Alrighty folks,

I'm sure this won't be new so I apologize.

I know nothing about anything, and for that I apologize also.

Depending on which thread I read, I get a different vibe about leveling kits versus body lift or suspension lift. I have no idea how to describe what I am looking for in techincal terms and even lay terms will be a stretch but here we go.

Ideally I would like to take an '11-'12 4x4SCREW (model undetermined) and bring the front end up to level. To me this says leveling kit. But as stated earlier, I know nothing.

Secondly, I would like to add an aggressive looking wheel and tire combo and I'm wondering about different combinations of size so that with limited work and cost I can achieve the look without any rubbing.

Ideas are welcome, but please, explain it to me like I'm 3 years old.

Pictures are even more welcome.

Pictures with 3 year old descriptions are the best.

Also, for me personally, I do not care for the jacked up look. So if we can avoid that I'm happy.

Also, use will be for moderate off-road use (trails and dunes) but MOSTLY for visual appeal.

Thank you in so much advance!

 

1. You are looking for a leveling kit. Two kinds, hockey puck or shock. Hockey puck fits on top of your strut tower and lifts the truck the desired amount. Can be plastic, steel, aluminum etc and common manufacturers are Hell Bent Steel, Daystar Rough Country etc. They are usually much cheaper (IMO this is because while they are cheaper to make, they put more stress on your suspension). Shock based are like the Bilstein 5100s (I have these, had for over a year now and they still ride great and I am completely satisfied). They accomplish the desired level by using a different adjustable spring seat, valving etc to make the lift happen. Advantage is you don't have a weird a-arm angle or over stress the suspension (which is what you would want for maximum travel with minimum wear on trails) and its Bilstein, there is a reason they are so good at what they do.

2. Tire rack (who advertises here) has a nice little rim sizer and a huge selection of tires, see what you like. With a level you can clear 33" tires for sure and 34-35" may work with minor trimming depending on the tire/rim/truck combo. Stay with an 18" rim. The tire I went with is the BFG AT TA/KO and that was plenty aggressive enough for me. Does snow, ice, off road whatever. A lot of guys go really aggressive with Mud-Terrain but they are louder and get worse fuel mileage, also less tread life. Nitto Terra Grapplers are also popular if you do a quick search you will find some recommendations.

3. Limited cost. Its a new truck my friend...limiting your mod quality based on cost is never a good idea. Just do it slow. I didnt do all my stuff at once. I did the Bilstein level at my stealership so they would warranty the work and the truck without giving me crap on a level being installed. Cost me about $650 for the shocks and the install (I did all 4 corners. If you are going the Bilstein route I HIGHLY RECCOMEND DOING ALL 4 SHOCKS AT ONCE. The fronts are the leveling but the performance from the rears is SO much better than OEM and there have been issues with OEM rear shocks blowing prematurely). Tires? Gonna run you at least a grand. Then the rims. Pickin up what I'm puttin down? But its totally worth it so...

 

Well said!

 

I like the Rancho 2'' loaded quick lift leveling kit and matching rear shocks. I've got them and use their myride controller to adust the shock setting for offrad and towing or whatever. These shocks are great. I also run BFG A/T TA KO tires on the stock rims, size 305/65/18 with no rubbing issues at all. Amazinly, the ride is much better than stock. I really like the myride controller, because I can adjust the shocks from the driver's seat to several preset settings and you can really tell a difference if you go off road and leave it on the highway setting instead of swiching to the offroad setting.

 

I'm running with 275/65/20 (34") Nitto Terra Grapplers with no level installed and have no rubbing whatsoever. They are on a 2010 4x4 Screw XL. I have a picture of the truck in my garage/profile with the rims and tires on. I also purchased an AutoSpring 2" level kit(~$80 ebay) that I will be installing Monday just to level it out, you can see the front sits lower right now from the pictures. I also do not do any offroading more or less a daily driver. Just leveling it out purely for appearance. That's my input, the first response have you all the info you need, now you just need to figure out what size wheel/tires you want to run.

 

This is exactly what I was looking for so thank you to everybody that has responded so far.

I didn't mean to imply that I was looking for a swap-meet frankentruck when I said low cost, I meant that I didn't want/need (or think I did) to get into full on lifts, Baja-purpose shocks and that short of thing. I'm more than willing (and able) to pay the money for what I want/need, but don't care to waste time or money with things I don't. I'm sorry for the confusion.

Side bar, apparently, somebody told me that if you change wheel size or tire size on the rear it impacts the speedometer reading. Would somebody mind explaining this to me? Which numbers do I need to be paying attention to when buying a wheel or tire combo? The 33" or the 265/85/18(made up numbers)? Or both?

Prepare for more questions after I get awesome answers so please, answer at your own risk!

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

PS I'll check out pictures later, and please get some up after you get the leveling kit in!

 

It does impact the speedo. The larger the tire, the fewer revolutions per mile therefore your speedo will read incorrectly.

This calculator shows you your stock tire measurements including revolutions and compares it to your new planned tire. A good way to judge size difference.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

This calulator uses a ratio based on simple tire diameter to show you the effects on your speed. You would need ot know that say "my speedo is off by 3.5mph" to avoid tickets. Also your odometer will be off.
http://www.onlineconversion.com/bigger_tires.htm

Pay attention to both numbers. The 33" number or 34" or 35" is the number that you will need to know to be sure the tire fits without rubbing. The other numbers (ie P265/75R18) are the numbers that calculate to get the 33" or 34" in the calulator and are the measurements of different parts of the tire.
1st number= the "section width" of the tire in milimeters. This is not the width of the tread but rather the nominal width of the tire at its widest point - about half-way down the sidewall. 265
2nd number= the "section height", sometimes called the "aspect ratio" is the height of the tire from the bead to the top of the tread measured as a percentage of the section width
75% of 265 mm
R= Radial Tire
3rd number= rim size that is appropriate for this tire.

 

I love it. Thank you. But that (as I warned) yields another silly question.

Is this something that can potentially be overcome by ordering a package that includes bigger wheels and finding a tire in that particular size that I like? As in a straight from the factory deal?

Or do they not tune for that stuff?

Be gentle.

 

Negative. OEM tire sizes used to have much more flexiblity in the truck's computers, now they have extremely limited size adjustment. An aftermarket programmer can reconfigure your truck for larger tire sizes. Also, the bigger you go the heavier the tire, more is needed to push the truck to perform and eventually with lift and larger tires you need to re-gear your rear end. Depending on the truck the issue would be more obvious. 3.55 or 3.31 gearing would show the strain more than the 3.73 gears. Guys with big lifts and 35 or bigger go to a 4.10 gearing in the rear end (ford offers this as OEM on the FX4 as an upgrade from the 3.73 ELD it comes with, 4.10 is also standard on the Raptor with the OEM issued 35" BFGs). Depends on how big you want to go. Just leveled and on say 34"-ers shouldnt be an issue for you.

Biggest tire you could order from the factory that comes stock would be 32"-33".

 

Here is a pic to go with my post above.