2nd Gen Mild Offroad Mods

[Beodricht]

As the result of financial gaming by way of my soon-to-be-ex-wife, I am in possession of her underwater 2003 Ford Expedition(Black, Eddie Bauer, 5.4L, 4x4) and stuck with the loan as it was in my name.

It has been a long time sine I have had a vehicle that could do any reasonable amount of wheeling, and since I will mostly likely be keeping the vehicle for that purpose, I had some questions.

Which is the most reliable manufacturer for the 3''/2'' spacer lift kits? Beyond purchasing the spacers, what would need to be done to maintain the correct geometry for the IFS and IRS suspension?

Can 33'' tires be installed without a kit, or would they rub at the slightest bump? It appears that they would fit as-is, but I would not want to spend the money on tires to have a useless vehicle sitting in my driveway. Presently the vehicle needs new TPMS on all 5 and tires on 3 of the 5, so I would be buying all 5 tires for the sake of keeping my life more simple.

I will have pics available of the Expedition as of this Saturday.

On a side note, my parents took me wheeling in K5s and K10s, and I am looking to do the same for my kids. When they are old enough, I would love to do the Rubicon with them, but I know I will need a much different vehicle for that.

 

[Gruz7]

As the result of financial gaming by way of my soon-to-be-ex-wife, I am in possession of her underwater 2003 Ford Expedition(Black, Eddie Bauer, 5.4L, 4x4) and stuck with the loan as it was in my name.



It has been a long time sine I have had a vehicle that could do any reasonable amount of wheeling, and since I will mostly likely be keeping the vehicle for that purpose, I had some questions.



Which is the most reliable manufacturer for the 3''/2'' spacer lift kits? Beyond purchasing the spacers, what would need to be done to maintain the correct geometry for the IFS and IRS suspension?



Can 33'' tires be installed without a kit, or would they rub at the slightest bump? It appears that they would fit as-is, but I would not want to spend the money on tires to have a useless vehicle sitting in my driveway. Presently the vehicle needs new TPMS on all 5 and tires on 3 of the 5, so I would be buying all 5 tires for the sake of keeping my life more simple.



I will have pics available of the Expedition as of this Saturday.



On a side note, my parents took me wheeling in K5s and K10s, and I am looking to do the same for my kids. When they are old enough, I would love to do the Rubicon with them, but I know I will need a much different vehicle for that.

To answer some questions the best I can, you WILL be able to fit the 33s on there with stock height but be wary of the width of the tire not sure if I'd go with a 33x12.5 without lift... (Stock tires are only 32")

As for the lift.. From what I've seen the spacer brand doesn't really matter as long it's a strong steel (not aluminum) spacer. I had an eBay 3.5/2.5 leveling kit on my 2003 before it sold it and it was excellent for the 3 months I had it and I believe the new owner still has it lifted with no issues so I wouldn't really go right to giving readylift $400 for their 3/2 level kit as it really isn't needed. (Also a member on here: tallsville has had that same 3.5/2.5 kit on his truck for what I think a couple years).
As for what needs to be done to retain correct geometry in the the suspension all I needed was an alignment and it was basically the same as stock but slightly tighter suspension ( guess I could say a slightly rougher ride) but only because you are stretching the suspension components as far they go. With the lift and alignment 33x12.5s will fit no problem at all and I'd say no trimming or almost no trimming.. I was going to go with 315/70r17s or 34.5" tires before I sold my last truck and those also require minimal trimming a few member run that combo on here. I will be lifting my 2006 soon but still fixing issues and then I'll get the 315s on.
Just read around the forum and you'll learn a lot about the spacer lift on the second gen Expys as its almost the only way to lift them.

Also sorry about the "ex" wife that sucks but don't let it get the best of you!


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[Beodricht]

To answer some questions the best I can, you WILL be able to fit the 33s on there with stock height but be wary of the width of the tire not sure if I'd go with a 33x12.5 without lift... (Stock tires are only 32")

As for the lift.. From what I've seen the spacer brand doesn't really matter as long it's a strong steel (not aluminum) spacer. I had an eBay 3.5/2.5 leveling kit on my 2003 before it sold it and it was excellent for the 3 months I had it and I believe the new owner still has it lifted with no issues so I wouldn't really go right to giving readylift $400 for their 3/2 level kit as it really isn't needed. (Also a member on here: tallsville has had that same 3.5/2.5 kit on his truck for what I think a couple years).
As for what needs to be done to retain correct geometry in the the suspension all I needed was an alignment and it was basically the same as stock but slightly tighter suspension ( guess I could say a slightly rougher ride) but only because you are stretching the suspension components as far they go. With the lift and alignment 33x12.5s will fit no problem at all and I'd say no trimming or almost no trimming.. I was going to go with 315/70r17s or 34.5" tires before I sold my last truck and those also require minimal trimming a few member run that combo on here. I will be lifting my 2006 soon but still fixing issues and then I'll get the 315s on.
Just read around the forum and you'll learn a lot about the spacer lift on the second gen Expys as its almost the only way to lift them.

Also sorry about the "ex" wife that sucks but don't let it get the best of you!


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What is the stock tire width?

 

[Gruz7]

What is the stock tire width?

If I remember right they are about 10.5" wide


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[Beodricht]

If I remember right they are about 10.5" wide


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So, If I were using the stock rims, I could get by with 33's?

This may sound like a stupid question, but how much wheeling traction does the extra 2 inches provide?

In my Trans Am with vette wheels, the increased width (2 to 2.5'') allowed me to launch harder before spinning, but unless I was stop-light racing, the traction gained was not worth the handling lost because of the wheels rubbing.

If the difference is substantial rather than marginal, it might be worth it to have an off-road set of rims and tires, and more street friendly ones, which means a slight budget adjustment.

 

[Gruz7]

So, If I were using the stock rims, I could get by with 33's?



This may sound like a stupid question, but how much wheeling traction does the extra 2 inches provide?



In my Trans Am with vette wheels, the increased width (2 to 2.5'') allowed me to launch harder before spinning, but unless I was stop-light racing, the traction gained was not worth the handling lost because of the wheels rubbing.



If the difference is substantial rather than marginal, it might be worth it to have an off-road set of rims and tires, and more street friendly ones, which means a slight budget adjustment.

I'm not your guy when it comes to racing tires but... My guess is that you have road tires on the expy right now as you said that it was you wife's truck before so even if you went stock size a Mud Terrain (M/T) tire will give you a lot better traction in the mud and off road or an A/T tire for general off road and on road use (what I'm going with). But the 33x12.5s will give you an extra inch of height for deeper mud and greater ground clearance and the extra 2" of width with give it more coverage on the ground for stronger grip. 33s are a pretty good choice for the expy as they aren't too big and they have room leftover to go up into the fender for some flex while off roading.


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[Beodricht]

I'm not your guy when it comes to racing tires but... My guess is that you have road tires on the expy right now as you said that it was you wife's truck before so even if you went stock size a Mud Terrain (M/T) tire will give you a lot better traction in the mud and off road or an A/T tire for general off road and on road use (what I'm going with). But the 33x12.5s will give you an extra inch of height for deeper mud and greater ground clearance and the extra 2" of width with give it more coverage on the ground for stronger grip. 33s are a pretty good choice for the expy as they aren't too big and they have room leftover to go up into the fender for some flex while off roading.


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I wonder, then, what is the largest tire size that would fit on without lift?

Yes. The ex never wanted to do anything fun with her grocery getter, so I put street tires on it. Why bother with AT on something that will never see anything more arduous than the speed bumps at local mall...

 

[tsingson]

Not sure which Trim Model you have but I just purchased the Truxx kit. It's currently on sale right now. I will be having mine installed tomorrow.

http://truxxx.com/2003-2015-ford-expedition-navigator-non-air-bag-lift-kit-106030.html

 

[Gruz7]

I wonder, then, what is the largest tire size that would fit on without lift?



Yes. The ex never wanted to do anything fun with her grocery getter, so I put street tires on it. Why bother with AT on something that will never see anything more arduous than the speed bumps at local mall...

Lol... But if I remember right a member on here actually had the 315/70/17s on his truck but only for a few days then he put the lift on... I wouldn't recommend this as turning might be a little tough and I imagine it would require quite a bit of trimming. I think they were 315/70r17 Nitto trail grapplers


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[Beodricht]

Hmmm. It would seem I have the advance trac system. Does such a system remove the limited slip rear diff, or it is possible to have both? Without opening the differential, what is the easiest way to tell, if both are possible.

 

[Gruz7]

Hmmm. It would seem I have the advance trac system. Does such a system remove the limited slip rear diff, or it is possible to have both? Without opening the differential, what is the easiest way to tell, if both are possible.

I do as well, pretty sure mine has no limited slip diff but still retains the 3.73 gears... My 03 had no advanctrac and it did have the limited slip 3.73s so check your door code but I'm pretty sure you have non limited slip with 3.73s it'll say the code under "AXLE" it'll be like 15 or 16 or H6 or something like that


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[46L281GT]

If you have the advance trac then you have an open diff. Cannot have both traction control and limited slip

 

[ExplorerTom]

check your axle code on the door tag on the driver's door.

 

[Skauber]

Yeah, no limited slip with advancetrac. That system uses the ABS brake system to give you a brake assisted diff lock, a kind of electronic diff lock through the brakes. It allows a more precise control over the wheel spins, both front and back.

 

[tallsville]

Beodricht, 33's you can fit without a lift(4x4 has an extra inch over 4x2). You will have rubbing when turning, especially if you put A/T or M/Ts on, as the "knobs" will catch the inner fender more than a street tire would. I'm running 285/70/17's on the stock rim with a 3.5/2.5 ebay spacers. I've had this combination for several years without any problems. The spacer lift will give you more tire/fender clearance. I've also done some minor wheeling, forest roads, mud pits, some trails. The expy is more than capable of handling, most situations. As you said rubicon you would need a different vehicle, but for desert and mountain adventures around vegas, you should have no problems. You can check out my profile and see what i've done to mine, and check out what it will look like with 33's before and after lift.

 

[joethefordguy]

I'm concerned about tire width. with the 3/2 lift, what is the maximum width tire i can mount on a 2004 Expedition 4x4 without hitting the frame or suspension at full left or right lock? I want to avoid rubbing completely.