pro is the stance and look of the truck, and you'll get so many more comments on your truck.
cons, i guess you can say mpg, but i think with a good tuned chip and since your only getting 35s you might get better mpg on highway due to lower rpms.
ground clearance
better looks
sometimes a better ride (depending on quaility of the lift)
Longer tire life
Cons
Lower MPG
quicker wear on steering parts (ball joints, tie rods, ect)
Easier to roll if you loose controll
Slower
harder to get in and out of, harder to load things in the bed
drop hitch
sometimes you can hook to gooseneck/fifth wheel hitched trailers
wider tires= more rock chips on your paint
If all you wanna do is 35s i would do a leveling kit and a f-350 rear block... great stance IMHO
The OP is only asking specifically about going to 35s and a 4" lift. That is likely the number one non-stock setup run on these trucks. You're looking at about 1 mpg maybe 1-2 loss going to it but the real deciding factor is what your driving is broken up like. Is it mainly stop and go or is it mainly highway. Do you have a heavy foot on take off and brake early? But on the last, then again, if you do already its still the same ratio. I know of a number of 7.3 with 238/80 35" tires 4" lift that re getting at or very close to 20 mpg with a light foot.
If you have 4.10s and do highway driving mostly I would not be surprised with no loss.
Bob,
8-10 mpg less just going to a 35" tire and 4 " lift? You have to be talking in terms of unlimited lift or tires range right? A 4" and 35" tires its not gonna happen no matter what the variables are unless its a serious mechanical issue and still it would have nothing to do with the actual lift or tire. That's near or over 50% loss or more loss than towing a 10K trailer.
2006nytro,
Do you have a chip yet or air intake exhaust injectors? If you add the lift and tires you are planning and chip air intake exhaust you will likely pick up a 1 mpg possible 2 IF you drive with a light foot.
As a universal estimate of loss expect from 1-2 mpg with a 4" / 35" upgrade on average.
I have been driving a lifted superduty for 8years and the lift has its drawbacks some of which are small and others which are large. My visibility is excellent over stock and can see all over the place. I can spot threats like deer from much farther away. Off road performance is night and day. I go through stuff in 2wd that would bury my stock truck. In fact the reason I lifted mine was because a certain trail I use to get to my firewood spot kept trying to swallow my stock truck. I got a little crazy with tire size though. I put 38's on first,36's next, 36 again, 40's,40's, 36 again(shortlived), 40's, then the 37's I have now.
I lost about four mpg's with the lift and 38's but the boggers were REAL heavy. The 36's got me about a mile back but were pretty horrible traction wise and from towing the skiddy and trailer werent lasting too long.
I ran with a lift and tires in stock form for 138k miles and then put exhaust, 4" strait on, and actually improved my mileage about .8-1.5mpg depending on load. I did this for another 60k and then ran a dp w/a turndown until 236 and put a banks big hoss 120hp tune on and their 4"monster exhaust w/power elbow. The bighoss went on before the exhaust and it ran great like that but when I put the full exhaust on it lost some mileage. Probably due to the muffler as the elbow is huuge flows better than the ebpv.
A lift and bigger tires will lower your cruising rpm which could save you some fuel unless you drive fast anyway or accelerate aggressively. Just remember if you stop you're wasting momentum gained and have to use the pedal to regain it.
My post is long but the biggest considerations for you to take are in there too. You WILL lose a good chunk of fuel economy. I dont care if you drive like you are 70 like I do. It doesnt matter you can feel the drag those tires create when you take off from a stop. You cant fight that part. If you want to be fast forget the damn lift. If you tow once a week. Id skip it...
All things considered, if I didnt need the offroad clearance for tires and all that bs Id take mine off and run it leveled with 33's. If you dont drive too much and just want the attention that WILL get it. If you dont like people staring at you ya better skip it. These trucks look HUGe lifted.
Fuel economy and front end(everything up there) components get tossed out the window. Ive spent a small fortune on shocks too.
This is getting out of hand..pm me if you'd like, for the sake of the board...Ill keep blathering otherwise.
The OP is only asking specifically about going to 35s and a 4" lift. That is likely the number one non-stock setup run on these trucks. You're looking at about 1 mpg maybe 1-2 loss going to it but the real deciding factor is what your driving is broken up like. Is it mainly stop and go or is it mainly highway. Do you have a heavy foot on take off and brake early? But on the last, then again, if you do already its still the same ratio. I know of a number of 7.3 with 238/80 35" tires 4" lift that re getting at or very close to 20 mpg with a light foot.
If you have 4.10s and do highway driving mostly I would not be surprised with no loss.
Bob,
8-10 mpg less just going to a 35" tire and 4 " lift? You have to be talking in terms of unlimited lift or tires range right? A 4" and 35" tires its not gonna happen no matter what the variables are unless its a serious mechanical issue and still it would have nothing to do with the actual lift or tire. That's near or over 50% loss or more loss than towing a 10K trailer.
2006nytro,
Do you have a chip yet or air intake exhaust injectors? If you add the lift and tires you are planning and chip air intake exhaust you will likely pick up a 1 mpg possible 2 IF you drive with a light foot.
As a universal estimate of loss expect from 1-2 mpg with a 4" / 35" upgrade on average.
When it comes to the rear or the hight of the bed is realy not much diffrent from stock. Most of the lift accurs in the front. When i leveled my 99.5 350 it actualy brought the tailgate down some. Some 4" lifts use the factory 350 block and if they dont it is only 1" if that higher than stock. Coupled with 35s you are only talking maybe 3" total of lift in the back. Cleaning the hood or windshield now that is were you may need a stool.
When it comes to the rear or the hight of the bed is realy not much diffrent from stock. Most of the lift accurs in the front. When i leveled my 99.5 350 it actualy brought the tailgate down some. Some 4" lifts use the factory 350 block and if they dont it is only 1" if that higher than stock. Coupled with 35s you are only talking maybe 3" total of lift in the back. Cleaning the hood or windshield now that is were you may need a stool.
@gtokiller-surely they knew people were going to when they ditched the ttb on the 3/4's and went to solid-axle, leafspring suspension on the 99-04. Im not here to bag on the 05+trucks with the coil/radius arm suspension but I dont like it as much as the leaf. Thats a personal preference though.
Ya me to, Ive had both my 99.5 that you still see & had 2006 new off the lot, it had some real nice features but that 6.0 imploded at 24,000 miles, so it had to go. Ya i rode nice but big$$$ to lift it big..... 10" or more.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ford Power Stroke Nation
2.5M posts
107.3K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to Ford Power Stroke owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about diesel performance, modifications, EGR deletes, troubleshooting, lift kits, tires, wheels, maintenance, and more!