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Lift and Larger Tires... any difference in mileage / performance

8405 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  MadMac
I'm looking at the purchase of a new Canyon diesel around February 2017. I'll be installing a leveling kit ASAP and removing the air dam. Future plans will be a 6" lift with around a 33" tire. My question... With a lift and larger tires, what is the difference from stock mileage and performance. I know the Canyon diesels are not HP powerhouses, but I was wondering if the larger tires pull down the performance even more...
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I am running a tire that is nearly 33". My mileage around town is just over 17. I haven't run it on the highway enough to know about that mileage. I could not really tell any difference in power or performance at all.
I am running a tire that is nearly 33". My mileage around town is just over 17. I haven't run it on the highway enough to know about that mileage. I could not really tell any difference in power or performance at all.
Is your truck lifted and if not do you have any problems with rubbing?
My truck does have the Pro Comp 2.5" lift. I have zero rubbing but I did do some fender trimming. It actually cleared just fine except for rubbing on the sway bar until I put wheel spacers on it. I removed the sway bar also.
What wheel spacers are you running I've been wanting to order some 2inch? and do you have a front shot of your truck
Yes. Mpg and performance will both suffer.
The ColoradoFans forums have an extensive compiled thread of what combinations of susp upgrades are recommended to properly accomplish various lifts. Really a rich database of success factors with components, spacers, tire sizes, fender rub, etc.

Regarding a simple level-lift and air dam delete, the fuel economy hit should be minimal. I wrote it up here for 1-1/2" suspension lift -
https://www.coloradodiesel.org/threads/2-8d-off-pavement-tech-report.65513/#post-112897

Once you're talking 3+ inches of lift and going up a few tire sizes, it's reasonable to assume loss of fuel economy. Both due to aerodynamics, and in city driving, due to the large added rotating weight of tires. I've been researching a very modest tire increase from 30" to 32" (no change in width), which is just possible with my level lift. Some tire choices only add a few pounds, while other AT/LT tires at the same size add tens of pounds at each corner. So if you have a lot of city mileage, picking the wrong tire (by weight, regardless of size) could impact more than you anticipate. That aspect will reveal whether you're a mudder at heart, or mindful of city mileage at heart :)
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I lost 5-6 MPG's with a level kit and switching my stock tires (255/65/r17 Wranglers) with slightly larger Duratracs(265/70/r17). To be honest the mileage sensitivity is more than I thought it would be. I love the truck and the power plant, as I can cruise up hill at 1500 RPM all day long but...only getting 15mpg while doing so. Which is still probably more efficient than the gas version in the same situation. Can still hold a solid 30mpg highway.
I lost 5-6 MPG's with a level kit and switching my stock tires (255/65/r17 Wranglers) with slightly larger Duratracs(265/70/r17)...
I'm curious the weight difference, because tires vary drastically and it'll hit you in city driving mpg. Admittedly, I don't fret over city mileage at all, because an IC engine pushing all that weight from a standstill will never be efficient (good argument for electric assist/hybrid though).
I’m currently averaging around 24mpg with more highway than city driving. I’ve done a optimized stock tune and corrected for 33s, but have not done a delete.
Mix of city/highway driving at speeds of 0-75 mph and average 26mpg. Totally bone stock. Mac:cool:
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