Hello. I hope I found the right forum for my question!

I'm looking at picking up an 04 FX4. I want to have a 4" lift added and add bigger tires. My question is...

1) Do I stick with the 17" Ford rims, upgrade to the Ford 18" rims, or will I want to get new/different rims with the bigger tires?

and

2) Which which axle ratio do I want: 3.55 or 3.73?

 

1) Do I stick with the 17" Ford rims, upgrade to the Ford 18" rims, or will I want to get new/different rims with the bigger tires?



i can help you on this question,

the rime size does not matter. go with what ever you like the best. if i had the money i wood go with 18's but the tires will coast more.

 

Just bought a 03 Supercrew FX4, came with 17" rims and stock 265 Goodyear RT/s. At 110 kph~ 70mph my tac runs about 1850 RPMs with 3.73 ratio. In my experience if you are going to go with some big meat under your truck, you'll probably want at least 3.92 or better to keep up your revs.

Just my 2 cents

 

How big of tires do you want? What kinda, AT or MT? For a 4" lift you are probably talking about 35" or 37" tires. There are limited options for 18" tires right now, like one AT plus size, the BFG in 285/65R18. 17" has more options, but the 18" rims look a lot better IMHO and are a cheap upgrade.

Axle ratio: I couldn't tell you how you expect it to drive. No matter which you choose, if you get used to the feeling of 31.5" tires, 35 or larger will feel dreadfully slow. Heck, 1" larger feels slower on my truck.

If you are getting the FX4 which is what it sounds like, then at least try the 3.73, but it may not be enough. Gear swaps are not cheap for 4wd so it worth going for the shortest you can get from the factory to try.

 

Thanks for the words, guys. You'll probably see me digging around this site a little more often now. Hopefully I'll be in my 04 before the end of November.