I have a stock 03 Edge 2wd extra cab, and Im thinking about widening the front and maybe the rear a little. With stock wheels and tires, what's the best way to do this, and how much wider is it safe to go to?

I just ordered some new shocks for my truck and thinking about lifting the front a little. How would widening the truck a little work with these mods?
Even though i use my truck for off road sometimes, Im not looking to make it into anything crazy...all i need is a little wider stance that looks good and helps out with handling. Should i do just the front or the rear too?
I wont do this if it doesnt help the handling. Im open to new wheels and other options if they arent too expensive.

DO NOT use wheel spacers.
I did, I even torqued 'em all the time like your supposed to. I had a wheel/tire fly off while making a right turn, it slammed into the side of another car and did a ton of damage. I sued the company that made the spacers, and they paid out. BUT IT STILL SUCKED>

Wheel spacers are like $150-$200 for all 4, go get some cheap wheels instead and do it right

__________________
'83 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4Spd, Dual Tanks, 195/60R15's, Welded Rear End TOTALLED AT 483,211 MILES

Dang! That sounds like it could have been even worse!!!
Glad you DON'T use wheels spacers anymore!

__________________
1999 Ford Ranger XL
Vulcan V6, K&N 33-2106 Filter, 3:73 Gears,
FRONT 3'' Susp Lift/REAR 3'' susp.+ 3" blocks,06 Mirrors
31"/10.5"-15" BFG on AR-172 Polished Rims,Smitybilt Console
95 Mustang Saleen Seats,Alternating Blinker MOD
Pioneer CD/iPod/GPS,6.5 Polk Audio/6.5 Sub-Woofers,
Stainless Bed Extender,Throttle and Dome Light MOD,
12" Tool Box,Billet Grille,NightShade Tint,Projector Headlamps
6000K H.I.D. so i can see at night! LOL

JESUS is LORD!

I'm running centric spacers, travel 1400+ miles a month, at least one trip from Ky to Fl a month plus normal running round town.. never had any problems... who ever lost a wheel/wheels didnt do something right... lug torque specs are low.. I can get a full turn and half by hand after torquing. all aluminum wheels require they be re-tightened after 50 miles............

but on that note I have a full set of 1.5" spacers with lugs, 2 of the spacer were never used.. take $110

__________________
MY BUILD THREAD
1999 MAZDA 2500SE, 2.5L 4-clanger, 5 speed, Green n slow. Rangers as daily drivers since 1988.
ASE Certified Mechanic, Builder of Show Destroying Protouring and Classic cars..

I don't like wheel spacers...they put alot of stress on your bearings.

__________________
1979 Ford F150 4X4, 7.5L, C6, 38s Super Swampers TSL

1978 Ford Courier 4x4, 2.3L carbed, 5 spd manual, dry-rotted tires

1985 Ford Ranger 4x4, 2.3L FI, 5 spd manual, 29s Power Kings

1990 Ford Bronco 4x4, 4.9L, 5 spd manual, 31s Maxxis Bighorns

depends on application, and used correctly...
my wheels are in same location as stock..

__________________
MY BUILD THREAD
1999 MAZDA 2500SE, 2.5L 4-clanger, 5 speed, Green n slow. Rangers as daily drivers since 1988.
ASE Certified Mechanic, Builder of Show Destroying Protouring and Classic cars..

im using spacers, but thats only cause i have to, i have full size truck rims and they wont fit our 4.5x5 pattern. so i need them only to adapt to the 5.5x5 pattern. ive also gone through both my stock hubs BUT they were stock and the replacments have held for 1 1/2+ years. so i think they just needed replacing anyway.

but it does stress the hubs so dont do it unless you have too.

__________________

2003 | XLT | Extended Cab | V6 | 4x4 | 4.0L SOHC | 3 Inch Body Lift | Cranked T-Bars | TJM Wench Bumper | Blacked Out Heads | Fog Light Mod | Surround Delete Mod | Blinker Mod | Custom Center Console | OHC | Pacer Bullet Rims | 33x12.5 All Terrains | 1 Inch Wheel Spacers

^ you don't have to use full size truck rims. you choose to.

wheel spacers make me think of those god awful cars that black people (yes, i said black people) would put on their wheels so they would stick out a foot past the fenders, which ended up breaking axles, ball joints, bearings, etc.. and it looked really stupid.

__________________
2001 Ranger Edge 4x4 (sold)
2006 F150 Lariat 4x4 (sold)
2007 Explorer XLT (Destroyed by Deer on highway)
2014 Explorer XLT (inherited from parents)

Im always tempted to get wheels spacers because I want a wider stance, but then I always go back and read the warnings!

Basically, you are saying you want a little lift and a wider stance, you should go with a spindle lift. Fabtech or Doestech are places to look into. You will get 3" of lift and about 1-1.5" more width per side.. Best of both worlds. This also requires no further modification to your suspension.

__________________
2002 Ranger XLT 3.0
General Grabber AT2 31/10.5/15, 15x7 ATX Slot, Hot girlfriend for passenger seat, Fabtech 2.5", Bilstein 5100, Poly Bumps, JBA Ceramic Coated Headers, Straigh pipe, Throttle Cable Mod, Air Box Mod, 5 Angle Valve Job, 180* Thermostat, Clear corners w/ Amber LEDs, Tinted Tails, 6000K Volt Digital HID Hi/Lo, K&N Drop-In, MAF Mod,

hub issues are not going to be any different than running a wider rim or a less backspaced rim. however on that not. hub centric spacers (the good kind) cost ~$50 a spacer a set of black steel rims in your size and the proper spacing cost $50-60 your choice. i was looking at spacers until i researched another 10 minutes.

__________________
'05 Ranger Edge SAS'd, 5.38's, D60/D60U, 38.5" TSL SX's, October 2012 TOTM, build thead

i got some spacers, cause i paid 80 bucks for a set of steel wheels and already had the tires mounted and balanced, the tires rubbed on the frame a bit so i got some 1.25" spacers for the front, looks a lot better, but like everyone said im a bit leary about them, i just put about 700 miles on my truck this weekend, so ill be checking them this week.

__________________
99 extended cab, 4.0, auto, 33s, 4x4 lifted with some stuff done

98 2wd 2.5, 5 speed, dropped with some stuff done

Do you have them just on the front or on front and rear?
I want to get spacers for my front untill i lift, but i dont want my truck to look retarted.

__________________
2001 Mazda B-3000 CabPlus "FX2 Off Road"| 3.0 | 5 SPD | 3 In Spindle Lift | Belltech Shackles | UltraGauge |Alpine Head / 10" Kicker Setup | Air Box Mod | Add-A-Leaf| Thrush Welded B4 Rear Wheel | Kobalt Box | Cobra 19 DX IV | Custom PA Speaker | Front/Rear Tow Receiver | 2X Aux Lights | Hideaway Strobes | Back Rack Safety Rack | Amber LED Strobes | Blue LED Strobes | 265/75/R16 General Grabber AT2's

i just have them on the front, it looks fine, 1.25 inches isnt a huge difference, especially with big mud tires on it. if you have a close to stock look it will be a more noticable difference.

__________________
99 extended cab, 4.0, auto, 33s, 4x4 lifted with some stuff done

98 2wd 2.5, 5 speed, dropped with some stuff done

you do have a close to stock look

__________________
'05 Ranger Edge SAS'd, 5.38's, D60/D60U, 38.5" TSL SX's, October 2012 TOTM, build thead

i may be getting 1.5" with goodyear wrangler rt-s's. I mean its only till i get my lift for my graduation. I just dont want my tires rubbing

__________________
2001 Mazda B-3000 CabPlus "FX2 Off Road"| 3.0 | 5 SPD | 3 In Spindle Lift | Belltech Shackles | UltraGauge |Alpine Head / 10" Kicker Setup | Air Box Mod | Add-A-Leaf| Thrush Welded B4 Rear Wheel | Kobalt Box | Cobra 19 DX IV | Custom PA Speaker | Front/Rear Tow Receiver | 2X Aux Lights | Hideaway Strobes | Back Rack Safety Rack | Amber LED Strobes | Blue LED Strobes | 265/75/R16 General Grabber AT2's