With the tires mounted the only thing left to do was put them back on the truck. I may have mentioned already, but on the front I have to run a 1/4" spacer since the wheel hits the tierod arm. This was an easier solution instead of cutting these wheels up to reduce the backspace by one quarter inch. On the rear, it's a bit of a process to get the wheels on. I have to put the rear end on jackstands, then jack up the frame on one side to articulate the rear suspension, and then squeeze the tire inside the fender. I was worried I added too much backspacing to the wheel, but after installing them I am glad I went with 5.25". Another 1/4" less backspace and it would not have fit! With the shorter tires, I also had to double the height of my blocks that I use for getting the jack under the truck. Here it is after lowering it down for the first time.
The rear fitment is exactly what I was hoping for. It's very aggressive but it fits without rubbing after all the clearancing work I did at an earlier stage.
The front is close to where I want it, but it still needs some work. I had to remove 1/8" of camber shims to tuck the wheels in more because they were too close to the fenders. Even after this, my turning radius isn't very good. My limiter is tire rub on the outer fender. If I could narrow the control arms about 1/2" I think it would be perfect. For now, I will just have to be cognizant that anything resembling parking is going to take a wide arc or two attempts.
Ground clearance has been reduced by 1" compared to where I was with the other tires. It is almost to the point of "stupid low", however, it is still higher than my R32 and I never have any issues driving that car. I realize I have crippled this trucks ability to do anything other than cruising around, but I knew that going in. I wanted to get the truck as low as I could static, and I think this is the absolute limit within my means. My goal was gringoloco levels of low. His photo of a can in front of his bumper was my reference for what low is
He still has me beat by about 1/2" but I can live with that.
Out on the road, I can definitely tell I have shorter sidewalls. The tires translate more road content, but in a good way. The ride is still very comfortable. I did not have any tire rub issues while driving with my other tires, and this remains the same with the new tires. Steering feels about the same. I was very happy with everything... until I hit 55 mph. Then the whole front of the truck got a case of the shimmies. If I went +/- 5 mph beyond 55 the shimmy went away. It was not tied to engine load since I could drop it in neutral and it would make no change to the shake.
After this first ride I was a bit disheartened because these wheels/tires were fresh off the balancer. My intention at this point is to put the original front wheels back on and see if the shake goes away. If so, I will promptly pay a visit to the tire shop and demand in the nicest way possible that they recheck the balance of my tires. It will be a few days before I can get to this, so for now I stuck the caps on and will just enjoy looking at the truck.
