I've read literally hundreds of posts tonight in hopes of finding what i wanted to find out.

I have a stock 04 FX4, which will have the AS 2.5 leveling kit.

As far as i can tell from reading, i will be able to fit a 33" tire.

I think i'm getting a 18X9 wheel with 6" backspace with 33x12.50's

two questions about this setup:

will they rub anywhere, on the arms or fenders? and two, will they stick out of the fender walls any? I want a little of the tire to stick out, but not a ton. Thanks for any help and sorry for asking a question that has been asked millions of times.

 

I can answer the part about the tires sticking out. The stock setup is 5.5" of backspacing and 7.5" wide. The new wheels are 1.5" wider and the backspacing will add another .5", so in theory they should stick out 2" further than stock. Hope this helps.

 

Those wheels will only stick out an inch farther than the OEM wheels because they have 6 inches of backspacing. Even though they are wider, the extra 1/2 inch of backspacing will pull them inward 1/2. I think they will look great.

 

Thanks for the help, but i have one last question. you say the WHEEL will stick out 1 inch farther than stock correct? So the actual tire will protrude out of the fender wall just a small amount?

 

The wheel will stick out 1 inch farther, then it also depends on what tire you choose. That will also add some to the overall inches.

 

Not to change the main question, but I'm interested in this as well except w/ a different setup, slightly. I'm doing the skyjacker 3" lift, and planning on 20x9 wheels w/ 33x13.5 tires. I want it to stick out a good 2" from the wheelwell, so I'm planning on getting a wheel w/ around 20mm offset. I am not quite understanding how much actual backspacing that would be if it is 20mm offset on a 9" rim. Can anyone help w/ this? And at that point, I am now wondering whether or not that setup would fit w/o rubbing? The skyjacker kit says it will clear 33's but I'm not sure about a wheel that wide. I want it that way, would get 20x10's but I'm also trying not to cause any more problems like rubbing issues or less gas mileage. I bet 33x13.5 tires w/ 20x10 rims would look sweet, but most of the 10" rims have 4.5" backspacing and would require more lift probably.

 

Higdog - I'm running almost the same set up, 18" x 10" (MT Classic Lock) rim on the same lift with 33s, 6" offset - centerline of the wheel for your 9" rim is 4.5", 20mm is about .75" so the backspacing on these would be 5.25". Gives you about the same look I have - the tire lines up with the running board.

 

bryndon,

thanks for the info. what were you meaning about the 6" and 4.5"? did you mean your rims have 6" backspacing? got any pics of yours?

how did you figure the backspacing? 20mm converted to inches is .78 inches. why is it that you subtracted that from 6 inches? where did the 6 come from? i feel stupid, i just can't 'get' this. thanks!

 

The 18x10 inch Mickey Thompson wheels have 6 inches of backspacing which means they will stick out 2 inch farther than an OEM 17 or 18 inch wheel.

 

Your 9" wheel is 4.5" to centerline, plus the 20mm offset (approx .75"), or 5.25" backspacing. Happens in this case, that your 9" rim with 5.25" backspacing and my 10" with 6" end up sticking outward about 4".

Here's a link http://www.dualcomp.com/adventures.asp to some pics of the truck - mostly around Moab!

 

Bryndon,

That's an impressive truck. I bet you have some fun with it, nice setup! I was going to get the flares like on yours, but I decided that since I'm going w/ the look where the wheels/tires stick out from the fenderwell, and I'm only using a 9" rim, that I had better not get the big flares because I thought it might eliminate the look I wanted. When you said that the combo you have and what I want would stick out 4", how do you figure? I was thinking it would be 2" for yours and 1.75 for mine. W/ a 10" rim, you've got 2.5" more than factory, minus the .5" extra backspace you now have on the current wheels, for a total of 2" more to stick out than factory. W/ mine, on a 9" rim I'd have 1.5" more width than factory, plus less backspacing than factory which would give me about .25" more width than the 5.5" factory backspacing, for a total of 1.75" more width than factory setup. Were you meaning that when the tires are considered also that they add a lot more width to total about 4"? I was considering the 33x13.5 instead of a 33x12.5 for that reason, to get a little more width.

How do you like the lift? Comfortable, better than stock? What shocks are you running on the rear?

 

I meant from the hub face (wheel off, the actual hub face) it sticks out 4", the tire hangs out a little better than 2" over stock - the flare, tire, and stock step tube all line up - the flare gives you about 2" more coverage than stock, so with a stock flare you'll stick out 2" with a 13.5 tire - that's what I run.

Love the suspension, much better than stock ride quality. I had issues with front shocks (blew them out), but Skyjacker replaced them - no questions asked!!! They have since changed the design on the 3" fronts to eliminate what they saw as a problem. Using their Platinum series back shocks with no issues. Their service has been incredible. I'm upgrading to their 6" lift shortly. Once I have it in and put a few miles down I'll write it up.

 

Bryndon, I couldn't tell from the pics, but what tires are you running? that's been another issue for me to decide. I've decided to pick between the bfg a/t ko, the nitto terra grappler, the toyo a/t, and maybe even the yokahama geolander a/t. Not sure about the quality of the geolander a/t, but I saw some on a lifted chevy the other day and they are sweet looking. I'd prefer the bfg a/t but they're so expensive! I think I can get a terra grappler for right at $300 or even a little less per tire. I'm looking for one that will get at least 40k miles. I know even the Pro Comp tires have a mileage warranty on them.

What exactly did they change on the front shocks of the lift? I have the lift now in the garage, have had it for about a year because I found a great deal on it, but waiting to get some wheels and tires. I bet the platinums on the rear are good for you for using the truck off road a lot, mine won't see a lot of that. I've been recommended to get something geared to be a little more towards the road and occasional off road driving, like the rancho 5000 series or skyjacker nitros. What do you think?

 

Tires are **** Cepek FCII - not a cheap tire, but I have 60,000 miles on these and they still have about 30% tread. Rotate regularly, 5000 miles and they wear great with excellent on and off road traction. Even in Moab at street pressure (50 psi) they stuck without issues. Not sure what they changed, but I believe it's the whole shock structure. Their tech line might shed more light.

The Platinums are great on the road. I spend less than 10% off road with this truck, and they perform wonderfully all around. If you're doing Ranchos, I would go to the RSX - much better shock than the 5000 in my experience.

 

The cepeks at 60k? Wow man, that's impressive for any tire. I had been told by various tire dealers and other folks that mickey thompson tires do not have good wear and usually have a short life. I think mickey thompson makes the **** cepeks and they look almost identical maybe to the atz's? I was going to get the atz's originally, but after being told so many times about the poor wear on mickey thompsons I decided against it. I can't find many articles or reviews on either. My truck might see offroad 1%. So the platinums in the rear or the rsx's won't stiffen up the ride too much for on road comfortable driving, where you don't feel rigid on every bumb? All the manufacturers have recommended the lower line like the nitros or rs5000 series to me for the rears, saying it would be much better for on road driving.