Just registered here, and have a few questions for the experts. I've got a 2006 F-150 screw Lariat 4wd. It's time for new tires, so I figured I would do a leveling kit at this time also. I see by the thread here that AS are a popular kit to use. I'm leaning towards the 2.5". I plan on keeping my stock rims that have 275/65/18's on them now. My question is this....what size tires can I go with once I do the leveling. I live in Bozeman MT, so they have to be a tire that can handle snow and slick roads during the winter months, and still perform during the other months. I don't do any off-road driving like some of you do, but I do drive on forest service roads in the mountains throughout the State. No mud involved on these roads, but definitely rocky. For highway driving I would want the tires somewhat on the quiet side if that makes any sense. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.



Kevin.

 

Most are going with 2" or even 1.5" leveling kits on these trucks because the 2.5" tends to make the front look way higher than the rear. I personally just ordered the 1" Daystar kit for two reasons. One, it is only $39.99 and Two, it will actually give our trucks 2" of lift...
I say "our trucks" cause I have a 2006 F150 SCREW also.

Can't help you much on the tires though. All I can add about tires is I went with some new 285/70/17's and wish I'd gone a bit bigger. Oh well, gives me something to look forward to in about 50K miles!

 

i had a 07 fx4 and put a 2.5 fat bobs leveling kit on it , i ran the stock 275 65 18 wrangler ats tires and loved the look and no rubbing issues to worry about, bfg makes a 285 65 18 at but they are pricey, i have seen guys on here running 305 65 18 i think but not sure on clearences, not sure about snow tires , we have snow about once every two years

 

The max size you can run using the OEM wheels and a leveling kit is a 35x12.50. They will rub the control arms slightly at full steering lock however.

 

I would stay with a 1" or 2" leveling kit and not any more than that. As for tires hopefully others will chime in some. Bfgs seem to be the most popular at tire but I like the look of the nitto terra grapplers and might consider them next as I have heard good things about them as well.

 

I would not go higher than a 2" leveling kit as others have said. My truck shown below has Bilstein 5100 shocks set to a 2" lift and a 1.5" add a leaf in the rear. The Bilstein shocks give the same lift as a 2" Leveling Kit but they stiffen up your ride a little. They also cost about 3X as much as a level kit but it you need your shocks upgraded you can kill 2 birds with one stone. My truck has 305/65/18 BFG AT KOs (33.7" diameter) and there is not any rubbing with the 2" lift in the front. I drive a lot of highway and the tires are very quite...not any louder than stock. They are a stiffer ride though. For an AT tire they are very good in the snow. I live in Rochester, NY and we get a lot of snow here so I really depend on my tires. They only tip I might give is if you want even better performance in the snow then go with a narrower version of the BFG AT than I did. Mine are 305 wide but if I went down to the 285 wide tire my snow performance would be even better. My reason for going with the wider tire is because I like the look of a bigger tire and I figured I could deal with sacrificing a slight performance loss for an improved look.

 

Not to thread jack, but I am in a similar situation and I'm currently looking for new tires and was wondering if it is safe to put a LT315/70R17 tire on the stock 17x7.5 rim. According to Goodyear's site the rim should be at least 8.5 inches wide for the above tire, what problems can you run into?

 

[/IMG]I also leveled my truck with Bilstein 5100's and put aftermarket
rims on it with that are 17x8 with 4.5" of BS. I put 285-75-17 Toyo MT's on those rims (tires are a tad over 34" tall) and have no problems at all with the setup. I went with 17" rims cause it's earier and cheaper to replace tires and I personally like the more tire and less rim look. Just old school I guess.

 

I've heard of people on here doing it but I don't think it is advised. 305 is about the max for a 7.5" rim. If you do it you will want to monitor the pressure and wear closely to make sure the centers are not wearing prematurely or unevenly compared to the rest of the tire. Depending on what shop you go to they also might advise against it. You should post this question in the wheel/tire section and you will probably get more replies from other members with more tire experience.