I have a 2000 F150 4x4 with a 5spd and 3.55 gears. I want to run some 33" or 34" tires. I love the 4.2L, but I am wondering if I am going to have enough truck to turn these tires. The majority of my driving is either on the interstate or horrible backroads. I would like to stay away from a gear swap if possible. BTW I dont have a problem with losing 2mpg or so.

 

Awesome. I dont use this truck to tow or haul much as I have my F350 for that, so it won't bother me if it is a little sluggish. Would I be ok with just cranking the torsion bars and maybe adding a leaf or putting a small block in the rear? I could always do a body lift, but I have never been a real fan of them.

 

I am not sure of my rear gears but looks like our trucks are similar. Without any lift you should be able to fit 285x75r16 thats what I did. Those are about 33". Yeah the engine struggles a little bit harder but I never thought the 4.2l was that fast anyhow... after a little time you dont really notice the difference. I did crank my torsion bars after I put the bigger tires on, and it does mess with a few things like bumpsteer and makes the front end suspension a lot more harsh. But I've kept it that way now for a few years. 35's might start pushing it, idk. And BTW I did not see any noticable mpg change but might depend on what your comming from, I went from 265x75r16 to 285x75r16. My daily route (75% inner city hwy/ 25% city streets) is around 15mpg before I moved, and now that I live out in the country and mostly hwy its about 17-18. I drive extremely conservative... usually.

 

I am glad to see somebody with a truck similar to mine. It seems like most everybody here has 2wd. Those mileage numbers are almost identical to mine too. I get about 15-16 city and 18 or so highway and I drive like an old man. I am pretty sure I am going to go with a set of 285x75x16. I think they will be my best bet.

 

78Big bronco. Did you just crank the torsion bars in the front, or did you go with a whole body lift? I was looking at pictures in your gallery and it looks almost identical to mine only mine is red. That is almost exactly what I want my truck to look like.

 

I cranked the torsion bars pretty much all the way (measured just a hair under 2" of lift) and I took off the 2" rear blocks and swapped em for 4" blocks and longer U bolts. Cost me less than $100, except for putting bilstien shocks all around. I couldnt find any shocks designed for 2" of lift at the time, and I could get 4" shocks to even fit so I had to go with stock replacement and they bottom out quickly, makes going over potholes a little unpleasent just a warning. Disconnecting the sway bar end links helped a little but still very rough.

What are the rest of the specs of your truck? Mines a reg cab short bed. Way I see it, its the lightest full size truck you could get other than having 2wd instead of 4. I love the thing on the trail, short wheelbase supper tight turning radius, and I can drive over soaked lawn without barely matting the grass down. Thinking about getting a new super duty next year, man I am going to miss the light weight and manuverability of the ol 150. But I need a newer vehicle and really want more hauling capacity and a Scab at least, and I can get more of what I want (stick shift, manual hubs, etc) in a SD actually for cheaper than a 150, and more truck to boot.

 

Do you think you are putting any extra wear on the torsion bars that way? I have heard some people say that it does and some people say that its fine. I plan on adding leaf springs in the rear end to jack it up. I haul a lot of firewood and I figure the leaf springs can have a dual purpose that way. My truck is reg cab, short bed, same as yours. I love it, except that I get horrible traction in the snow and off road. I'm hoping that a more aggressive tire will help with that.

I work at a dealership on the west side of Indy and I see all kinds of SDs just sitting around with big rebates on them. The only problem is that 90% of the 6spds are in diesels. My ideal truck would be a reg cab, long bed, 4x4, xlt, 6spd, with either a 5.4 or v10. and I saw maybe one or two all summer long. I guess most people don't like a basic truck like that anymore.

 

Yeah I agree about the 6spd SD's. I figure to get one the way I want (pretty much base model XL gas) I'll have to order it from factory.

Odd yours doesnt do that well off road. Mine did fine even with the tires that came on it - 265/75 dunlop rr at's. I plowed through snow over the bumper in a cornfield with it, and even broke through a huge mudhole sending snow over the hood and was able to back out without getting stuck. Thats all with open diffs too. On the really slick mud it was pretty slippery until I put the MTs on it though. Never been in really deep mud but it handles the tractor paths and cornfields fine, never stuck yet.

 

I am mounting some 31.5" tires today, 265/75R16s, biggest I can fit with no lift on my 2WD

 

I think that I should be able to go a little bigger since mine is 4wd. At least I hope so.

BigBronco: I went offroading with my buddy yesterday. He has a 92 Chevy 3500 with a 6.5L diesel. Both of our trucks are completely stock as far as suspension and tires go. But mine seemed to handle much better than his and I was able to get around in the loose stuff easily. My only problems came when I tried to turn sharp. These trucks have a high center of gravity and I got up on 2 wheels several times.

 

You should outhandle the chevy in the mud. Chebbies are really REALLY front end heavy, especially the 4x4s. I had a buddy of mine I used to go mudding with, me in my 2WD, and I was still able to get through more than him because the weight diff on the front end is so important. While the Ford 4x4 front end is heavier than the 2WD (obviously) it is still much lighter than the Chebbie. Add into the extra weight he had dealing with the diesel and the one ton frame, no wonder.

Perhaps consider a change in sway bars? only suggestion I can give for compensating for a higher center of gravity....that or hang reallybig weights below your frame.......

Ummm another option would be a stiffer shock absorber that rebounds quicker but compresses slower

 

Not that it is much a comparison but my dad had an 88' chevy 1500 (or whatever the year was of the new body style) and he says its been the worse off road truck he had ever had (bare bones 4.3L stick reg cab long bed 4x4 all stock of course, he doesnt alter vehicles).

Now with the 265 ATs I had in the mud my 150 was pretty slippery. On a sideways grade it was a struggle to keep the truck from sliding sideways as I was driving along, and one sharp corner around a cornfield on the flats I would occasionally keep going in the same direction despite my wheels being at 90* lol. They did fine on the dry trail and snow though. But with the Khumo MT's (which apparently you cant get any more) the grip is much better. I've never put her on two wheels or anything though!

Yeah on a 2wd I think 265/75/16 is the biggest you can go. There used to be a tire size fitment sticky, probably burried now they un stickied it (have no idea why they did that, pretty common question).

 

I am running the Kuhmo ATs right now, like the look and stance of my truck, wish I could afford a 2" front susp lift to fit the 285s

Had the Kuhmo Ecsta street perf. tires on it before.

I want to find a place to take it and hav ea bit of fun, no, I can't handle things that a 4x4 can, but I have put forth decent efforts for a 2WD in the past

 

I may be looking into some of the MT tires. I like the Big O Bigfoot tires. Right now I have some pretty stockish tires. That probably had a lot to do with the traction.