OK if I run a 30 inch tire on a 4 inch lifted wagon with a stock engine is it ok to run in low gear?

 

on the street

 

all the time

Dont expect to get anywhere fast

I run 31's, I use low gear 2wd in town, and I shift into 2wd hi on the highway after second gear. And 2 speed reverse kicks @$$.

be just fine Ive ran for months in FWD low range no issues

i used to run it in low... just my .02, why run 30's you'll never have any gearing left to save that clutch...

OK if I run a 30 inch tire on a 4 inch lifted wagon with a stock engine is it ok to run in low gear?

 

on the street

 

all the time

\

i run 4low in town and 4high on the highway i would run 2wd but with the diff lockup i cant turn so i keep it in 4wd

This is going to be one of those really annoying on topic but not what you want to hear replies. So I apologize in advance. But I still have to say it so live with it.

 

Do you plan to offroad with this setup? Cos even running 27" tires on my Brat with an EJ22 was a PITA offroad. Never had low enough gearing. Having 30" tires would be a nightmare and pretty much useless in my mind I reckon. Useless as in will not gain offroad ability only looks.

i'm in agreement with everyone else as far as not enough gearing, you are roughly close to the stock gearing in high with 13" if you run low with 30" maybe less. i'm only gauging this by how my car reacts in low gear from what i remember it was before i lifted and put 15" on it. my tires are only about 29" new and there isn't enough gearing in alot of offroad situations, but i do manage pretty good but my clutch suffers. when i push real hard especially up hills it starts smeeling and letting me know it doesn't like it.

 

So! to answer your question in my opinion running in low with 30" would be close to normal high range with 13", ok on the road but sucky offroad. probably be fine in muddy fields but not to good on some or most trails on Goat just ok at best.

 

My .02 worth

well that does kind of sum things up I just wanted to up my selection of tires I am only running 26 inch tires so maybe 27 will be the best I should go then ? thank you everyone for the knowledge

well that does kind of sum things up I just wanted to up my selection of tires I am only running 26 inch tires so maybe 27 will be the best I should go then ? thank you everyone for the knowledge

 

Im running 26" mud tires love them, Ive ran up to 29" on the white wagon and prefer the 26" for the gearing I wouldnt go 30 ( but Jeff would )

well that does kind of sum things up I just wanted to up my selection of tires I am only running 26 inch tires so maybe 27 will be the best I should go then ? thank you everyone for the knowledge

 

if you want to push 28's, eric got some mean bfg mud terrains for his new project. those tires rock! had some 31's on a tcased soob for a couple years. excellent road manners, excellent offroad characteristics and a long wear tire, like 65,000 miles. if you want to push your gearing look into zap's coupe project and order some of those tires. you'll still be pushing gearing, but they are an awesome tire for a compromise on options and gearing. but overall the gearing goes away even with 27's. just to put it into perspective, a suzuki samurai's high range w/stock gearing is about the same as a subaru in 4lo...

well ouch yeah my buddy has a lifted suzuki samurai with 31s and stock gearing gets about 3rd and fourth gear but thats about it

Im running 26" mud tires love them, Ive ran up to 29" on the white wagon and prefer the 26" for the gearing I wouldnt go 30 ( but Jeff would )

 

where did you get 26 inch mud tires?

Yes Scott, i curious about that to. i would love a set of 26" muds for my 84' wagon. i have blizzaks on it now and they work pretty good.

where did you get 26 inch mud tires?

 

Originally Posted by Scott in Bellingham

Im running 26" mud tires love them, Ive ran up to 29" on the white wagon and prefer the 26" for the gearing I wouldnt go 30 ( but Jeff would )

the gearing in low range isnt quite the same as stock tires in high, running 31's on the highway, I am revving 3500 rpm going 55 in low in 5th gear, where as before I was revving 2750 in high. However, in high range with 31's, in 4th gear going 55mph I am revving at 2750 rpm. Ive had the vehicle up past 70mph, and it will hold 60 well. And Im running an EA81 in an EA82 car. Not so great for hardcore wheelin', but good enough for some fun offroad.

I went with 26X12X12 for off-road and 27" for dirt roads.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=11728&cat=500&perpage=12&sort=3&ppuser=584

 

Not much difference between the two in height.

Both of these are too big for the stock Subie gearing.

I went with the 27" only because there is very little choice in dirt tires smaller than 27".

 

I went with the 26X12X12 because they are 6ply.

I may drop a size when these wear out?

In a Subie, I'll take gearing over clearance any day.

My brat has 30's on it and I drive it just like its stock I have no problem. The 86 Wagon I bought from Scott has 30's too. its stuck in 4 low and it drives just fine too. seems to get up to speed a lot faster than my brat but thats about it. I turn 3500 rpm at about 55mph. I have no problem with it. just go for it!! 30's look sweet

 

Jeff

Yes Scott, i curious about that to. i would love a set of 26" muds for my 84' wagon. i have blizzaks on it now and they work pretty good.

 

mykingcrab got them for me they are retreads from Tire Shed in Seymour Mo. I would get another set if I needed them I dont remember the price but it was cheep

im runnin 26.5" a/t's and i climb some of the craziest lookin hills. i get the you "wont make it:lol: " followed by the "NO F#$%IN WAY:eek:" im gonna be runnin 27" super swampers, the SSR's on my 15" pugs after i instal my ej of course:banana:

it's all going to be relevant to each persons preference. the taller tire, the more hammer down time to get runs at obstacles. the shorter the tire the more you can finesse a line in a subaru. so you need to decide where your equilibrium sits. either go to one extreme or another, but 27's are well known to be a well rounded size for gearing and clearance. personally I have 31's and wish I only had about 29's, for strength to gearing with the divorced case. 31's stress everything and require serious finesse and the right gearing choice to not break stuff.

 

I've driven both the ssr's and the bfg mud terrains. overall bfg's are better than the ssr's. they have a rim guard built into the bead, sidewalls held up real well in the arizona rocks. hell they are made for baja racing... the ssr's are well known for weaker sidewalls, actually all interco radial swampers are known to be a lot weaker than their bias ply counter parts. overall both have excellent performance. but the other pitfall to the ssr's is they wear a heck of a lot faster than the bfg's. actual size: just under 27" for the ssrs and about 27.7 for the bfg's. it might be worth the sacrifice on gearing to get the bfg's. if you can get them from discount tire, they are warrantied for offroad.

Right on I like the bfg but are the ats only in the smaller size

Right on I like the bfg but are the ats only in the smaller size

 

yeah, the a/t's come in a slightly smaller size, but if you like wheeling in the mud or snow i wouldn't waste your money on them. there's compromises with everything... a mud terrain is probably your best bet. i wouldn't suggest settling for an a/t when your talking about an inch difference. now if you just wheeled in the sand, desert and dry areas then the a/t's aren't bad. just make sure you get the baja editions.

30 inch is so cool though

30 inch is so cool though

then go get some 30's, you've been warned that you won't have any gearing.

totally right though I was sitting around the fire at a friends and I just want to go bigger looks like I will be converting it to straight axles It will be a job but that seems to be the right thing to do