Due to a scheduling conflict with the wheels/tires I had been using... I needed to urgently order some cheap wheels and mount any tires I had - which happened to be 35x12.50R15 BFG All-Terrains. They are about 50% worn all around, but that still equals a 33.8" actual height (aired to 35psi and sitting with weight on the ground).
FYI... 35" tires will fit on an FJ40 Toyota Landcruiser with stock suspension, stock shackles and stock fenders...etc.
I also got a pair of 1" bolt-on wheel spacers from Trail Gear... for $80. What a deal! BUT I thought it was important to note that the 15x8 Soft 8 wheels from Summit Racing with a 4" backspacing fit on my drum brakes without rubbing on the tie-rod end, without spacers. Any wheel weights may be within a millimeter, but contact does not happen without the spacer. I only got the spacer because it is a cheap way to get tiny bits more articulation and better tracking and it does get me about 1" farther away from the tie-rod end. For those who would say that spacers will cause more wear and breakage... I just have to say that a co-worker of mine runs 2" spacers on his Toyota Pickup mini-truck axles running 38" Swampers on 12" of lift - he rock-crawls almost daily - dual t-case, and he beats her badly - but he has yet to wear out a bearing or break a shaft.
I ordered the 4.5" Safari Deluxe Suspension lift from Man-A-Fre... originally I was going to get the 4" kit from Downey, but at first they were blocking me because the Bilsteins were 2 weeks away. Then when I called back to say that I would wait 2 weeks, they told me the springs were 3 months out. WOW. They really don't want to sell me a lift. If they had maybe been more communicative I might have actually waited, but then again, if I wanted to wait 3 months, I could easily call up ALCAN and get some custom springs made. But, what the hell... I wanted to get her in the air. I know, I should have waited, etc., etc., but whatever the hell... I've got a decent lift coming, we'll play around with it, do some trails and feel them out. If I don't like them in 6 months, I will go ALCAN and sell my 4.5" lift.
Next up, waiting for the 4.5" lift...
