Jherzog2211
Member
- First Name
- Joseph
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2022
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 39
- Location
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Vehicles
- 2023 Ford Lightning XLT (ordered 12/15/22)
- Thread starter
- #1
After many weeks of toiling, research, and hoisting these heavy SOBs in and out of my truckbed, I want to save everyone else the time and hardship that I've gone thru. My goal from the start was to get these 17 inch wheels/35 inch tires (Raptor Takeoffs) on my 2023 F150 Lightning XLT. Despite what all the shops told me and their lack of familiarity with the Lightning (even though the truck has been out for 2 years now) we were ultimately successful after a month of trial and error; I want to share the required parts with you all in case you also want to achieve this aggressive look.
Step 1: Buy "Raptor Take Offs"
I had success with this on Facebook Marketplace. The wheels that were available happened to be 17 inch Raptor wheels with 35 inch tires (BF Goodrich All Terrains LT315/70R17). I paid $1800 (a total steal, I learned, compared to what you'll pay at TireRack for new wheels and tires. I know this because at one point, after giving up on the Raptor Takeoffs I bought the cheapest wheels and 35 inch tires I could find from Tire Rack that were off-road oriented and it was $2400
).
Step 2: You need at least a 2 inch Level kit installed on your Lightning. The 2 inch level kit I chose is less than $100 (link below). It was one of the few parts that declared on the website that it is indeed compatible with the F150 Lightning. Depending on how savvy you are in your garage, you may be able to install this yourself, but I went to a local shop. The shop charged me ~$450 to level the truck and perform an alignment, however they told me the wheels and tires still wouldn't fit over the Lightning brake calipers even after the 2 inch level (first speedbump but stay with me).
https://www.roughcountry.com/product/ford-lightning-leveling-lift-kit-52000
Step 3: You need 12 mm spacers. This may sound like an intimidating dealbreaker, however it turns out it totally isn't. These go between your Raptor wheel and the wheel hub, and this is what resolves the "wheel won't fit over the brake calipers" problem. It's tight, but it works. 12mm is only 0.5 inches, meaning this will only make your truck 1 inch wider (not a comical amount of poke). The spacers, like the Level kit, is affordable. I got mine off of Amazon for less than $100 (link below).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC1KT33N?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Step 4: You need EXTENDED THREAD LUG NUTS that will fit the Lightning (14x1.5). The reason being after you put the spacer and the wheel on, the amount of remaining thread available is flirting with potentially being unsafe. Some sources say you should thread at least the diameter of the Bolt (F150 lightning bolt diameter is 14mm), and other sources say you need a specific amount of TURNS to be safe (source recommended 9.5 turns, I was only able to execute 7 turns with the stock lug). For peace of mind, I purchased these extended thread lug nuts (and they're black
)These were about $50.
https://lugnutguys.com/collections/lug-nuts-et/products/et-style-bulge-acorn-lug-nut-14x1-5-black
I had to learn all of this one step at a time, and make separate appointments to learn each individual roadblock and then address it. Don't be like me. Buy all the right parts first. Make your appointment at the shop, walk away happy
Hope this was helpful for someone. Apologies if this thread already exists somewhere else.
Once I've had the Raptor wheels on for longer, I'll update the thread with efficiency data. Fun fact though, while driving around these last few weeks with just the 2 inch level with stock wheels and tires, I averaged 2.5 mi/kwh (significantly better than I would have thought)
-Joe (more to come from me on this site, I promise you that).
Step 1: Buy "Raptor Take Offs"
I had success with this on Facebook Marketplace. The wheels that were available happened to be 17 inch Raptor wheels with 35 inch tires (BF Goodrich All Terrains LT315/70R17). I paid $1800 (a total steal, I learned, compared to what you'll pay at TireRack for new wheels and tires. I know this because at one point, after giving up on the Raptor Takeoffs I bought the cheapest wheels and 35 inch tires I could find from Tire Rack that were off-road oriented and it was $2400
).
Step 2: You need at least a 2 inch Level kit installed on your Lightning. The 2 inch level kit I chose is less than $100 (link below). It was one of the few parts that declared on the website that it is indeed compatible with the F150 Lightning. Depending on how savvy you are in your garage, you may be able to install this yourself, but I went to a local shop. The shop charged me ~$450 to level the truck and perform an alignment, however they told me the wheels and tires still wouldn't fit over the Lightning brake calipers even after the 2 inch level (first speedbump but stay with me).
https://www.roughcountry.com/product/ford-lightning-leveling-lift-kit-52000
Step 3: You need 12 mm spacers. This may sound like an intimidating dealbreaker, however it turns out it totally isn't. These go between your Raptor wheel and the wheel hub, and this is what resolves the "wheel won't fit over the brake calipers" problem. It's tight, but it works. 12mm is only 0.5 inches, meaning this will only make your truck 1 inch wider (not a comical amount of poke). The spacers, like the Level kit, is affordable. I got mine off of Amazon for less than $100 (link below).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC1KT33N?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Step 4: You need EXTENDED THREAD LUG NUTS that will fit the Lightning (14x1.5). The reason being after you put the spacer and the wheel on, the amount of remaining thread available is flirting with potentially being unsafe. Some sources say you should thread at least the diameter of the Bolt (F150 lightning bolt diameter is 14mm), and other sources say you need a specific amount of TURNS to be safe (source recommended 9.5 turns, I was only able to execute 7 turns with the stock lug). For peace of mind, I purchased these extended thread lug nuts (and they're black
)These were about $50.https://lugnutguys.com/collections/lug-nuts-et/products/et-style-bulge-acorn-lug-nut-14x1-5-black
I had to learn all of this one step at a time, and make separate appointments to learn each individual roadblock and then address it. Don't be like me. Buy all the right parts first. Make your appointment at the shop, walk away happy
Hope this was helpful for someone. Apologies if this thread already exists somewhere else.Once I've had the Raptor wheels on for longer, I'll update the thread with efficiency data. Fun fact though, while driving around these last few weeks with just the 2 inch level with stock wheels and tires, I averaged 2.5 mi/kwh (significantly better than I would have thought)
-Joe (more to come from me on this site, I promise you that).
