Hey guys, brand new to the forum, but have browsed a bit in the past and a lot more recently.

i own a 2000 F150 XL, but that's my work truck and not the truck i have questions about.

i am looking at purchasing this '03 XLT FX4





If I buy it i am looking to change the stance and wheel/tire size, to start if all goes well i have already seen some more mods on this forum that would look great on this truck...


body lift:
after some reading, i am pretty convinced i want to go with 3" body lift and not a suspension lift. this truck will be on paved and dirts roads. but any offroading will be limited and probably no where i wouldn't go in my 2WD. plus its my understanding the 3" body lift won't affect anything with handling/suspension/etc...

so, please recommend a brand for a 3" inch lift on an '03 f150.



wheels/tires:
my first question, that some people seem to be doing, is putting 315/70R17's on their stock wheels. will a 12.4" wide tire be okay on a stock wheel? seems awful wide for a stock wheel? plus what is the width of the stock wheel on this truck, anyone know?

would i better off with 305's on the stock wheels? or would i be better off buying some new wider wheels for the truck? if you recommend wheels, what width?

it's also my understanding that the taller tire will degrade performance a bit. not sure i understand that or have tried to think it through yet. with that said, i briefly read some posts regarding a 1715 Microtuner. Is this the answer to performance issues? can you tell me a bit about one?

sorry, i realize some of these questions prolly seem a bit repetitive to some. with that said, i have done quite a bit of reading, so i am not so much asking will this or that fit, i'm more asking for opinions on overall look/performance etc..


thanks for your time

 

oh, i forgot.

i will most likely put a leveing kit on the front end.

what brand and what size would you recommend for this setup? 1.5" ?

thanks

 

been reading more and it seems PA kits are the most revered around here.

so i head over to their website and look at performance lift systems. they don't have a kit for 03.

they have one for an 02. what's the difference?

 

A 315 and 305 will be the same width, both right around a 12.3-12.5" tire. Yes you can put them on stock wheels, but you gotta get the pressure right and rotate more than regularly to keep them wearing well because the stock wheel is only 7-7.5" wide depending on the wheels on the truck. I'd recommend a 9-10" wide wheel with 4.5" of backspacing. Those wheels and a set of 35x12.50's or the metric equivalent will look nice with a body lift and the torsion keys cranked.

The reason you loose power is the tire is both taller and weighs a good bit more. Rotational mass alone will hurt your power and mpg. The height effects the gearing and shift points. Wider tires increase rolling resistance just like going from a radial to a m/t will do. Your answer to performance loss is both getting a custom tune and regearing the truck. All that tuner is good for is correcting the speedo/odo being off with the tire change. And you still won't get all the power back, but you can get it close if you spend the money on the right stuff.

Don't get a leveling kit, your truck already has that built in. You just need to crank the torsion bars up some until you hit a height you like and then get an alignment. Keep in mind, cranking them up will stiffen the ride up. And that'll happen even if you go with one of the aftermarket leveling kits, the difference is using the factory keys is free and keeps the suspension within factory specs.

All body lifts are pretty much created equal, what's in the box is not. Just make sure you find a kit that's for an 03 with the front and rear bumper relocation brackets so that the bumpers aren't 3" below the body. And while body lifts don't effect suspension geometry they do still affect center of gravity.

 

appreciate your response pizzaman....

please explain what that backspacing will do for wheel placement? is that like offset?

 

Yup, just another term of measurement. It's just an easier term to give when wheel width hasn't been determined since the offset number will change depending on wheel width to get to the correct backspacing, which in this case is 4.5".

 

thanks again pizzaman

 

well so far this is what i would like to do.

1. 17x9 Cragar or Pro Comp wheels
2. Nitto Trail Grapplers, 35x12.5R17
3. 3" PA body lift
3. Rhino bull bar with LED lights
4. Remove toolbar/brush guard.
5. Tint front windows darker
6. smoked headlights/taillights
7. bushwacker fender flares
8. Plasti-Dip spraying the remaining chrome on the bumpers.





















wanna make it look closer to this one (is a member here, but i didn't pay attention to who).

 

That's a nice looking truck. A good goal.

 

thanks hunt4fun,

you a deer hunter? that's what occupying a bunch of my time right now. bowhunting !!!!

should score this truck in mid-December if my mechanic says it checks out.

 

Yes. Going out in the morning in fact. Shot a 9-pointer on opening day of gun season (Nov 14) here in Indiana.

 

nice, congrats !!!!