Fx4 Level II

[henchman]

I just bought a 2003 Ranger FX4 Level II, and the tires on it are 31x10.5x15, which is stock. They look really small though.
Would I be able to install 33x12.5x15 tires without doing anything else? Would I need a leveling kit or a bit of a lift?

 

[kunar]

No, 33's are really too much. I put 33's on my level 2 with a torsion crank, and trimmed some spots on the inner fenders. Still ended up rubbing.

 

[JohnnyO]

No. You would need at least a body lift. Also the stock wheels are 15x7 and 33x12.50-15 should be on at least a 15x8 wheel.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I think it depends on which 33.

I do agree with the others... 33x12.50 is a no.

33x10.50 on those Alcoa's with a bit of a torsion crank will work for most milder off road stuff... and look pretty good. I have a set of Alcoa's that I plan to do the exact same thing.

 

[sgtsandman]

Believe it or not, you want clearance like that for your tires if you plan to do any off roading beyond driving through your yard or driving on an improved trail. While the stuffed wheel well look, looks cool. It isn't practical for anything requiring a lot of axle articulation.

 

[henchman]

No, 33's are really too much. I put 33's on my level 2 with a torsion crank, and trimmed some spots on the inner fenders. Still ended up rubbing.

Thanks. I don't mind cranking the torsion bars, but these trucks are really hard to find in this condition here, so I don't want to start cutting it up. Maybe just a more aggressive tire I guess.

 

[henchman]

Believe it or not, you want clearance like that for your tires if you plan to do any off roading beyond driving through your yard or driving on an improved trail. While the stuffed wheel well look, looks cool. It isn't practical for anything requiring a lot of axle articulation.

I don't do any hard core off roading, but I do get onto some trails. I'm thinking maybe a different 31" tire like a
the original BFG's. They look a lot better.

 

[JohnnyO]

I don't do any hard core off roading, but I do get onto some trails. I'm thinking maybe a different 31" tire like a
the original BFG's. They look a lot better.

If you're going to be in mud then think about a mud terrain. BFG A/T's are a very good all-around tire but they load up with mud fairly easily.

 

[Uncle Gump]

That is a really nice truck... wish I could have found one when I was in the market and ready to buy. I ended up putting 265/75/16's on mine... they stand 31.9 inches. I'm still at factory ride height and I only had a rear tire rub once coming out of ravine on the Badlands trail ride this year... it was very minor. I'm still pretty confident that the 33 10.50 15 with a small torsion twist will clear these tires... but I don't get into the hardcore stuff myself. I also know that @gw33gp runs these 33 inch tires and takes his truck into some serious situations with just a torsion twist. Maybe he will add his thoughts here for you to ponder...

My truck on 265's for reference..

Again... nice truck and good luck whichever way you decide to go.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I shoud add to this and say that I'm on an 8 inch wide wheel with a 4 inch backspace... it adds roughly 3 inches to the total width.

 

[sgtsandman]

If you're going to be in mud then think about a mud terrain. BFG A/T's are a very good all-around tire but they load up with mud fairly easily.

I don't do any hard core off roading, but I do get onto some trails. I'm thinking maybe a different 31" tire like a
the original BFG's. They look a lot better.

I agree with JohnnyO to a point. If you are going to use one tire for everything year round and you live where you get snow and ice, mud tires are typically not a good choice. Good snow tires are designed to retain snow because snow grabs snow better than anything else. Mud tires are designed to fling and what is clogging their tread and defeats winter drive ability as a result. Also, mud tires tend to have little to no sipes, which also helps with winter traction.

If you live in an area where snow and ice is not much of a concern or you plan on running more than one set of tires, then go for it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Tires vary some by brand and the shape of the tread around the edges can make them look bigger/smaller too.

Check out the factory BFG's on a FX4:

 

[gw33gp]

As Uncle Gump said, I do run 33x10.5-15 BFG MT tires off-road with my 02 FX4. I just have a 1.5" torsion bar lift but run helper air spring in the rear to just level the truck with the extra weight I carry for extended trips off-road. The only thing I had to do was bend the front mud flap brackets a little to avoid rubbing at near full turn.

I very rarely have a rub and when it happens it is very light. I disconnect my anti-sway bar while off-road too so I can get the most articulation. I had considerably more rubbing when I had 32x12.5-15 tires.

I do go through some pretty rough stuff. Last year I lead some Landcruisers into The Maze section of Canyonlands in Utah. I showed them how capable a near stock Ranger can be. Of course they were able to do anything I could. A couple of them were capable of doing much more than I could but they were far from stock too.

As to 33x12.5-15 tires without significant mods, not going to happen unless you want to drive without turning very much.