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Purchased a new 2015 XLT FX4 and plan on doing some upgrades that will Add to the functionality of the vehicle for my outdoor hobbies (hunting and fishing mostly). However, most of my driving will still be on road so I want to maintain the smooth factory ride as much as I can.
Here it is right after I bought it
The first thing I did is replace the stock tires with BFG AT KO2 tires. I did this mainly for off road traction and cut resistance. I also like the looks of course. The ones that came on it are nothing more than street tires really. I've plugged too many tires on the side of a logging road to risk running them.
I kept the tires stock size (275 55/20). I'm not sure if I'll regret not going up a size or not. Probably will but its too late now. I aired the tires up to 42 PSI and the ride is firm but smooth. I've noticed no uneven wear in the 2000 miles I've put on since. I plan on rotating them at every oil change.
I also removed the front air dam because I feared I'd rip it off on either a snowbank or a deep rut offroad.
I'll be picking away at more add ons as time and funds allow.
Added a bug shield shortly after purchase. I took a rock in the windshield and had to have it plugged. Luckily it hasn't spread. I went with the Ford OEM shield. It does vibrate a bit at highway speeds but doesn't seem to make any noise as some report. I'm not sure if bug shields really prevent rock chips or not but figure it can't hurt.
Installed a pair of Husky xact contour floor mats. I had the older style in my last truck (the hard plastic ones with the diamond plate pattern). They worked really well to keep the mud and salt off the carpets. The new ones should offer the same protection. They are much softer rubber and feel much better on the feet.
Put on the Ford OEM mud flaps on. My last truck got a lot of rock chips on the lower rockers, and i wanted to avoid that this time around. Between the flaps and the running boards I think I'm pretty well covered.
they are held on by clips and brackets. There's no drilling into the fender lip.
Built some underseat storage. I looked at some of the plastic ones you could purchase but wanted to get out of it a little cheaper. I used cardboard as a template and scrap pine and Mdf for wood. I primed it with spray primer and put on rustoleum textured paint for a top coat.
Right now there are no bottoms to these. I've been thinking about adding some thin plywood so that I can lift them out easily for cleaning purposes.
02-21-2016, 05:28 PM
2015 XLT FX4 build
