I know you can fit a 17" rim on the 04-08 trucks...but when I look at my wheels and calipers it doesn't appear possible! My calipers are huge!! I should be ok...right? There are 17" oems...

 

I have 17's on the factory steel rims and 17's on factory aluminum rims waiting for tires to wear out

 

Are your calipers really really close to the rim?

 

never looked, I do have the bigger brake upgrade/service bulletin, bet they are close

 

Mine are real close, but its alright, it works out. 17" painted wheels on an '04. I thought it was a bit crazy at first too but if it works it works.

 

if ford didn't feel it would be safe to mount a 17'' wheel on these trucks, they would not have done so from the factory. you will be alright.

 

Thanks-
I can't find a decent tire for an 18" rim...short of a bfg. Not that there's anything wrong with bfg's...other than I am a poor working man.
I think a 17" is my ticket out of this pricey slump.

 

unless you can find a 17'' set really cheap, i don't see how you will save $ on tires by switching from 18's. what exactly is it that you're trying to accomplish? tell us the tires you're looking at, sizes, etc so we can better help you. personally, i'd prefer a 17'' as well, more sidewall.

 

Since the pro comp rims are buy 3 get 1...I can grab a set for say under $500. If I save $30-40 a tire by purchasing 17's, in the long run (2-3 sets of tires) I will break even and have a wider selection of tires to choose from. If I don't break even, I will come out with aftermarket rims for damn near nothing. That's my logic.

I'm looking at BFG ats, km2s, mtzs, and dc mud county's. I want to stick with a 33ish...so I'm looking at 285-305-33. I'll probably just get the km2s on some 17" 7005s. I'm all over the damn place. I see snow...but I've driven in it since I was 16 so I'm not terribly concerned with the at vs mt thing.

Grrr- I hate tires...and I've lost my will to keep searching and researching. One site says good...one says bad. There should be one company that makes tires and they should make a tire called mt...that's it. You get that tire...end of story.

 

I took off my Lariat 18" wheels about 3 yrs ago and have 2 sets of 17" wheels which clear the calipers with no problems. They did have some problems clearing the brakes on some '05 models though. Check out the 285x70, 295x70, 305x65 or 305x70 tires, these would look great on a leveled 4x4.

 

Check out Tread Depot. Cheap prices. Free shipping.




VENTURE AT KL78
P285/70R17 VENTURE AT KL78 BSW 117S
The KL78 is the newest member of the Road Venture AT family. The KL78 has the instinct of a high performance street tire with the agility to venture into the unknown.

$132.00
/per tire

P285/70R17 500 A B 117S BSW $132.00

Great handling, outstanding traction on paved or unpaved roads, long mileage and low noise make the Road Venture AT KL78 a great fit for today's pick-up trucks and SUV's.

* Circumferential zig-zag grooves, along with multiple lateral grooves and sipes, provides excellent driving traction on and off the highway.
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* High tensile steel belts and endless nylon cap ply application promote a uniform tire shape for excellent durability and higher speed capability, for the life of the tire.
* Tread compound specifically designed to combat cutting and chipping.
* Computer generated sequential pitch design for optimum traction and a quiet ride.