Advice on Wheels, Tires, Lifts, Tonneau Covers, and Tow Hooks

[MadMos]

Hello Everyone

I figured I'd make one thread asking all of my questions on modifications, instead of creating a thread for each one. Before anyone says anything, yes, I've done research on the forum and the web, but some, if not all, of the information I've read, is just going over my head.

Again, first-time truck owner, first time ever-modifying my truck, so any help from the more experienced vets in here would be much appreciated!

LIFTS
I want to lift my truck, but I'm not sure how high to go. I know most of it comes down to what my budget is, and I don't really have one; just looking for the best option at the best price, I guess. My question is: How high can I lift my truck, without sacrificing too much on the gas mileage, ride quality, etc? I know something like 8 inches will be too high, and I feel that something like 2 inches (level) won't be that noticeable. I'm thinking 4 inches, is that a decent height to raise the truck? Also, what lift kits would you recommend?

WHEELS & TIRES
I've always wanted custom wheels, never had em before, and I want my first set to be for my truck. I don't want want to do any modifications to the body of the truck, if I don't have to. So my question is: How big of wheels and tires can I realistically fit on my truck? Keep in mind, if I do raise it by 4 inches (or whatever height you guys think is best), I should be able to have bigger wheels and tires, right? I keep hearing that 35 inch tires are the best, so how big can I get my wheels to be? I was thinking of 22 inch wheels, but could that be too big? Also, I want the quality of the ride to still be good. I don't think I'm gonna get Mud terrain tires, since I will be doing mostly city driving, and rarely go off-roading, so I'm most likely going to get All-Terrain tires. I know I want the wheels to be black, or maybe even red, and I want them to look aggressive too. Would it best for me to stick to 18 inch wheels with 35 inch tires? or can I do 20 inch wheels with 35 inch tires? Also, what website would be best to get em? So far, I've been looking at wheels on tirerack.com, unless there is a better option?

TONNEAU COVERS & TOW HOOKS
What kind of Tonneau covers do you guys recommend? I was thinking of these:

2020 Ram Truck 1500 GatorTrax Tonneau Cover | RealTruck

RealTruck ships the 2020 Ram Truck 1500 GatorTrax Tonneau Cover fast and free within the lower 48 United States. Take advantage of our product experts, image galleries, and legendary customer service to get the right part with no hassle.

realtruck.com

Unless there are better options out there?

And when it comes to Tow Hooks, everywhere that I've been looking, mopar oem tow hooks are on back order. All I see are black tow hooks, but I want them to be red, or I can just paint them red. Should I stick with oem tow hooks, or are there any third party tow hooks that are just as good?

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but again, I have no real knowledge on this, and everything that I've researched on, is just going over my head. I want to make my truck look nice, and I want to do it right without any problems.

Here's hoping I can get some help!

Mad Mos

 

[PorBoy]

Ok let me start out a little at a time and then hopefully someone will jump in. First what exact model and features truck do you have ? Do you have air suspension, 4x4, off road pkg, 5th gen or a Classic ? Knowing this will go a long way towards what we can suggest to meet your goals.

 

[MadMos]

Ok let me start out a little at a time and then hopefully someone will jump in. First what exact model and features truck do you have ? Do you have air suspension, 4x4, off road pkg, 5th gen or a Classic ? Knowing this will go a long way towards what we can suggest to meet your goals.

2020 RAM 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 4x2
Diamond Black Crystal Pearl-Coat Exterior Paint
Black Interior Color
Deluve Cloth Bucket Seats
5.7L V8 HEMI MDS VVT Engine
8 Speed Automatic 8HP75 Transmission
3.92 Rear Axle Ratio
Sport Appearance Package
Trailer-Tow Group
Big Horn Level 1 Equipment
8.4-Inch Touchscreen Display
Anti-Spin Differential Rear Axle

No air suspension, I wish it was 4x4, and no off road package.

It's the 5th gen, new body.

Mad Mos

 

[PorBoy]

 

[MadMos]

Three things I must have?

Red Wheels
Lift Kit
Red Tow Hooks

I gotta have red tow hooks, I want a lift, but not sure how high, and I want red wheels, not sure the size, but big enough to have 35-inch tires? I read that 35-inch tires are a good size, and I wouldn't have to do any modification to the body to have it fit, right?

 

[PorBoy]

You can go with 18x9 wheels ( red ) pair those with a 2” level unless you insist on going with a lift. Just be careful as not all 35” tires are the same size wise lol. Also as far as lift anyone who offers a 4” lift would work for your application. I personally have BDS but am in no way suggesting that’s your only option. Now as far as those “ red “ tow hooks, you may need to go old school grab a set of chrome ones and have those powdercoated red. Or place a wtb listing and see if anyone has a set they are willing to sell. If possible post some photos of your truck and that way we can offer more suggestions.

 

[myles]

alrighty so...

Lift:
the sky is kinda the limit here and you budget... so when you lift dont forget to include the tire size when you are trying to figure out how tall your truck is going to be
8" lift with 37" tires is going to need a small step ladder to get into the truck lol
4-6" of lift with 33"-35" tires will require a small jump
2" 3.5" lift/level will need a bit of a hop, (Im 5'7" so that may be why lol)

8" lift is $5000+ and usually custom

a good 4-6" will run $1500-$3000, personally I think the $3000 lifts are overpriced unless you plan on bottoming out your truck in mud holes

2"-3.5" will run about $50 for spaces to $1000 for a factory lift

these prices are not including installation.

Tires
price: tires = bigger price
pretty much any tire size and wheel size combo is available, you just gotta look for them.
$1200 is pretty standard for a good set of 33" tires
anything over 35" you are looking at $1500 just for tires and they generally get less mileage the bigger and more aggressive tread you go

i break tires into 3 catagories
all terrain: standard light truck tire, good milage around 50k+ dependsing on how you drive, good tread for on and off road
rough terrain: these are what I use, good as pretty much all terrains but more aggressive than all terrain, usually get 40-50k miles
stay away from mud terrain unless you need them or dont mind the cost, they usually get about 15-20k miles if you're lucky
and they cost $1500+

a 3.5" lift on these trucks should fit a 35" tire, some people have fit 35s with a 2" lift
as for bigger than that, it really depends on which lift you get because they are all a bit different.

tire brand i likes:
BF Goodrich K2/0: good all terrain tire, no issues
toyo open country at/2: hands down best dirt/mud all terrain tire but very slippery on wet roads, friend has exact same tire and same thing happened to him
Goodyear wrangler series: good all around tire, no issues

im currently using goodyear wrangler duratracs, its their rough terrain tire.

Wheels, minimum wheel size is 18" on these trucks:
Again this is pretty much just how much you want to spend
bigger wheels cost more money.....
I have had cheap wheels and expensive wheels, never noticed a difference in build quality
cheap wheels are usually around $150/ea
expensive wheels are usually around $300+/ea

brands I like: procomp, method, eagle alloy, raceline, many more good wheels brands, just look for a style/color you like.

ride quality:
pretty much any lift is going to sacrifice some ride quality, some more than others, some can make it feel like you are riding in a big rig. The factory mopar lift reviews seems like the only one that unanimously rides like stock.
Bigger, heavier, 10 ply tires are also going to decrease ride quality.
There's really no way around this unless you want to spend big bucks on some custom fox/king shocks. but then you sacrifice towing ability

tonneau covers:
pick one that you like the looks of, Ive never seen one that is so bad i wouldn't buy it.
If you spend $500, you are going to get a nice and simple cover that does what it says it does
if you spend $1000+ you are going to get a fancy bed cover that does what it says it does

tow hooks:
Not sure about this one, they are pretty simple so im sure aftermarket ones would be just fine if that all you can find.
as for getting them in red, you may have to paint them or have them powder coated, dont think there are any factory red options

 

[WR986]

Soooo I am rolling with
a 6" FabTech lift
I have Fuel Wheels and they have the same in red if that interests you
My cover is a undercover Armour flex tri fold and I love it.

As for ride and drive.....get the rough country programmer.
It will tell your truck you have oversized tires. That corrects the speedo, adjusts the tranny shift points, and the ride control. Huge difference.

Mine does feel bigger and after getting used to it no sweat. Ride is great. tires sing a bit but im good with it.

 

[TruckDriver]

Lots of good advice here - I'll just drop my .02 on the tow hooks - I've used 'Flame Proof' ceramic header paint (in a rattlecan) from VHT on steel wheels with great success. Its all in the prep.

If you're willing to do it, some thinner based prep, a clean environment, properly heated paint can (bucket of hot water) and it'll flow great.

Good luck and post pics!

 

[Alptbird]

Since the bed cover thing wasn’t elaborated on... if you actually plan on using your bed, over the years of having trucks, the tri fold has been the best fit for bed usage vs seal vs protection, The Bak Flip allows 99% of the bed space usage. Rough country has a tri fold for about half the $$ but it is really only bi fold you can only flip 2 sections out of the way.
A fiber glass shell, best seal for cargo, probably the most protection you can have all around but it is the most inconvenient bed cover if you use the bed for anything that is taller than the rails.
Roll and locks are neat too, but the rails take up side to side space and about 6-9” of the front of the bed to house the canister, so you loose some of the bed space.
Now hard vs soft, I would do hard covers vs soft because they are more durable, and tend to last longer without leaking or readjusting. If you off-road much, the constant shifting and banging of the truck tends to make the soft clamp on type shift and re quire re adjustment. I have been on trails with friends, and their soft clamp on did not make it home cause it fell off along the way. But the clamp on style is also fast to install and fast to remove allowing 100% useage of the bed.
So ask yourself how do you plan on using your bed?

As for tow hooks, OEM should be fine. Have them powder coated. Or use a ceramic based paint if you want them colored.

lift kits, you said gas mileage... you have 3.92 gears. Bonus. So gearing will not need to change due to larger rotating mass, but any lift you do will change mileage. Least affected will leveling kit. You can put a decent tire on that that won’t break the bank Or fuel bill.
4,6,8” lift will be costly, rims and tire that look right with those lifts will be costly, and the rate of replacement vs cost of the tires down the road if the truck is a pavement pounder will be hard to swallow.

my 2cents.

 

[texasvolfan15]

No one has suggested it, but since you have 2WD I highly recommend doing the CST 4 inch lift. It is very similar to the mopar, it will raise the rear either 0-2 inches depending on your choice and raise the front 4 inches. This will allow you to fit a 35x12.5 on a 20 or 18 inch wheel.

This lift is a spindle lift kit and will retain factory geometry which should retain factory ride quality, however going to an E rated tire will increase road noise and reduce road comfort to some extent.

For a cover, I am targeting the undercover armor flex or bakflip MX4 because I want a hard folding cover that is flush with the bed. Lots of good options though just depends on the look, functionality and price you want.

 

[MadMos]

First off, I want to thank everyone for giving me advice on this, I truly appreciate it! I also want to apologize for taking so long to respond back, I don't do forums like the way I used to back in the day, lol.

So, hearing what everyone's been saying about the lift, I think I'm gonna skip on it. I didn't think that it would cost thousands of dollars. I mean, I did see some lifts that cost about $900-$1500, but I guess I didn't take into account the cost for installation. With that being said, I'm gonna skip on the lift and probably get a leveling kit. I'm not sure if I'm measuring the right area, but from the ground to the top of the wheel well (am I saying it right?) for the rear wheels is 39 inches, whereas the front is measuring at about 36 inches (35 and 3/4 to be exact). I'm guessing the best leveling kit to get should be about 3 inches, right? If so, are there any products you guys recommend? Also, would this be something I can install myself, or should I take it to a mechanic/body shop/RAM dealership for installation? I also saw a video stating that when you do level your ride, the lights can be distracting to other drivers and need to realigned; would I be able to do that myself, or have someone else do it?

WR986, thank you for serving our country, and you got a beautiful truck. Too much chrome though, for my taste, lol. The wheels you got compliment your truck very well, and I've heard of the brand too. When it comes to wheels though, the numbers don't make sense to me. I understand the diameter of the wheel, but I'm not sure how wide the tires should be, and what the hell is an offset?

I guess to help dumb things down for me. If I was to get a 2-3.5 inch leveling kit for my truck, and I want to get 20 or 22-inch wheels, what should the width, offset, and tire size be for either wheel?

In regards to tow hooks, the Mopar tow hooks seem to be out of stock, and I have no idea when it will be ready. I read somewhere that they won't have any in stock until June or July, so I'm going to hold off on that for now.

I ordered some side steps for my truck on March 24th, (not that I need it, I'm 5'11, but my mom can't get inside my truck unless I'm parked by a curb, so it's pretty much to help her, lol) and because of this whole coronavirus thing, it's not going to get shipped until, the latest, the 17th of this month, and delivery should be about 3-5 days afterward.

Alptbird, I do plumbing with dad, so I want the cover on the back for most tools and supplies to not get stolen or anything. I liked the functionality of the cover I mentioned in the original post, but I'm guessing that in the long run, it won't be as good as a trifold? I'm gonna look into The Bak Flip and Rough Country for covers.

Again, thank you to everyone who responded. I'm in LA, and the weather out here hasn't been that great. I'm gonna wait until I finish modifying my truck before I post final pictures of all the changes I've made. But for now, this is how my truck looks when I got it from the dealership.

 

[MadMos]

So, I'm thinking of getting these wheels:

2020 Ram Truck 1500 Axe Offroad Candy Red AX2 Wheels | RealTruck

RealTruck ships the 2020 Ram Truck 1500 Axe Offroad Candy Red AX2 Wheels fast and free within the lower 48 United States. Take advantage of our product experts, image galleries, and legendary customer service to get the right part with no hassle.

realtruck.com

They're affordable, and I think it'll look great. Now, the diameter is 22 inches, how long can the width be? There's a 10, 12, and 14 inch option.

I'm also guessing that I wouldn't be able to do 35 inch tires, but it would have to be 33s, right?

 

[Alptbird]

Glad to hear we can help give you some direction, recommendations in this case are tough for people because everyone’s needs vs wants are different. But I think from what I read was a lot of helpful info. Even I want to say thank you to everyone that responded. It was nice to be in a forum that didnt have trolls just for the sake of trolling...
MadMos, I like wheels

 

[MadMos]

So I think I found the wheels that I want and the tires too. But, can someone tell me if this is setup will work or not.

These are the wheels I'm thinking of getting:



They're XF Offroad Gloss Black & Red XF-214 Wheels. They're $270 each.
These are the Dimensions for the Wheels:
20" X 10"
6 X 135mm /5.5"
-12mm Offset
New Body (W/ 6-Lug Wheels)

The tires that I'm thinking of getting are these:



They're Nitto Ridge Grappler Tires, All Terrain. They're $343 each.
These are the Dimensions for the Tires:

• 33x11.50R20LT E
• Overall Actual Diameter: 32.76"
• Overall Actual Width: 11.42"
• Approved Rim Width: 8.0"-10.5"
• 10-Ply Rating
• Tread Depth (1/32): 18.3"
• Load (Lbs.): 2910 @ 80 PSI

So, knowing that the Wheel has a width of 10" and the Approved Rim Width for the tires are between 8.0"-10.5" then these two should go well together, right?

If so, my next question is: If I don't install a Level Kit or Lift Kit on my truck, will these fit fine without any rubbing against the truck?

Also, are those too much for tires? $343 apiece?! The only reason why I'm considering it is that it has actual reviews (53 to be exact) whereas the other tires on the website don't have any reviews at all.

There are also Toyo Open Country AT II 33x12.50R20LT Tires which are All-Terrain and cost $329.66 each (Less than $20 more per tire compared to the Nitto Tires).

The Dimensions for these Tires are:

• 33X12.50R20LT F
• Load / Speed Rating: 119Q
• Tread Depth (1/32"): 16.8"
• Approved Rim Width Range: 8.5"-11.0"
• Max Load Single / Dual (Lbs.): 3000
• Max Pressure Single / Dual (PSI): 80
• Revolutions Per Mile: 639
• Inflated Overall Diameter: 32.5"
• Inflated Overall Width: 12.5"

^Will either tire fit on the wheels that I picked and if so, which is best? If neither of these is good tires, any other suggestions?

I'm also considering financing this with Affirm, but I already have enough credit cards as it is.

MadMos

 

[Dflood]

You can also go to
https://www.customwheeloffset.com/search-wheel-offset-gallery
and get an idea of what your truck will look like with different setups
also this site https://tiresize.com/calculator/
will help determine the difference in tire size and wheel offset

 

[myles]

So I think I found the wheels that I want and the tires too. But, can someone tell me if this is setup will work or not.

These are the wheels I'm thinking of getting:

View attachment 52397

They're XF Offroad Gloss Black & Red XF-214 Wheels. They're $270 each.
These are the Dimensions for the Wheels:
20" X 10"
6 X 135mm /5.5"
-12mm Offset
New Body (W/ 6-Lug Wheels)

The tires that I'm thinking of getting are these:

View attachment 52398

They're Nitto Ridge Grappler Tires, All Terrain. They're $343 each.
These are the Dimensions for the Tires:

• 33x11.50R20LT E
• Overall Actual Diameter: 32.76"
• Overall Actual Width: 11.42"
• Approved Rim Width: 8.0"-10.5"
• 10-Ply Rating
• Tread Depth (1/32): 18.3"
• Load (Lbs.): 2910 @ 80 PSI

So, knowing that the Wheel has a width of 10" and the Approved Rim Width for the tires are between 8.0"-10.5" then these two should go well together, right?

If so, my next question is: If I don't install a Level Kit or Lift Kit on my truck, will these fit fine without any rubbing against the truck?

Also, are those too much for tires? $343 apiece?! The only reason why I'm considering it is that it has actual reviews (53 to be exact) whereas the other tires on the website don't have any reviews at all.

There are also Toyo Open Country AT II 33x12.50R20LT Tires which are All-Terrain and cost $329.66 each (Less than $20 more per tire compared to the Nitto Tires).

The Dimensions for these Tires are:

• 33X12.50R20LT F
• Load / Speed Rating: 119Q
• Tread Depth (1/32"): 16.8"
• Approved Rim Width Range: 8.5"-11.0"
• Max Load Single / Dual (Lbs.): 3000
• Max Pressure Single / Dual (PSI): 80
• Revolutions Per Mile: 639
• Inflated Overall Diameter: 32.5"
• Inflated Overall Width: 12.5"

^Will either tire fit on the wheels that I picked and if so, which is best? If neither of these is good tires, any other suggestions?

I'm also considering financing this with Affirm, but I already have enough credit cards as it is.

MadMos

yes those tire/wheel combos will work, $300-$350 is pretty standard for truck tires
i think nitto/toyo are the name parent company

I cant say for sure if they will fit on stock suspension, but they will defiantly fit on a leveled truck, and 35s usually fit on a leveled ram as well. take note though that leveling a truck with just spacers rather than a new strut/upper control arm usually gives it the worst ride quality.

now when i say worst ride quality, i dont mean that its going to drive you nuts, its just not going to be squishy any more, ive done that route before and its doable if you dont mind getting shaken up a bit on rough roads.

 

[Dflood]

I recommend going to a tire shop and test fitting them with the neg offset you may have to do some trimming with 35 inch tires.. this is a 35 on a stock 22 with +19 offset