05 F250 Lariat....what to do?

[mcflyin]

Well guys I just got this truck about a month ago and absolutely love everything about it except..........the wheels and tires. I hate small wheel and tires on any truck. It is a 2005 F250 Lariat LB. I have been looking very hard for rims and tires for about a week now. I think I would like to go with 18" Rockstars wrapped with 35" Toyo MT's.....and yes it is getting a 2.5" leveling kit up front. I don't want to go with anymore lift than I have to because I do quite a bit of travel and towing with the truck. Where I am hung up is the wheel. I like the look of the flat black but I also like the machined version as well. My truck is not a typical color as you can see from the photo. I am afraid that the flat black will look too plain or out of place so I have been looking at the machine. Problem is I cant find a picture anywhere on the net with the color of my truck compared to the types of rims. What do you guys all think?

[JasonY]

Find some OEM 20's.

Also, dont level a 250. I'll be dragging a$$ down the highway with any sort of weight behind it. My car on trailer which is barely 6500lbs drops my 250 to level. If the front was another 2" in the air it would be a pretty pitiful sight.

Jason

[mcflyin]

Well let me rephrase the "I tow a lot" statement. I have a snowmobile trailer that I tow as well as a boat. Nothing outrageous as far as weight goes. I can hook up either the boat or the trailer and neither of them make the truck squat whatsoever. That being said, I definetly don't want 20's Had them on the last Dodge that I owned and hated them. I want to stick with 18's

[mcflyin]

I am defiently getting the 35's in the coming month now. I was understanding that I needed at least a leveling kit to run these. Should I go with the leveling kit or just go with a 4" lift? This is mostly just for the looks. Like I said above, I do tow a 21 foot boat as well as a snowmobile trailer, but neither are a ton of weight. Just looking for some suggestions

[strokinpower]

If you level it just get some F350 blocks for the back as well. Also I would do chrome wheels if it were me but def not the stock wheels because they are technically to narrow for a 35x12.50 tire. Rockstars are very much over done though.

[mcflyin]

I hear ya on the rockstars. Ever since I saw them online and thought about ordering them, I have seen them on a few vehicles around town.

Thinking of going with the XD 801 Cranks instead. Might go polished instead of the chrome though

[05_PSD_Erik]

Originally Posted by JasonY

Find some OEM 20's.

Also, dont level a 250. I'll be dragging a$$ down the highway with any sort of weight behind it. My car on trailer which is barely 6500lbs drops my 250 to level. If the front was another 2" in the air it would be a pretty pitiful sight.

Jason

When I leveled my 05 I did 4" rear blocks and I never really had an issue with 'excessive' squat while towing even a 16' box with all my household stuff in it while moving. Probably 5-6k total weight. It did squat but maybe one inch lower than the front if that. Standard 250 suspension no overloads, no bags

Originally Posted by mcflyin

I am defiently getting the 35's in the coming month now. I was understanding that I needed at least a leveling kit to run these. Should I go with the leveling kit or just go with a 4" lift? This is mostly just for the looks. Like I said above, I do tow a 21 foot boat as well as a snowmobile trailer, but neither are a ton of weight. Just looking for some suggestions

I don't know about the 05 trucks, but I just put 35x12.50s on my stock 20s with stock suspension and I have no rubbing at all. That is an option for you, but I am going to level my truck because it really sets the 35s off IMHO.

If you are wanting to stay fairly low, I would just do a 2.5" kit up front and 4" blocks in the rear. I did all readylift parts and I think it cost me $350 for everything shipped. The only "complaint" I had was I needed an adjustable trac bar or a trac bar drop bracket. The 2.5" lift shifted my axle about one inch toward the driver side. Not really that noticeable but it did cause a VERY minor rub at full lock on the driver side inner fender liner. I pulled the liner back about a half inch and no issues. I sold the truck before I had a chance to put atrac bar or drop bracket on it though.

2005 F250 leveled on 325/65/18 with XD Hoss black/polished wheels:


With a 16' box trailer hooked up (I snaped this before I had a chance to adjust my hitch receiver so the trailer was level.

[Super Diesel]

It appears that I've got the same color truck as you, go chrome. Don't go black, especially not flat black. I'm running the OEM Harley wheels - they're 20" and have factory sized tires on them (they measure right at 34.5")

Is your truck Charcoal Beige Metallic (sometimes known as Dark Stone) - Paint code T7

[mcflyin]

Looks good Erik. Nice ride. Exactly what I'm looking for. Did you purchase the track bar relocation kit as well with it?

[mcflyin]

Originally Posted by Super Diesel

It appears that I've got the same color truck as you, go chrome. Don't go black, especially not flat black. I'm running the OEM Harley wheels - they're 20" and have factory sized tires on them (they measure right at 34.5")

Is your truck Charcoal Beige Metallic (sometimes known as Dark Stone) - Paint code T7

Yes it is. I have been looking at the machined polished wheels and the chrome. I like the chrome but am afraid with all of the salt on the roads that pitting could occur in short time.