So I have been wanting to put a minor lift and bigger meats on my 05' Expedition for the better part of 3 years. But, since 3 years ago my tires were in great shape I decided to wait until I needed tires.

Well that time has come, and I am ready to lift/level the old girl with 3.5" in the front, 2.5" in the rear.

(Using the kit found here: Carbon Steel Coil Spacer Lift Kit Front 3 5" Rear 2 5" 4x2 2WD 4x4 4WD | eBay)

She also has turned 102K recently so while I am in there I am figuring I will replaced the struts with Bilsteins to get my ride comfort back in order.

So I have a few questions. . . . . . .

1.) While she is all apart what other repair/upgrade considerations should I be making. (i.e. Ball joints, drive axles, Hub bearings, etc. . . . )

2.) What size meats can I fit without having rubbing issues while in full flex? I am off-road often (on the beach and in the woods) and I do not want to have to trim anything. The kit claims up to 35's but I am leaning towards 33's or 34's.

3.) Can anyone tell me what size tire I can fit in the factory spare location? I have the stock tire in there now and it appears as though I should be able to fit a slightly larger (maybe 33" tire?) under there. If anyone has any insights on that I would appreciate it.

4.) Should I do RIMS in addition to new tires? Are there any advantages to moving up in RIM size from 17 to 18 or even 20? (i.e. Tire availability, tire cost, etc. . . ?

Thanks to all in advance for any information you can share.

 

the rims depends on how you want the vehicle to look. remember that the bigger the rim the smaller the tire has to be. if you stay with the stock rims you could get away with the 34X12.50's and the spare should work fine under the body as well. welcome to the sight

 

Thanks for the welcome. . . .

Since the bigger the rim the smaller the tire, does that generally translate to cost savings on tires? Any other benefits to upgrading rim size?

 

no it doesn't because of the size of tire is not usually in stock it translates to a specialty size tire and makes it more expensive. even the 33X12.50 is higher in price than the price of a regular tire

 

Anyone else have any insight on the max spare fitment size?