Hi, all. When I first bought my F150, I didn't really care for leveling/lifting it as I thought it might complicate and compromise the integrity of how it was designed to work (hopefully problem-free). But, after seeing some well done builds here, I'm considering leveling my truck (2015 Lariat FX4) for the look but would like to know a few things. Thanks for your patience in helping me understand!

1. Does leveling require only that the front is brought up to match the visual level of the rear?
2. Does leveling void any sort of warranty from Ford?
3. What brand of leveling kit would you recommend, and why?
4. How much does leveling affect the ride quality (stiffness etc.), and gas mileage? (FYI considering a modest 2" level)
5. What should be adjusted after leveling? (e.g. headlights? speedometer recalculated? MPG recalculation?)
6. After leveling, would the bed sag with say, a >300lb load? If so, what would help prevent this? Same with towing?
7. After leveling, I'd like to put on only slightly larger tires; 285/60/20 versus current 275/50/20 to give it a beefier stance. Would these clear okay without any rub? Again, would I need to have anything recalculated/adjusted? Expected loss in fuel economy?

@ dubsesd, I noticed you have 3" "blocks" put on your rear after leveling. What does that do? Pros/cons? Thanks.

Thanks again for helping a noob truck owner understand - I appreciate it.

 

A leveling kit is usually just lifting the front a little (by using a strut spacer) to match the height of the rear. Some also like to raise the back a little (by adding a block, or replacing the factory block with a larger block) to make it higher as well.

It could. If Ford can prove that a problem was caused by the leveling kit, they will deny the claim. But in some cases, the manufacturer of the leveling kit will pay for the repair if it clearly caused the problem. But in reality, it shouldn't give you any issues.

All it is, is a spacer between the strut and the strut tower. There's not much of an advantage from one brand to the next. Pro-Comp, Readylift, BDS are some of the popular ones.

Honestly, I've never noticed any difference, but have never studied it in too much detail. Perhaps some of the other members here could give better input to this question.

Headlights need to be adjusted down if you only do the front. If you lift the front and the back, it's similar enough to the stock rake that you can get away without touching the lights. Speedo doesn't need to be recalibrated unless you change tire size. Headlights are very easy to adjust on your own. You can pay to have it done professionally to get it 100%, but you can get it pretty close on your own.

Yes, the bed will still sag the same amount as it would have before the leveling.

Don't you mean stock is 275/55/20? Stock is usually 32", you can go up to 35" if you keep the same width of tire, and same offset of rim. The 285/60/20 is only 33.5", so will fit no sweat. I'd go even bigger than that though, personally. 35" looks better. But will you be using the stock rims? That's something you'll need to decide. If you get aftermarket rims that stick out too far, a tall, wide tire will no longer fit.

The 3" block is commonly used to replace the stock block, which is about 1.5", so essentially raising the back by about 1.5". Combine that with a 2" front strut spacer, and the truck is lifted in the front and back, but leveled off slightly.

Hope that helped!

 

It certainly does! I appreciate your time.

 

Expressway,

Do you know the largest/widest tires will fit on Lariat 4x4, Sport 20x8.5 spoke OEM wheels without rubbing?
With either a 2.5 front level or rear block removal to level?
Any issues with removing the block?

I'm getting different opinions from different shops.

TIA

 

Leveling doesn't void any warranty. In fact, most dealers sell it in their aftermarket dept. along with lift kits and everything else.

 

Just removing the rear block will not allow you to run bigger tires without rubbing...it will level your truck though..

 

The part about adjusting the HL's should be required reading, by law, for anyone that tinkers with truck height! It's bad enough when not in a truck and a real safety hazard from down in a car.

 

2 inches aint gonna matter... a 4 or 6 inch lift YES !!

 

I read in my manual that the LED headlights are NOT adjustable. Just FYI

 

For halogen or LED headlamps: On
the wall or screen you will observe a
light pattern with a distinct horizontal
edge toward the right. If this edge is not
at the horizontal reference line, you will
need to adjust the beam so the edge
is at the same height as the horizontal
reference line.

5. Locate the vertical adjuster on each
headlamp. Use a #2 Phillips
screwdriver to turn the adjuster either
counterclockwise or clockwise in order
to adjust the vertical aim of the
headlamp.