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2004 - 2008 Ford F150 General discussion on the 2004 - 2008 Ford F150 truck.

Do I need the extra inch?

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Old Mar 9, 2019 | 05:38 PM
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Default Do I need the extra inch?

Yeah, in regards to the truck.

I measured that I have 0.75" of clearance from the front tires to the fenderwell corner at the worst spot. I have 275/60r20, 1.5" spacer, and bilstein at 1" lift.

I am ready to mount 285/60r20 tires, they are 0.5" taller and 0.4" wider, so they theoretically would take up 0.3 or 0.4" of my 0.75" clearance, leaving only 0.4" maybe. Worried about turning up hills or whatever, should I adjust the bilsteins up another inch or am I OK running this?

Looking for opinions. It would be easy just to not take off the struts again to adjust......

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Old Mar 9, 2019 | 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by ReaperHWK
Yeah, in regards to the truck.
.....
That was so ripe for the picking....
I think you'll be OK as clearance goes. You might get a touch of rub under just the right conditions when wheeling, but I'd prefer that to the over-stressed ball joints & CV's you'll have with 3.5" worth of spacers/strut.
EDIT-- assuming factory wheels, you'll be fine. My Son has a 2.5" level on his '05 and runs 285/75-18's which are well over an inch bigger in diameter, and it only rarely rubs lightly when things are just right.

Last edited by PerryB; Mar 9, 2019 at 11:21 PM.
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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 08:44 AM
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You’re at the 2.5” max you should go with lifting the front. If you raise the adjustable shock another inch, you’re at 3.5”, if you’re even able to bolt everything together, you’ll end up destroying parts as the suspension geometry will be beyond severe.
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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 11:28 AM
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Sorry wasn’t clear maybe. I have 1” of lift on the front now. Asking if I should go to the 2” setting. Yes a have factory wheels but am using a 1.5” spacer.

I just didnt want to remove my struts and adjust the bilsteins again if I was going to be ok with the 1” setting.

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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 12:01 PM
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..

Last edited by PerryB; Mar 10, 2019 at 12:13 PM.
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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by ReaperHWK
Sorry wasn’t clear maybe. I have 1” of lift on the front now. Asking if I should go to the 2” setting. Yes a have factory wheels but am using a 1.5” spacer.

I just didnt want to remove my struts and adjust the bilsteins again if I was going to be ok with the 1” setting.
1.5” wheel spacer and not a 1.5” leveling spacer? If so, I’m misread and yes you can go up another inch on the shocks. If it’s indeed a level spacer stacked on an adjustable shock, no you can’t go any higher.

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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted by 2008__XL


1.5” wheel spacer and not a 1.5” leveling spacer? If so, I’m misread and yes you can go up another inch on the shocks. If it’s indeed a level spacer stacked on an adjustable shock, no you can’t go any higher.

He has the adjustable bilstien shocks, set at the 1" setting. No spacers on the shocks.
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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 05:55 PM
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I think I’m just going to get the tires on without raising it. If it rubs, then I’ll adjust the shocks up one more inch.

I think it it will be close but we’ll see.
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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by ReaperHWK
I think I’m just going to get the tires on without raising it. If it rubs, then I’ll adjust the shocks up one more inch.

I think it it will be close but we’ll see.
If it rubs a little, ditching the wheel spacers will fix it. I am personally NOT a supporter of wheel spacers. Many years ago I drove AAA tow truck for a large/busy contract station. In those years (nearly 15) I saw numerous cases of sheared studs and thrown wheels due to spacers. I know a lot of people will argue that they're perfectly safe when "installed correctly" but I know what I witnessed. I towed in a chevy van with a caved-in windshield from an oncoming F150 (older 5 lug) that pitched it's wheel at just the wrong time. Fortunately nobody was injured. They're also hard on ball joints, hard on wheel bearings and cause the truck to throw rocks outside the fenders.-- Okay, I'll get off my soap box now...
A thought on the Bilstein's, assuming you decide to go higher. I just put them on my '13 and set them at 1.5" (the increments are different on the 12th gens). The ride is noticeably stiffer due to the increased pre-load. If you were to pull the struts (yeah,yeah I know...coilovers) back out, you might consider going to zero and then using a conventional 2" leveling spacer, depending on your preferred ride firmness.
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Old Mar 10, 2019 | 08:34 PM
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^Agree with everything he said on spacers. Save the bearings and the lugs!
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