Who's happy with the stock tire sizing?

[2wheelfish]

I resemble that remark, lol. Oscillating between wanting more clearance and retaining the stock dynamics is ongoing. Right now I think 34s (285/75) with a minimal 1-1.5 inch strut spacer might be the way to go to give a little more leeway when airing down without adding unwanted effects. Tomorrow I may feel different, tbd.

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[jensht]

Ford has done it? Well.... Don't you suppose they had the suspension retuned by the engineers before doing that?

From what they said it was minimal. Removal of crash bars, trimming of fender liners, perch collars, different wheels, and re-valving to deal with the big bottom outs.

So essentially nothing structural or suspension geometry changes. The re-valving was only done to better deal with big hits, not for clearance.

So I would say 35s are well within the acceptable design envelope of the suspension and steering geometry.

I ran 35s for a while, on 17x85 ET35. Besides the fender clearance at full compression it didn't feel like it was struggling in anyway. Everything was slightly dulled, steering, braking , acceleration. But that should be expected when adding considerable amount of weight onto the suspension.

I believe that when the Ranger Raptor originally came out, the Australian development team said they did a significant amount of testing on 35s but ended up on 33s in part to fuel economy standards they where trying to hit.

I think it really depends on what someone is trying to achieve. If someone uses the truck more for off-road and less for dessert racing, having a little more ground clearance and slightly dulled responses from the truck might be a good tradeoff from them.

 

[SBB]

This question may seem dumb but what happens when you have an accident and the insurance company has an issue because their inspection shows you removed your crash bars? Some companies would love to be able to deny your claim and a part with a name like "crash bars" removed might be enough reason.
This thread is about tire sizing but to get larger tires to fit a common step is to allow that, is the crash bar removal.
I prefer to leave mine which will limit tire size, which for now is ok by me.

 

[KRC]

You have to weigh your reasons for wanting it versus the ease of leaving it stock.

Mine is not a Raptor, although I really want one, but I can't justify spending an extra $35k for something that is really just a "want" and not a need.

However, I am planning on doing a +2/+1 level/lift and 285/70R17 tires (metric 33s) on my 2wd XLT because the area I live in is prone to flooding and the extra ground clearance will give me some extra peace of mind. With a car or SUV (think Dodge Journey) we can get blocked in by high water over the road where we live, but a truck or SUV with decent ground clearance can get through just fine, because the water doesn't tend to get too deep, but deep enough that splashing or other fluid dynamic science stuff has made me worried about water getting into the air intake on small to normal sized SUV's.

For me, the "want" outweighs the cost and extensiveness of doing the level/lift and bigger tires because I don't just want to throw some spacer pucks on the coil-over shocks, I'd rather spend the money on something like the Eibach kit.

Sorry for the long-windedness, wasn't intending on giving you a life story, just kind of sharing how I weighed a similar decision I had to make on the off chance it may help you with yours!

 

[Lion77]

35x11.5s with the proper lift for clearance will definitely affect CG. But if someone were to do a fender mod instead of a lift to clear 35x11.5s, I might consider up-fitting since handling is much less compromised.

The biggest thing for me is XTM ATs. They are really good AT tires that match or slightly exceeds the KO3s off road while proving much better onroad handling, especially in wet and steering precision.

XTMs only come in 285/70R17 right now so up-sizing for me right now is a no go if not only for the fact that I cant get the tire I want in that size.

I also do a lot of road trips so fuel economy does matter some, but isnt the defining reason. For my uses, I have thus far found the stock 33" size ideal balance and I prefer terrain that favors speed vs. rougher terrain the favors clearance, so 33s work quite well in those uses.

For example, at Silver Lake, stock KO3s did great, I didn't need more clearance and had a lot more fun at Silver Lake than at the OHV park that was really set up mostly for crawling.

Im also not driving Baja and doing desert running. The Ranger Raptor isnt so much as desert runner as it is a Rally Truck, although its obviously very capable in the desert too. For me, winding dirt roads, jumping dunes, back country roads, drifting arounf farm fields etc., 33s offer a better balance between onroad dynamics and offroading at higher speeds.

Combining XTM ATs with 25.2lb method 705s is a huge step up in performance due to reducing rotating mass while enhancing both onroad and offroad performance. I may not be gaining clearance, but im not loosing any while enhancing overall performance both on and off road.

If my truck ever changes from a multipurpose vehcile to a dedicated offroader, 35s for sure! But for multi-use 33s are a better overall balance.

The RR race truck runs 35x12.5 BFG race tires, but they also said the suspension is compromised due to the changes needed to fit the tires and the class rules limitations.

That same truck doesnt go on family road trips, they aren't driving on road the majority of the time, they aren't hauling stuff from home depot etc. Its purpose built for one thing, racing. My truck is purpose built as a multi-tool!

My Uses
1. Surrogate sport truck (since I no longer have a 5.0L Mustang GT) where onroad acceleration, braking and cornering matter to me.
2. Family road trip vehicle (including camping)
3. Tow stuff on occasion like my Honda Rubicon ATV.
4. Home depot runs at max payload.
5. Drive to work sometimes if the weather is a bit too much for my Mazda 3 Carbon thats my DD (FWD only)
6. High speed offroading on terrain that permits speeds up to 60-70 mph
7. OHV park / moderate trails (1-5) a few times a year.

For all those uses, 33s are better than 35s, but thats my use cases. 33s are 95% as capable 35s. That extra 5% matters in a few small select use cases, like racing or a dedicated off roader thats more compromised on-road for the sake of maximize off-road capability.

And I got an ATV that can go places no full sized truck can go. Most of whats around my area is trails through the woods and most OHV parks are for ATVs / Dirt Bikes, many do not even allow s x s due to narrow trials, so my Raptor will wear stock sized tires for probably most of its life.

 

[boraxman]

Fine with stock size tires here. Did throw on a set of Ford's Method wheels to push them out a tad.

 

[NASSTY]

I went with wider not taller. According to the specs on Tire Rack my 33x12.5x17 are 32.8" and the stock KO3's are 32.8".
I didn't want to go with taller tires because my 90 year old dad can no longer drive and I'm his only source of transportation. I downsized from an F150 Raptor to a Ranger Raptor because it was getting to be a struggle getting him in and out of the big Raptor.
Another issue I had with upsizing tires was finding larger tires that are not Load Range E. I don't need or want 10 plies.

 

[John E Davies]

I love the RR factory KO3 tire and suspension setup, it is perfect for my needs, which includes gravel and potholed ranch and forest roads... OTH for rocks and ledges, the tires are too small, when you air down you lose even more clearance. I tried the unmaintained (seriously neglected) part of White Rim Road in moab and was very unhappy with the truck and its long wheelbase. This is comparing it to a lifted Series 80. Compared to my bone stock Series 200 on 33” tires, it was about even. I decided then that if I wanted to drive rocky trails I would just rent a Bronco Raptor for a day.

The RR was NEVER intended to be a rock crawler. Spending a ton of money to make it one makes no sense.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[John E Davies]

Im also not driving Baja and doing desert running. The Ranger Raptor isnt so much as desert runner as it is a Rally Truck, although its obviously very capable in the desert too. For me, winding dirt roads, jumping dunes, back country roads, drifting arounf farm fields etc., 33s offer a better balance between onroad dynamics and offroading at higher speeds.

I am a big fan of Pro Rally and I strongly agree with your comment. The biggest issues with driving my RR like a fiend on public gravel roads is not getting arrested and not nailing a deer or coyote when cresting a blind hill.

My wife drove a Mazda 323 GTX for many years and we both loved the rally car driving balance. The RR comes very close to that in terms of thrills, but the speed and power is way higher. I have to really be careful not to make a fool of myself.

https://journal.classiccars.com/2020/05/05/mazdas-323-gtx-was-a-road-legal-rally-car/

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

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