How big of a tire can I fit? :D

Awesome, you've just lifted your truck 2" with one of our ADO Complete Kits and now it's time for some new rubber!  A common question that we see being asked is "how big of a tire can I fit on my truck?  While this guide isn't going to directly answer that question for you, it will help you when it comes to making wheel and tire purchasing decisions for your lifted second generation (2005-2020) Nissan Frontier.  

Can I fit 33's?

Most guys and gals when looking for new tires for their 2nd gen Frontier are looking to fit a 33" tire.  33" tires give great ground clearance, fill out the wheel wells nicely, and (most importantly) do a better job of rolling over imperfections on the road and on the trail.  33" tires are certainly doable, but there are a couple things that you want to be mindful of - tire width and wheel offset.  These two variables (along with the amount of lift you're running) play a significant role in whether you'll end up with rubbing or clearance issues.  

Gimme the deets!

Tire width refers to the first series of numbers in a metric tire measurement - for instance, the "265" in 265/75r16.  This is a metric value for width of the tire, represented in millimeters.  The second series of numbers refers to the tire height.  Tire height is represented as a percentage of the tire width - for instance, the "75" in the given example means that the tire height is a value that is 75% of the tire width.  The final series represents the wheel diameter the tire is manufactured to fit - for instance, a 16" diameter wheel.  

Wheels are manufactured to specific dimensions which include: wheel diameter, wheel width, bolt pattern, backspace, offset, bore diameter, and load rating.

2nd gen Frontier's most commonly come from the factory with either a 16" or an 18" diameter wheel, depending on the trim level of the truck.  The factory width is 7" on the 16" wheel and 7.5" on the 18" wheel.  The bolt pattern is a 6x4.5", also represented as 6x114.3mm.  The bore diameter on a 2nd gen Frontier is 66.1mm.  The factory 16" and 18" wheel is a +30mm offset. 

Goodness gracious, that's a lot of info!  No sweat though, we just want to focus on tire width and offset right now.  We've defined tire width but we haven't defined offset: offset is the distance from the hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel.  In practical terms, the offset value is what determines the amount of wheel and tire "poke" you have, or how much the wheel is positioned inward or outward of the wheel well, and is represented in millimeters.  The lower the offset value, the more the wheel is positioned outward of the wheel well.  Common offset values range from +30mm to -15mm.  

So what's the rub?  Well, boys and girls, the recipe for rub is a wide tire and a low/aggressive offset.  For instance, a 285mm tire width and a -12mm offset.  The principle at work here is that as you push the wheel out of the wheel well it has a greater arc of swing.  That combined with a wider tire reduces the clearance needed to make turns at full lock and makes for an unhappy driver and inner fender.   

So, what do you recommend?  

There are some things that can be done to help reduce the risk of rub.  One popular modification is the "melt mod".  This involves using a heat gun to heat up the plastic inner liner and remolding it to give additional clearance.  Sometimes it's necessary to get a little snippy and trim the inner liner for clearance.  If you're running an adjustable upper control arm like SPC UCA's along with adjustable lower control arm bolts, it's possible to shift the lower control arm fully forward to give clearance. 

Our basic recommendation is to not run an offset lower than +10mm and to not run a tire width greater than 285mm.  We're really big fans of 255mm and 265mm tires at ADO.  

Where's the chart?!

Keep in mind this chart is for reference purposes only.