a decent amount of power. I recommend Highguyslifts.com for a lift. They are built stronger, and he is great to deal with.

I have so much to say it's almost criminal not to say it.

cheers that bitch

Back to the original posting, Ive emailed scott and it is available "$250 , you should do it, it will level out the car".

Edited July 1, 201411 yr by m12-lrv

A simple "yes you should have no issues climbing a 45+ degree slope" will suffice.

-CHEERS

Not without fuel injection you wont.You will loose some gearing,its just the nature of the beast.1st lo idle will go from 2 MPH to like 5 MPH,but the bigger tires will have enough grip otherwise to make up for the difference.

It depends on how much offset your wheels have.  I have 27x8.5x14 bighorns on my 4" lifted BRAT with lots of negative offset and they rub in the front when turning.  As for power you will notice a loss and your gearing will no longer be as low as it was with stock tires.  I also ran these on my GL for quite a while with a 2" and could cruise pretty easily on the highway but had to downshift into 4th to pull large hills.

Yep,with the lift and bigger tires,offroad= 1ST lo or maybe 2nd Lo on some faster sections.

For $250 you could buy a chop saw,blade , steel , and bolts. Just saying.

For $250 you could buy a chop saw,blade , steel , and bolts. Just saying.

OP what is your level of mechanical aptitude?

I have a 2" lift on my ea81 and I would not do it again. It suffices but its a pain to get in. Just go for a 3". It gives you room for a wrench and itll be easier to find a way to connect the steering using stock parts.

I have thought about making it myself but I don't trust myself getting the measurements spot on for the camber. Someone else with a jig, who does it for a living, will get it right the first time. After doing some measuring, 27's really are not a lot bigger in radius but the tire will be wider. I'd love to go with a bigger lift but I'm trying to stay sensible. My BRAT already gets to a lot of places I wouldn't expect, I'm just looking for a little more clearance. with the tire/combo the body should sit about 4.5 inches higher than stock.

I put 29x8s on my 2" lifted wagon, i have a carbed ea82 and i also have the 5 spd dual range.

 

It will do the highway, but just barely. our speed limit is 65.

 

I wish i had either smaller tires or more power as it runs out of grunt pretty quick off road

Edited August 12, 201411 yr by AKghandi

Oops, i lied. I reread my previous post...im running 205x75-14s, not 215x75-14. Doesnt matter. My bad. Carry on.