Ok, I just measured my old Helo Maxx's and they are 18x9 w/ 5 1/2" backspace. The less backspace you have the more the wheel will stick out. Usually it's the outer edge of the tire that rubs either on the plastic air dam at the front of the truck, or the rear inner fender/flare on the backside of the wheel well. Guys usually trim the air dam, and I have heard of guys taking a small sledge and pounding the back of the wheel well to make a little room. I opted for the 1" Daystar and it worked like a champ...it's just a little more work than some guys are willing to tackle to prevent a little rubbing.

So I can safely say that if you go with a 35" tire, 9" wide rim with 5 1/2" backspace, you will not rub w/ the Rancho lift. Or do what Keeks and VTHokie did, and stick with the stock rim and a super aggressive tire...that looks really good too.

BTW, I just got done installing a 1.5" spring shackle to lift my rear. It gave me an actual lift of 1 1/8" so at least I have a little rake going now that I have the Daystar on the front. I will post pics as soon as it stops raining and I can clean it up! I also want to paint my fender flares before snapping new photos!

Good luck man, and post pics when you get her lifted!

 

can't wait for pics

 

Did anybody put on a steering stabilizer with the rancho lift?

 

It's not common to put steering stabilizers on a rack & pinion steering set up but some here have fab'd up something. You need to search it, but as far as I know, no one makes a bolt on steering stabilizer for the 04+ F150's. If I am wrong please post up as I'd be interested as well...

 

May have found a shop to buy and install the lift, have not called yet as I just found them last night. Was just wondering If i was going to need it before calling so I knew whether or not I was going to factor that into my pricing. Will let you know...

Are 305/55/20 terra graps gonna look out of place on a lifted truck?

But I will need aftermarket shocks for all four corners, correct.

What did everyone pay for their lift with shocks?

 

If you are going to buy tires, then 305/55r20's are about 33" so they will look a little small. Again if buying tires, then stick with a 35" tire and I would suggest something a little more aggressive. If you like Nitto, then check out their Trail Grappler: http://www.nittotire.com/. The Kumho MTs are aggressive and relatively inexpensive. Shoot, while I'm at it, I like the Toyo MTs and the BFG KM2 MTs as well! As you can see, I like the aggressive looking tires! I ended up with ProComp XTreme AT which is the most aggressive looking all terrain tire I have seen. So far they've been great...good wear, low noise and they look pretty good.

BTW, I didnt mean to hog your post! You should check out the other Rancho guys out there for ideas: scapesinc, ColonelBlue, VTHokie, Keeks, Copenhagen848 and Gatorbait10. I am sure there are more, but those guys come to mind.

Here's ATOM's old truck: https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...596-graps.html

 

Does anybody know the max and min backspace that will work? Ranchos website says "developed using a 35x12.5x18 tire on an 18x9 wheel with 6.0" of backspacing."

Would 6.5" or 4.5" still work?

 

A few weeks ago, I replaced my rims (see specs above) with a set of 18x10's w/4.5" of backspace and they rubbed pretty good on both the front air dam and the rear of the wheel well. I installed a Daystar 1" spacer (only $35!) and now I clear with no issues. I did raise the rear about an 1 1/14" with a lift shackle. If you stay with an 18x9 rim and 4.5" of BS, that will look pretty sick...they would stick out past your fender flares by a few inches, but look really good. You may not rub cause of the 9" wide rim but stay with a 12.5" wide tire. With the 6.5" BS, they will be more tucked and prob wont rub. To be honest, its a tough call. If you dont mind them sticking out, I'd go with the 4.5BS, with the option of a little trimming and possibly a small spacer for it all to clear.

I wish I could send you pics of my new set up, but things are finished yet...

 

How does a 20x9 wheel measure out for backspace when it says +18? and will it fit ok with the rancho lift without cutting/modifying any thing?

 

Supposedly converting offset to backspace is easy, but when I googled it a while back, I was left scratching my head! I suggest calling the rim manufacturer and asking what the backspace is.

 

Those specs should give you a BS of just under 5.75". That's pretty close to the 6" rancho calls out, and as people have installed wheels with less BS than that, you should be OK.

Does that make sense to everyone else?

As BS gets smaller, you risk rubbing against the fenders/wheel well, and as BS gets larger you risk hitting the steering knuckle or control arms right?

 

Here is a site that I use all of the time and it seems to be pretty dead on.

www.rimsntires.com/rt_specs.jsp

 

Sweet.. looks like it would work ok then.

 

The Helo Maxx6 rims have 5.4" of backspacing, I have them on my truck.

Just FYI, the Rancho kit sits higher in the rear out of the box by almost an inch. (so it has rake). I did a lot of research on this kit as it was in my top 2 choices when I bought a lift a couple years ago. One guy I talked to a lot (who isnt a member anymore) put a 1" spacer ontop of his rancho lift and was perfectly level. He also had the Helo Maxx6 wheels.

Here is a pic of his truck with the rancho lift and 1" spacer:



I would not go with more than 6" of backspacing...you may rub the knuckle if you have 12.5+ wide knobby tires.

 

So if I end up putting this kit on then, I should have them take out my AS 2" level kit. Or should I leave it in for a additional lift. And put a bigger block in the rear to make up for it?

and will that change the angles for the worse than what they are now or keep them about the same.