Hey all,
Just found the site, and it's really cool. I have a completely stock 1995 F150 Supercab 4.9L 4x2 manual. I wanted to put 31's, maybe 32's on. First, can I put them on the stock rims (car has 235/75R15's now)? Second I don't really want to make too much of a huge adjustment. I just wanted to beef it up slightly. I was wondering if there is a way to do it without buying a body lift / suspension lift? I'm talking 0-2" lift and/or just levelling the truck out. BTW, will 32's fit without any mods? I have NO idea what all the different methods of lifting/adjusting the suspension are, but looking through the forums it seems like there are 100's of ways to achieve it, and I'm a bit lost. Suggestions? Thanks.

Zach

 

Hey Zach. and welcome to FTE I have a similar truck if you look at my gallery. I am running bfg all terrains that are 31x10.5 on a stock 2wd suspension the tires clear in the rear no problem and look loads better that stock tires BUT the front will rub in the wheel well when you bottom out the suspension whether it be on a huge pothole or just a roll in the road suurface. I dont know why but the drivers side bottoms out the tire in the front wheel well before the passenger side maybe my weight? So basically yes they fit but the will ocasionally bottom out. ALSO they are too wide and they rub on the radius arms if you turn the steering wheel all the way over. I didnt think this was a major problem but now everytime i corner my front end pops and i think the vibration on the radius arms from the tire rubbing caused the radius arm bushings to prematurly deteriorate. as far as 32's i doubt it simply cause the height of the front end of the 2wd truck.
cheapest way to level it?
coil spring spacers which are cheap in price and quality as you said you want to maybe beef it up, you arent going to be doing that with coil spacers

 

Wow, I didn't expect to hear that 31's wouldn't fit all the way. Would they with coil spacers? Any way to fix the problem of them being to wide and causing the rubbing? I definitely don't want to do any modifications that wear out parts or have parts rubbing that shouldn't.
Well, I guess I meant to cosmetically beef it up. I wanted to level it out raise it up an inch or two to make sure a) tires would completely fit and b) make it look better. I drive 99% on highway/surface roads, so I don't need anything too advanced. I just thought there would be a way to raise the truck up a bit without buying a lift kit. Are coil spacers something I could install on my own relatively easy? I have access to tools etc, but I'm not too familiar with suspension work.

 

I've been searching the forums and around the net, and it seems that replacing the front coil springs would have the desired effect. However, everybody seems to be saying that replacing the coil springs is dangerous because of the large amounts of pressure the springs are under. One moderator on this site said you didn't have to worry about that if you jacked the car up, resting the frame on some jackstands, and disconnected the suspension so that it hung down freely (supported by another jack). Does this really release all the coil spring pressure? Does replacing the coil springs with ones that raise the front 2" require any other parts? I seem to recall something about replacing some bushings. It seems like if I can get 2" extra on the front w/ just the new coils, it'd be a cheap way to fit the larger tires in the front. BTW, thanks to 96hulk for the original suggestions.

 

Installing 2" lift front coil springs might be the best way to level the truck out and still be able to run 31" tires without body contact. Tire width would have to be limited to about 10" to prevent rubbing. When you go looking for tires, find a place that will do a trial fit for you. Decent places will do this.

Skyjacker has coil springs for your truck. Installation is relatively easy and safe if you raise the truck and support it from the frame to unload the suspension. There have been several discussions here about this sort of installation. A search should give you some decent info.

Lou Braun

 

Thanks for the tips. What else do I need? I think some bushings? I don't do automotive work, but am a quick learner. 2 coils springs, some bushings, elbow grease and I'm good to go right? 31's are 10.5 wide. Is that close enough to 10" wide?

 

get a haynes manual. about 15 bucks at most auto parts stores. its a very good tool to have.

 

31x10.5 is close to 10 wide but is not and i dont think it would make a difference if you lift it 2 in the tires are still just as close to the radius arms and i am not giving any guarentees i just speak from experience when i say that 10.5 is a tiny bit too wide

 

Got the manual. Will start researching how to go about this. If I get access to some sort of camera, I'll document what I do, so people can have a look how I did it the hard way. But, it'll be a learning experience. 96hulk, jessfactor, thx for the info. I'll try to get a test fit or figure out as best I can whether the tires will rub before I buy.

 

BTW, what do I have to do to make it so the front tires don't rub? Get different rims so that the tires are set out a little farther and don't rub when cranked?

 

Ok I need to clarify some things.

First, the tires rubbing on the radius arm is almost unevitable. It does NOT cause the bushings to prematurely wear out. The only thing it does is wear the paint off the side of the radius arm in that one spot (that you can't really see). The area is smooth enough where it won't cut the tire. I have skyjacker radius arms that are bent in to prevent this rubbing, and with my 32's it still rubs (I usually run 35s). You can adjust the steering stop to not allow the tire to rub, don't turn the wheel all the way, or get a rim with enough backspacing. I say leave it and don't worry about it (thats what I do).

The best way is to put some skyjacker leveling coil springs under there. You'll need an alignment afterwards. This will lift the truck 1.5-2" and allow you to fit 32/11.5s (which will fit on the stock rims).

For installation, you raise the truck and put jack stands under the frame. Allow the suspension arm to droop down. Put a jack under the arm you're working on (whether it be the left or right). This will support the weight of the arm. Now at this point, there is no tension on the coil spring from the trucks weight. The trucks weight is on the jackstand via the frame. There is a small clip on the top of the spring seat which you remove that bolt. You then remove the 1 1/8" nut inside the coil spring. You can then use the jack to lower the suspension arm a little more and pull the spring out. Keep in mind the new spring is longer, so leave extra room so you can drop the suspension arm down further. Reverse the process for installation. It's very simple, takes about an hour on each side. You'll need an alignment to correct the excessive camber created. You're tires will look like \ / until you have it aligned.

 

Okay. I take it this sort of thing is different for different setups. I've already decided that I'm going to go with the skyjacker coil springs, so your response is comforting. If I can fit a 32 without anymore hastle than a 31, then I'd like to do that. But I seem to be reading in a lot of threads that on a standard rim (which I think is 15X7 or 15X7.5) for an '95 F150 4X2, an 11.5 inch tire would be too wide for the rim to safely mount. I guess if the rubbing is not very detrimental to the health of the tire or rim than it is okay. I'll just try not to crank the wheels over all the way, which I try not to do anyways. However, it also seems that if a 10.5 wide tire will rub, then an 11.5 wide tire will rub worse. All this information is useful, but it makes it a bit harder for me to decide. Everything is pretty much decided except for what tire to get. So the toss up is between 10.5" wide and a little rubbing or 11.5" wide and more rubbing (but still generally okay).

 

In my gallery is a red F-150..its a 95 2wd with 4" lift and 32/11.5s (as well as pics w/ the 235/75/15s). As you can see there is pleanty of room and those are on the stock Eddie Bauer 15/7.5" wheels. I still have them and they work just fine. A 11.5" wide tire will mount on a 7.5" wide wheel just fine and its safe. Rubbing wasn't bad at all. Do the 2" lift...32" tires...and enjoy!

 

I'm not familiar with the newer F series, but I've changed coil springs before by using spring compressors.

 

You use spring compressors on the newer IFS systems, but the TTB is not necessary. I've installed two lift kits myself on these vehicles, so I've done it before. Using a spring compressor when not necessary is more dangerous. You're compressing the spring under force (something can break) when you don't need to.