I've been racking my brain the past couple of weeks deciding what to do with my truck. I've got a 2000 F-150 4x4 and I'm wanting to get a PA 3" body lift, but can't decide what tires to get.

I've got 17" stock rims that I want to use for now (it's a budget thing). I really like the looks of all MT tires, but how do they handle and are they loud? I rarely go off road, but really like the look of the MT tires. With a 3" body lift, what size tires do you recommend whether it be the MT or AT tires?

I've seen a lot of your trucks in the gallery and I must say, I'm jealous of a few of them.

I just want to change the looks a little so it doesn't look like all the other stock F-150 trucks out there.

All input is welcome.

 

I'm running 315/70/17 BFG AT's and love them. They aren't that loud at all and they hook up pretty decent, but you have to spin them and keep'em cleaned out in the gooey stuff 'cause they will pack up. The mileage on AT tires is better also. If you don't climb rocks or mud every weekend then I don't see the need for a MT tire.

 

Too many good mud tires are worn out on city streets. If you're not planning on doing any off-roading on a regular basis you should stick with the AT's. I have recently made the decision to go with a good AT on my truck. I've run mud tires on my vehicles since 1981. I just don't need them anymore. Good luck, Rich

 

i'm also at the same dilema. i agree too many MT's are burnt up never seeing much offroading, and are used just for looks. my truck is a 2wd so i won't be offroading anything real serious. but the little bit of offroading i do is usually important (not all for fun) so i don't want to get stuck (so the best tire to get out of snow, wet grass, mud, etc). so what would you recommend for someone like me? thanks

 

I have 35/12.5/17 procomp mud terrains on my 99 f150 with 3 inch body lift and original steel wheels. I drive 90% on street due to this vehicle being my daily driver.

I now have 38,000 miles on these procomp mud terrains and they could easily last until winter, however some wear bars are showing so I don't think it will pass inspection in July.

In comparison, I had 42,000 miles on my original Goodyear Wrangler tires. I will be darn close to that by the time July hits on my Procomps.

I would say that mudders hold up surprisingly well for street driving. Can't speak for all MT tires, but the Procomps are excellent!


kev

 

Kev,

I'm glad you responded. Your truck is exactly the look I'm trying achieve.

I've considered the Pro Comp 33x12.5-17 but first wanted some input from others.

How do they handle?

Are they loud?

Even with the 3" lift, do you notice any rubbing with that size tire?

What size is your stock rim?

Did you have to recalibrate for the size of tires?

Notice any power or milage loss?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to find out as much as possible before spending 2K and finding out it's not what I expected.

By the way, NICE TRUCK!


Tim...

 

I'll try to go point by point:

1) Handling. They handle great! I have had no trouble with this truck since the lift and tires. It takes a bit more to stop the vehicle but as far as handling goes, I barely noticed a change. One thing with the MT tires is that if you do spin out the tires, the truck will fishtail pretty good. The tires don't just burn out in a straight line, it will fishtail from side to side (I learned this the hard way)

2) loudness. Yes they are louder then any AT or standard P tire. The Procomps are the quietest MT tire I ever drove though, much much much much (get the picture, hehe) quieter than the BFG MT. THey produce a road hum in the cab when going at speeds below 30mph, however above that speed you can barely hear them in the cab. Whereas the BFG MT's have a loud drone 100% of the time. Let me put it this way, if you could handle the sound of a Flowmaster 40 series exhaust drone at speeds, you can handle the drone these tires make (the exhaust drone is about 3X as bad as these mudder tires).

3)rubbing. Yes with a 3" body lift and using the stock rims, the tire WILL rub the frame rail on full lock of the steering. Again only at full lock will it rub. It does NOT contact the valence or anything else even in 4x4ing conditions. What I did to cure the rub on full lock was laid a bead of weld on the steering limiters which limited the steering just slightly so the tires would not contact the frame.

4) rim size. 17" x 7.5" 4wheelparts did a test of the Procomp 33/12.5/17 on this wheel and the result was the tire worked fine even though Procomp recommends a minimum of an 8" wide rim. The 35/12.5/17 is actually better then the 33/12.5/17 because the sidewall is larger and the tire will flex even more and provide a smoother contact area on the ground vs. the 33.

5) speedo recal. Nope I didn't recall but yes it needs it. The speedo is off in a linear fashion with rpm. So you have to watch out, when the speedo says 60, you are doing around 67! Also your odometer turns slower, ie records less mileage than what you drive (which is a good thing in a sence ). You can buy a chip which will let you reprogram you speedo/odometer but I haven't done that yet.

6) power/mileage loss. Yes and yes. You will see a noticeable decrease in power. Nothing too bad but if you are an acceleration freak, then I would drop down to the 33s. Me, I don't care, I have a 400hp sports car sitting in my garage to fly around town with, my truck is just that -- a truck. One thing I never liked is after the lift/tires it downshifts a lot out of OD even on small hills. I always have been concerned with tranny wear as a result but have not had any problems to date.

7) All weather conditions. The MTs work great in all conditions including snow. On very small snowfalls (around 1") they do skate around a bit and the truck fishtails a lot more then with AT tires, but on large snowfalls the MT tires rule because the large ***** just spin that snow off just like it spins off mud. You will NOT have any snow packing on these tires (whereas the AT's you will). And in rain, they work great as well. Lately now that I am at almost zero tread, they have been hydroplaning some, but that is the case for any tire when it is near the end of its tread life.



I think I got them all. You will be happy with the PA 3" lift and 35s on the stock rims! Great setup. Nice and cheap but yet very effective. I can't begin to describe the improvement when it comes to offroading! THese tires along with just that extra little bit of clearance the body lift gave my rocker panels from contacting the ground made a huge difference!

The biggest problem with these tires was the frame rub. But it isn't bad and the fix (in my mind) is easier than those people with aftermarket wheels that have to trim the viewable valences and such.

Good luck,

kev

 

Sorry didn't realize you want the 33s in lieu of the 35s.

The 33s will not hit the frame at full lock. The 33s will not cause as much of a decrease in performance, etc.


I run 35s and my post above was about just that, 35/12.5/17.

Personally I think the 33s are way too small with a 3" body lift. I originally wanted to go with 33s and a 2" body lift but figured, while I was there, I would just go right to the 3" and 35s. Not too much of a difference in price between the lifts/tires.

kev

 

Thanks Kev.

You answered all my questions. I definately love the looks of your truck, but I didn't realize they were 35" either. I don't mind going to 35", but I'm concerned about the power loss. When I put my Flowmaster 50 Series with dual exhaust, I noticed a loss in bottom end that I didn't care to much for. However, the top end was better. I'm just concerned with losing more bottom end, by going to the larger tires.

I haven't seen any trucks posted that has the 3" lift with 33" Pro Comp MT's, so it's hard for me to choose.

The full lock rub bugs me too, but then again, how often does one turn the wheel completely.

I want to do it right, but there seems to be so many choices. I've read everything from don't get MT's only AT's and vice versa. I've got to get tires SOON and need as much advice as possible. Once again, thanks for your input. It's put me on the right path.

Tim...

 

Plus if your inspection mechanic pulls your truck into the garage and locks the wheels and feels those tires rubbing, you won't be getting a sticker! hehe. Again, 2 minutes with the MIG takes care of that.

The performance loss is negligible. If you lived close, I'd take you for a drive in my truck. THere is no lag down low. In fact it still outpulled a stock tundra! I wasn't trying to race but he was riding me for miles and pissed me off. He went to pass when the road went to two lanes but we got stuck at a light. On green, we both mashed it down and I was a half truck length ahead at about 70mph and then I finally just let him go.

Oh there is no such thing as "right" when it comes to lifted trucks. Any larger tires or wider rims put more stress on the steering and braking components of your vehicle. So keep that in mind. I did blow lower ball joints at 70k, broke both sway bar end links, and I am just waiting for my wheel bearings to wear out. But hey, its worth it, hehe.

I saw that you are considering 10" wide wheels, keep in mind that you will have more issues when it comes to ball joints and bearings when using that wide of a wheel! Doesn't matter what size tire you have with those wheels, that weight sticking out there still puts a huge moment arm on your suspension/steering components.

So just do what you like the best and what you are most comfortable with. There are always ups and downs to any vehicle modification.


kev