GeauxFord9

I bought a new 2014 FX4 over the weekend. I will post some pictures of her when I get home this afternoon. It is a ruby red FX4 with the luxury package. So far I love it. Before I bought this truck, I had a lifted Titan which I loved but I got tired rugged truck feel. I wanted to move to something that was nicer on the inside but still gave me the off-road feel. Anyways, I have a few questions for y'all. The only mods I plan on doing to this truck are tint, CAI, exhaust, leveling kit, and 33" tires. I really want to keep the stock ride feel. So, first question is how much will a leveling kit change the ride on these fords? How high are y'all going to level them enough to put 33's under it? 2.5"? Next question, I have the ecoboost and love it, is there a good CAI out there for the ecoboost? Wasn't sure how a CAI would work in a twin turbo or if they would have any affect. Last question, what exhaust are y'all running on the ecoboosts? I don't want to get too loud but I want to add a little power and get a nice like grunt to it when I get on the pedal.

Any recommendations are appreciated, will post pics tonight.

Thanks,

GeauxFord9

obusnizzle

The leveling kit/big tires thing I don't do. But, I run stainless works chambered exhaust. It's 3.5in stainless steel, single in/single out. The chambered kit is the mellower version, S Tube is the aggressive version. They also sell catted and off road down tubes. As for intake kits, I have the airaid....my charge temps are around 100-105. I'm going to try the OEM airbox.

The biggest gain will be from a tune. Lundracing, vmptuning, unleashed, and MPT are all good tuners. Even picking up an SCT X3/4 and running a preloaded tune will give you great gains.

Wiggum

My 2014 FX4 had about 1.75" of rake when I got it ... and I wanted the same kinda thing as you ... Just a tad more aggressive/level with better tires for off-road capability when i need it. So, I ordered an AutoSpring 1.5" kit for up front, and the 2" rear blocks (stock rear blocks are about 1-3/8" thick) ... This put me with only about 1/2" of rake from back to front ... I then mounted 275/65R20 Nitto Terra Grapplers (stock width but about 2.2" taller than the stock Pirelli's).

I have plenty of room for the 34" tires, and could have gone with 35's w/out a problem (considering the width of the tires). It's when you start going wider and taller together that you run into some issues. But even then, you could spend about $200 and get a set of 1.25" BORA wheels spacers and get rid of any issues w/ the width of the tires.

Here's my setup for reference, since you sound like you're wanting the same basic thing.






You also asked about the stock ride quality. My ride is still very close to stock since I only put in 1.5" of level (meaning the geometry of my front end stuff is still VERY close to stock) ... the only real thing affecting my ride quality is the 10-ply, E-load rated tires. but honestly, it's still a very good ride ... it feels more "sporty" to me because of the firmness of the tires, and I get less "roll" around turns since the tires don't "mush" as much when the pressure is on them.

yanki01

looks perfect [MENTION=177965]Wiggum[/MENTION]. I'll reference your truck when I'm ready for a level and tires. I want the same setup to keep my good MPG's for city driving w/ the occasional beach day on the weekend.

GeauxFord9

How much did your MPG change with those tires? This is basically the exact setup that i will run. Is the 2" blocks a must? Also, are those grapplers loud in the cab? I had the trail grapplers on my old ride and they weren't too loud. I don't want the loudness of a mud tire but I want the aggressive look that the trail grappler gave the truck.

terraformer

If you really want to keep the stock ride feel as you wrote, then I wouldn't recommend messing with the suspension or getting larger than stock tires. Sure, a 1.5" level might not change the ride much, but that and the larger tires will change the stock ride. And that is not what you said you want to do.

Forget the CAI - not needed and you won't see much, if anything, performance-wise. Do a search on this and you'll see many posts about it.

Wiggum

MPG change was minimal at best ... those tires are only about 12.5lbs heavier than stock.

The 2" blocks are not required ... but the 1.5" kit up front had me way too close to level for my taste. I wanted some rake, so yes, I had to get the 2" blocks for the rear. However, I waited to get the 2" blocks until I saw how much lift I was actually going to get in the front w/ the 1.5" kit.

The Terra Grapplers are not loud at all ... very quiet if you ask me. I hear basically no "humm" in the cab from them.

If you want a more aggressive look, you're going to need to go with a hybrid tire that falls between an AT and MT ... something like the Goodyear DuraTracs, Cooper ST MAXX, or the new Toyo Open Country R/T that's about to come out.

GeauxFord9

Last question and I will do some research on all the stuff y'all mentioned. What will and won't void my warranty? Will any of the things i want to do void my warranty?

Thanks

Wiggum

The only thing that will "void" your warranty is if Ford can say for sure that what you did caused the issues you are trying to get covered under warranty. You also need to realize the warranty is not an "all or nothing" warranty ... meaning, if your alternator goes out, they can't say that your leveling kit caused it ... and your alternator would be fixed under warranty as it should.

FYI: Lots of dealers will install leveling kits for you when you buy your truck, and they still warranty the truck the same as if you drove it off with no mods at all ...

Long story short, I wouldn't worry for a second about a leveling kit and warranty issues.

Now, if you're going to do a tune to the engine, that's a completely different animal ... and someone else will have to speak on that. I don't mess with engine tunes.

yanki01

did you install the kit yourself [MENTION=177965]Wiggum[/MENTION]?