Lookin to buy and need a hand...heres what i'm lookin at:

'08 Lariat 4X4 Super cab 6ft box. loaded with everything+ 20's, bigger fuel tank ect...

Is there a reason I should be looking at the FX4? Also, if you could build your dream '08 150 what would it be? I also would like to do some off roading too...I know the 20's are going to be an issue there! Or should I just bag it and wait till I have 140K on my '03 Super Crew and then buy an '09?

Thanks, Walt

 

Also...

With the '08 what are the best things to get the dealer to throw on the thing? Ie: contoured mud flaps, bed xtender, box cover, grill guard...ect???

 

The FX4 is another option package designed to make lots of money and make the truck look pretty. It gets you a couple of skid plates and a cool decoration on the sides of the truck.

Is the box 5.5' or 6.5'? The 20's with low profile tires are going to ride like crap. They are pretty and spendy at replacement time. I'm not knockin' the rig, I think thier gorgeous. I'd run the '03 until the 2010's come out.

As for the dream '08 F-150, I don't have one. I could dream about an '08 SD Toby Truck all day long!

Good luck,

Tim

 

I would wait for the new engines to come out in 2010. If you buy an 08 or 09 you might get the urge to trade it. That would mean a big loss.

 

New engines in '10?!? Man! I was thinking a 6.5? Yeah, those 55's are gonna suck! I wonder if I can opt out of the 20's and go with the 18's? Shoot! With the mention of the new engine...ah crap!!!

 

Confused.

Just because they are 20" rims does not immediately mean that they are a low profile tire. The same could be said of the tire having a "55" in its measurement.

The OEM 20" tires measure in at 275/55R20. In ye old American standard measurement system that would be 31.9" tall x 10.8" wide with a 5.9" sidewall. To put that into perspective, the tire with the LARGEST sidewall offered by Ford (on the F150's) is the 245/75R17, and it clocks in at 31.5" high x 9.6" wide with a 7.2" sidewall height. That puts those two tires within 1/2" of being the same height, the 20" tire is just over an inch wider, and the sidewall is 1.3" smaller.

Last I checked, an inch is about the width of my thumb. Are you honestly trying to say that my ride quality is going to be hideously worse because of a bit over a thumb's-width of sidewall height?!?

To take that a step further, there are three other Ford-offered tire sizes that are within a 1/2" of the supposedly "low profile" 275/55R20. But, ironically, no one jumps on those tire sizes claiming that they are "low profile"...probably has a lot to do with the fact that those are 17" & 18" based tires.

In my opinion, Ford only offers one tire size that marginally qualifies as being a low-profile, the 275/45R22. But, even this tire has 5" of sidewall. Not exactly the 1.5" - 3" sidewalls you see on the true pavement princesses.


I kind of doubt that you will be subjecting a truck with a price tag north of $35,000 to that much in the way of off-roading. Even if you do take a few trails here & there, that inch (or less) of additional sidewall is probably not going to save you. Despite what currently passes as competitive rock crawling, it has really just become rock racing. In the real world, it is all about finesse and good tire placement.

If you hit any serious trails, you are going to be looking at replacements any ways. And that will probably lead into a chain reaction which will go something along the lines of lift, tires, gears, and then lockers.



As for metric tire sizes, keep in mind that the first number is a metric measurement of the tire width. The second number is a percentage. In essence, the sidewall height will be equal to that percentage of the tire width (first number). The third number is obviously the rim size.

If you were designing a tire, you could envision a 12" wide tire with a 6" sidewall. That would immediately put the first two numbers in the metric system at 305 and 50, respectively. The tire rim size will dictate the overall height of the tire. With a 17" rim size, that would be a 29" tall tire, and at 18" it would be 30" tall. So on & so forth....

 

buy an 08 or wait until 2010. I wanted a 04 but waited until late 05 to get the new body style. I would hate paying $20,000 and Ford is still working on some issues that didn't come up during testing.

 

I would get an 08. More rebates, better looking truck. Plus dealers are hurting right now with a slowing economy. You should get a great deal

 

X2.....................

 

Thats true on the rebate. You should hold out for an awesome deal on an 08. I am sure you could find one. I didn't think of that. I'm sure there won't be many deals on the new engines when they first come out.

 

WOW! I really struck a nerve over some silly 20" tires. Sorry. I still think they will ride worse. The good thing is, they will definately corner much better. Oh darn, the truck wasn't built to corner fast. And at a price north of 35K you are most likely correct in your assumption that it won't do much wheeling. So I ponder the question. What good is a 35-40K rig with 20's that won't corner well and most likely won't see any serious wheeling? Oh, Ok, I get it. It's perty.

Please don't be offended, I'm having a little fun.

Tim

 

You should see all the Hummers in this town with 20's and 24's. Tires with 2-3" sidewalls. What a waste.

 

What do you consider a waste? 2-3 inch sidewalls on 20's and 24's or a beautiful hummer body on a Chevy chassis?

Tim

 

I agree. The rebates right now are around $4000 or higher and you can easily find a dealer to sell at invoice. Ford has improved quality alot but the first year of a new or updated model can spell trouble. By the way the 20" tires on those trucks are Pirelli Scorpion ATR's which are excellent tires that ride very well and are quiet. My 2007 F150 has been great, even better that my 06. The 08 is the last year for this "model" and all the bugs have been worked out.
Good luck.

 

It was not just you. There are a lot of folks that immediately think low profile tires when they hear of 20" rims on a truck, and that simply is not the case. It's much like perpetuating an urban myth.

The suspension itself (including any optional payload packages that may be installed) will affect the ride quality a thousand times more then that 1" difference in sidewall height. Hell, overinflating the tires will affect the ride quality more.

For the record, I have driven a truck with 17's and 20's for quite a while. The ride quality was as identical as you could get. In fact, the only difference I could tell between the two was when I switched to Bilstein shocks on one of them.

Without hitting a track & really pushing them to find that breaking point, I would say they were pretty comparative in the cornering department. As you stated, it is a truck, and something with this high of a profile will never do well in the corners. I think this is largely due to the fact that they are truck tires...which, by their nature, have stronger sidewalls for towing & hauling loads.


The money paid for all of it!!