F150 3 inch leveling kit !!!

[lonestrom]

I have a 2004 F150 ( FX4 ) and I want to level it out.I suppose the best way ( and cheapest ) is a leveling blocks.I want to know what size tires I can run on stock wheels after I level it out??.Most of the sites that sell the blocks say 35's but I'm not sure.I have a buddy with a 2005 F150 with 2.5 blocks and he said 35's rubbed so he went with 31's ( but he didn't have stock wheels ).ANY help would be great..

 

[xwerx]

buy the Bilstein Shocks, 5150 I believe. Set it on the 2in height and be done with it. Don't Buy a spacer. You can put 35's on your truck if you use the right backspacing on aftermarket rims or use the factory rims. I have this setup on my 2005 f150 and love it. currently it has 33's but I will be going to 35's soon.

 

[bdbecker]

I ran across this on an F150 specific forum I frequent:

On a stock truck without leveling kit you can run 33X12.5" tires if it is a 4WD and 31X12.5" tires if it is a 2WD, using stock wheels.

On a leveled truck(2" kit and larger) you can run 35X12.5" tires on a 4WD and 33X12.5" tires on a 2WD truck, using the stock wheels.

Using aftermarket wheels you can run 35s on a 4WD if the wheels follow these guidelines:
-For an 8" wide wheel the backspacing is 5.5 inches.
-For and 8.5" wide wheel the backspacing needed is 5-6 inches.
-For an 9" wide wheel the backspacing is 4.5-5.5 inches.

If the wheel specs are not listed about you will more than likely have to run 33s or even smaller to avoid too much rubber and trimming. These specs are the basics for tires fitting well but you could run 35s if the specs are very similar but you will face bad rubbing.

For a 2WD truck and after market wheels you can run 33s with wheels that fit withen these specs.
-For an 8" wide wheel the backspacing is 5.5 inches.
-For and 8.5" wide wheel the backspacing needed is 5-6 inches
-For an 9" wide wheel the backspacing is 4.5-5.5 inches.

If the wheel specs are not listed about you will more than likely have to run 31s or even smaller to avoid too much rubber and trimming. These specs are the basics for tires fitting well but you could run 33s if the specs are very similar but you will face bad rubbing.

Remember that these are the basics to running aftermarket wheels and tires, certain tires might not rub but others might because of aggresive sidewalls.

These specs should work for most people and instances but if you are worried about fitment get the tire shop to mount the tire on the wheel and put it on the truck then turn the wheel to full lock in both directions to see and possible problems. If the tires you plan on running aren't 12.5 inches wide you still might be able to run 35s because of that reason, for a 4WD and some aftermarket wheels or 33s for a 2WD. It's best if you can find wheels that are a happy medium between the two backspaces for the 8.5" and 9" wheels because you will face more rubbing if you go for 6" of backspacing on a 8.5" wheel instead of 5.5 inches that's right in the middle.

For those who are curious. The stock wheels(17 and 18") are 7.5 inches wide with 5.5 inches of backspacing. The bolt pattern is 6X135mm.

Big thanks to PawPaw on this one.

If you have any instances where you find that these specs haven't worked for you please let me know and I'll make the appropriate changes, please PM so I will see it.

Hope this helps.

http://www.f150forum.com/f4/tire-whe...04-08-a-24510/

 

[camp'n_hunt]

Sweet truck, i just got one and love it. i was thinking of the same thing as you but realized with blocks and 35's it won't fit in the garage anymore.

 

[lonestrom]

No garage here but I promissed my wife that I would NOT use this truck for hardcore offroading..I use to own a 4X4 shop about 20 years ago and did ALOT of hardcore 4wheeling..

 

[Resq47]

I went with the autospring 2.5" levelling kit on mine, nothing changed in the back. The taller Bilsteins would be great, but the budget won out for now. Planning on LT255/80R17/E KM2's before we start piling up snow this year.

 

[MonroeTaco]

Do not get the 3" leveling kit. It WILL eat your ball joints in a hurry. I had a
3" for about a year before getting the 4.5" Superlift kit, and I had to replace all of my balljoints within 5000 miles of the level kit being on. The lower balls weren't that bad, but you must have a ball joint press. The uppers require you to replace the entire upper control arm. A 2.5" level is as high as I would go if you want your ball joints to last. Just FYI.:sombrero:

 

[Resq47]

I did the 2.5" only because I was planning on a heavier bumper/winch etc. That's as high as I would go and personally I'd leave the more involved kits for other trucks.

 

[brianjwilson]

I agree, get the Bilstein 5100 series shocks that lift the front 2" if you're only leveling the truck out. The angles of the axleshafts and control arms are reasonable at 2", and the shocks limit the travel to prevent any binding or over-extension. The down side (to any leveling kit) is that you lose droop/downtravel from ride height, but the ride is still good over all.

I am running the 5100s at 2", with a 3" rear block replacing the factory piece. Wheels are stock, tires are 35x12.50R18 BFG KM2s, no rubbing. The clearance between the front tires and upper ball joint is very small, many (most?) 35s would contact there, depending on the sidewall lugs. Eventually I will be lifting the truck, probably with the superlift 4.5" lift to get the proper suspension travel back.

I also re-geared to 4.56 gears and locked the front and rear. The 3.73s were tolerable on flat land but definitely not ideal off road, towing or in the mountains.