Lift, Tires......Help
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Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2006
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Lift, Tires......Help
Hey i need to know how much lift i need to put 33' tires on my 88 F 150. Also with the lift should i go with suspension lift, body lift or both. Would appreciate any help sort of new to the big tire and lift game.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Edmonton, AB Canada
With these trucks and 33's they say that you will need a 4" lift to properly clear etc. I think that a 3" body lift will do it, but I am not too fond of body lifts. I put a 4" lift in my 92, and I am running 33's on that truck, and there is plenty of room for a larger tire in the rear but I am not so sure about the front bumper clearing if I went to 35's. Body lifts are cheap and relitivly easy, but the quality and other issues like linkages and steering shafts needing to be lengthened. This causes a bit of a strength issue in my opinion. I like the idea of upgrading the suspension to handle the larger tires and rigors of offroad, but if you do not plan on taking your truck offroad and just looking for the image, then the body lift will be the cheapest route for you.
Freshman User
Joined: May 2006
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I put 315/70R16 Goodyear AT/S's on my F250 and I even used the stock rims off a 96. They do not rub anywhere on the body but a little on the leaf springs and sway bar when I turn all the way. I dont have any problem with the front bumper since I have a plow mount that moves the bumper forward like 4 inches but I doubt that you would have any trouble at all fittin 35's. By the way my truck is not lifted at all and is sitting on worn out springs.
Junior User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 92
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From: washington the state
buy the lever kit slap em on doit all the time(I sell tires for a living) dont go over a 81/2" wide wheel or they will rub a little. By the way the leveling kit is way cheaper and easier.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 335
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From: riverton u.s
You will need a 4inch lift to "clear" the 33's. Sure you could run the 35's but they will bottom out when hitting the fun stuff. I would never recomend a body lift to anyone. You get whatyou pay for with all the changes that must be made to make the truck look right. By the time your done you could have done the suspension lift a lot easyer. I only run skyjacker I feel they have the best ride. I buy from a local store here in utah jackit.com They have great prices and thier staff are great to talk to. If your going to lift the truck just make sure you do it right it will save you time and head aches down the road. So also look into changing your gears as well I would recomend 4:10's for 33's and i run 4:56's with my 35's.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 566
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From: Virginia
They say you need a 4" lift to clear 33s on 80-96 F150s...but I have a 2.5" lift on my 92 and I have 33s on it. I did have to shim the front bumper about 2 inches forward though. They do not rub under flex or anything...just the front bumper.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Lincoln, Nebraska
Originally Posted by Tdvjensen
With these trucks and 33's they say that you will need a 4" lift to properly clear etc. I think that a 3" body lift will do it, but I am not too fond of body lifts. I put a 4" lift in my 92, and I am running 33's on that truck, and there is plenty of room for a larger tire in the rear but I am not so sure about the front bumper clearing if I went to 35's. Body lifts are cheap and relitivly easy, but the quality and other issues like linkages and steering shafts needing to be lengthened. This causes a bit of a strength issue in my opinion. I like the idea of upgrading the suspension to handle the larger tires and rigors of offroad, but if you do not plan on taking your truck offroad and just looking for the image, then the body lift will be the cheapest route for you.
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Junior User
Joined: May 2006
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From: Milton, WA
My 95 F150 4x4 had the rake where the font sat lower than the back end and I put a 4" pro comp suspension lift on it. It leveled the front end out and I put on 33x 12.5 tires. The tires that I had on it before were 31x 10.5 I think. A body lift is less expensive, but all that it does is lift the body of the truck up off the frame from what I understand. A suspension lift gets the undercarage of the truck off the ground and gives it more ground clearance. I went with the suspension lift because I get into some nasty stuff when I go hunting or am in the mountains. Remember that if you put bigger tires on your truck you will be going faster than your speedometer reads. I just do five under and that seems to work for me.
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Quesnel, BC, Canada
Its my opinion, that if I were to go about lifting an F150 to fit 33s just to make it look beefier, and have some better offroad manners I would get a leveling kit for the front and a 2" body lift.
If I were wheeling it pretty hard, I would say 6" lift for 33s because the tire will need more space to travel in (not that the TTB front end flexes out much anyways)
If I were wheeling it pretty hard, I would say 6" lift for 33s because the tire will need more space to travel in (not that the TTB front end flexes out much anyways)
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Edmonton, AB Canada
Originally Posted by dhag911
did changing to 4.10s help your truck i have 3.55s and wondering if the 4.10s are good or if you had to do it agian would you go with something lower or higher
Resident smarta$$
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Oaks,PA
All things being equal the truck is an 88 and it would probably benefit from some newer springs in there, no? I vote do the suspension, say 4", and if it isn't enough for you after awhile THEN do the body lift. Just my .02
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Edmonton, AB Canada
If you wanted to go to some more lift after the 4" kit, going to the 6" kit would not be that much more work in terms of suspension. I know that with the pro comp lift that I have in my truck, the front drop brackets are the same for the 6" and 4" lifts. All I would have to do in my case would be to put in the 6" coils and put the suspension arms in the lower set of holes in the brackets. Even if 6" isnt tall enough for ya, then I would start going to body lifts or look at the solid axle conversion kits from BroncoGraveyard.com. These kits allow you to get up to 10" of supsension lift with there kit and still have decent suspension angles.
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