I just had the Westcott Designs preload collar lift installed as well as some new wheels/tires for my wife’s 200 series so I figured I’d do a full review of the setup now that its been a month or so. I wasn’t able to locate much info on this particular setup so hopefully this helps someone down the road.
We went with the WD preload collar lift because realistically, this rig won’t see much hardcore offroading anytime soon (if at all) and I was told priority number one from my wife was to keep the factory ride as much as possible. If it was up to me, it would have had an Icon or OME suspension installed but this isn’t my rig. Overall, the WD setup is pretty impressive. The factory ride remains much the same but the tendency for the rig to nosedive when braking has decreased quite a bit. The front seems slightly stiffer (due to the additional preload) but just barely which I think is an improvement. Otherwise, the ride is great. The install was tough compared to my 100 series but that was down to me doing it mostly by myself and the KDSS system fighting me the whole time. It wasn’t overly complicated but you have to be prepared to muscle the s*** out of that KDSS system. Now the rig is completely level and I want to say it netted close to the gains that WD said it would (~1.5” in front and ~2.5” in rear).
![IMG_2771[1].JPG](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='1920' height='1440' viewBox%3D'0 0 1920 1440'%2F%3E "IMG_2771[1].JPG")
After lift install but before tires.
The tires are General Grabber A/TX 275/70/R18 in standard load running 33psi. I really wanted this size because of how good it looks on the rig but absolutely HATE E load tires (I have 295/70/R18s in E on my 100 and it rides like s***). Luckily General came out with these recently and they look good (not as aggressive as others but wife didn’t want it to be too much). They haven’t been offroad yet so I can’t comment on their offroad characteristics but will provide feedback once I do.
The wheels are from FN and they’re the f(x) Pro model in matte bronze. I honestly can’t speak any more highly of FN and the wheels. I research all of my mods to the point that my head hurts and I had a ton of questions for the FN team. I was worried about the offset, the color, the center caps, how the rim width would affect the tires, etc. They answered all of my questions and did a great job helping me get comfortable with the specs. The wife wanted something similar to the heritage wheels but with better offset, these checked all her boxes. The only thing that would make them better is if they were 17’s so I could have more tire options but I love the look of the 18’s and really like the A/TX’s.
Here are the specs for the wheels. I was worried about the offset but it wasnt an issue and I personally think it gives the perfect amount of "tire poke".
Full transparency, rubbing was an issue. I removed both of the front mud flaps (the small one in the front of the wheel well as well as the full mudflap on the rear of the wheel well) and had to take a heat gun to the raised portion of the liner but that fixed 98% of the rubbing. It still rubs a tiny amount on full steering lock while reversing one direction, but that’s it.
We went with the WD preload collar lift because realistically, this rig won’t see much hardcore offroading anytime soon (if at all) and I was told priority number one from my wife was to keep the factory ride as much as possible. If it was up to me, it would have had an Icon or OME suspension installed but this isn’t my rig. Overall, the WD setup is pretty impressive. The factory ride remains much the same but the tendency for the rig to nosedive when braking has decreased quite a bit. The front seems slightly stiffer (due to the additional preload) but just barely which I think is an improvement. Otherwise, the ride is great. The install was tough compared to my 100 series but that was down to me doing it mostly by myself and the KDSS system fighting me the whole time. It wasn’t overly complicated but you have to be prepared to muscle the s*** out of that KDSS system. Now the rig is completely level and I want to say it netted close to the gains that WD said it would (~1.5” in front and ~2.5” in rear).
After lift install but before tires.
The tires are General Grabber A/TX 275/70/R18 in standard load running 33psi. I really wanted this size because of how good it looks on the rig but absolutely HATE E load tires (I have 295/70/R18s in E on my 100 and it rides like s***). Luckily General came out with these recently and they look good (not as aggressive as others but wife didn’t want it to be too much). They haven’t been offroad yet so I can’t comment on their offroad characteristics but will provide feedback once I do.
The wheels are from FN and they’re the f(x) Pro model in matte bronze. I honestly can’t speak any more highly of FN and the wheels. I research all of my mods to the point that my head hurts and I had a ton of questions for the FN team. I was worried about the offset, the color, the center caps, how the rim width would affect the tires, etc. They answered all of my questions and did a great job helping me get comfortable with the specs. The wife wanted something similar to the heritage wheels but with better offset, these checked all her boxes. The only thing that would make them better is if they were 17’s so I could have more tire options but I love the look of the 18’s and really like the A/TX’s.
Here are the specs for the wheels. I was worried about the offset but it wasnt an issue and I personally think it gives the perfect amount of "tire poke".
Full transparency, rubbing was an issue. I removed both of the front mud flaps (the small one in the front of the wheel well as well as the full mudflap on the rear of the wheel well) and had to take a heat gun to the raised portion of the liner but that fixed 98% of the rubbing. It still rubs a tiny amount on full steering lock while reversing one direction, but that’s it.
