This F-250 build is more than a cosmetic cleanup. Once you step up to a 35-inch tire, you have to deal with clearance, stance, axle position, and steering geometry or the truck pays for it in handling and tire wear. The leveling kit corrects the front ride height, the track bar mount recenters the axle, and the caster cams bring steering behavior back where it belongs. Fox shocks add consistent damping with an internal floating piston design that helps prevent cavitation and fluid aeration. The rest of the package fixes the truck where owners actually feel it. The wheel and tire combo gives the truck the right look without ignoring brake clearance or road manners. The Decked drawer system keeps tools and cargo from sliding around and lets the bed still carry serious weight on top. Inside and underneath, Banks iDash DataMonster, Banks Derringer Tuner, Banks PedalMonster, the Banks Monster Exhaust System, and the Ram-Air differential cover for the Sterling axle finish the truck with better control, response, and rear axle cooling support. That is what makes this Sidewinder package work: every part has a job.
The video centers on a 2019 Ford F-250 that the team already likes overall, but they want to change four things: the wheels, the tires, the stance, and the bed utility. The plan is straightforward and practical rather than extreme. They intend to improve the truck's appearance and capability with new wheels and tires, raise the front slightly to level the stance and clear the larger tires, add Fox shocks, and install a bed storage system that can control loose cargo without sacrificing load capacity.
For the wheel choice, they worked with TSW and selected a Black Rhino wheel called the Frag Five. The design is intentionally military influenced, which fits Banks' long involvement with military engine programs. Gale notes that the wheel resembles what might be seen on an up-armored Humvee, and he ties that look back to Banks' history upgrading military Humvees that became severely underpowered after armor was added. He recalls that those vehicles struggled badly at altitude, especially in places such as Afghanistan, and says Banks developed turbocharged, intercooled systems that altitude-compensated and transformed their performance. He also mentions the company's later JLTV engine work, stating that virtually every JLTV produced within his lifetime will carry a Banks-branded engine. As a side note, he says a Banks experimental Humvee is on display at the Navy SEAL Museum in Florida.
The wheel itself makes a strong impression before it is even mounted. The packaging is notably robust, and once unboxed the wheel shows substantial brake clearance on the back side. Gale points out that this matters because larger-diameter tires reduce the mechanical advantage of the brake rotor relative to the tire diameter. In practical terms, increasing tire diameter can reduce braking performance, especially once the stock brakes get hot. He appreciates that the wheel appears designed to clear larger brake packages if the truck owner chooses to upgrade.
The Frag Five is offered in matte black with black hardware and hub cover, or in gloss white with matte black hardware. The hub cover can be run or omitted depending on preference and hub configuration, which is useful for trucks with manual locking hubs. He also highlights the styling details: the bolt treatment, the brake vents, and the cap design. Unlike many true military wheels, this one includes brake vents, so it preserves the military-inspired look while still functioning like a modern road and truck wheel should. The cap uses four bolts for attachment but is styled to resemble an eight-bolt arrangement. He also notes that a portion of Black Rhino wheel sales supports Stop Rhino Poaching.
With the wheels chosen, the next step is tires. The truck receives Toyo's newer AT3 all-terrain tire, described as an update to the AT2 that had just been released that summer. The selected size is LT35x12.50R20, a 10-ply tire with load range E. Gale presents it as a stout tire suitable for a heavy-duty truck while still being practical for mixed use.
He emphasizes several engineering and usability points. Compared with the AT2, the AT3 is said to put more rubber on the road while retaining siping large enough to improve wet and dry handling. Normally, changes that increase road contact and tread aggression can also increase road noise, but he says Toyo managed to reduce noise instead. That matters to him personally because he compares it with the mud-terrain tires on his older Suburban, which are loud enough on trips to Yosemite that even the stereo cannot mask the sound.
The tread also includes stone ejectors, which help push gravel out after driving on rough roads. He explains why that matters: stones trapped in the tread can remain there for miles, and once the vehicle reaches freeway speed they can sound like rifle shots hitting the wheel wells. Another styling feature is the sidewall treatment. One side of the tire has a more aggressive pattern than the other, allowing the owner to choose a more rugged mud-terrain-like appearance while still using an all-terrain tire.
Once the 35-inch tires are test-fitted visually, it becomes clear that the front wheel openings need more clearance. To solve that, they turn to BDS for a modest front lift rather than a dramatic suspension change. The goal is to level the truck enough to clear the tires while keeping it suitable for chassis dyno work, towing, and general use. In other words, the suspension changes are intended to be functional and restrained.
The kit uses bottom-mounted spring spacers rather than top spacers. Gale likes this approach because it cleans up the appearance in the wheel well and leaves the full coil spring visible. The kit also includes a front track bar relocation mount. He explains why that part matters: when the front of a solid-axle truck is lifted, failing to reposition the track bar mount can shift the axle off center. This BDS bracket is designed for lifts from one to three inches and uses an adjustable cam arrangement so the axle can be centered properly.
He also comments on the construction quality of the bracket, noting the weld quality and the thickness of the material. In addition, the kit includes ball joint cams to restore caster to the original Ford specification after the lift is installed. That is important for preserving handling and avoiding unnecessary tire wear. Gale explains caster in practical terms as the alignment setting that affects steering self-centering and return. He compares it with Bonneville race-car setup, where large caster values help a car track straight hands-off, but notes that for this truck the objective is simply to maintain the stock Ford steering behavior after the front ride height is changed.
He appreciates that the BDS kit includes all required hardware, even Loctite, so there is no need for extra trips to the hardware store. He also notes that BDS is owned by Fox Factory, which helps explain why the suspension and shock package are intended to work together as a matched system.
The truck receives Fox shocks at all four corners. Two different part numbers are shown, indicating front and rear applications, and Gale immediately focuses on the construction details. The shocks use aluminum bodies and 5/8-inch hard-chrome shafts. Internally, they use a floating piston to separate the nitrogen charge from the shock fluid.
That internal floating piston is important because it prevents cavitation and aeration of the fluid. In practical terms, that means more consistent damping performance regardless of how the truck is being used. Rather than relying on a separate external nitrogen reservoir, the gas charge is integrated into the shock body. Gale presents this as a clean, compact setup that still delivers the consistency expected from a quality performance shock. He also remarks that Fox has a long-standing relationship with Ford trucks, reinforcing the idea that this is a well-matched choice for the F-250 platform.
The final major hardware addition addresses the bed. The need came from earlier testing of Banks' differential cover for the Sterling axle, when Curtis had tools, rigging, and other equipment sliding around in the bed while driving in the mountains. That loose cargo was beating up the truck, so they wanted a way to organize and secure gear without giving up the ability to carry heavy loads.
Their solution is a Decked drawer system. The company is headquartered in Idaho, and the system is built in Ohio. This is a below-the-side-rail design, so it preserves a usable flat load floor above the drawers. Under that floor are two drawers and multiple storage compartments or cubby areas for organizing tools and equipment.
The material choices are highlighted in detail. The hardware is stainless steel, the handles are cast aluminum, and the drawers and outer housing are made from high-density polyethylene. That combination is chosen for durability and corrosion resistance. One of the most important functional claims is load capacity: they can place up to 2,000 pounds of sandbags on top of the system in the bed. That matters for their specific use cases, including adding load on grades and weighting the truck on the chassis dyno to help keep the tires from spinning.
After installation, the truck has a noticeably different stance and a more purposeful appearance. The completed package includes the BDS suspension leveling components, Fox shocks, Black Rhino Frag Five wheels, Toyo AT3 35-inch all-terrain tires, and the Decked drawer system in the bed. The combination is presented as a balanced build rather than an overbuilt show-truck setup: improved clearance, stronger visual presence, better cargo management, and hardware chosen to remain compatible with towing and testing duties.
The video also briefly inventories other Banks equipment already on the truck. Inside, it has an iDash DataMonster controlling a Derringer tuner and a PedalMonster throttle booster. At the rear, it uses a 5-inch Monster Exhaust with the newer SideKick negative-pressure tip. The rear axle is fitted with Banks' Ram-Air differential cover for the Sterling axle and filled with AMSOIL Severe Gear lubricant. Together, those details place the wheel, tire, suspension, and bed upgrades into the context of a broader functional build rather than a purely cosmetic makeover.
What stands out in the recap is the way each modification is justified mechanically. The wheel choice is not only about style; it also considers brake clearance and the braking disadvantages that come with larger tire diameters. The tire choice balances aggressive appearance, load capacity, wet and dry handling, reduced noise, and stone ejection. The suspension lift is kept modest so the truck remains useful on the dyno and while towing, and the kit includes the geometry corrections needed to preserve axle centering and factory-like caster. The shocks are selected for consistent damping through aluminum construction, hard-chrome shafts, and an internal floating-piston design. Even the bed storage system is chosen not just for organization, but because it can still support 2,000 pounds on top.
In that sense, the build follows a clear engineering logic from start to finish. The truck is made more aggressive in appearance, but every visible change is tied to a practical explanation involving clearance, handling, braking, durability, or cargo control. The result is a leveled F-250 with 35-inch tires and military-inspired wheels that still remains a working truck.