hey everybody. by over the summer i want to run 35s on my 2000 f150 4x4. i like the looks of the 04+ f150s leveled with 35s. how can i achieve that look and tire size with my truck? i dont want a body lift. was looking at the 4 inch sus. kits but they are only about 200 less than a 6inch kit so its kind of stupid. i will need to buy new wheels no matter what i do correct? thanks for any help

 

I believe you could crank your torsion bars and you should be able to fit 35's. I'm sure someone else will chime in soon.

 

i thought u could level and fit 35s on the 04 and up models. i would probably need new wheels then because i dont think 35s and the stock wheels will work well with only t-bar crank. but then again i dont know too much about this. thanks for the reply

 

if you keep your stock wheels you can run 315/70/17 assuming you have the fx4 wheels. you need to crank your t-bars up and will have to do some minor trimming. if you can crank your tb up enough to be higher than the rear, you could get a bigger block or an add a leaf and that would probably remove any rubbing issues you may have.

 

nah id probably be getting new wheels, id like the wheels to stick out a little too. i have the stock lariat 5 spoke 17s. isnt it bad to crank the t-bars that much though? and 315 is equivalent to a 35 correct?

 

i would not stuff a 35'' tire in a 97-03 and just crank the t-bars up fully. take my word for it, it will look like ****. i have seen it done, and it's a body lift would work, but you said you don't want to go that route. start saving for the 6'' suspension, you pay hardly any more for it than a 4''. Cranking the t-bars up fully is not "BAD," I have done so for about 1.5 years, no problems. the front will sit about 1'' higher than the *** end if you crank the front up fully. a bigger block, or aal would fix that.

honestly, you do not want to cram a 35 under a 97-03 like that. not only will it look like ****, the tires will probably rub even with trimming the inner wheel well, and you will not be able to off-road or even drive roughly without the tires hitting the fenders. using the stock wheels, the tires will rub the frame at full lock on sloped roads. you cannot use the stock wheels with a 6'' fabtech, not sure about the 4''. either go with a 305-70-17, or lift the truck.

 

yeah. that will probably be what i will end up doing. thanks alot for the advice. say i do 4" and 35s how bad will it be with stock 3:55 gears?

 

Since you want aftermarket wheels and 35's, I'd suggest the 6 inch Fabtech or RCD lift and a 10 inch wide wheel with 4.5 inches of backspacing.

 

man, this will really cost me a good buck wont it? the one thing im concerned with is gears. i wont have money to regear and my mileage will prolly suck without them ( i know it gonna go down no matter what )...so im debating

and why is it that the newer f150s can go leveling kit and 35s but 97-03s cant?

 

You can fit them. All you have to do is mount them on the oem wheels and crank up the torsion bars. This amounts to the same thing the 04-08 guys are doing. The only differnce is you will have some minor rubbing on the frame at full steering lock while the 04-08 guys will have some minor rubbing on the control arms at full steering lock. I think the wheel issue is confusing you somewhat. Wheel width and backspacing is as important to fitment as the tire size itself.
As for the milage question. I also have 35's, a 5.4 and 3.55 gears. I get 13 mpg combined city/highway. As for performance, it's ok. If you do any heavy towing/hauling you will want to regear or stick with 33's.

 

you can go 35's with your TB's cranked it just looks kinda crammed~ but you can do it! With aftermarket wheels you will rubb on almost anything! Id say get a Body lift even though you dont like the thought of that they look good if done right! And a lot cheaper than a suspension lift!

 

I'd go with a body lift and then get a programmer for the 35" tires to make driving with them a little more bearable. To me the body lifts for the 97-03 truck's are easier to install and look better than the 04 and up.

 

Personally I'm a fan of the stuffed wheel well look. but I have an '84 that I'm going to lift and use for my off road needs, my new one is a dd, but i'm still considering it. i say go for it check out the galleries of azscrew 2020is and cmckelvy

 

so an aal in rear. t-bar crank and 35s mounted on stock wheels will work? how bad will they rub anywhere? and is there any other tire out there in 315-70-17 besides the bfg a/t and buckshot mudders? thanks for the help guys!

 

Like I said earlier, they will rub the frame slightly at full steering lock. A few other companies make that size, but it may be listed as a 35x12.50-17. I think Pro Comp and Mickey Thompson have a few models in that size.