Large tires are a staple of the custom build game, especially on off-road vehicles, but really any modified vehicle. One of the most highly sought-after tire sizes is without a doubt 35 inches. While there are other options out there – 33” or 37” or even 40” – 35” seems to represent the sweet spot, and it’s what a vast majority of enthusiasts choose. These larger tires not only elevate the aesthetics of the vehicle, but they can also improve off-road capability by offering impressive traction on rugged terrain.
While it’s quite easy and common to throw 35” tires on a Jeep Wrangler, you might be wondering if you can fit tires of such a stature on your Chevy Silverado. Today we’re going to answer that question for you and give you a little more information on what else you might need to consider when choosing tires of that size.
Will 35” tires fit my Silverado?
To put it simply, yes — your Silverado pickup truck can certainly accommodate a set of 35” tires. But the answer is actually a little more complex than that, as it will depend on your truck’s suspension system and what other kinds of modifications have been done to it. Naturally, much larger tires like these will require extra clearance to avoid rubbing against the fenders or the inner wheel wells, which is even more common while cornering or driving over uneven terrain.
Notice we haven’t yet specified what kind of Silverado we’re talking about, and that’s because it actually doesn’t really matter. Whether you’re looking at a Silverado 1500, a 2500HD or a 3500HD, the information you find in this blog should all be just about the same. Model year shouldn’t matter much either, but we’re writing this information during the 2025 model year so it’s certainly most applicable to those models.
However, as we said, you’re going to need to make some other adjustments to your Silverado in order to accommodate these 35” tires. Most of these issues can be solved by installing a simple leveling kit, but you’re more likely to want a full lift kit to really complete your build anyway. You’d be best off getting a lift kit of at least 2.5” to help fit the larger tires, but the higher you go the easier they’ll fit so you could reasonably go up to 6” if you wanted. Just keep in mind that you’ll also want to realign your vehicle and make other basic adjustments in line with your new lift kit and tires.
Do I need to regear my Silverado?
One important aspect of upgrading your Silverado with 35” tires is that you need to regear your truck afterwards. Installing larger tires on your vehicle will also increase its gear ratio. This can, in turn, impact things like acceleration, fuel efficiency and overall drivability. Your engine and transmission system will both also need to work much harder to compensate for the increased tire size, which is something else you don’t want to mess around with.
To counteract these negative side effects, you can simply regear your Silverado. This involves replacing the differential gears with a ratio that’s more suited for your new, larger tire size. Last month we posted a whole blog focusing on changing your gear ratios after upgrading to larger tires, so you can find more information in that post! But the gist is that changing to a better suited gear ratio can restore lost torque and improve your performance, which is especially clutch for off-road enthusiasts and those Silverado owners who do a lot of heavy hauling.
If you have any questions about this process, or would like to proceed with upgrading your Chevy Silverado with 35” tires, be sure to give us a call right here at Glover Customs. We look forward to hearing from you!
