Did everyone here have to max out their torsion bars to fit 35s or is it a YMMV type of thing?

I have an odd situation where my mother's H3 alpha needs new tires & she wants clearance for flooding & visibility while driving. (We get decent amount of flooding in & around New Orleans; 2'+ is not uncommon in a down poor in certain areas.)

The vehicle isn't really used offroad, but the added sidewall helps a lot with ride quality, plus an AT tire helps with parking where others can't! I have KO2s on my H2 & the ride is incredibly smooth. I'm thinking to stick with what works & get KO2s for her. They only come in 285/305 (33") or 315 (35"). There's no 295/34" middle of the road option w/o moving to a 17" wheel.

She doesn't want to sacrifice ride quality to fit a 35, so I'm shy on pulling the trigger.

Both rsc & scoreh3 helped me with cranking (thanks guys!), but I'll wait a bit till we get new tires.

I know this issue has been beaten to death. Not many people are concerned with gaining clearance at the expense of ride quality. It's a "I want my cake & eat it too" situation.

Any insight would be helpful.

 

I think 35's ride a little smoother, a bigger tire will roll over potholes a little smoother. 35's fit nicely w/out cranking the torsion bars. Mine rubbed less when at stock height.

 

Really?!

From all the threads I read, I got the impression cranking was the only way to fit 35s, even though they fit "stock." So no need to crank at all?!

That makes my day!

 

315s will fit without any modifications. That has been stated here and on every HUMMER forum.

The taller sidewall will give you a better ride. Make sure it's a load range C or D. Load range E will have a stiff sidewall.

If you want to level it from side to side and still have the cushy ride keep it under 23".

 

Other than the FAQ, I noticed that most if not all questions regarding 35s/315s has people talking about cranking T-bars. That's why I figured I'd get additional clarification.

Load E tires are a strange thing. I had E load Toyo AT2s & those rode like crap. They were nearly rigid & the tread pattern sucked, no matter what PSI I ran them. SUPER bumpy. I currently have BFG KO2s on my H2 & those are a load E, but the rubber is soft & it has a soft ride & smooth ride, but the side wall holds up very well & there's no rocking. I'd expect the KO2 315s on an H3 to be even softer, since there's 0.5" more side wall.

I'll keep it under 23". That helps a ton. Thanks.

 

Tainter is right on.... I did what he said and I ride better now with 35s.

 

I'm running 35's on my Alpha and never touched the torsion bars. Slight rub when the wheels cranked to the max only on my Duratracs.