Guys,

Any techs or pro mechanics out there?? I am sick of this crap I'm dealing with. All I want to do is fit some nice rims and off road tires on my truck without losing much gas mileage and much power on my '04 supercab 5.4. Everyone on here has been informative, but there are many different stories. I went to a pro installer today that can get anything. He told me he'd work with me and all that crap. I want my tires to stick out an inch or 2 and get some flares, along with 20" wheels, that's my look I'm shooting for. He's telling me I need to get 33x13.50 tires and go with a 9-10" wide wheel with a certain offset. I feel that it would be a waste to get a 13.50 wide tire. I think a 33x12.50 or 35x12.50 would be fine on a set of 9-10" wheels. I'm not sure about the offsetting. Anyway, every wheel I picked out he was like 'no, that one won't work, that one probably won't work' and I left with no choices. I know I've seen all your pics out there w/ the looks I want for my truck, 20's and all. His case was that his shop "installs everything correctly" so that nothing is done wrong to harm the vehicle in the long run. This guy had me discouraged badly by the time I left.

I am interested in the skyjacker 3" 'suspension' lift coilover front and add a leaf rear. He started telling me how that was real expensive and how it would mess up the control arms and stuff if you go beyond a 2.5" leveling kit, and how he had heard from the dealer that the kit created terrible ride quality. I've called skyjacker and talked to a guy before all that who said everything just the opposite of this shop. Said it would not mess anything up, great ride quality on and off road, no bad long term effects. Who should I believe??? Its either that option or a 3" body lift and leveling kit, which I didn't really want to go with a body lift. I believe I can fit 33's and wide wheels to make it look like I want, but its hard to tell what difference there will be in looks between 35's and 33's in height and width once on the truck.

Many out there have said their 35's on stock gears have not effected much and mileage is still good. I have 3.55 gears though. I have a stock 4x4 and getting 17-20 mpg right now consistently, by not mashing the gas all the time. I drive 55-70 mph in the appropriate places and get that mileage. What is everyone else getting in mileage with their 33's and 35's and 20" wheels?? Any advice or help on these matters will be so greatly appreciated!! Thanks everyone.

 

Don’t think big tires and a lift won’t affect gas mileage, because it will put the kibosh on it big time

re-gearing will help Gear Ratio Guide for Larger Tires

 

find another mechanic. this guy sounds like a bozo that is trying to sell you what he wants. there are many other who can do what you are looking for............

 

Im using 13.50s and I love them.

 

Honestly, your best bet is to look at trucks with the setup you want and copy it. Keep in mind that some of the suspension lifts, like Pro Comp and Fabtech, will increase front track width and cause the front wheels to "stick out" more whereas a leveling kit or body lift will not. From what I have seen, getting your wheels to "stick out" is not going to be a problem at all.

 

Wandell is right, most suspensions will mae your tires stick out a bit. I had a 98 Ford with a 7.5 Fabtech lift running 35's with 4:56 gears. I didn't lose any power but did a loss in gas mileage. Like Jjp said a lift and bigger tires will decrease your gas mileage

https://www.f150online.com/galleries....cfm?gnum=6033

 

Guys,

Thanks for the replies, I think I'm going to really look into some of your rides and you'll probably find me on here asking questions about some of them specifically from time to time until I figure things out. Mechanics and shops just seem like they're always out to take people's checkbooks for a ride. Heck, it's going to cost a lot anyway, what kind of sorry people would try to milk even more when they're already going to make enough on it as it is?

If anyone out there lives in TN and knows of a good shop for these mods, please let me know. I know Hunter's in nashville is good, but I called them and they are really pricy on this stuff. I can beat their prices on the kits and stuff most anywhere. I just want someone to do it right.

So what kind of numbers are you guys getting on mileage out there with your bigger tires and lifts? I mean, if there's a big difference like 4+ mpg I would not go with a bigger tire like 35's, I would stick with 33's maybe. I do highway driving as well as city driving, so it's important.

 

Well the other problem with that is if you go bigger with tires and don't do anything else your speedo and mileage will be off so it's even harder to calculate what type of MPG you're getting

 

Would your mpg be lower than it is or higher than it is? Also what about your mileage?

 

Your calculations will show you are getting less mpg's than you really are. Also, the milage on the odometer will be less than you have actually traveled.

 

How much off would the mpg be off with 325/60/18s?

 

Check out this tire size / mph calulator
You guys can figure out how much your speedo's off

FORD BIG TRUCKS Axle Ratio/Tire Size Calulator 1.1

 

The best way to see how far your speedo is off is to drive on the highway with a GPS in your hand. Most GPS's will show mph. You can usually borrow one from someone if you don't have one. You WILL notice a loss of power going to 35's. Also you want backspacing, not offset.

 

So how much backspacing is most everyone going with on a set of wheels, say 20's? What exactly does that mean anyway?

 

i just put 33x12.50's on my 2005 screw 4x2.i put a 2.5 inch leveling kit on as well.using a wheel that looks alot like the 187,17inch.it sticks out perfect and matchs the truck awesome,i couldnt be happier.