So I have done my share of searching, but havent been able to answer my own questions. I'm building my 2003 f250 super duty, it came with a 10" lift and some tiny *** wheels and tires... so i want to pick up some Method NV 17x8.5 0/4.75, now i am new to the whole wheel tire lingo as far as trucks go, i have dealt with imports through my business but they are quite a bit different. nI think im going to need to put 40's so they dont look small next to such a big truck. I live where we get quite a bit of snow, so i dont want a rediculously fat tire id like to put the buschwhacker cut out flares on and want the wheel to be flush with the flare. not sticking out, not tucked in. does any one have pics of this size wheel on an f250? I'd like to know how much the 4.75 offset will set the wheel out.

 

Consider that driving a truck with tires that big will be more difficult, especially in the snow, and will eat parts like ball joints and unit bearings very fast. You will also loose a lot of power unless you regear your differentials.

Heck I just went from stock to a 33 inch tall tire and there is a noticeable loss in pickup, of course you could have a more powerfull engine. Just saying there is more to tire size then filling out the wheel wells.

 

I understand that. I just really don't want to spend the money on all new leaf springs to drop it down, do I nessicarily want a 10" lift? No but for 1,000-1,500 I may have to settle for it haha. If I drop it it will be to an 8" and I'll go with 35's, the main thing I'd like to figure out is the offset and how that will look. Thank you for your input.

 

Ok just pulled the trigger dropping down to an 8" lift and probably going to run 35"s still nervous they will look tiny. But still would like some input on the wheel tire set up.

 

You ask about a 4.75" offset wheel, but I think you intended to ask about a 4.75" backspacing on the wheel. The wheels you asked bout specifically are a zero offset, 4.75" backspacing. I am running 16x8" wheels with 4.25" backspacing and 315/75R16 tires (nearly 35x12.5) and my tires are basically flush with the fenders without any flares. Larger backspacing numbers will pull the tires closer into the frame while smaller backspacing numbers will push them out. With the setup you are talking about, I would personally look at a 285/75R18 tire on an 18" wheel with 3.5-4.00" of backspacing if you can find such a thing. That will give you a relatively narrow tire ~10.5 while still giving you some extra height over stock.

 

That's exactly the info I was looking for and was confused about. Thank you for your help.

 

have you got a picture of your truck i could check out?>

 

My truck is stock height other than a 1" lift and pushing the front axle forward 1" from the stock location.

 

awesome, noe to figure out what width of a wheel to run with a 285 tire haha thanks for all of your help man

 

Have you called 4wheelparts? Not sure if you are buying elsewhere but they've done it all with wheels/suspensions on F250s. Might be a good source of information.
Brian

 

How did you push the axle forward? What did you use to gain a 1" lift.


That ARB bumper is awesome, I have never seen a super duty with one, and most of the pictures are from overseas. Very classic look! Id like to get the bumper and snorkel someday.

http://www.andysautosport.com/images...rb_3436030.jpg

 

For the lift and shift, I used the Off Road Design Zero Rate Add a Leaf. It is a 1" thick add a leaf that bolts to the spring pack and has 1" and 1.5" offset holes for shifting the axle location forward or backward depending on how you position it. You can also use it without offsetting the axle location. I had to do some very minor modifications to the upper u-bolt brackets because of the shift, but it was pretty straight forward with a punch and a drill in my garage. Using that allowed me to run the nearly 35" tires with a minimal amount of lift, and since I have the ARB bumper, there was plenty of room to move the axle forward to maintain clearance from the fenders. The frame crossmember under the engine restricts the forward shift to just 1" without modifying it. I was very pleased that ARB made a bumper for my truck because I really like the look.

 

my trucks got 4.5 inch backspacing on a 10 inch wide rim (i dont know if the rim width matters) tires are 12.5 wide and they are about level with my flares but without the flares they stick out a little bit. Check my albums for pictures.

 

Here's my old '03. 6" lift. 37x13.5 on 17x9. Can't remember the backspacing. I'm looking through my old posts to find out.

 

Thinking about this some more, you may end up needing to look for a 12.5 wide tire on some wheels with a 4.5" backspacing. The 285/75/18 tire size limits your selection pretty heavily, but opening it up to a 35 or 37x12.5 on 17 or 18" wheels will give you lots more tire choices and wheel choices as well. A 12.5 wide tire isn't terrible on the snow, especially if you have an all terrain rather than a mud terrain tread pattern.