Let's See Those Lifted / Big Tire Gen 4s!!

Not lifted, but went with bigger wheels and bigger tires. 22x9.5 +30 offset and 305/45r22 tires

Drew J said:

View attachment 42049 View attachment 42050 Not lifted, but went with bigger wheels and bigger tires. 22x9.5 +30 offset and 305/45r22 tires

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How is the ride comfort/feel on those 22"s? Any rubbing up front while turning?

No rubbing at all, and I didn’t have to trim anything. The ride is similar to the 20’s I had on it prior. Overall I can’t tell the difference.

2020 FX4 Max
I did the standard 3/2 Lift
Found some brand new OEM Raptor Takeoffs (wheels and tires) BFG 31570R17
No rubbing...a little bit of poke but not much...(which may be why they don’t rub!)
And just installed my Raptor style grille on the front!
Oh and swapped out all of headlight, fog light, and backup halogen bulbs for LED’s.
At the moment, we are calling it the RaptorEx Edition!

FX4 Max getting a suntan.

For those of you with the 3/2 lift - how did it impact the ride quality? I have a '20 limited that my wife drives and I'm hoping there is very little change in ride quality (recognizing that a stiffer tire will be a factor). I had a '14 Expy with this lift and did not have any issues with topping out over bumps or any more harsh ride quality.

Dan Johnson- Your Expy looks great! I have a set of Raptor take offs as well. Can you confirm NO rubbing at full lock? I'm more concerned about normal circumstances rather than trail performance for this one.

Thanks!

Yes sir, I can confirm no rubbing even at full lock!

There is some thick black rubber at the front of the wheel well (sound/dust protection) and it was unnecessarily baggy and was trying to rub when we first put the tires on. We unscrewed those little screws (5.5mm if memory serves) at the front of the wheel wells, trimmed the fat on the black material, and then reattached with the same screws. It literally took just a few minutes and gave me a huge sigh of relief! Hope that helps!

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, the only complaint that I have is that the steering isn’t as tight on the Highway as it was before the mods. It can get a little sloppy on really windy days…and I need to see if there is any type of steering stabilizer out there that might tighten it up. Mine is just an XLT FX4, so maybe the higher trim levels have addressed this already.

Awesome! Thanks Dan!

StarWhiteinCO said:

For those of you with the 3/2 lift - how did it impact the ride quality? I have a '20 limited that my wife drives and I'm hoping there is very little change in ride quality (recognizing that a stiffer tire will be a factor). I had a '14 Expy with this lift and did not have any issues with topping out over bumps or any more harsh ride quality.

Dan Johnson- Your Expy looks great! I have a set of Raptor take offs as well. Can you confirm NO rubbing at full lock? I'm more concerned about normal circumstances rather than trail performance for this one.

Thanks!

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I have only been lifted for about 3 weeks now. My first trip off-road trail riding is next week so I will report out on how that goes.
But as far as everyday drivability here’s my take:
I did the ReadyLift and the rear sway bar and end links all at once. Still had the factory 22’s and factory size tires. I didn’t notice much difference in the front, but the back was much stiffer. For example, going over a speed bump: before my Expy was very squishy when the back went over a speed bump. It felt like the rear shocks went full travel both directions and would continue to bounce up and down MANY times after going over it. After the lift and sway bar, the rear end felt much more truck-like: The compression was less, and the rebound was immediate and solidly planted the rear tires back at normal spring height. It was a trade off. Much improved handling and responsiveness (far less bobble head and porpoising) but harsher ride in the back even in eco mode.

Then I replaced the front sway bar and end links when it finally came in and any doubts I had were gone.
The sway bars are the answer.
If all you are doing is the ReadyLift then I don’t think you will notice much change in your CCD performance at all. But make sure you IMMEDIATELY get it aligned AND get the CCD shocks reprogrammed for the new ride height.
The sway bars and end links will make the small bumps more noticeable but anything you give up in floaty Cadillac ride is more than made up for with the improved driving dynamics and eliminating the bobble head/porpoising.

To finish up my transformation I replaced my 22’s with 18’s, and went from the factory 32.1 inch tire to a 34.3 inch E-rated Nitto.
As stunned as I was after the installing the front sway bar, the transformation after the new wheel/tires was equally amazing.
I went from having 5 inches of sidewall to over 8 inches of sidewall.
This completely eliminates small bump harshness and it just crushes road imperfections and potholes.
I leave CCD in normal mode and this thing is just a dream to drive now. It has serious truck toughness now but still a smooth supple ride thanks to the HUGE Nittos. I have zero rub front or back, still plenty of travel, and no topping out. Haven’t tested it off-road yet, but I will take some pictures in Moab and Sand Dune National park in the next 2 weeks and let you know.

It’s no Raptor, but I’m really happy with it for the first time ever really. Probably the only way to do better with this truck is a full custom ICON suspension costing 4-5 times as much, and you still would have locked in warning lights from the CCD-delete and probably be cutting body panels also.

In summary: the factory sway bars are junk and the 22’s make it ride like $hit. Get rid of both of those. Want to add 3-4 inches of ground clearance? The ReadyLift and bigger tires do a nice job with minimal impact to ride.

Trail riding in Moab today. The new Terra Grapplers did awesome. They grab the rock hard at 25 psi.