Upgrades to ProComp 6" lift
03-05-2016, 11:49 AM
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Upgrades to ProComp 6" lift
Greetings, all! New member here looking for advice from the community.
I have a 2016 F150 FX4 crew cab / max tow that I bought with a ProComp 6" lift and 35x12.5x20" wheels/tires already installed. My only real complaints about it are the terrible turning radius (not sure if there's a remedy for this) and a somewhat bouncy ride under certain on-road conditions. I do landscape photography, so my off-road needs mainly involve being ably to get reliably from point A to point B without getting stuck in a variety of conditions. Whether I do anything more aggressive than that remains an open question (newly-licensed stepson has expressed an interest in going off-roading in both his truck and mine, but that may still be a ways off). I want to at least retain the off-road competency of the original FX4 setup, but see if I can smooth out its on-road behavior so my lower back won't object so much (it's not what it used to be). Thus far, the only change has been to swap the white-body rear shocks with Fox 2.0s which, as expected, tamed the larger spring bounce (pogo) and made the rear feel more "planted", but did nothing for pavement seams and other smaller shocks. Had been considering Sulastic shackles, but I'm now considering going to Deaver rear springs. I've been talking to them about a spring set that smooths out the rear, unladen ride that also eliminates the rear lift block that came with the kit.
Up front, I have more questions. My first thought was to go to a full-length strut and eliminate the front lift spacer, but the only strut option I've seen for this seems to be these:
http://www.stage3motorsports.com/883...Lift-Kits.html
These seem like overkill for my needs, but I have no idea how the ride up front might change and I suspect that front-end travel will not change (not that that is a requirement; Stage 3 told me the ride up front might stiffen a bit on-road, but I assume that to really use the longer strut to their full potential, a UCA change might be needed). The other option is to keep the spacers and go with these:
http://www.stage3motorsports.com/985...Coilovers.html
Again, I'm wondering how these might compare to the white-body shocks I already have up front. So, I'm really trying to compare these two front Fox options, full length vs. keeping the spacer, both on and off road.
I have a 2016 F150 FX4 crew cab / max tow that I bought with a ProComp 6" lift and 35x12.5x20" wheels/tires already installed. My only real complaints about it are the terrible turning radius (not sure if there's a remedy for this) and a somewhat bouncy ride under certain on-road conditions. I do landscape photography, so my off-road needs mainly involve being ably to get reliably from point A to point B without getting stuck in a variety of conditions. Whether I do anything more aggressive than that remains an open question (newly-licensed stepson has expressed an interest in going off-roading in both his truck and mine, but that may still be a ways off). I want to at least retain the off-road competency of the original FX4 setup, but see if I can smooth out its on-road behavior so my lower back won't object so much (it's not what it used to be). Thus far, the only change has been to swap the white-body rear shocks with Fox 2.0s which, as expected, tamed the larger spring bounce (pogo) and made the rear feel more "planted", but did nothing for pavement seams and other smaller shocks. Had been considering Sulastic shackles, but I'm now considering going to Deaver rear springs. I've been talking to them about a spring set that smooths out the rear, unladen ride that also eliminates the rear lift block that came with the kit.
Up front, I have more questions. My first thought was to go to a full-length strut and eliminate the front lift spacer, but the only strut option I've seen for this seems to be these:
http://www.stage3motorsports.com/883...Lift-Kits.html
These seem like overkill for my needs, but I have no idea how the ride up front might change and I suspect that front-end travel will not change (not that that is a requirement; Stage 3 told me the ride up front might stiffen a bit on-road, but I assume that to really use the longer strut to their full potential, a UCA change might be needed). The other option is to keep the spacers and go with these:
http://www.stage3motorsports.com/985...Coilovers.html
Again, I'm wondering how these might compare to the white-body shocks I already have up front. So, I'm really trying to compare these two front Fox options, full length vs. keeping the spacer, both on and off road.
03-06-2016, 10:22 AM
#2
Senior Member
Tough first post. I'll take a stab at it. I've had two 6 inch lifted trucks, one with coil overs up front and the other with your similar setup.
I have the Fox 2.5's up front on my current one and it eliminated the harsh stiffness of the front end, but you do "feel" a bit more of the road. IMO, hands down no question I'd put coil overs on the front, and I'd do the Fox 2.5's vs the 2.0's.
If you need less hop in the rear my understanding is you'd be looking at getting rid of your 4 or 5 inch block and replacing it with either an add a leaf kit in addition to your current or a full leaf kit. People seem to love the designed Deaver kits and I'm thinking of heading down that road myself.
Another thing to consider is the stiffness is also going to be due to the wheel (assuming 20's) and tires you are running. You didn't mention what you have, but assuming an aggressive heavy tire will ride rougher. That's just the price we pay to play.
If you are willing to spend the cash, I'd start with the front coil overs and see how it helps, then look into the rear from there.
I have the Fox 2.5's up front on my current one and it eliminated the harsh stiffness of the front end, but you do "feel" a bit more of the road. IMO, hands down no question I'd put coil overs on the front, and I'd do the Fox 2.5's vs the 2.0's.
If you need less hop in the rear my understanding is you'd be looking at getting rid of your 4 or 5 inch block and replacing it with either an add a leaf kit in addition to your current or a full leaf kit. People seem to love the designed Deaver kits and I'm thinking of heading down that road myself.
Another thing to consider is the stiffness is also going to be due to the wheel (assuming 20's) and tires you are running. You didn't mention what you have, but assuming an aggressive heavy tire will ride rougher. That's just the price we pay to play.
If you are willing to spend the cash, I'd start with the front coil overs and see how it helps, then look into the rear from there.
03-06-2016, 11:14 AM
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I'm looking at swapping the entire rear leaf spring stack from Deaver. My wheel tire setup is ProComp - Xtreme MT2 tires (35x12.5x20") with Series 40 wheels. I was going to actually start with the rear leaf springs because when I "sandbagged" the tail a bit, it took a bit of the edge off. I may end up having to decide to trade off a bit of towing weight capacity to smooth things out back there. Did you change the UCAs on either of your trucks?
03-06-2016, 12:59 PM
#4
Senior Member
No, I didn't change UCA's. The angles on my last truck were great, this one is pretty good so I haven't seen a need to change them up. I don't flex them out a lot either.
I don't do a ton of towing so for me the sacrifice of improved rear ride is worth it with the deavers. If your rear hop is the biggest complaint I think you've got the right idea.
As far as tires, your ride will be stiffened up from those, but with some suspension upgrades my guess is you'll be fine. I think my truck rides like stock and I've got MT's on 20's as well.
I don't do a ton of towing so for me the sacrifice of improved rear ride is worth it with the deavers. If your rear hop is the biggest complaint I think you've got the right idea.
As far as tires, your ride will be stiffened up from those, but with some suspension upgrades my guess is you'll be fine. I think my truck rides like stock and I've got MT's on 20's as well.