you could always do what i did swap in a bigger engine and have all the power you need. just get the right transmission from the start.
No the bigger tires though will probably not help very much since they will weigh a little more and the compound is soft as well on those. makes a huge difference on the road.
wind resistance will be a little more as well
and you will have more turbulance under the truck from it being a little higher too. all these things figure in when your pushing your engines limits at speed. more torque is the answer and the 4cyl just don't have it in it with out a whole lot of money spent on it.
so you are probably going to have to be happy with what you have or upgrade the engine compartment with more bucks
the tires might help a little but it will be very little
bigger, wider, softer tires raise the truck for more wind resistance, the softer compound offers more rolling resistance, and the wider part contributes to both of these.
we are talking high altitude which hinders performance too and an incline
when you say built 22r what are you saying?
high performance cam, header, modified fuel system, high rpm cam, low end torque cam, shaved milled decked heads, forged poptop pistons, stroked crank, balanced blue printed, catback, roller rockers, double spring sets, built could mean a lot.
but you can't build a low end torque engine and use it for high altitude high revving street racing and expect good results same goes for the oposite of this. a high rpm racing cam and engine components and built for top end will not do lugging around the trails.
I ran 4:88's and 33's with the 4cyl and did ok but when I went to the 35's the thing was a dog.
then I swapped in a v6 and the tires and gears were too much I dropped back to 4:56 gears and can run 5th doing 80 or so with plenty of power.
the new 3.4's offer lots of power and can be swapped in with a little work
just my 2 cents but I like power. I wish I had all the money I wasted on building up the 4 banger to a whopping 145 hp since my new stock engine has 160 or so with out the mods I made. now it's well over 200 and gets about the same on the gas mileage as the 4cyl did.
so keep switching gears and save your money the tires won't help I don't think
or better yet find someone with a set and swap them out for a test run and see if they help
do you know anybody with 37's or you could just use this as a really good excuse to upgrade to 37's