2008 F250 Build

ktn00000

Observer
I have the electronic 4 wheel drive shifter, one of only two options I believe are on the truck.

The Warn oil pan/transfer case/transmission skid plate has arrived; and I have scheduled to have the bed liner sprayed this Saturday.

Next steps are... imminent.
 

DT75FLH

Adventurer
If you were to make it to las vegas...I have a stock, ford, metal skid plate that came off my 08 CCLB f-350.

I would think it would fit and you could have it for........FREE.
I took it off when I replaced the stock tank with a 55 gal replacement.

I now have a 2010 dodge.


I've also ran bfg tires from 1988-2000, I tend to stay with what works..but My friend who ran a tire shop turned me on to toyo's and I have not looked back. my old jeep ran alot of trails in moab, and here in vegas ,with zero problems (running the MT).

my diesel f-350 had a set of toyo at's and my current dodge is running a 285/70/17 toyo at that will carry 3750# per tire.

my current work truck is running the km2' on a 09 ford f-150 CC. no problems with the tires but at 7/32 tread they are getting loud, and we only get about 25K miles out of them but they are driven HARD. my current set will be replaced at the next oil change with about 27k miles on them.
 

ktn00000

Observer
Thank you for the offer, but I think it would cost me more than $229 in gas even if I had the time in the near future. I do appreciate it, that is very kind.

Tire time will be coming up soon; I will have to make the decision.
 

DT75FLH

Adventurer
Thank you for the offer, but I think it would cost me more than $229 in gas even if I had the time in the near future. I do appreciate it, that is very kind.

Tire time will be coming up soon; I will have to make the decision.

no prob...

the mounting brackets are riveted to the skid. Its also about 4' long so shipping would not be cheap.
 

bronconut

Observer
When I bought the truck the last thing I thought would be difficult to find would be tires.

Tires for this are hard. I have a 17 inch rim with 245/75-17 Conti's on there now. Completely unsuitable for what I intend to do.

Here is what I have discovered:

Load Range E tires for a 17 inch rim taller than 33 inches are very hard to find.

I need the E. I do not want to settle for a D and give away the payload and towing capabilities this truck offers and that I use.

I can get a BFG MT 255/80-17 that is 33.3 inches tall. That is the tallest tire in an E on a 17 inch rim that is a brand I trust.

I have bought nothing but BFG MT's for trucks and Jeeps for twenty years (Like with Warn, I am a very loyal customer to products and companies that perform to expectations and absolutely refuse to break even when they have every right to).

I am not all that interested in Toyo and Cooper. I have never owned them but folks in the local Jeep club I sometimes wheel with tell me the sidewalls shred on rocks on some of the very trails I intend to ride.

Superswamper does have a 17 inch Load Range E 35. It starts at about $350 a tire. Gotta think on this. Never owned a Superswamper but I do know it is a quality tire that will hold up to where I will be going. $350 a pop for five is a lot of cotton though.

Thoughts?

Once again, I would like to get it done by the end of January. Would like to have the rig ready to hit its' first snowy trails in February.

Can't go wrong with the 255/80/17 BFG we sell tons of them at the Ford dealership I work at for the oil/gas trucks around here. I recommend that tire to all the oil field guys with 17" rims great all around MS tire.
 

ktn00000

Observer
255/80-17 BFG MT KM2's are by far the least expensive of the tires I am considering or that have been recommended on this thread.

$193 a tire at Tire Rack for 255/80-17 BFG MT KM2's
$273 a tire at Tire Rack for 35-12.50-17 BFG MT KM2's
$325 a tire at Tire Rack for 35-12.50-17 Toyo MT's
SSR, ******** Cepek's and Mickey Thompsons just go up from there
 

DT75FLH

Adventurer
255/80-17 BFG MT KM2's are by far the least expensive of the tires I am considering or that have been recommended on this thread.

$193 a tire at Tire Rack for 255/80-17 BFG MT KM2's
$273 a tire at Tire Rack for 35-12.50-17 BFG MT KM2's
$325 a tire at Tire Rack for 35-12.50-17 Toyo MT's
SSR, ******** Cepek's and Mickey Thompsons just go up from there


for those prices if you want to stay with a 33" tall tire ..I would not hesitate to run the km'2s...$528 Could go a long ways to other UPGRADES!.

I show discount tire has the km2 and goodyear kevelar in 35" size for $300 per tire. the toyo mud runs about $300 per also around here.
 

ktn00000

Observer
Exactly, I may just go with the 255/80-17 KM2 and spend the difference elsewhere.

40,000 miles from now I can go to a 35 if I want to do that then.
 

ktn00000

Observer
Mounted the Warn oil pan/transmission/transfer case skid plate

securedownload-21.jpg


It is incredible, best skid plate I have ever owned. HIGHLY recommend.
Amazing how much coverage it provides.

Way cool!
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
275-80-17 tires? Please,please!

Fuel and gas are rising and I wish the tire manufacturers would release a 275-80-17 in an e-rating. Tall and fairly skinny. I just got 285-75-17 Toyo Mts so it's gonna be awhile. Balanced up without an issue or much weight. Excellent highway manners. Can't wait to get some dirt on them. BTW,nice Warn skidplates!
 

ktn00000

Observer
Yes fuel prices are rising. I find it interesting how the Federal laws about economy and the Federal laws about safety are, from an engineering point of view, in direct conflict with each other. That being said, I am really close to just buying the 255/80-17 BFG MT KM2's. I rolled the 255/80-17 BFG MT KM2's and the 35-12.50-17 BFG MT KM2's up on my truck this week and am thinking I will go with the 33's.
 

xdt

New member
Wise move on passing on a Super Duty with a diesel! I know the 6.0L and 6.4L way too well and you don’t want one of those if you plan on keeping the truck past 100,000 miles. I have a Silverado with that same S6-650 6 speed manual transmission. Great transmission! Odd that Ford pairs a manual trans to electric shift 4x4 though especially in work truck decor. That is probably one option you will eventually wish you didn’t have. The electric shift will be one of the first things that will leave you in a pickle when you need it to work the most. There isn’t a single manufacturer that isn’t having problems with the electric shift soccer mom option especially in cold weather.

I dig the standard cab! With a little bit of lift and decent tires, you should have no problems tackling the trails you mentioned in your first post.

I have a 2005 F350 with a 6.0 Power Stroke 403 000 kms (250 000 miles), no problem with the engine. Even good on fuel, around 20 mpg in the warm weather. On the other hand next time around I am not sure I could justify the cost of a diesel over a gas.
 

hovenator

Explorer
Try Nitto Terra Grappler tires. On my second set with great results. They have a 285/75/17 and 305/70/17 both in load range E. Also a 295/70/17 load range E in the Trail Grappler. Just a thought.
 

ktn00000

Observer
I appreciate all of the thoughts on tires. Going back to my original post for this thread; Glacier Ridge, Taylor Pass, Georgia Pass, Mosquito Pass plus places like Crystal, Engineer Pass, Cimarron Pass, etc. are all places I go and go regularly.

Since I am notoriously bad at remembering to take photos I found some other folks photos of these places on the net:

http://hobojeepers.tripod.com/TaylorPark01.htm

http://www.4x4now.com/trcobgg.htm

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/89531435NCeUTf

http://www.off-road.com/trails-even...venturing-in-southwestern-colorado-52667.html

Just to be clear I have driven CJ's, YJ's, TJ's and F250's over all these trails.

I know a few people following this thread are familiar with these trails but most are not. Check out the photos: what do they all have in common? Rocks endless big sharp jagged rocks. Not little rocks and not round rocks.

Not washboard roads and not dirt roads. Rock trails.

Miles and miles of them, some of these trails are more than twenty miles of these rocks. Might be why they call it the Rocky Mountains.

I think I mentioned before I have been to 48 states (So far have missed Hawaii and North Dakota). I have also been to British Columbia, the Yukon, Alberta, Ontario, Baja and Chihuahua. All of these places offer different types of terrain and different requirements to build for depending on what you are going to be doing or want to do. In the 1970's and 1980's I used to off road a lot in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. What I built for then is different than what I build for now in Colorado.

A lot of tires can go over these passes and survive, once. I saw a guy from Wisconsin drive an AMC Pacer over Engineer Pass twenty years ago. Very entertaining!

Doing this time after time week after week truly tests a tire and a tire manufacturer. Sidewall construction is critical. I talked to a guy I have wheeled with in the past just this afternoon and he had bought a particular brand of tire for his TJ and went through nine tires under warranty in a year, all sidewall blowouts on these trails (he replaced them with BFG's).

My brother-in-law is visiting us this week from a southern state. He off roads a lot in his state and runs Superswampers. Loves them in the mud, perfect tire for gumbo and flooded fields. I don't have flooded fields, I have rocks and raw snow on steep narrow shelf roads.

What ever I buy has to have unquestionable ruggedness particularly on the sidewalls. I have been very faithful to BFG MT's and a major reason is I have never had a blowout in one. Look back at the photos of those trails; would you stake your life in your tires sidewalls on those trails? That is really the first criteria for which ever tire I end up purchasing.
 
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