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Biggest tires, no lift?

lazynorse

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People here need a lesson on IFS and tire size.

33" is the max I'd rock on a Ranger no matter the lift on the stock arms. You can only lift an IFS vehicle so high with the factory control arms and subframe. Maximum travel is set in stone. The exception would be an extended travel coilover and a UCA, but you might get an inch of additional, we aren't talking 5 extra inches. Maybe more, but you will eventually bind, which is bad.

If you go with an APG or Bajakits extended kit, then you can go above a 33, because the geometry is different. Think of a pendulum. The factory arms has a fixed amount of travel. I'd then argue with anything bigger than a 33 on our front diff, you will increase the wear and tear and the probably something breaking offroad.

Lifting IFS just reduces your ratio of down travel. So lifting an IFS truck will allow you to fit a taller tire sitting still. But once you articulate, that is when the tire might no longer fit (Scrubbing, rub, binding). So right now, you can fit what ever size tire you want that can sit inside the wheel wells as long as you do not have any suspension travel, aka a SEMA build.

I could talk about this for 30 minutes at least.

But here is an example:

Say the factory front suspension has 10" of total travel. 5" up and 5" down. You then put a 2" topper spacer (Strut spacer), all that does is push your suspension further down it's travel arc. So now you have 7" of up travel and 3" of down travel, still only 10" total. You might now need an upper control arm to correct for camber and caster.

^ note I didn't say coilover or shock. Travel is determined but the combination of all of the parts, the arms, the CV, the tie rod, and the coilover.

An extended coilover, could grant you additional travel, but then you might end up binding something, whether it's the CV, tie rod, UCA on the coil bucket, lower control arm, etc.

The absolute worst thing to bind is the upper ball joint.

Note: I am not saying that an extended coil over does not work with our trucks, they do grant you a tiny bit more of total travel.

For record I've had several Jeeps on 37"+ tires.

I've had three IFS trucks on 33s.
For those that care not about Instagram, prefer function over form and want a truly useful truck to operate within safe parameters, this is exactly the type of advice this forum needs.

The first 'lift' I plan on (whenever I actually get the truck I ordered) is a 32" tire. I'll make no decisions or mods until I've exercised that for a while in the PNW and eastern WA and OR deserts. I'm touring, camping, exploring first.. I'm not into dedicated rock crawling for the sake of it.
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itsGREGSWORLD

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I ran all 37 pages of this thread and still missed a direct answer on the setup I have. Would appreciate some guidance as I am due for new tires on my 2019 Ranger. Much thanks in advance!

2019 Ranger Sport 2x4 Lariat
Stock tires are BFG Dueler H/T 255/65R17 110T's

What are some of you running as replacements to this boring and small looking tire in my wheel well? I would LOVE to slide on a set of the BFG K02s at 265/70R17, but I am guessing that without the 4x4 or FX4 suspension, it might not fit.

Please help. I love my stock Ford wheels and would like to keep them. Just would like a better looking tire in there. Thank you!
 

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halligan1201

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I ran all 37 pages of this thread and still missed a direct answer on the setup I have. Would appreciate some guidance as I am due for new tires on my 2019 Ranger. Much thanks in advance!

2019 Ranger Sport 2x4 Lariat
Stock tires are BFG Dueler H/T 255/65R17 110T's

What are some of you running as replacements to this boring and small looking tire in my wheel well? I would LOVE to slide on a set of the BFG K02s at 265/70R17, but I am guessing that without the 4x4 or FX4 suspension, it might not fit.

Please help. I love my stock Ford wheels and would like to keep them. Just would like a better looking tire in there. Thank you!
I don't think FX4 gives any clearance over regular 4x4 but I'm not certain on 2WD vs 4x4. @Discount Tire usually has a pretty solid guide on fitment; if you have one locally I'd stop in a talk to them about it. From their website guide, your truck with stock suspension can handle the following 17 inch tires but depending on tire brand and model, sometimes additional sizes will work.




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OrangeStreak

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itsGREGSWORLD

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I replaced the stock STX OEM 255/65/R17 A/T Bridgestone Dueler wheels and tires with Ford OEM charcoals (also come in black) and BFG K02's 265/70/17 A/T on my stock suspension, no lift or level. No rubbing whatsoever and a great ride and I think they look good. See this link for specs:
Largest Tires on a Ford Ranger (Biggest Tires, No lift) – 4WheelDriveGuide




Angle 1 (Best).jpg








Single Wheel 1 Best.webp
Thank you for the response. My concern is that my model is neither 4x4 nor FX4. I have the exact wheels as you. Just want to make certain those BFG 265/70R17's are going to fit before I run the installer a set. Otherwise, I will just go with the matching 255's. They look GREAT on your truck.
 


OrangeStreak

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Thank you for the response. My concern is that my model is neither 4x4 nor FX4. I have the exact wheels as you. Just want to make certain those BFG 265/70R17's are going to fit before I run the installer a set. Otherwise, I will just go with the matching 255's. They look GREAT on your truck.
Thanks for the response and hope you will be able to determine the proper size wheels and tires!
 

itsGREGSWORLD

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Well, I went ahead and ordered a set of the 265/70R17 BFG K02's. Guess I will find out tomorrow if they fit on a 2019 Lariat 2x4 stock. I located quite a few pictures on the forum of people who have them on and say they will. It took me 2-3 attempts to find a place that would install them. Their loss if they fit. Mine if they don't. Wish me luck! :)
 

RangerPNW

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Well, I went ahead and ordered a set of the 265/70R17 BFG K02's. Guess I will find out tomorrow if they fit on a 2019 Lariat 2x4 stock. I located quite a few pictures on the forum of people who have them on and say they will. It took me 2-3 attempts to find a place that would install them. Their loss if they fit. Mine if they don't. Wish me luck! :)
They'll fit no problem. If anything being 2wd means the front end is lighter and sits higher than a 4wd version. I had that same size tire but in a Goodyear Duratrac on a 4wd model and it fit just fine stock. The BFGs trend to be smaller than other model tires in the same size, and I think the Duratracs are on the bigger side so you won't have any issues
 

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Well, I went ahead and ordered a set of the 265/70R17 BFG K02's. Guess I will find out tomorrow if they fit on a 2019 Lariat 2x4 stock. I located quite a few pictures on the forum of people who have them on and say they will. It took me 2-3 attempts to find a place that would install them. Their loss if they fit. Mine if they don't. Wish me luck! :)
You might need to remove the plastic covers on the front crash bars, loosen the two bolts, push them forward, and retighten.

Should take no more than 5 minutes without lifting the truck or removing a wheel.
 

woodbyrd

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I replaced the stock STX OEM 255/65/R17 A/T Bridgestone Dueler wheels and tires with Ford OEM charcoals (also come in black) and BFG K02's 265/70/17 A/T on my stock suspension, no lift or level. No rubbing whatsoever and a great ride and I think they look good. See this link for specs:
Largest Tires on a Ford Ranger (Biggest Tires, No lift) – 4WheelDriveGuide




Angle 1 (Best).jpg








Single Wheel 1 Best.jpg
Love that look. How close is it to rubbing the crash bars? I'm wanting to do that tire size on 1" offset wheels but kinda thinking I'm going to have to pick one or the other since I don't want to have to remove the bars or lift it (yet).
 

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Well, I went ahead and ordered a set of the 265/70R17 BFG K02's. Guess I will find out tomorrow if they fit on a 2019 Lariat 2x4 stock. I located quite a few pictures on the forum of people who have them on and say they will. It took me 2-3 attempts to find a place that would install them. Their loss if they fit. Mine if they don't. Wish me luck! :)
As a 4x2 owner, I'm looking forward to seeing your results.
 

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Love that look. How close is it to rubbing the crash bars? I'm wanting to do that tire size on 1" offset wheels but kinda thinking I'm going to have to pick one or the other since I don't want to have to remove the bars or lift it (yet).
Ryan,
I crawled underneath the front suspension to check the clearance and the closest the tires come to any surface is 1/2" I don't have offsets so you might wants to check and see if that makes a difference. Mine is a 4X4 and don't know if there are suspension differences between that and the FX2. Are your wheels black or charcoals?
 

woodbyrd

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Ryan,
I crawled underneath the front suspension to check the clearance and the closest the tires come to any surface is 1/2" I don't have offsets so you might wants to check and see if that makes a difference. Mine is a 4X4 and don't know if there are suspension differences between that and the FX2. Are your wheels black or charcoals?
Thanks for the info Paul. The FX2 has the same suspension as the FX4 - I still have the stock charcoal 17's like yours with 265/65's. I've scoured every post here trying to find someone that's done the 265/70 bump + offset wheels, but finding someone who's done that without also doing the level to boot is tough. Plenty have done one or the other with no issues, but having that 1/2" measurment from you will help with the tire size calculator. Waiting until I wear out my Hancooks before I do anything, just trying to avoid going down the mod rabbit hole (even more...) if I do both. No desire to level it as I kinda like our stock rake, just gotta fill those wheel wells out a bit more
 

OrangeStreak

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Thanks for the info Paul. The FX2 has the same suspension as the FX4 - I still have the stock charcoal 17's like yours with 265/65's. I've scoured every post here trying to find someone that's done the 265/70 bump + offset wheels, but finding someone who's done that without also doing the level to boot is tough. Plenty have done one or the other with no issues, but having that 1/2" measurment from you will help with the tire size calculator. Waiting until I wear out my Hancooks before I do anything, just trying to avoid going down the mod rabbit hole (even more...) if I do both. No desire to level it as I kinda like our stock rake, just gotta fill those wheel wells out a bit more
I think you're on track being careful to get the right setup instead of winging it. I love the factory rake and not going to change it, and also with the high bed it makes the truck look beefy!
 
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