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I just recently purchased a 2017 XLT Sport 3.5L with what I believe are 3.31 gears but not positive (I cannot remember what the spec sheet said, and I do not pick the truck up until later this week). I have been debating on whether or not I want to lift it (4" suspension lift) or level it (spacers in the front with blocks in the rear) but I am worried about forgoing the warranty; and excessive wear and tear on the ball joints, bearings etc, so I am leaning towards the leveling kit which will not nix the warranty. With that being said I have a few questions that I am looking for clarity on. Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated!
1). How high can I go with just a leveling kit? Is it possible to reach 3.5" in the front and balance it out with blocks in the rear?
2). Right now it has 275x55x20 tires on it, and I am looking to try to get up to 34's. Will 34's fit with the the leveling kit (without having to trim away any plastic/ etc)? What if I only went up 2.5"?
- If 34's will not fit, what sizes will?
- Will wheel spacers be required?
3). How much larger of a tire can I fit without having to get the transmission reprogrammed (or do I even have to really worry about that)? I am not too worried about being off a mile or two on the odometer or mpg's. What I am concerned about is the 10 speed transmission having trouble shifting. Does anyone know how much bigger of a tire I can go with without having to reprogram the transmission for this very reason?
I just recently purchased a 2017 XLT Sport 3.5L with what I believe are 3.31 gears but not positive (I cannot remember what the spec sheet said, and I do not pick the truck up until later this week). I have been debating on whether or not I want to lift it (4" suspension lift) or level it (spacers in the front with blocks in the rear) but I am worried about forgoing the warranty; and excessive wear and tear on the ball joints, bearings etc, so I am leaning towards the leveling kit which will not nix the warranty. With that being said I have few questions that I am looking for clarity on. Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated!
1). How high can I go with just a leveling kit? Is it possible to reach 3.5" in the front and balance it out with blocks in the rear?
2). Right now it has 275x55x20 tires on it, and I am looking to try to get up to 34's. Will 34's fit with the the leveling kit (without having to trim away any plastic/ etc)? What if I only went up 2.5"?
- If 34's will not fit, what sizes will?
- Will wheel spacers be required?
3). How much larger of a tire can I fit without having to get the transmission reprogrammed (or do I even have to really worry about that)? I am not too worried about being off a mile or two on the odometer or mpg's. What I am concerned about is the 10 speed transmission having trouble shifting. Does anyone know how much bigger of a tire I can go with without having to reprogram the transmission for this very reason?
1. 2.5" is as high as you want to go on a leveling kit. If you can afford it, go with a level strut or even better leveling coil over. The ride will be significantly better than a level puck.
2. 34.5 or 285/65r20's will fit on a standard 2" level with no rubbing or trimming.
3. The truck is going to read into the wheel speed not the transmission speed. A speedo correction is definitely recommended.
Here is what the speed difference will be 275/55r20 vs 275/65r20
Here is a picture of my truck with Bilstein 6112's and 5100's with 2.25" rear block and 275/65r20's.
Last edited by dhmcfadin; Feb 28, 2019 at 10:23 AM.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated! Nice looking truck by the way.
At what point would I have to reprogram the transmission for tires (minus calibrating it to update the spedomoter)? Is that even a thing, or am I thinking way too much into it?
I did the same as above. Bilstein's shocks, front maxed at 2.1" and the rear has a 2.25" block (1" taller than stock). I did 275/65R20's. 285's will be fine, but in BFG, they're $200 more and 6 pounds heavier for just 1/2" wider. I wouldn't want to be any taller with these tires.
With the 34's my speedo was 3mph off. I used forscan (it's free) and a bluetooth OBD programmer to fix it.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated! Nice looking truck by the way.
At what point would I have to reprogram the transmission for tires (minus calibrating it to update the spedomoter)? Is that even a thing, or am I thinking way too much into it?
You are thinking too much into it. Transmission is fine. You need to re-calibrate the speedo. Engine rpm is engine rpm.
I did the same as above. Bilstein's shocks, front maxed at 2.1" and the rear has a 2.25" block (1" taller than stock). I did 275/65R20's. 285's will be fine, but in BFG, they're $200 more and 6 pounds heavier for just 1/2" wider. I wouldn't want to be any taller with these tires.
With the 34's my speedo was 3mph off. I used forscan (it's free) and a bluetooth OBD programmer to fix it.
I think it's cool seeing two different trucks with exact same suspension and tires just different colors. I almost, this close, bought an ingot silver.
Sizing / reprogramming
