Tires, lifts, spacers, and the combination

[Trey Hardy]

Wow, my 3" keys may not be enough then, considering my stocks are maxed out and I'm 2" low still. So the Ford keys give more height then the 3" lift keys, I didn't know that. I may need to send them back and go the Ford route.

The ford keys ride a lot rougher vs the normal lift keys especially if you crank them up but in my experience say RC 3” lift keys may net 2” or so max

Stock ford f150 keys lift our chevys around 3” and for “lift keys” will probably get you around 4” or more but you would need a lot more to make them work (control arms shocks sway bar links etc)

 

[88lance]

The ford keys ride a lot rougher vs the normal lift keys especially if you crank them up but in my experience say RC 3” lift keys may net 2” or so max

Stock ford f150 keys lift our chevys around 3” and for “lift keys” will probably get you around 4” or more but you would need a lot more to make them work (control arms shocks sway bar links etc)

I may try these first then, if they give a smoother ride. If they will lift it 2" to level it may work out. If not I may just have to switch it to the Ford keys.
I'm assuming 3" is probably the max you would want to go before it causes problems with the drive line as well. That's the way it was on my pickup anyway

 

[Trey Hardy]

I may try these first then, if they give a smoother ride. If they will lift it 2" to level it may work out. If not I may just have to switch it to the Ford keys.
I'm assuming 3" is probably the max you would want to go before it causes problems with the drive line as well. That's the way it was on my pickup anyway

Yes even with 3” or more you would at a bare minimum need some extended upper control arms differential drop extended sway bar links and even then your lower ball joint angles wouldn’t be the best but wouldn’t be horrible. Go with what you got and if you ain’t happy with it then swap to the ford keys. Once you get the keys cranked and height to where you want it make sure it’s where you want it before you go get a alignment so you don’t have to go for a second from adjusting the keys again.

 

[Alex_M]

Where does the rubbing happen on the rear? Is it mostly because of height, or because of width? I'll be going down an inch, but out width-ways an inch compared to yours, so it may give some idea of what I'll run into.
I was confused because I keep seeing people say "the tire was really wide, so I had to go up an inch". I wasn't sure how "up" is helping anything on the back side. Is it hitting where the fender well starts curving out or something?

If it's hitting right on the back side of the tire with a 1.25 spacer, the 12.50's are going to be harder to make happen.
I found a worn out nitto 35/12.50 and got it today, it's probably worn down to 33". Nitto mud tires run the full 12.50 measurement, so it will be a good gauge to see what I'll need to adjust.

The leveling keys don't get here until Wednesday unfortunately. I'm looking forward to messing with it to see what I can/can't make happen.

Haven't read further down, just a few minutes here, but I'll respond to this.

The 35s hit right in the fender liner in the center above the frame rail. Remember that the width is measured at the widest part of the tire, so it does vary some depending on rim width and diameter. That is always why a bit of lift will sometimes alleviate rubbing. It's not terribly aggressive rubbing, but it was enough I needed spacers. That was actually on 315/75r16s (35x12.5) with stock 16" rims - will be a very similar setup to yours on stock 17s. No rubbing with the 1.25" spacers.

 

[88lance]

Haven't read further down, just a few minutes here, but I'll respond to this.

The 35s hit right in the fender liner in the center above the frame rail. Remember that the width is measured at the widest part of the tire, so it does vary some depending on rim width and diameter. That is always why a bit of lift will sometimes alleviate rubbing. It's not terribly aggressive rubbing, but it was enough I needed spacers. That was actually on 315/75r16s (35x12.5) with stock 16" rims - will be a very similar setup to yours on stock 17s. No rubbing

I see, Maybe mine being 33s instead of 35s will help out a bit also, it would be great to not have to lift the back, and just use spacers. That way I could actually have it leveled and get rid of the rake.

 

[cmhorns]

2002 Z71 4x4 Tahoe.
Wanting to run 33x12.50, with a level. I'm not trying to crank the keys way up, just enough to bring it level with the back.
I have stock wheels, so some spacers may be required.

This guy is running 12.50's on the same rims but has 2" spacers on the back.

Does anyone know if I can use something smaller such as a 1 or 1.5 spacer in the back, or is the full 2" really what it takes to clear?

The front tires on these sit in slightly more than the rear stock, So if I could do something like a 1.5 on the front and a 1 on the back it would kind of even it out.
Just wondered if anyone knew what the minimums are.

As far as height goes, I shouldn't have a problem. If he's clearing 35 with a level, I would think my 33s should be good. I noticed he has a lift in the rear, but he's also running tires 2 inches taller, So I'm thinking I should be able to get 33s with stock rear height.

Can anyone tell me what the minimum spacer sizes are for a 12.50 with a level? Any other things I may be missing?

I've just started on my second set of Toyo Open Country ATIII's 295/55/20 (basically 33x11.5's) on XD 820 grenades. My first set of these tires, we put 76,000 miles on them and I will NEVER buy a different tire for this truck! (leveled '18 Tahoe z71) They still had tread on them and i probably could've ran them another 6 months, but it wasn't worth pushing it since my wife and kids use this truck. These tires are 10 ply tires, they handle extremely well on a Tahoe and are as tough as they come!