Good Day, I am currently shopping for a 2006 - 2013 Express (2500/3500) because on paper, they seem to meet the height requirements of my condo (6'10" / 82") with a height of 81.6".

Here is my problem, my building says it is 6'10" clearance, but there are several spots that are about 1 inch lower than the 6'10" it should be. For my new business, I need a van that can store at least 1150lbs at all times, and often have 1500-2000lbs in the back. And that leaves me with few options. I really want to get an express as they are well priced in my area and readily available! Plus i love the look. So i need to find a way to, as low a cost as possible, lower the van about 1" - 1.25". How can I do this?

My first thought was lowering the suspension, but that is super costly and might severely impact the payload limit, so I don't want to do that if i absolutely don't have to!

My next thought, is that once there is a constant 1150lb payload + driver in there, that should reduce the overall height as well. But by how much? How can i calculate this? Is it possible before hand?

Finally, my next thought was tire size. I understand that stock tires have 16" rims, and are like LT225/75R16 or LT245/75R16. If i change the tires to something like a LT225(245)/60R16, provided the tires have a proper load index that can still support the gross weight of the van, that should reduce the height by an inch without reducing the payload capacity. But are there any negatives to this / is it safe / possible?

I did a bunch of searches, and it seems like everyone wants bigger tires and not smaller, so I couldn't seem to find any discussions on this. I am new here and really appreciate the help!

(i am making a grip rental van for the film and entertainment industry, and will be posting pics of my setup once it is done!)

 

my 1500 rides at about 6'10 high . The 2500/3500's are significantly higher.

You would need significantly smaller tires which would affect your fuel economy and speed.

Maybe you should consider an SUV or minivan

 

Hi Mountainmanjoe!

The 2006 - 2013 Express (2500/3500) models have a height of 81.6". I have seen a few of these and measured them and found that to be correct. the years after 2013 are around 84.6" or something like that!

As for tire size, I think something like a 3% diameter difference (my example above was a 6% difference) would still reduce the overall height by half an inch, but be within tolerance?

Then after that, how much would it normally have its height reduced by having 1150lbs + driver in it?

 

no idea.
I suppose you could let some air out of the tires before parking too

 

Rent one and see if it fits. You could put a stick on the antenna to use as a feeler.

 

This is how to see if it will fit

 

Look at the tire sizes on 2500 vs 3500. When I had a pair, the 3500 had larger tires by a couple of sizes, the 2500, although built with the same brakes and axles, is like a 225/75R16. I don't know if this continues for the years you're interested in. But I would think that the difference in tire size might make for a bit lower overall.

I do know the 2500 is visibly taller than my 1994 van which per some stats is a touch over 80 inches tall. (that only sticks in memory because it's almost as wide as it is tall).