I have a 2002 Supercab 4x4 w/ FX4 package. Overall I am happy with the truck except for two things.

The "supposed" all terrain tires that were on the truck are Goodyear Wrangler RT/S, which are nothing short of a safety hazard in my opinion. They hydroplane in small amounts of water, have terrible traction in light snow and / or water. The ABS is always activating in light snow / rain, and I am not driving aggresively either. I guess I should have done more research before I bought the truck, but i guess I figured if Ford went so far as to put Rancho shocks and skidplates on the truck, it would come with a decent tire as well. From now on I will look at tirerack before I buy a vehicle, not after..... I know manufacturers put these tires on because they are sufficient for the average consumer, and the lighter tread helps them reach their fuel economy numbers and tread life and so on....but I am just a little dissapointed that my window sticker says "all terrain tire" and I have a tire that is more suitable for dry highway use.

The only other complaint I have is the towing power. I have the 5.4L and with the 3.55 LS it feels very doggy when towing. I only mention this here because I am wondering if i can kill two birds with one stone here, like putting on smaller tires to increase the effective gear ratio.

So anyways, enough b!tchin....how are you guys doing with these. Some specific questions.

*Is there any way to deal with the tires that I have, such as running a lower pressure or anything like that? I am mainly looking for safety in wet snowy conditions. Deep snow isn't much of a problem, but I am not a big fan of hydroplaning and/or skidding in a 5000# truck.

*If I decided to go with different tires for safety reasons, is there any way to get tires upgraded without paying the full cost for new tires. My tires have 13,000 on them. Are there any places that do trade ins on tires / or maybe ford has a customer satisfaction program of some kind or???

*I know this has been talked about a lot, and I have done lots of reading of past forums, but what is the best tire for awesome traction on my particular truck? I don't know if the clearance on an FX4 is different that some of the older trucks, so I would hate to buy a bigger tire that fits on someone elses stock truck, but not on mine...or vice/versa.

*Is there any smaller diameter tires that would give better towing, and not suck traction-wise? I actually would like to have bigger tires for traction and of course bigger tires look awesome, but I don't want to kill my towing. I occasionally tow 3500# for 6 hours. Nowhere near the limit of the vehicle, so the traction is more important.

So what are you guys running for tires on your FX4 ? What is the biggest without a lift? And how much did performance suffer?

Thanks guys!!!!
Jeff

 

Jeff: The stock Wrangler RT/S' only do a fair job at best overall. For good overall traction, can't beat the BFG's AT KO's, but they're relatively expensive. I'll also need tires soon and I'm highly considering the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo's.

'97 Supercab Flareside, 4.6, 4x4 off-road pkg.
Warren.

 

Jeff,
I agree with Warren, BFG AT KO's. I have 97 with the 4.6 and did similar towing and loved the BFG's. I just put the Goodyear MTR's on and they are much noisier and don't seem to ride quite as nice. I had about 45,000 miles on my BFG's before I replaced them. I went with 285/75/R16's this time and put on a 2" body lift, and they still rub the mud flaps!

The other item I would do is an exhaust and intake system. I made those two changes to my 4.6 and it really gave it a kick in the butt around 3000-5000 rpm. It may not have the same affect on the 5.4, but thats my experience.

As for my wheels (from a previous post), they are made by Ultra Wheels. (website: www.ultrawheel.com) I bought the Magnums with chrome plating (for durability, Cleveland winters are a bit salty!) and I love them! They are a bit hard to find, but I might be able to help you out.

Good luck!
Joe

 

To summerize:

1) The RT/S suck. To make it worse, they seem to last forever. My brother has about 75k on a set.
2) There are no smaller diameter 17" tires availible than the 265/70R17 so you won't be able to improve the effective gear ratio with another tire on those rims.
3) There are places that buy back tires, but at 13k miles you probably won't get any money for them. If they were brand new, you would have better opportunities. But you can try at any local tire shop. Try a few calls.

So, what are people doing? They are getting better tires, and larger ones. You probably don't want larger if you don't like the power as it is now. Depending on what tire you choose, 275/70 or 285/70 are popular upgrades, but performance will take a hit.

There are many relatively cheap ways to get more power out of these trucks and many ways to accomplish your goals. First, pick a budget because that probably limit certain options. You can replace your rims to 16" and get smaller tires, but will you complain about how the smaller tires look on an FX4? Probably because you also asked what the largest tire you can fit on your truck is.

With an unknown budget, here are some suggestions. Frist, get better tires. The BFG T/A Ko is a very good tire, but expect a set of 4 to run $800-900 installed. If you never go off-road, or do so very lightly, there are other good tires for cheaper. I spent about $600 installed for my Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos for example. Don't expect to spend less than $500 installed for a good all terrain tire in the stock size. What's the biggest without a lift? Some people say 285/70R17, others have no problems with 305/70R17 on stock height. 265/70 = 31.6", 285/70 = 32.7", and 305/70 = 33.8" diameter tires.

Next, upgrade the power. $225 for a superchip or $325 for the Microtuner will get you not only more power (about 10%), but also improve shifting and how it feels when driving your truck. It is the best power modification for the money. Next would be a good exhaust upgrade. Figure about $500 for the better ones that have proven gains in power across the engine speed range and replace the factory y-pipe. Then electric fans and underdrive pullies. All these mods should get you at least 30hp/50lb-ft at the wheels which you will notice both unlaoded and towing. But, expect the sum to be $1200-1500 depending on how much you do yourself and what components you use.

BTW, you'll be pleased to find out your truck is probably in the 5800-6000lb range when you are skidding around.

 

You guys make some very good points about the tire size / power thing. I know I can't have it both ways, so it seems like the best thing to do is get the traction up to par first, and then add some power if I find it unacceptable. Some 305's would sure look cool under the truck!

I already put in a Ravin Z55 muffler, and in the spring I plan on buying the K&N FIPK. I never really considered a chip before, as I am more interested in towing power, than with drag strip kinda power. Anybody found a good chip that behaves well while towing?

thanks guys!

 

A good chip will improve power at all times, not just the drag strip. And it will firm up the shifts which is good for towing as well.

Superchip - $225 plus shipping, or Microtuner $325 + shipping. Browse and search the Computer Chips forum for everything you could possibly need to know.

 

all i have to say is G E A R S

it will cost you at most $500 installed.
4.10 should do fine
and it will feel like you have done all of the above.
regarding tires. the BFG AT is a great tire, i have gotten 50k out of them every time.

 

Gears are good, but they directly affect fuel mileage as well. For about $500 you can get the superchip and electric fans to almost get the same effective power increase while not sacrificing fuel economy. In fact, it will probabyl go up a little. Note: must use premium gas with a superchip, though. IMO, gears are only a good idea if you are jumping up in tire size at least 3 inches. But, I have 3.73 before Ford dropped it somaybe those with 3.55 aren't as impressed.

 

I am currently running 315/70/17 BFG KO's on my factory FX4 rims. I am trying to get a digital camera to take some pics. As soon as I do I will post them.

 

Yeah, some pics would be cool! Any problems with rubbing on those, or did you lift the body? Did you notice a big difference in power with the switch to the bigger tires?

 

Okay, here are some thoughts.

The FX4 option is a joke, sorry guys. You pay a chunk of change for crappy tires, skid plates and 'branded' Rancho shocks, granted the rims look nice, but 17"???

I bought a set of Goodyear MT/Rs (305s and no they never rub), a set of Rancho RS9000 shocks, and a Gibson performance exhaust. This setup works great for me in the deep mud of Texas.

Change those tires ASAP and you will be happy, if you can swap out the shocks for some real ones and it will ride much better. I personally wouldn't do the exhaust again, even though I like mine.

Good luck

 

Yeah, I know what you mean.

This truck seems to have sort of a "mushy" feel to it as far as handling goes. I don't know if it is just the crappy tires, or the suspension as well. My last truck was a Ranger STX, and even with big tires (265s), the truck handled awesome. I was thinking about trying some more tire pressure to see if that makes any difference.

Any other FX4 owners have an opinion on this?

 

AZSCREW,

I agree with YOUPUTZ. Get some pictures of your 315/70R17's with the stock FX4 rim up so that I can see them. I want to put a 3" body lift on my 02 SCREW 4x4 and use my stock rim. Everyone keeps telling me that it won't look good and the rim is too small for that size tire. I'm holding off until I can get a look at someone who's done this.

 

It has been raining in AZ for the past 4 days, so I am still waiting for a nice day to take a pic. If you go to the Supercrew section there is a member with pics of his screw with 315's.

 

I think the handling is OK for what we are driving, although I really don't have much to compare it to since this is the only fullsize truck I've owned. I'm not happy with how mushy the damn transmission shifts are. It's got a bad habit of getting into the next gear too early during acceleration (especially 1st-2nd), then only to drop back down again. The only fix I've found is to keep the accelerator depressed

Mike