Strut question

[Campingnut]

New here and I tried to search and probably missed it. I am going to level my 26 Lariat and I wondering which new struts would be better for comfort. My driving is 80% city/highway with 20% gravel roads no off road. Or should I just put spacers in. I am going to also put 275 70r18s on it. If it matters I am in Canada.

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[OxygenMask]

Try this. Good information. Most of the info applies to non Raptors as well.

https://goatoffroad.com.au/blogs/te...nPYDIdf5iCLTmj2P2tQCe_FxT1UcgBhDmlG9Vb2Or533J

Tons of stuff on the market.
You don't need new struts for leveling if that's what you're after...

 

[Roguescholar]

New here and I tried to search and probably missed it. I am going to level my 26 Lariat and I wondering which new struts would be better for comfort. My driving is 80% city/highway with 20% gravel roads no off road. Or should I just put spacers in. I am going to also put 275 70r17s on it. If it matters I am in Canada.

I have a current gen Lariat that has a modest lift and bigger tires. I've also owned other modified Rangers in the past. I'd be happy to give you some recommendations, but I’d need to ask you a couple of questions first.

1. Does your 2026 Lariat have the FX4 off-road package, or is it just a standard 4x4?

2. You mentioned that you plan to use 275/70R17 tires. Since the 2026 Lariat comes with 18 inch rims, this means you’ll be running a different wheel than stock. Do you already know which wheel you’ll be using?

3. Do you already know which tire brand, model, and load rating you’re planning to use?

 

[Campingnut]

1) Yes I have the fx4 package
2) sorry miss typed should have been 18s (edited) stock wheels for now if needed 10mm spacer will be used.
3) tires will be load range c or lower (114 - 119)
4) this is all just for looks call it a pavement princess

I have a current gen Lariat that has a modest lift and bigger tires. I've also owned other modified Rangers in the past. I'd be happy to give you some recommendations, but I’d need to ask you a couple of questions first.

1. Does your 2026 Lariat have the FX4 off-road package, or is it just a standard 4x4?

2. You mentioned that you plan to use 275/70R17 tires. Since the 2026 Lariat comes with 18 inch rims, this means you’ll be running a different wheel than stock. Do you already know which wheel you’ll be using?

3. Do you already know which tire brand, model, and load rating you’re planning to use?

 

[Roguescholar]

1) Yes I have the fx4 package
2) sorry miss typed should have been 18s (edited) stock wheels for now if needed 10mm spacer will be used.
3) tires will be load range c or lower (114 - 119)
4) this is all just for looks call it a pavement princess

So with standard load 275/70R18s, you're probably looking at about 10 to 15 lbs of additional unsprung mass per wheel. That’s not so much that you couldn’t run the stock FX4 shocks with a spacer lift kit, but keep in mind that the added unsprung weight will cause those shocks to wear out faster and reduce their effectiveness at damping over bumps, potholes, and uneven terrain. Also, hub centric wheel spacers, while generally safe if installed correctly, do introduce an additional point of failure, which inherently adds some additional level of unreliability to the wheels.

At that tire size, depending on the exact model you choose, you may or may not need to adjust the offset with different wheels or spacers to clear the upper control arms. However, doing so can introduce rubbing against the crash bars, especially if you go with a more aggressive spacer setup. The more negative offset you run, the more you increase the wheel’s swinging arc, which increases the likelihood of your tires hitting the crash bars.

Because of that, the specific tire model you choose really matters. There can be slight to moderate size variations between manufacturers, even within the same nominal tire size, so you’ll want to choose carefully based on how much modification to things like the crash bars you’re comfortable with.

That tire size will also decrease your truck’s acceleration due to the additional weight and larger circumference, which effectively results in a taller final drive ratio. The impact on acceleration may be mild to moderate depending on whether you're running the 2.3L or 2.7L EcoBoost.

Another option you could consider is going with 265/70R18. This size typically clears the upper control arm and crash bars at stock height and consistently clears everything with a 2 inch front lift. The smaller diameter and lighter weight will also have less of a negative impact on acceleration.

For reference, this is what my 2025 Ranger Lariat FX4 looks like with 265/70R18 Vredestein Pinza AT tires on the stock rims and a 2-inch lift, no crash bar modifications or wheel spacers required.

 

[Campingnut]

Thanks for all that. I am down to 2 tires I think (as they are the most cost effective for me) the Geolander A/4T @43lbs and the Nitto Terra Grappler G3W @45.5lbs. But any and all tire sugestions would be great (looking for a light tire that will not pick up and throw rocks). I do have the 2.7l also.

Any chance you have a side view picture as I could easily go down to a 265 70r18 just thought the 275 would fill the wheel well out better. If I could find a 33" tire but narrower I would.

 

[Roguescholar]

Thanks for all that. I am down to 2 tires I think (as they are the most cost effective for me) the Geolander A/4T @43lbs and the Nitto Terra Grappler G3W @45.5lbs. But any and all tire sugestions would be great (looking for a light tire that will not pick up and throw rocks). I do have the 2.7l also.

Any chance you have a side view picture as I could easily go down to a 265 70r18 just thought the 275 would fill the wheel well out better. If I could find a 33" tire but narrower I would.

265/70R18 is slightly shorter and slightly narrower than 275/70R18. It’s not a huge visual difference, but it gives you better clearance and also provides more options for standard load-rated tires.

The tires I run for example, the Vredestein Pinza AT, are available in a standard load rating at 265/70R18 (44 lbs), but are only available in an LT load rating at 275/70R18. The reason I really like these tires, and have run them on multiple vehicles over the years, is that they’re reasonably priced (I believe even less expensive than something like the Nitto Terra Grappler), quieter on pavement than even the stock Goodyear tires, and maintain that quietness over their entire tread life (unlike the Goodyears). They also have excellent on-road performance, good off-road performance, and very good severe winter weather performance despite being an all-season all-terrain tire.

Winter weather performance is particularly important for me since I live in Colorado, and it may also be important to you since you live in Canada.

Just for reference, I would have bought those particular tires even if they were much more expensive than they are. I spent over $5,000 on upgraded shocks alone, so I had the budget to buy any tire I wanted, but I specifically chose those because of how good I think they are.

Here are a few more photos of my truck from different angles with that tire size, along with a chart showing the size and spec differences between 275/70R18 and 265/70R18 tires.

 

[Roguescholar]

Also, so you can actually put eyes on it, this is how much clearance 265/70R18 gives you with the stock upper control arms. 275/70R18 reduces that clearance by an additional ~0.2 inches or ~5mm.

 

[Campingnut]

I actually need the 3 peak rating rating to drive on one of our highways in the winter (they may have relaxed that to M&S I will check. Thanks for the extra pics! you have now given me more to think about.

 

[Campingnut]

Also, so you can actually put eyes on it, this is how much clearance 265/70R18 gives you with the stock upper control arms. 275/70R18 reduces that clearance by an additional ~0.2 inches or ~5mm.

That is why I am thinking about something like this https://share.google/qsWOpCEVNxKMm35x5

 

[Roguescholar]

I actually need the 3 peak rating rating to drive on one of our highways in the winter (they may have relaxed that to M&S I will check. Thanks for the extra pics! you have now given me more to think about.

No problem, let me know if you have any other questions.

The Vredestein Pinza AT tires are 3 peak rated so if you end up going with them you'd be covered there regardless.

 

[Roguescholar]

That is why I am thinking about something like this https://share.google/qsWOpCEVNxKMm35x5

That's an option. Personally, I'd be somewhat apprehensive to go that route just because you'd be losing some thread engagement even with that lug nut design. But ultimately it's just down to how much risk tolerance you have.

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