I have an 06 Lariat Super Crew. Daily/Tow. I'm towing a 20' trailer, 2700 lb racer, gear, and family. I bought the truck thinking it would cover whatever race package I bought. Now, everyone gives me that "Iffy" look. I can't afford a F250 or a dedicated tow truck. My guess is I'm pulling about 8k or so. I've already been told that I need to go to a smaller wheel set due to heat. I have 20"s on now. Was thinking going down to a 17" with E load tire if I can afford it. My question is, what other year F150s can I scavenge for wheels (that will most likely be found in a junkyard) and are there any reccomendations to getting more torque/hp or taking care of the truck? (i.e trans cooler, ecu, etc.) Or am I eventually screwed? I'm in the mid-atlantic area, so no huge mountains, but we have the Blue Ridge and tracks are spaced out. Any help would be great. I need a truck for racing and daily and with things the way they are, this truck has to last while hauling the mail.

 

I don't think you should be too concerned, that truck should be able to haul that weight. Do you know if your truck has the tow package or not?

 

It came from the dealer with the tow package (boxed end hitch). But I thought all of them did. Plus, the trailer has the hitch sway bars and anti-jackknife attachment. It's 4x2.

 

If it has the tow package you should also have a tranny cooler standard. Also, doesn't the two package come with 3.73 gears? I'm not sure about the gears but I know for a fact that it comes with the tranny cooler.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to downsize those wheels because they do limit the max weight you can tow since they are so heavy. Any 04-08 F150 wheel should fit and a lot of them came with 17 or 18" rims.

Also, just making sure, you have the 5.4 right?

 

Yes, I have the 5.4 litre. I was told that the smaller wheels will give give the final drive ratio a little more torque and rpm. I have to check the VIN to find out if I 3.73 or 3.55.

 

It could help. One other thing to note is that when you go down in wheel size your towing capacity goes up. (according to ford)

 

That's what I heard too. I will just have these wheels/tires for towing. I found out that I do have 3.73 gears. I presumed if it had the hitch it had the tow package. Outside of the wheel change, do I need anything else for longivity and endurance?

 

Most ford Lariats with tow package will be a 3.73 limited slip. This will be the case on 90% of trucks with that trim package. Even If you had 3.55 the cost out ways the the good to convert as i found out.


An engine programer will help a bit with towing but not much to really gather notice, but will get rid of the lag on takeoff. (damned drive by wire) Your trans should be okay with the power upgrade due to the largerer transmission on the 5.4 drive train.

Only other thing I would recommend would be some super springs or a spring helper seeing it takes about a cup of coffee to drag a ford bumper.

I pull about 7,500K daily with my ford with no problems. Good luck and so long.

 

If you need tires or wheels check craigslist. There a bunch on there. My last two sets of tires have come off of craigslist. A lot of guys swap out the tires as soon as they get the truck home from the dealer. OEM rims are very popular on there and I wouldn't pay more than $200 for a set.

 

2003-2010 Expedition
2003-2010 Navigator
2004-2008 Mark LT
2004-current model F-150


you have a pretty big selection of rims. any rim from any of the above vehicles will work. You'll find the selection pretty varied. anywhere from 17" up to a 23" rim on certain Saleen trucks.


check out OEM Parts & OEM Wheels - Original Equipment Parts from NewTakeOff

they periodically pretty cheap wheel & tire sets for these trucks...you might be able to score some OEM rims for very cheap and then get those "E" range tires you want.



if you are going to be towing alot, I highly suggest you regear your truck. normally I recommend 4.56 gears for 4x4 trucks...but since you have a 4x2, you can split the difference and run a 4.30 gearset..then you can install some 33" tires (stocker are 32"). that way you get nice pulling power, and a somewhat decent highway mpg unloaded.

as a bonus, you should see your in-town mpg go up 1-2 mpg's. many many lifted guys running 35" tires have reported their mileage going up when they installed 4.56 gears. the motor has to work alot less


also, since you are towing alot, I highly suggest an Edge programmer, or a Scangauge. They will both allow you to monitor tranny temps and other vital things...tranny being the most important IMO

 

It is not the wheel that changes the final ratio. It is the diameter of the tire.
Use a tire size calculator to find different ratios for various sizes; Tire Size Calculator ʘ‿ʘ
This calculator will automatically show changes in the gear ratio to RPM.

A 20" wheel has a lot of flex which reduces the towing capacity when compared to a 17" wheel.

 

Thanks for all the info. I will not be towing that much weight that often right now. Maybe 6-8 times a year, so I don't think regearing is cost effective for me. But I have found wheels on Craigslist and am looking into helper springs and a programmer. The scangauge is in my price range but it doesn't look like it gives you tranny temp info. Any advice on where to find good quality and priced trucked parts and accessories. I'm a car guy, so J.C.W., JEGS, Summit, etc. is what I know.

I understand that it's the overall diameter that sets final drive, but I also understand that the amount of tire height effects heat dissapation. The heat and the power ratio are the two most important things I need to be aware of when selecting a tire set up. That being said I used the tire calculator and came up with this.

Ford OE is 235/70/17. I'm currently running Ford OE 275/55/20. Switching to the 17" gives me slightly better fuel economy -4mph on the speedo. Going to 235/55 gave me more power -10mph on the speedo. But with the more power I got less tire to carry the load and get rid of the heat. On the other hand I get rid of the heat but it doesn't seem like it would make it easier for my truck to haul the mail. Am I right? Any suggestions? Am I missing something?

 

I'd find a scale and weigh your trailer before doing anything. If you're around 8,000 pounds I wouldn't change anything, at least based on other people's looks.

I have 37,000 logged and documented miles pulling a 5,700lb trailer full of motorcycles around with a 2001 Sporttrac. "Everyone" thought I was crazy because "everyone" knows you need a 3/4 ton truck to pull a 16' trailer. Changed the transmission fluid waaaay ahead of schedule just to check things out, shop said it still looked new, no problems. Truck still ran like a scalded dog when the kids outgrew it (he's touching me! no she's touching me!)

Is your truck struggling up hills, pulling excessive RPMs? Any actual problems, or just "experts" at the track?

Change your tranny fluid early as a precaution and to see what's going on. Invest in a good brake controller, but I wouldn't sweat 8000 pounds with a SuperCrew. The same experts at Texas motorcycle tracks pull 20' trailers full of motorcycles and parts with no brakes because "that's why I have a one ton truck."

Now, if it's a drag issue from a 12' tall toyhauler and you're turning 4500 rpm in 2nd to hold 70mph, then you might have trouble down the road. But if you don't seem to be having any problems, I wouldn't worry unless you're overweight.

My 2¢

 

Does it cost anything or against any laws to pull into a truck scale on the highway? Overall the truck handles the load. I leave the overdrive off when towing. And it will downshift when you hit some rolling hills to maintain speed. But this is my "everything" truck and I'm trying to make as many preventitive measures as I can to make sure that I get a long and fruitful life out of the truck, save on tires, and be safe. I love this truck and can't afford another one anyway. So most of the suggestions have come from "experts" at Ford when I asked about my setup. But they could hardly tell me anything about the truck that couldn't be found in a brochure. I would love to leave it the way that it is, since I just bought new tires all around just last week. 40" of snow in 5 days + 15-20% tread = bad news. But I definately appreciate all the advice.

 

The scangauge II will give you trans temps....you just have to program one of the X gauges in (like 10 mins) and you will be able to read the temp. Just a thought