What do you guys think?


Can I get away with installing the Edge 4.5 lift kit without getting Rims/Tires.....

Reason: Money, kind of short right now... But I just dying to get my X lifted. I've got 285's right now... So I was thinking that it wouldn't look that bad?




So what does everyone think....


Lift without bigger tires?

Or wait until funds allow bigger tires?


Thanks

Big Mick

 

Do what cha can when ya can, who cares what others think, just remember it's a on going piece of "art" and you one step closer to getting it where you want it.

 

i say do it, big lift little tires. if anyone hassles ya, just say, hey look at all that wheel travel i have now.....

 

I just did it about 2 weeks ago. 4.5" Edge on my 01 X 4X4. Looks a little funny but not too bad. Check out my pics and you can decide. Anyone who knows or cares will see that you are going in the "right" direction...whatever that is. I off-road so I wanted the extra clearance, rims/tires are next. You could even find some bigger used tires and mount them on your stock rims for now. I've seen that done. I have tires coming that will sit in the garage until I get rims in a couple months. Screw everyone else.

 

Hey LWM97,


What size tires are you running now...


Love the lift, looks great,


Did you do it your self?


Thanks


Big Mick

 

I'm running stock rims and tires right now (265-70-16 - might be 75's). I have 35/12.5/16 Toyo MT's on the way. They will sit for a while in the garage until I get rims. I get a deal so I can't pass them up.

Did the lift with a friend. Took a while since it was my first lift. It's not too difficult, just takes time. I have to shim the rear about 2 or 3 degrees to fix the angle. Other than that I seem to be good. I have only had it on a couple weeks.

 

see my quote

 

Hey LMW97,


What do you mean "awhile" a day?, weekend?


Thanks

Big Mick



PS> Special Tools needed?

 

Big Mick
If I had to do it again I could get it done in a full day. The place I bought it from says it takes them 8-10 hours and they are pros with all the necessaary tools and conveniances. We ran into some problems with having to go out to get things several times. And I was on the phone to Marty (sold me the kit) because I was unsure about how to go about certain parts of the install. He was good about telling me the easiest or only way to make it work. We spent about 45 minutes trying to get one part on that shouldn't go back on until the end. Sure enough it took a minute to put it on. It took us two days because of the delays and a lot of wasted. Figure at least one long day. You need the larger pitman arm puller that you can get on loaner for free from places like autozone or pepboys and a lot of Red Highstrength Loctite. The only othe thing you should get is a 1/2X2" full threaded bolt and locking nut to re-install the box kit. The hole in the frame is larger than the origninal bolt so a larger bolt can be cranked down to secure the bracket from moving around. Other than that if you have all the sockets, extension, breaker bar, torgue wrench you should be fine. Impact tools make a world of differnce; if you don't have, I would borrow someones. The first time is always the hardest but if you are farmiliar with this type of install it is no problem. With a name like Big Mick I'm sure you can handle just about anything. Good luck and let me know if you have any other quetions.

Lou

 

RE the EDGE kit - I did mine by myself and it took the better part of two days, but I took a full spring lift out, put the stock leaves back in, plus the kit with dual front shocks. I did have someone to help with the front bumper and the rear springs. With two people I'd say about 10 hours. Add another hour for dual shocks.

On tires. I plan to go to 295 75 R16's when my current set wears out. 295's are basically a 33.5" X 11" tire that you can run on your stock rims and look great.

Your 285's will look fine and ride better than any 35" tire. You didn't say what kind of tires you have, but most 285's are about 32.5" X 11". Bridgestone Dueler AT REVO's are one of the largest 285's at 33" X 11.2". I wish they made them in 295 size and I would get a set. Excellent tires.

 

Spartan, I like you idea of the 295s on stock wheels. I believe some have 295s with no lift, but I would like about 2". Whatever lift is done to the front must have close to the same amount in the rear. This should prevent the nose up look with the pop-up attached. I cannot stand the nose up look. I'ld like to keep the molded mudflaps if possible. Realistically, I would not be doning this until before next winter. Which would be a good time to get rid of the Firebombs. This is when I'll pass 36,000 miles = no more warranty. Any suggestions on the what type of lift that would do this. I didn't realize the Revos didn't come in the 295 size. Maybe if we bombard them with request for this size, something might be available in the future.

 

You guys should look into a 305/70/16, they are the same diameter as the 285 but wider. I put them on mine and have no rubbing problems (no lift) and they fill the wheel well perfectly. truck has a great look and ride. I will try to get some pics in my gallery this weekend. The 295 is a taller tire and not as wide as the 305. Toyman

 

Toyman,

Hook up the pics for us....



PS>>> I'm living in a Hotel right now waiting to move into the house we just bought.... (House buying in Maryland sucks..)
I'll post some pics of My X as soon as possible...


Big Mick

 

97expy stated he wanted to use his stock wheels. 285's and 295's are the largest tire you can put on a stock 7" Ford rim and safely get away with it. When it comes down to brass tacks, both of those size tires are better off on an 8" rim.

Sure, you can mount 305's or even 315's on stock rims, but the tires will get about half of the tread life they would get if mounted on proper size wheels. In the long term it's cheaper to buy wheels than to wear out an expensive set tires in 20,000 miles. No to mention that the truck will not handle properly or ride as well as if it were set up properly.

305's require an 8" rim minimum and the one stock Excursion I have seen with 305's mounted rubbed at full lock. Some don't and some do evidently.

To run 295's I would go ahead with the EDGE 4.5" system as opposed to their 3" system or others. That way if you ever really want to run 315's you can. The 3" and 3.5" systems will clear 35" tires on some Superduty PU's with U, V or X code springs, but not on an Excursion with C code springs.

BFG AT 295's measure 33.5 inches. The 35 inch 315's are actually 34.7 inches tall. Only 1.2" of difference split 50/50 top and bottom. Not much different looking from the side, but 295's don't have nearly as much road noise and ride much better. They will also perform better in snow.

 

This may be true on paper, but my Goodyear at/s wrangler tires have been on this truck for 20K miles and they were on my 99 F250 for 10K miles. This tire shows no sign of improper tire wear, the ride is great, there is very minimal road noise, and I can turn to full lock and not rub. I am very aware of air pressure in my tires and rotating and balancing is a must with any tire. As far as should they be mounted on 8" wheel min, yes they should. I did not like the looks of any of the wheels available better than what my X has from the factory. I believe that if you pruchase a good set of tires they are going to last, so long as you do the maintenance. I will try to get some pics posted in my gallery today.

Toyman