Feb 22nd 2024
Gen 1 Raptor complete wheel & tire guide
The Gen 1 Ford Raptor is pretty much a road-going, homologized prerunner. Between the Fox Racing shocks, factory beadlock wheels and 315/70 BFGoodrich KO2’s, it’s more than capable in stock form.
So, do you really need to do anything to it? Probably not… if you’re happy with it looking like every other 1st Gen Raptor that rolled off the showroom floor. But at Threepiece.us we’re all about making something your own, so that’s what we’re gonna help you do - build a one-off truck that looks and performs the part.
Quick links
Basic fitment info
This article is all about the Gen 1 trucks, F-150 SVT Raptors, 2009-2014.
Factory SVT Raptor wheel and tire specs
Your Raptor will either come with alloy or forged beadlock-capable wheels; either way, they’re 17x8.5 +34 (6” backspacing). The tires are BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 sized at 315/70R17, something between 34-35”.
The lug pattern is 6x135 with M14 x 2.0 lug nuts, with a center bore of 87.1mm.
If you have the optional beadlock wheels found on the 2013-14, well, they’re pretty cool… at least, once you fit them with a Ford Racing Functional beadlock ring. They aren't true beadlockers as-is, but installing a beadlock ring makes ‘em just that. The only downside is the offset. Most aftermarket stuff runs an offset closer to zero (if not negative). Besides spacers, going aftermarket is the only way to get some tire-out-of-fender poke.
Recommended aftermarket wheel & tire specs
These trucks come with 17-inch wheels, and guess what? Staying 17” is popular for aftermarket rims too. We recommend 17” or 18”, but 20s are possible. Stock offset isn’t too high, like say on a Tundra, but it’s still common to see offsets around zero. Either low positive offset (0 to +10), zero, or even negative. A lower offset gives you some nice tire-out-of-fender poke, but go too far and you’ll need wide fenders.
Rim width doesn’t matter as much as tire width, but you need to be mindful of backspacing. If you run 0 offset wheels that are 8.5” wide (factory), you’ll have 4.25” of backspacing; while if you run 0 offset on 9.5" wide, you’ll have 4.75” of backspacing, it will poke inward half an inch more. We recommend an 8.5 or 9-inch width.
The stock tires are 315/70R17, around 34”. 35” tires are a common upgrade that takes minimal, if any, additional work. Even tire brands that run large can be fitted without too much hassle. For this reason, we recommend 35s for most builds. 37s were once uncharted territory, but now they’re becoming more common. Still, they're a lot more work than 35s. You can count on a decent amount of trimming, bodywork and suspension mods. We’ll go into a bit more detail in the next section.
SVT Raptor mods
When changing up wheels and tires, you may need some combination of the following mods, depending on how crazy of a build you’re going for.
Perch adjustment - low, mid, high
Good news: the front Fox struts your truck came equipped with can be adjusted. Effectively, the SVT engineers gave you a way to level your truck with no additional parts. From stock, you’ll be on the lowest perch setting. Adjusting to a mid-perch gives about 1.25”, while the high-perch setting is about 2.5” of lift, removing the rake angle. Because 35s are similar to stock, you might not even need to mess with suspension to fit ‘em. However, depending on the brand of tire, some might work, others may not; if you go with 35s, plan on at least going to a mid-perch setting just to be safe.
How’s it done? You’ll have to jack up the front, remove some suspension components like the tie rod end and sway bar, and then remove the strut. The only special tool is a spring compressor, which can be rented or bought (thx Amazon). From here, you’ll make your perch adjustments, then reassemble. Nothing too intense for a driveway project. Alternatively, if you don’t feel comfortable, any 4x4 shop can get this done.
You’ll need an alignment after, but it’s a good idea with new wheels and tires anyway. Mid-perch will let you run any 35-inch tire you can think of. But going larger will require more work.
Suspension upgrades - progressive springs, leveling, and beyond
In general, Raptors don’t get lifted in the traditional sense, as seen in other F-Series trucks. Besides perch adjustment, you may consider springs, leveling, or possibly more exotic systems.
Leveling springs - such as the popular kit from Eibach, level the truck will providing progressive spring rates. These run with perches in the lowest setting (stock). Compared with the stock linear springs, you’ll be less likely to rub when spiritedly ripping through the trails.
Leveling kits - are another option. Just like on other trucks, you can space the shocks out for a modest lift in the front, and use blocks to lift the rear. This isn’t the most popular option in the Raptor community, but some vehicles we’ll look at are using these with good results.
Things beyond this start to get pricey. For Example, Coilovers and RUCAs for the front are great, but do you really need something this fancy? A fully built suspension sounds bad-ass, and it is… until you tally up all the parts. You can still run 35s or even 37s with more affordable alternatives (or free if it's perch adjustment).
Bodywork
For most 35” tires this doesn’t apply - no trimming or body panels need to be changed. However, if you wanna run 37s, at least expect some trimming, if not more.
To clearance for larger tires, the inner fender is the first area to look. Normal trimming involves cutting slits in the pinch welds between the factory spot welds. From there, the seams are pounded inward to give a few extra inches of clearance. Any trimming is irreversible, but a necessary evil for 37s.
Changing body panels is reversible and aftermarket panels look pretty sick in their own right. For example, the RPG Off-Road Trophy Front Bumper looks mean, gives additional functionality (winch mount and skid plate), and gives room for some thiccc tires. Fiberglass fenders give you more room vertically and horizontally. You could run a +2/+2 fender, giving 2 extra inches of flare, for low offset wheels, and 2 extra inches of rise, for those 37s. The only downside is that body panels don't solve the problem of clearance in the inner fenders.
35-inch tires on an SVT Raptor
So now that we have the basics down, time to look at some builds. We’ll start with 35” tires. If you’re getting new wheels and tires, 35s are a nice, modest upgrade.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | N/A | OEM SVT Beadlock | N/A | OEM SVT Beadlock |
| Tires | Toyo Open Country RT 35x12.5R17 |
Toyo Open Country RT 35x12.5R17 |
| Suspension | Stock with mid-perch adjustment, 1 ¾” spacers | |
Starting with some factory option SVT beadlockers with 35-inch tires. Normally, these would be +34 offset, but with 1 ¾” spacers, this truck has an effective offset of -10, giving a little poke. This truck also has 2” of leveling in the front. There is zero rubbing, even with aggressive offroading.
Here’s a good look at the poke you’ll get with 1 ¾” spacers on factory spec wheels - about 1 to 2 inches. If you wanna stay with factory wheels, high-quality hub-centric spacers are an option.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | Fittipaldi Offroad FTF16 17x9 -15 (4.4'' backspacing) | Fittipaldi Offroad FTF16 17x9 -15 (4.4'' backspacing) |
| Tires | BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO2 35x12.5R17 | BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO2 35x12.5R17 |
| Suspension | 2" leveling kit front | |
This 2013 Crew Cab is running a similar setup to the last, but with 9J aftermarket wheels from Fittipaldi. Backspacing is the same, however, they poke out an additional ½ inch. This truck also has a 2” leveling kit. Even with zero trimming, there’s no rubbing or scrubbing.
Another basic setup that easily handles 35-inch tires.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | SOTA SSD 20x10 -25 (4.5) | SOTA SSD 20x10 -25 (4.5) |
| Tires | Nitto Trail Grappler 35x12.5R20 | Nitto Trail Grappler 35x12.5R20 |
| Suspension | Mid-perch adjustment | |
Can you run 20s on an SVT Raptor? Sure, this 2013 is running some, but with a slight rub at full lock; take into account, this truck is using a mid-perch on stock Fox Suspension. You could definitely eliminate rubbing on 35s with some grinder finesse. Of course, the larger diameter rims result in 3” less meat on the tire, fine for the street, but not optimal for aggressive offroading.
37-inch tires on an SVT Raptor
37s look great, but take more work to eliminate rubbing or scrubbing. If you wanna put in the extra time & money, your rig will look the part.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | Method m312 17x8.5 +0 (4.75”) | Method m312 17x8.5 +0 (4.75”) |
| Tires | Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 Radial 37x12.50R17 | Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 Radial 37x12.50R17 |
| Suspension | Mid-perch adjustment | |
Starting with this 2011 - this is as close to stock as you’ll get while running 37s. It’s got a mid-perch with revalved shocks plus a customized RPG PreRunner Front Bumper was needed for clearance. Even with typical trimming of the inner fender, there’s still some rubbing.
This truck is running Method 312s in matte black. Method 304s don’t fit over the factory calipers.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | Fifteen52 Turbomac HD 17x8.5 +0 (4.75”) | Fifteen52 Turbomac HD 17x8.5 +0 (4.75”) |
| Tires | Toyo OPEN COUNTRY M/T 37x12.5R17 | Toyo OPEN COUNTRY M/T 37x12.5R17 |
| Suspension | Top-perch setting | |
Here’s a similar setup, but with the shocks adjusted to the highest perch setting, giving it what looks to be a bit of negative rake. These Turbomac HD wheels are load rated to 2500lbs, however, the beadlock ring is ‘simulated’. Blocks in the rear could be used to level the truck.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | Method 101 beadlock 17x9.0 -12 (4.5”) | Method 101 beadlock 17x9.0 -12 (4.5”) |
| Tires | Cooper Discoverer STT Pro 37x13.50R17 | Cooper Discoverer STT Pro 37x13.50R17 |
| Suspension | Mid-perch with overfenders | |
Wanna go with low offset? Fiberworks +2.5” Front Fenders give 2.5” of bulge and 1.5” of rise. This massively assists with clearance for 37” tires while letting you run aggressive offsets. With the widebody, this 2014 can get away with a mid-perch on 37s. As we can see, the OE front bumper was retained, though this might not be possible with every brand of tire.
| Fitment Facts | ||
| Front | Rear | |
| Wheels | Black Rhino Primm Beadlock 17x8.5 +0 | Black Rhino Primm Beadlock 17x8.5 +0 |
| Tires | BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3 37x12.50R17 | BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3 37x12.50R17 |
| Suspension | Fully built RPG bolt-in kit | |
We needed one trophy truck type build. This 2012 Extended Cab has a full RPG Bolt-in Suspension Kit with all the bells & whistles. ADV Fiberglass +2/+2 fenders give plenty of clearance for suspension travel without tearing off any body panels. The wheels are 0 offset, however, the bolt-in kit makes the track with +3 inches, which is why it’s so wide in the front. Naturally, an RPG Off-Road Trophy Front Bumper completes the look.
Wrap up
Unlike most trucks, the Gen 1 SVT Raptor doesn’t need wheels and tires that are completely unrecognizable from stock. Wheels around zero offset and 9” wide give a bit of poke.
If you're getting new tires, you might as well go up to 35’s, it's a common size that's beginner-friendly to run. 37-inch tires were once seen as a nightmare, but with more aftermarket support, they're absolutely doable. In fact, 37’s are becoming more common.