Hi from WolfLand

[WolfLand]

Folks,

I have had my 2003 Trailblazer 4wd for about a year now. It has a 3" suspension lift, LT285/75/16's, 9500lb
winch, refrigerator, awning and lots of other good stuff.

Unfortunately it also has some issues such as much tire scrubbing even during normal driving. Inability to
align the front end(5 degrees out is the best we can do) as well as wheel adapters which I do not like.

I use the vehicle as my daily driver with some mild off road use as well as inclement weather use.

I just spent $2500 on hubs, cv axles, rotors, pads, control arms, ball joints and outer tie rod ends and
still need to replace the front anti-sway bar and end links which are missing(someone was doing serious
off roading with this beast I suspect).

I would like to get the scrubbing and alignment issues corrected but am unsure what is the best approach.

For example will the upper control arms flips take care of 5 degrees of alignment problem or do I need to drop
the front to 2.5" or 2"(will probably need to do the back the same I expect). I assume that there are not
extended upper control arms available at least a global web search does not seem to indicate they are.

I am planning on replacing the LT285/75/16's with LT265/65/17's and new 17x8 rims which seem more reasonable
for a 3' lift but I would prefer to not have any spacers if possible(probably depends on rim offset/backspace).

I am hoping to find a "jackman" style steel rim in 17x8 but am having a problem finding 6x5.0 lug pattern and
am thinking of sticking with Falken Wildpeak A/T for the tires.

My 285's in the front are almost down to the cords on the inside and I don't want to invest almost $500.00 in
2 new 285's if I can get a more reasonable size tire/rim combo for $1000-1200 to fix the constant scrubbing.

By going to a 265/65 and reducing the overall tire diameter from 33" to 31" this should give me some room
to drop the vehicle by .5" or 1" which should help correct the alignment issue.

I am hoping to get the rim/tires ordered this week as well as the new addco front sway bar and end links so
any help/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
WolfLand

[WolfLand]

Folks,

As it turns out I could not come up with the funds to downsize the rims/tires this month so
I decided to live with the current configuration and just replace the LT285/75/16's in the front.

I also have received my new addco front sway bar and suspension maxx end links and will be putting
them on as soon as I have time. I will replace the rear with addco and same links when the bar
becomes available again in July.

I am also going to replace the rear springs with Tahoe Z71 springs and reduce the current spacers
in the rear to 1.5" if available to keep the 3" lift as I carry huge loads of dog food to feed my wolfpack.

The Z71 springs should also help with the bit of scrubbing I have been getting in the rear. I still
have to look into the front scrubbing when you turn the wheels(probably the lower plastic trim it
looks like) and I have a possible solution for that if needed.

The mechanic that did the front end suspension work and alignment was really on the ball and either
noticed the upper control arm flip originally or did the flip for me so it is already done so I
don't have to worry about it.

This site has been a really great resource for info and I am still looking at builds and doing searches
to find info and get ideas on how to improve my TB.

Thanks for the great site and info,
WolfLand

[Diacom]

Welcome Brett,

I wouldn't stress on the 16" vs 17" wheels or the wheel spacers. There are plenty of us running both sizes and spacers and we haven't seen many problems. You can search the site here about the spacers if you want to know more.

Tire size. Trail X use to run around a 32" tire with just a 2" suspension lift. And on stock wheels iirc. You might check on the Facebook page and ask a few questions there if you do not find what you are looking for here.

The rubbing in the rear in part is due to the control arm length vs the tire size with the lift. There are adjustable arms available if it causes too many issues. In the front, there are posts here about helping with the rub there as well. Depending on what you do you may not completely remove that as well.

Keep at it though. It sounds like you are enjoying your lifted TB and that's what counts.