a_user

Hi All,

Not sure if this topic really fits into the how-to section for suspension since it is more generic than that.

I am curious if anyone (I am sure some have), regretted putting a reasonable sized 'suspension' lift on their trucks.

I am on preparing to pull the pin on a 4" suspension lift for my '13 f150 fx4 scew. I am opting for the 4" since I use my bed semi-frequently (MX bikes), and need to keep it practical enough for my 5 and 8 year old boys to get into the cab. I see a 6" as maybe too tall and becoming inconvenient if you use your bed frequently. I consider the 4" a fair compromise?

My big concern here is in ride quality. One of the main reasons for pursuing a suspension lift is to provide the softest ride I can for a pickup truck. Opening the opportunity for longer suspension travel and more variety on softer dampening shocks. A more aggressive look and a bit more ground clearance is an added bonus.

The suspension lift, tires, wheels, labour, etc. does not come cheap. I would hate to go through the expense to realize I had made a big mistake. My thought is that if I want to change out the shocks anyways, I might as well spend the extra and go for a look that makes the investment feel (and look) worth it.

Curious on the thoughts of others.

tuflehundon

I have lifted 2 F150's one I did 2 1/2" lift on, and honestly didn't notice a difference at all. The other I did 4" lift and added bigger tires. That one was cushier on the road. It's really going to depend on what kit you go with and if you switch to coil overs of not.

Dirttracker18

FWIW

I just purchased a truck that had a 2.5" level.

I swapped it out for a set of Rancho Quicklifts R9000 as I needed to replace the coils springs due to a couple of breaks anyway.

Granted the struts that were in there were factory and likely well worn but I noticed a huge difference in ride quality with the Ranchos and only lost 1/4" of lift between the lift and new struts. The new struts also have adjustable ride that I am tuning to my preference.

If it is ride quality you want there is a huge array of better quality struts and shocks available to keep you at a much cheaper level and still improve ride quality.

Just food for thought. Good luck with your purchase

mself52

You will regret anything smaller then your max thought, so if your debating go with the larger....i love my 6" lift

mself52

And no lie i like the way my truck handles better than stock

RLXXI

I put a 4" lift on and thought that was the max I wanted to go and laughed at others saying you'll regret it later and sure as hell I wish I had gone with the 6" lift. I still love the way my truck looks but yeah that extra 2" would have been great.

That's what she said any way, badabump tissss.
.

RLXXI

Oh and the lift does not affect ride quality, what ever you have now will remain, just higher off the ground unless you change shocks/struts then ride quality can be improved over stock.

Level only kits screw up ride quality and suspension geometry, those that have that type of system will argue to justify spending the cash but it's simply not true. a True lift relocates the load bearing part of the suspension closer to the ground and since your tires are unaffected, the chassis goes up.

Might have thought different if my truck was 4x4, I'm 4x2 and as a result 2" lower than 4x4 to begin with so keep that in mind, your truck wheel wells will have more real estate. Here's a pic of my end result. Tires are 35x12.50/18



.

Rockjock3

Here is the build page on mine. I have taken mine to its current state (signature) and been there for about 85K of its 91K miles (bought it new) and love it. I went with a 4" for your reasons but also to still be able to fit in garages (barely) and do what I needed. I do a lot of off-road (hunting) and have honestly never had an issue and been nowhere that a 6 or 8" would have helped (don't even start about the additional money for tires to big enough to even start to look good on them). I have never been stuck (almost up to the frame in some spots) and 35s couldn't fit nicer.

It will all come down to what you need/want it for though. I wanted mine to look nice, but more importantly to be truck that I can do everything I need to do it. In its current configuration that is exactly what I have.

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/2013-b...-build-270928/

RLXXI

BINGO!!!! My thoughts exactly!

Good looking rig.

Steelhead 6.2

I recently had a 4" BDS installed with Fox struts n shocks with 35" tires. I absolutely love it. Rides better than stock IMO. I hemmed and hawed between the 6" and 4" for awhile before I pulled the trigger. There are some times I wish I would have gone with the 6" lift, after the fact. However, I am still happy with the 4" and surprisingly, it looks a lot bigger than I thought. I actually had to go back to my shop guys and ask them "is this a 6" lift?"

Get whatever works for your lifestyle and you won't regret it!

If I had to do it again, I would have gone the 6", or maybe the 4", or maybe the 6",or maybe 4", etc ,....................