2015 Ford F-150 Gets a Muscular Look with Basic Upgrades

F-150 looks great when it gets to the shop, but the lift, wheels and tires give this truck a whole new attitude.

Two of the most common upgrades performed by four-wheel-drive Ford F-150 owners are ride height adjustments and a new wheel-and-tire package, as these make a big visual impact while also making the trucks more capable in just about any situation. In case you aren’t sure if a build as simple as a lift kit, wheels and tires will have the impact that you are hoping for, the video above from the Custom Offsets YouTube channel should help you make your decision.

When coupled with the other basic upgrades made by the owner prior to arriving at the shop, this Ford F-150 looks like a completely different truck from the one that rolled off of the assembly line.

The Introduction

The video begins with Fuller, the host of Custom Offsets TV, explaining that this 2015 Ford F-150 is owned by a resident of New Jersey named James and he brought the truck “all of the way” to Custom Offsets for a lift kit and a new wheel-and-tire package.

We also get a look at the F-150 in the form in which it arrived, with stock ride height on stock wheels, but there are a few upgrades, including the Raptor-style grille, the aftermarket LED taillights and tinted windows. The truck looks good, but it is about to go through a transformation to a much cooler truck that stands out from the crowd.

The Finished Product

After the introduction, the F-150 is pulled into the shop, the stock suspension parts are removed and the new components from BDS are installed. Once the lift kit, including Fox 2.0 shocks, has been installed, the SOTA AWOL wheels wrapped in Nitto Ridge Grappler tires were bolted-up. The truck was then taken outside for a walk-around and an array of moving shots with the new look.

This is when we are introduced to Banker, one of the shop’s installers, who discusses the end result. He points out that this wheel-and-tire package sticks out about two inches, but if you don’t like that, a simple set of flares would get them back within the body. The owner opted for a set of five-inch blocks in the back, lifting the rear end a little higher than the front, providing an aggressive rake.

More importantly, the 20-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch rubber fit without any rubbing in the wheel wells without any modifications to the inner fender liner or anything else around the big rollers.

The video ends with some still and rolling shots of the Ford F-150, showing how much of a difference these simple upgrades make to the world’s most popular half-ton pickup.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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