33" or 35"

Well first off I own a 1987 1/2 ton long wheelbase Chevy. The truck came with a three inch suspension lift. When I bought my truck it came with two sets of wheels and tires. One set are aluminum 15-10s with 31” 10.50 all-terrain studded tires and the others are steel 15-10s with "bald" 33” 12.50 all-terrain, both sets have a spare 31”

I live in the middle of Alaska and my plan is to run the 31” studs in the winter, which is about 9 months long. I am attending college up here and do not have the time to do much off-roading during the winter. However; during the summer, which is about 3 months with constant sunlight, I go on off-road expeditions with three or more friends. We cover 250 plus miles in the middle of nowhere. I want a tactical advantage over rocks and through rivers. I am trying to decide between 35” 12.50 and 33” 12.50 tires. As far as the brand I want,  I am going to go with the new Goodyear M/T Rs. I know that the 33” tires fit, but 35”s do not look like they are going to fit unless I cut the body, which I will not do. Could I just get a 2 or 3 inch body lift? Should I get a 4” suspension lift? Should I just stay with 33”? I would like to be a little higher. What are the pros and cons of 33" vs 35"?

Any suggestions?

Thanks.  

I would go with the suspension lift.  It might be a little bit more money but you wouldn't have a gap between the frame and the body plus you won't have to lift the body up.  35's will give you more ground clearance.  Both will raise you center of gravity more than it already is.  I have a set of 35's my f-150 and i love em.  My friend has a body lift on his with 33's but he's also going to put on an 8" suspension lift so he can clear some bigger meats.  So I would say that it depends on your preference between the two. 

Good luck and hope his helps a little.

if you are going to wheel in streams, or any kind of water crossing, then step up the lift and get at least 35s. you also might want to water proof the engine if the water gets deep and your truck isn't too high.  and even with a 4 in lift you may have to trim the fender a little on the inside to keep 35s from rubbing.  i know you don't want to do it but a little trimming goes a long ways. my truck cleared 36x14.5 gumbo radials with a 1.5" lift and a bit of trimming. it now clears 42s with 7.5". this works out awesome because i'm lower than most big trucks but have better ground clearance and better handling [ as good of handling as 42s get anyways]. another idea is to grind the bottom of the differential housing down some, this could make up the difference between having 33s instead of 35s. it's really only an inch and a half, not two inches.if you divide the difference between them you only talking about 3/4" of ground clearance.