DTX2023Tremor's Money Pit Build and other miscellaneous topics

[26PlatinumPLUSAG]

Getting some things dialed-in and added-on ahead of the upcoming trip to Moab.

Stopped by @Renegade Customs Rockwall to have Will and team install the Dirtcom Trail Guard. The trail guard is engineered so that is sits pretty flush against the front bumper. Taking advise from @Tugboat, the Trail Guard was shimmed to create a small gap between the guard and the bumper. The main issue was the outer corners of the trail guard rest on the bumper, which made me concerned that vibrations between the two would cause paint damage to the bumper. Addressing this does require sourcing longer carriage bolts as the supplied bolts are not long enough to allow for any shimming.

Installed in the Trail Guard are 2 amber Baja Designs S2 Pros, angled down about 10 - 15 degrees to not only help illuminate the ground in front of the truck, but to also avoid blinding oncoming traffic (since these are not the SAE lights). Overall, really happy with the fit and finish of the trail guard and hopefully will not need it, but glad to have the added protection up front.

The next thing will be to find a fairing mounted license plate holder. I've got one on order, and am hoping that it will clear the bumper so I don't have to install the front license plate on the holes provided by Dirtcom on the Trail Guard.

View attachment 267073
View attachment 267072

That dude looks great.

 

[marine_wi]

Looks great! When you're done with yours, I'll bring you my truck to blow some coin on! The Mrs holds my wallet pretty tight these days. Lol I blow my allowance on guns and ammo.

 

[modified]

That looks awesome! It really gives the front end a more aggressive appearance. I can’t wait to get mine installed.

 

[Rodd187]

Very impressed with the look. Now if mine will just show up, I will get it installed

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Glad the shims worked for you it seems with the winch that extra 1/4 inch was needed as you noted to have clearance between trail guard and bumper

Yeah, Will @Renegade Customs Rockwall noted that the winch really limited options in being able to adjust the bumper. Shimming it was the only way to create a gap between the two.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Looks great! When you're done with yours, I'll bring you my truck to blow some coin on! The Mrs holds my wallet pretty tight these days. Lol I blow my allowance on guns and ammo.

Dude... I have so many other things left to do. I've had to slow down on things because of the cost of mods was catching up with me. Will @Renegade Customs Rockwall is working on pulling everything together for the next big mod and it's going to be a big hit financially, but am excited to get it done. Not sure if it will be done before Moab, but certainly not too long afterwards.

 

[Apples]

I'll have something new for Moab. It won't be anything else on the truck from what I've already posted here on FT.c. It'll be what I'll be dragging through the park once I get there.

 

[Optimus🤖]

Dude... I have so many other things left to do. I've had to slow down on things because of the cost of mods was catching up with me. Will @Renegade Customs Rockwall is working on pulling everything together for the next big mod and it's going to be a big hit financially, but am excited to get it done. Not sure if it will be done before Moab, but certainly not too long afterwards.

We can't wait to see what you'll "whip" up .

 

[Apples]

We can't wait to see what you'll "whip" up

Yessir. Wanna see what he whips up for that bitchin' whip o' his!

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

I know a bunch of people run without front license plates in states that require them, but I figure better safe than sorry. Especially, since I'll have an out of state plate in many areas where they're required and don't want to make myself an easy target for citations.

Putting on the Trail Guard, meant that the alternative OEM license plate holder won't work for me anymore. So, the search for a new license plate holder began. Before the alternative OEM mount was available, I tried a few other options, that while made, didn't work for one reason or another. Mostly, they cause the front parking sensors to alarm due to the proximity of the mount to the sensor.

I decided the best solution is a fairlead mounted license plate holder. The vast majority of the ones on the market are for externally mounted winches, and difficult to find an example of one mounted on a hidden winch mount in a Super Duty.

After examining a bunch of the designs out there, one concern kept coming up - would the mount clear the bumper or be obstructed by the bumper in some way (especially the flip up designs).

I ultimately landed on the one from Rock Hard 4x4: Hawse Fairlead License Plate Mount w/ Cable Lanyard [RH-4004]

I imagine that having to remove two screws to get the plate out of the way, and have it hanging by a cable, would be something some might not like. As I considered it, I realized that I have never used my winch in the 2 years it's been installed, so the odd instance where I would need to remove the plate would be fine for me.

The mount is well made. I did need to modify the bracket as the cutouts for the tabs that go behind the fairlead and around the bolts was too shallow for the bracket to fit into the bumper. I ended up needing to extend the channel on each side about an inch or so and the bracket fit perfectly.

 

[BFill85_KRTremor]

I know a bunch of people run without front license plates in states that require them, but I figure better safe than sorry. Especially, since I'll have an out of state plate in many areas where they're required and don't want to make myself an easy target for citations.

Putting on the Trail Guard, meant that the alternative OEM license plate holder won't work for me anymore. So, the search for a new license plate holder began. Before the alternative OEM mount was available, I tried a few other options, that while made, didn't work for one reason or another. Mostly, they cause the front parking sensors to alarm due to the proximity of the mount to the sensor.

I decided the best solution is a fairlead mounted license plate holder. The vast majority of the ones on the market are for externally mounted winches, and difficult to find an example of one mounted on a hidden winch mount in a Super Duty.

After examining a bunch of the designs out there, one concern kept coming up - would the mount clear the bumper or be obstructed by the bumper in some way (especially the flip up designs).

I ultimately landed on the one from Rock Hard 4x4: Hawse Fairlead License Plate Mount w/ Cable Lanyard [RH-4004]

I imagine that having to remove two screws to get the plate out of the way, and have it hanging by a cable, would be something some might not like. As I considered it, I realized that I have never used my winch in the 2 years it's been installed, so the odd instance where I would need to remove the plate would be fine for me.

The mount is well made. I did need to modify the bracket as the cutouts for the tabs that go behind the fairlead and around the bolts was too shallow for the bracket to fit into the bumper. I ended up needing to extend the channel on each side about an inch or so and the bracket fit perfectly.

View attachment 267618View attachment 267619

To remove the plate it’s the knobs on top right? So when off roading and hooking up winch remote you would just quickly unscrew and remove (takes 90sec tops). Is that correct???

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

To remove the plate it’s the knobs on top right? So when off roading and hooking up winch remote you would just quickly unscrew and remove (takes 90sec tops). Is that correct???

That's correct. The plate is attached to a backing plate that has a steel cable tether to the main bracket so when the plate is detached, by removing the top screws, it will hang down so it is out of the way of the winch.

 

[BFill85_KRTremor]

That's correct. The plate is attached to a backing plate that has a steel cable tether to the main bracket so when the plate is detached, by removing the top screws, it will hang down so it is out of the way of the winch.

I actually like this more than flip ups perhaps as living in Chicago suburbs no need to worry about hinges rusting…

 

[Sharky]

Awesome build - still working through the whole thread but have a couple of questions. How are you liking the Leitner bed rack with the T slot mounting? Think it secures sufficiently? After the initial install are you able to realistically take on/off in a decent amount of time? The bed cover I prefer does not have the T slot option but if the Leitner rack checks out that's a big positive. Also how do you like the TMat? Do the accessories & hole locations work out pretty well to secure pretty much anything you want back there? Or are you reliant on their coolers, boxes, etc.? Was looking at making something similar but metal & more permanently attached before seeing an add for the TMat. Still might but this does look somewhat promising too. Thanks!!

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Awesome build - still working through the whole thread but have a couple of questions. How are you liking the Leitner bed rack with the T slot mounting? Think it secures sufficiently? After the initial install are you able to realistically take on/off in a decent amount of time? The bed cover I prefer does not have the T slot option but if the Leitner rack checks out that's a big positive. Also how do you like the TMat? Do the accessories & hole locations work out pretty well to secure pretty much anything you want back there? Or are you reliant on their coolers, boxes, etc.? Was looking at making something similar but metal & more permanently attached before seeing an add for the TMat. Still might but this does look somewhat promising too. Thanks!!

Thanks!

I only went with the Leitner rack because of a few others on the forum who have the set-up I'm aspiring to have them installed and have a lot of real world use with them. People whose builds are great examples are @TellurideTremor @speeddev @r00ster who are three people that I know that are running the Leitner bed rack and run their trucks off-road.

The nice thing about the t-slot mounting is that it doesn't require any drilling into the bed. The three example builds listed above (and mine as well) have all added additional brackets to the tonneu cover (which normally has 2 on each side to secure the cover to the bed rails), adding 2 to 3 additional brackets per side. I haven't planned on adding / removing the bed rack, but it shouldn't be too difficult to do. You could just loosen the screws for the t-slot mounts and then slide the bed rack out the back of the cover.

The T-mat is awesome for organization and I probably have almost all of the accessories they offer (except for the golf and fishing ones). The sideo crates are perfectly sized to fit within the grid with the holders. The blocks do a great job of holding everything in place. I recently purchased the 5 gallon rotopax holder and a 5 gallon bucket holder and will see how those work. I do wish they would make a propane tank holder.

 

[Sharky]

Thanks!

I only went with the Leitner rack because of a few others on the forum who have the set-up I'm aspiring to have them installed and have a lot of real world use with them. People whose builds are great examples are @TellurideTremor @speeddev @r00ster who are three people that I know that are running the Leitner bed rack and run their trucks off-road.

The nice thing about the t-slot mounting is that it doesn't require any drilling into the bed. The three example builds listed above (and mine as well) have all added additional brackets to the tonneu cover (which normally has 2 on each side to secure the cover to the bed rails), adding 2 to 3 additional brackets per side. I haven't planned on adding / removing the bed rack, but it shouldn't be too difficult to do. You could just loosen the screws for the t-slot mounts and then slide the bed rack out the back of the cover.

The T-mat is awesome for organization and I probably have almost all of the accessories they offer (except for the golf and fishing ones). The sideo crates are perfectly sized to fit within the grid with the holders. The blocks do a great job of holding everything in place. I recently purchased the 5 gallon rotopax holder and a 5 gallon bucket holder and will see how those work. I do wish they would make a propane tank holder.

Awesome, thanks! Sold
On the rack so have the cover with t slot going on tomorrow. Definitely will look into the extra brackets that’s a good call. Liking the idea of the tmat too. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[TellurideTremor]

I've had my Leitner for 4 years now. Quality construction and zero complaints. 10X the quality of my FrontRunner that I had.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Tire decision: Falken Wildpeak A/T4W next — plus 28,750 miles of real treadwear data

There's almost no hard wear data out there for 37s on a Super Duty, so here are actual numbers instead of opinions.

The setup: 2023 F-350 Platinum Tremor, 37x12.50R18 on 18" KMC forged wheels, +18mm offset, Carli leveling kit and Trophy Hitch. Toyo Open Country A/T III, five-tire rotation every 5,000 miles with a matched spare.

The data: installed at 29,500 on the odometer, now at 58,250 — 28,750 miles on the set. New depth 16.9/32". Currently measuring 10/32" across all four, dead even.

That's 6.9/32" used, or 4,167 miles per 1/32". Straight-lined, about 62,000 miles to 2/32" against a 50,000-mile warranty.

Here's the part I found interesting. That 62,000 isn't because the Toyos are overperforming. Back out the five-tire rotation — each tire spends 20% of its life as the spare doing zero miles — and the tires are wearing at about 3,333 miles per 32nd of actual rolling. Toyo's 50,000-mile warranty across 14.9/32" of usable tread works out to 3,356 miles per 32nd.

So the tires are hitting their warranted wear rate almost exactly. The extra 12,000 miles is entirely the fifth tire. If you're running 37s and not doing a five-tire rotation, that's roughly a quarter of a tire set you're leaving on the table — call it $600 on a set at current prices. Cheapest upgrade in this thread.

The thing nobody warned me about: the Tremor's door placard calls for load index 129 (4,079 lbs). Every 37x12.50R18 made is 128 (3,970 lbs) — including the BFG KO3 in load range F. You're one index point under no matter what you buy in this size. That's why the chains won't mount them: their point-of-sale software blocks the fitment. It's not attitude, it's software. I use Renegade Customs in Rockwall.

The three I looked at seriously. All genuinely good tires — this isn't a knock on any of them.

• Toyo A/T III — lightest at 71 lbs, quietest of the three, best-documented sidewall durability I could find. 16.9/32 tread. Note the warranty on LT/flotation sizes is 50,000, not the 55k several catalogue sites list. Toyo's own number.
• BFG KO3 — best owner survey scores of the three and a real ride-quality improvement over the KO2. What stopped me: BFG's own review page sits at 3.7/5 with 58% recommending, and the dominant theme is vibration shops can't balance out. On 76-lb tires on a Super Duty, that's the failure mode I didn't want to gamble on.
• Falken Wildpeak A/T4W — where I landed.

Why the A/T4W:

1. 19/32" of tread vs 16.9 on the Toyo. At my measured rate that's roughly 8,700 extra miles from tread depth alone.
2. 3-ply DuraSpec sidewall. Falken only puts this on select sizes and runs a 2-ply turn-up elsewhere — 37x12.50R18 (SKU 28847197) is a DuraSpec size, listed as "HD, DuraSpec." Doing Moab, sidewall is the thing that actually strands you.
3. 60,000-mile warranty, longest of the three.
4. Free 2-year manufacturer road hazard. Toyo explicitly excludes road hazard; Michelin's Promise Plan doesn't extend to BFG. Falken is the only one of the three that includes it and the A/T4W is on the eligible list.
5. 3PMSF, same as the other two.

Honest caveats, because I'd want these:

• It's the heaviest at roughly 78–82 lbs. Expect an MPG hit.
• In Tire Rack's 12-tire instrumented test it posted the second-worst snow braking of the group despite good owner snow scores. Ice was mid-pack at 47.5 ft — better than the KO3, which was dead last at 53+ ft, but "better" isn't "good." None of these are ice tires. I learned that last winter sliding halfway through a limit line in Dallas on nearly-new rubber. 3PMSF certifies snow acceleration, not ice.
• The size has been hard to get. Tire Rack shows it back in stock late October. I'm not in a hurry — I've got about 20,000 miles left on the Toyos — but worth knowing if you're shopping now. Tire Rack's road hazard coverage works at any installer, which solves the "no chain will touch my truck" problem.

Question for the group: anyone else running 37s on a Super Duty and actually tracking tread depth against mileage? I'd like to build a few more data points, because "it depends" is the only answer out there right now and we can do better than that.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Follow-up to my wear numbers above. Once I had the rate — 4,167 miles per 1/32" — I wanted a replacement date, not a mileage figure. Turns out those are different problems, and the second one is more useful.

First surprise: off-road miles don't move the gauge.

I'd assumed trail days were quietly eating my tread. They aren't. That 28,750 already contains 7 days of off-roading — two days each at Big Bend on two trips, three days total across two Sedona trips — plus roughly 6,500 miles of highway getting to them. So my wear rate isn't a highway number to begin with. It's already an overlander's number.

And the trail miles themselves are statistical noise. I've got about 50 miles of Moab coming up. Even at a brutal 5x wear multiplier that's 250 highway-equivalent miles — 0.06/32". You can't measure that.

What off-roading actually costs you is cuts, chunking and punctures. Budget for damage, not wear. Seven days of Sedona and Big Bend and my wear is still dead even with no chunking.

So the model is highway miles, split two ways.

I pulled my trip miles out of the total to get a routine baseline — about 1,175 miles/month — then added upcoming trips as discrete events rather than smearing them into an average:

• Late Sept '26 — Park City / Moab / Vegas / LA / home — ~4,200 mi
• Mid-May '27 — Southern Utah — ~2,900 mi
• Late July '27 — Alpine Loop, CO — ~2,200 mi

	Tread
Home from Sept trip	8.8/32"
Depart Utah, May '27	6.8/32"
Home from Utah	6.1/32"
Crosses 6/32"	June 7, 2027

I replace at 6/32", not 4. More conservative than the usual advice, and it costs me maybe $300 of unused tread. Worth it — I'd rather never be the guy making a judgment call about tread depth 200 miles from pavement.

The date falls in a convenient spot: June 2027, between Utah and Colorado. Utah runs on the current set and lands just above my line. Colorado gets new rubber.

That's the right order regardless of the numbers. The Alpine Loop is sharp rock, off-camber shelf, and a long way from a tire shop — that's where you want fresh sidewalls, not on I-20. If the dates had come out the other way I'd have replaced early and eaten the tread.

 

[Optimus🤖]

Mike...how much bourbon have you drank?