KEVININCHICAGO

I have a 2017 F-450 V-10 18ft box van I use for my business. I set this one up to see how it would work as a replacement for the E-350 5.4 17ft box trucks I have been using for years. The truck is night and day heavier duty than the vans were. I have 9 trucks overall. I don't drive them very often since I have employees that do. Driving the F-450 I found was really rough, and I thought I could make it better for my guys. I swapped the front shocks out first, Fox 2.0. They helped but not as much as I had expected. I took a chance and had my dealer order F-250 front coil springs that decreased the front spring capacity by about 800 lbs. The front suspension is really exactly the same as the pickup trucks. The new springs work beautifully. The ride unloaded is much improved. The shocks actually get some exercise now. I have the longest chassis configuration I think it was 220 inch? For my use and the loads I haul the F-250 springs work much better now. Took my dealer about an hour to swap and cost in the end complete about $ 800. I get about 400,000 miles on origianl 5.4 engines in my trucks before they require replacement. So far the death of two of my 5.4's has been loss of compression and both have been because of dropped exhaust valve seats that then cause a piston to get torn up in the process. I make it to 400,000 and the engines don't use oil, don't make any unusual noises, and don't lose power until the valve seat drops. I am hoping the v-10 will last as long turning a TorqueShift trans and much heavier axles and suspension. Put 30,000 miles on the F-450 in 6 months already. This was my test truck before I start replacing my fleet with the same configuration. New springs may be an option for others who don't require such high front suspension capacity.