Originally Posted by NDanecker

I guess I’m playing both sides of the fence here. I like lifted trucks so therefore I like aftermarket parts. There are some that are junk and some WILL improve the overall performance of a vehicle. I am not disputing that. However, improperly mixing aftermarket parts can give you a truck WORSE in performance and possible an unsafe truck depending how you use it. An unsafe truck is where a lawyer can get you…if found to be at fault in an accident or injury. I personally despise lawyers. They are on the bottom of the food chain in my book. But like flies and mosquitoes they serve a purpose.

For example. This thread is about towing with lifted trucks. Well….lifted trucks usually come with larger diameter tires. When our trucks were designed an engineer took the GVW and designed a caliper with sufficient clamping force and a rotor with the proper diameter and surface area to stop the truck within a certain ‘acceptable’ distance. They also offer a maximum towing capacity mostly dictated by the ability of stopping this added mass within a safe distance. I know…other factors come into play like hitch capacity etc. but those can be bumped up to meet a specific target towing capacity.

Now upgrading nothing more than tire size you have effecting increased the torque created by the weight of the vehicle moving forward turning the 4 tires. To stop the vehicle you’ll have to overcome this HIGHER torque with the brakes. Well…since the brakes haven’t been upgraded (and almost no one upgrades their brakes when doing a lift kit) you have lowered your stopping ability and INCREASED your stopping distance. I know there are other variables like difference in coefficient of friction between tires and roadway by using a different width or style tire, but those can be almost neglected here. The bottom line is the increased distance to stop the vehicle is X distance MORE than stock. Add a 10k# trailer with poor trailer brakes and....well....I hope you see my point.

A lawyer…with this information….can use this in court saying if the defendant hadn’t modified the vehicle from its original design the vehicle could have been stopped in time to avoid my client and/or even avoided the accident by turning sharply if his CG wasn’t so high. Blah Blah Blah….

Lawyers have field days with STOCK trucks that were either improperly designed at the factory to meet certain criteria. Remember the Suzuki Samurai that tips over? The rear tire blowing up on Ford Explorers? Imagine what they could do with a modified truck!?!?!?!?

I read there was a guy who was towing a large trailer. He was over this GVW by just a few hundred pounds. He was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter and doing time for killing a women who cut in front of her on the highway all because he was over his GCVWR. If this story is true…who knows I read it on the internet 3rd person.

My point is use common sense, be careful and DON”T BELIEVE EVERYTHING these manufacturers say that their product can do for us. They are out for one thing – increased sales & revenue. Most even come with disclaimers about safety and warranty. Why do you think that??? When you modify a stock truck you not only become your own warranty station you also become your own legal advice station.

What was this thread about again!?!?!?

Originally Posted by IsItFast

Well I think a dually is a night and day difference from single rear wheel. Factory or lifted.

Originally Posted by IsItFast

So what you are saying is that the stock tires are the absolutely best tires to not get flex? I find that hard to believe. A lot of guys on here are putting larger tires on there trucks that have LESS sidewall (due to wheel increase in size) and have just as high or higher load rating than the stock tires do. I guess all those engineers that design the big rigs must be idiots since every 18 wheeler on the road runs at least 36 inch tires. And how much do they tow again "unsafely"?.....

As for me, my tires are about 37 inches tall and mine runs better at 70-75 because I am cranking lower RPM's. If it does need to downshift, I don't need to wait for the truck to slow down to 63 mph before it will downshift. This works better for ME.

Originally Posted by NDanecker

Ok...I'll try to keep this my last post on this.

Sorry for high jacking this thread. I was just trying to share my experience with both lifted and unlifted trucks when towing, and maybe give some advice to people who are on the fence if they should lift their truck if they tow.

I agree...to each their own. Again, I love lifted trucks. Personally, I just don't think they are better when towing then a stock truck. Can they tow....sure but in my opinion just not better. But everyone has a different BUTT METER to measure if 1 way is better then the next....and that makes the world go round!!!

Originally Posted by Kenny D

im not sure on the weight im still checking on things i was gonna run 2 or 3 8 lug oil baths and convert to a goosneck or perhaps a dualy tandome set up not sure yet


Love those semi wheels

Originally Posted by mcolectd

truck *****. And on the aftermarket parts thing, nobody said that all aftermarket parts were better than factory.

Originally Posted by NDanecker

Try to stay with only 2 axles and not 3. Its real tuff on the tires/rims/bearings when doing a 90 degree turn with a gooseneck loaded with 3 axles. One guy I knew kept a bag of sand with him when he needed to turn on a dime in a parking lot. He'd throw down the sand to let the front and rear tires slide around the middle axle.

Yea those semi tires are serious shoes!!!