This is going to be a slow motion build- lol

We just bought the truck new on 09-30-2013 and I'm changing jobs so can't spare the $ for sweet mods quite yet... but they're coming

Here are a few photos taken after I was able to detail the truck for the first time.

 

These are the wheels that came on the truck. They are 18 inches in diameter and that really limits my tire options. According to a good friend and fellow Jeeper that runs a tire store, the 2013 F-150 STX 4x4 was also available with 17 inch wheels. 17 inch wheels really opens up tire options and reduces the price dramatically!

I checked with Ford, the dealer, and several forums but have not been able to find out what the backspacing on these stock 18 inch wheels is, nor have I been able to find out how large/wide of a tire I can stick on them before I have rubbing/clearance issues.


1. Does anyone know what the backspacing on these are?

2. Can I get some advice on tire sizes that I can mount without encountering rubbing/clearance issues?

I run BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2's on my Jeep, but KM2's for an 18 inch wheel are $449 each
Thinking of trying to find the 17 inch wheels from Ford (if they're alloy) and seeing if I can get a set cheap or someone wants to swap their 17's for 18's.

 

Back to the dealer this morning so they can perform the TSB 13-4-15 stuff. This thing was painfully slow shifting, and Sunday it took 11 seconds by my watch for it to shift from drive to reverse while sitting still facing downhill on a moderate grade. That was ridiculous.

 

Nice looking truck! Those stock wheels of yours are an 18x8 with a backspacing of about 6.25" I believe. With a 2" level you should be able to run 33x12.5x18 or a metric size that will be less than a 35x12.5. Really depends on if you want to go AT or MT as the lugs of an MT will be closer to your upper control arm.

 

THANK YOU!!!!

I need to run mud level tires like the BFG KM2's or Firestone Destination MTs.
I have the KM2's on our Jeep and love them as they behave really well on pavement at highway speed and still bite earth off road.

The Destination MTs look similar and have a decent treadlife.

Looks like I'm going to have to find someone to buy these wheels and swap out to a 17 with better backspacing.

I won't have the $ for a lift for a while, but am looking at Pro-Comp 6" and BDS 6".

Pro-Comp because it's compatible with the traction control and maintains the EOM angles, as well as the warranty coverage.

BDS because they're stuff is really, really good.

Again, thanks for the info!

 

I've been reading about how the big decals on the sides of the bed will start to look bad after a while. I've seen older trucks with decals like this (4x4, Z71, etc.) that look like crap as soon as 12-18 months later. Our truck is red, so if I'm going to remove these I should do it now so there won't be an issue with the color underneath them not matching the rest of the truck if I do it later.






I already removed the dealer's sticker by peeling it off with my thumbnail and using rubbing alcohol to remove all the left over adhesive.

What is a good way to get these off without damaging the paint? I know it's a fairly popular thing to pull these off and want to know how others did it? Will the rubbing alcohol trick work with these factory stickers???

 

Completed the First Modification to the F-150 today!
Now, keep this under your hat- I've heard that mods will void the warranty- LOL

It's about 75 degrees outside today, with very high humidity.

With the reputation that red paint has for fading, I figure now is the best time.



We don't really like them anyway, so off they come. I started out using the oldest tool known to man- my thumbnail. I got the corner of each decal started-



Then SLOWLY peeled it off-



A little 91% and a cotton cloth to remove any left over residue- and there really wasn't any other than right where I used my thumbnail to get the corner started.



Smooth baby, smoooooooooooth-

 

You can claim it's an FX4 now!

 

LOL- Wouldn't want to. It's going to be a slow motion build compared to many I've seen, but when I'm done the only thing I'll claim is....

Custom built by me

Wheels approx $1100, Tires approx $1900, Center Console approx $550, Lift approx $2950, Auxiliary Lighting approx $4000, Bumpers approx $3000, Winch approx $700, Skid Plates approx $1500, Tuner approx $400, Locker approx $800, Various Other parts and mods on my wish list approx $5000. Peeling off the sticker and making it "my truck"... priceless LOL

 

Auxillary lighting=$4000? Explain this!?!

 

That's exactly what I thought! But you'd be surprised how much a few large Rigid bars'll run ya. $4k is still a ton though.

But jeez, your wish list is almost as crazy as mine; $8k just for lift, wheels, tires, and gears (1 pumpkin) haha

 

Two things that aren't on the list are a good camper top and a good rack that goes over the cab and camper top.

I want to install a good light bar on the front of the rack, with a pair of rigid duallys on each side of the rack as well as on the rear. I also want to recess a pair of duallys in the rear bumper. Each bar or pair would be on their own switch.

I already have two small led bars currently for under the rail bed lights, but need two more. Also want to install two small led bars behind the grill so when the hood is up they illuminate the engine bay.

Depending on the front bumper I put in, I might want good fogs unless I can re-use the ones on it now. will also need a small light for the winch.

Then there is interior lighting (not going for a light show interior, just functional- it's dark in that truck!)

Start adding all that up and it gets expensive fast!

 

I've been really sick for the past few days, so I can't do much about this until I get better. I do however want to know if anyone else has experienced a similar problem after having TSB 13-4-15 work performed. Our F-150 has the 5.0 and the 6 speed automatic transmission.

Prior to having the TSB work done, the shift times in our truck were ridiculous, and even dangerous. At one point, by my watch, it took the truck 11 seconds to shift from drive to reverse while the truck was sitting still, facing downhill, on a moderate grade.

After having the TSB work done, I've noticed a little improvement, but nowhere near what I expected. Shift times are still laughably slow, but so far the longest one has been 4 seconds. IMHO- that is still dangerous.

Now a new problem has presented itself...

This has happened twice, both times on the same day but at different speeds. The first instance was:

I was on the interstate. There was a group of vehicles that were running about 5 mph under the posted limit (70) and traffic was starting to bunch up behind them. I saw an opportunity to safely pass and when I accelerated, the truck took off like a champ. Loved it! The problem is when I released the accelerator, there was a loud noise and the truck jerked like I had hit something. That is how hard the transmission shifted. My RPM's were nowhere near redline, but I don't know for certain what they were at. I started watching the temps, gauges, etc. and nothing was out of spec. Truck was driving great and I had an interview to get to (was almost there anyway).

After the interview, I was on a surface road with a speed limit of 45 mph. Idiot in some small kia was driving like a drunk (turns out she was texting)- speed varying from 30 to 40 mph, not staying in her lane, etc. So, I lined up to pass and when she started drifting into the lane on her right, I passed her on the left. Same thing- the truck accelerated perfectly, and this time I was paying attention to the gauges- my RPM's were just passing 3500 when I let off the accelerator and the same thing happened. The truck shifted straight into 6th gear from 3rd gear, accompanied by a loud noise and jerking like it had been hit.

I haven't driven it since then because I've had what seems to be the flu. But the common components of the two instances are sudden acceleration followed by releasing the accelerator pedal either completely or almost completely.

Has anyone else experienced this "slamming into gear"?

 

Ice Storm Tonight-

 

I took this photos and made this meme. Feel free to share it and let the world know that Santa loves Ford Trucks!