Thanks, don't really "need" 4x4. I have options, lol.

 

Hey guys, please forgive me new here and I have a question pertaining to leveling my truck, I hope I am in the right place. I recently turned in my 2016 Ram 1500 lease and ended up buying a 2016 F150 SCrew FX4 5.0. I had a Rough Country leveling spacer on my Ram and I would like to do something with my F150 now. I hope this topic has not been beat to death but I have a few concerns, and I'd like to know if you could help me address them. I have already purchased the red Rough Country 2" aluminum spacer, but have not yet installed it. I installed and removed my previous kit on my last truck and am very mechanically inclined, however I now work 60+ hour weeks and do not always have time to do this myself, so I called my local Ford dealer and asked them to quote me on getting this installed and then aligned. They came back and said it would be $652 and they also said they do not really recommend this because they have seem multiple axle and joint problems/failures with them. I have researched the internet for the past month and can not come to a clear consensus on this issue. I inquired further to the dealer, but they of course ignored me after I called them out and asked what kind of failures, specifically. I read a few things online about axle boots tearing as well and that concerns me.

-Is this stealership jerking me around? I swear I have read this should only cost $200-350 to have installed and aligned professionally.
-Have any of you who have a 1.5-2.5" leveling spacer installed on your 4x4 F150, had any problems as far as binding axles, crazy or annoying vibrations, frequently torn axle boots, or terribly irregular tire wear?

On my last truck my factory tires only made it 33k miles on the leveling kit before being total trash and I did have it professionally align by a frame shop. I suppose 33K on a 40k tire on a modified truck is not too bad, just curious if I am going to be causing more problems than it's worth?

I am just curious, I do not enjoy the lower stance so much as the factory rake either, however I do not want to level again if I will be replacing axle boots frequently. Thanks guys.

 

I don't think anyone can tell you if you'll have problems or not but my shop does about 4 F150's a week and they stand by the 2" RC level. I haven't had any problems with mine. Sure you may get some premature wear but boots ripping is usually caused at the time of the install, not through wear. And yes, my dealership quoted me about the same. Find a reputable shop that does this daily and you'll find that they charge about half that. Good luck!

 

What Billy said... the shop that installed my leveling kit said they recommend not going over a 2" kit. Could a leveling kit of any size cause premature wear? Yes. But even stock trucks will have front end wear eventually. Call up some local offroad shops, they'll be better and cheaper than your dealership.

 

4-Wheel Parts wants to sell me Cam Bolts at $40 a piece. They state they’re absolutely necessary for a proper alignment after a 1.75” level via 5100 Bilsteins.

I’ve spoken to 4 different alignment shops who have all stated that a level that insignificant (1.75”) does not require Cam Bolts.

Anyone have a definitive answer from experience?

I have a 2018 XLT Sport, RWD w/ Max Tow Package, 157” WB

 

After my level I ended up with one wheel that had a caster angle just over the limit of 5 degrees. The other was just under. I asked the dealer about a cam kit to bring within spec and they said what is that? Drove for 7 months with no issues. I just removed my level and rear shocks. The difference is night and day the stock setup is crap, back end bouncing around front end all over the place. The only reason to install the cam kit is if your vehicle is way out of spec, which it shouldn't be or you want to customize the camber or caster angles for your driving style. The higher the caster the more stabile your vehicle will be at higher speeds, if you want better cornering grip go with a negative camber.

 

Bilstein 5100's set at 2.1" 20x9 +1 Fuel Tactics wrapped in 295/55r20's no rubbing at full lock or when suspension compresses while turning.

 

2017 XLT 2WD; Bilstein 5100's front and rear. Front set at 1.75"; 2" rear block. Rear 40 3/8", Front 37 3/4". It's set up for towing a travel trailer. 3.5EB; Max Trailer Tow. Sport pkg; 36 gal tank.

 

Anyone remove the factory rear block with a level and adjust the coil overs to make the truck level?

2019 4wd with icon 2.5 kit.

 

No, you don't want to stack a lifting strut with a 2.5 inch spacer for obvious reasons. Anything 3 inches or above because of control arm droop and CV angle out of limits place a lot of stress on components. Some might say what about the lowest settings on the Struts........ Bilstein 5100's are 1/2 to 3/4 inches longer than the factory Struts even on the lowest settings so you would be at 3.0 - 3.25 inch level minimum stacked. Combine that with oversize E-rated tires and I'm sure the ride pretty harsh. But I'm sure you'll hear some that do it with no problems.