How-to DIY: Home Tire Rotation without removing underbody plastic panel shielding

After reading a previous post about how the underbody shielding made it almost impossible to use a floor jack to get the truck supported on jack stands, I decided to try it for myself and tackle a home tire rotation today. It's true that the underbody shielding blocks most of the frame rails on both either side and take away one of the biggest advantages of a full-frame vehicle: lots of jack points (almost anywhere on the frame rails).

So being that I didn't really feel like unbolting and removing the plastic underbody shields along the frame rails and that I had two floor jacks, I instead devised a solution using both floor jacks. (This is to perform Ford's recommended x-cross rotation, if doing simple front to back, it's a much simpler process)

1. I lifted the driver's side front corner and passenger side rear at the same time.
2. I then removed both wheels and moved the drivers side front tire to the passenger rear position and tightend the lug nuts
3. I then lowered the passenger side rear, while leaving the driver's side front up in the air.
4. I then moved my second jack over to the driver's side rear and lifted it up and removed the driver's side rear wheel.
5. I moved it forward to the driver's side front position, installed it and torqued the tightend the lug nuts.
6. I then lowered the driver's side front and raised the passenger side front while keeping the driver's side rear in the air
7. I raised the passenger side front, removed the wheel and installed the passenger side rear wheel on the passenger front position and installed the passenger side front tire on the driver's side rear position.
8. Finally I lowered both corners back onto the ground and properly torqued all lug nuts in a cross-pattern with a torque wrench.

Complicated? Maybe. Annoying? Definitely. Better than removing plastic shields? Well at least I think so!

Hey, it works. If you aren't near a Discount Tire or dealership and are a do-it-yourselfer you need to get creative. Well done.

My solution was a secondary affect of buying a second set of wheels and tires because 1) I thought there might be a small efficiency gain by using a Lariat set instead of the Platinums that came on the truck and 2) I like Lariat wheels a little more. That's my winter/summer, efficiency, tire rotation solution.

Henry Ford said:

Hey, it works. If you aren't near a Discount Tire or dealership and are a do-it-yourselfer you need to get creative. Well done.

My solution was a secondary affect of buying a second set of wheels and tires because 1) I thought there might be a small efficiency gain by using a Lariat set instead of the Platinums that came on the truck and 2) I like Lariat wheels a little more. That's my winter/summer, efficiency, tire rotation solution.

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Absolutely, I've definitely always been one to do my own work whenever possible. So at times, you just got use the brain muscle to figure something out.

And I actually agree with you, at least to me, the Lariat wheels look much better than those 22" dinner plates on the Platinum. And they're way heavier and allow for less tire sidewall and a harsher ride? I fail to see how those things are an "upgrade".

Have you noticed any efficiency improvements with the Lariat wheels?

I've noticed zero difference in ride. The efficiency was maybe 0.1 m/kWh better but there are way too many variables to say that is tire related. They look nice

One jack, and the spare tire with two lug nuts, will get the job done also.

Henry Ford said:

My solution was a secondary affect of buying a second set of wheels and tires

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This was my plan for snows for the next winter season. Wondering how/where you were able to buy the wheels.

queuewho said:

This was my plan for snows for the next winter season. Wondering how/where you were able to buy the wheels.

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They were takeoffs I found on a forum. I don't recall if it was here or the other Lightning Owner's forum.

I'm in Michigan, which means we have snow but it's not here all the time. My Platinum wheels have all-seasons, while my Lariats have all-terrains. Again, I couldn't tell the difference in handling. Either way it's the best handling vehicle I've ever driven in snow by a lot. I suggest trying stock tires on snow before getting snow tires. Your mileage may vary.

Do you recommend a certain size/height floor jack?

My 2-ton cheapo hydraulic jack didn’t lift the rear tire, so I took it to the dealership. But, they only rotated front to back, so I want to switch the rear tires to match Ford’s recommended pattern.

scruvs said:

Do you recommend a certain size/height floor jack?

My 2-ton cheapo hydraulic jack didn’t lift the rear tire, so I took it to the dealership. But, they only rotated front to back, so I want to switch the rear tires to match Ford’s recommended pattern.

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I'm not sure to be honest, I have two Harbor Freight jacks that I use and they seem to do the trick.