Tire/Wheel/Lift

[jimhammer1]

Can't say what all the wheels and tires are that work. I can relate my own experience.

I purchased my 97 Suzuki which had 25x8x12 Mud Lite tires and ITP wheels on it. It had been lifted 3" and required what seemingly was quite a bit of front fenders to be cut away. It still rubbed on turning. Also, with the 3" lift the front left CV was rough when the suspension was fully extended. After reading the posts on this forum (most helpful), I opted to go with a 2 1/4" lift to remedy the CV roughness. I also changed tires to Carlisle ACT's 23x10x12using the same ITP wheels. The tire decision was based on my usage of the truck. I changed out the rear lift from 3" shackles back to stock shackles and added a leaf to the spring stack achieving 2 1/4". The 10" ACT's actually measure out to 9".

Under the front fender is a formed brace. The new tires rubbed on this. I heated it and beat it down a tad. With the 2 1/4 lift the left front CV is pretty smooth. I can't say how much would have had to be cut away from the front fender using 23" tires, since I didn't see the truck in a stock condition.

It seems to me, size aside, the type of tire depends on how you are going to use the truck.

There are some really informative posts on this forum which helped me come to an informed decision on options based on usage, ride, looks, etc.

Thank you all for your posts.

Jim

[myhijet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpCf-agUwj0&feature=related
Maybe cv joint angle can be rather severe.
I have not disassembeled the driveline on my hijet but have rebuilt and or replaced several on our high maitennance polaris 500's. You have to split the shafts to replace the boots.
The cv joints are made to get longer and shorter to an extent. what if the problem isn't the axle angle and the shaft rubbing the inner part of the cup piece but the length of the axle. When the wheels are turned left and right, the axle needs to slide longer and shorter a bit.
If the axle in on the short side of things, the balls in the cup will then be close to coming out but if the slots are dimpled at the end to prevent this, the bind and noise could be from too short an axle.
If the axle is a bit long due to a slightly narrower wheelbase due to lifting, the axle could bottom out in the joint when the wheels are straight and suspension is loaded. If the spacers are placed in the strut towers the wheels go down and get closer together, without adjusting anything else in the front suspension. The axles don't exactly follow the same arc as the suspension which is part of the reason the axle slide is necessary.
I think I have some polaris parts that I could snap some pics if it would help anybody with the mental image of how the cv joints work.