cjackson2191

... because I can't see why they are beneficial in a true offroad situation. Your thoughts? I'm especially interested in opinions from those who offroad regularly... if your truck is currently muddy I'm paying attention... if you've actually gotten your truck stuck that gives you extra credibility.


Just bought a new-to-me 2014 XLT 4x4. Came with leveling lift and 33" BFG KO2's. My application: 90% street as a daily driver, but the 10% offroad is very important to me and the main reason I bought the truck. My offroad consists of getting to remote hiking / climbing trailheads or camping sites in remote Southern Utah-- say, 1.5 hours of serious offroading getting to the trailhead, and then 1.5 hours back to pavement at the end of the day.. This includes: washboard and unmaintained roads, sometimes for a dozen miles or more; slower speed rocky trails with some boulders (but not rock crawling like Jeeps do, and I'll spend all my time avoiding obstacles as best I can rather than intentionally crawling over the biggest ones); washed out gullies, sometimes surprising and making you instantly wish you were going slower; occasionally fording shallow rocky rivers; limited mudding. Sometimes, the rocky trails will be on extremely steep cliffs where if I slip around (or make a driving mistake) I fall to my death or ruin my vehicle.


At first I thought "I need a lift to fit big wheels" because I thought it was all about ground clearance. But now I'm thinking it is all about suspension performance.


1) I have 33" tires right now... even if I went all the way with an 8" lift and put 37's on (plus regearing and the daily mpg hit...) I've lifted my pumpking... wait for it... 2 inches. If I put on 35's then I've raised my clearance by 1 inch. I'm thinking it is a lot of intrusive and expensive modifications for such a small benefit. I can't see how that last inch or two is going to be the difference between making it or getting stuck.


2) Ground clearance under the frame-- not the pumpkins-- seems to be driven by the rock crawling crowd (e.g., Jeeps) or the mall crawling crowd. To me, the truck is a tool to get from the pavement to the remote trailhead-- the truck isn't an end in itself. And if I really want to seek out rock crawling as recreation for its own right I probably should have bought a Jeep instead.


3) Suspension upgrades allow me to take washboard roads, washed out gullies, etc with more confidence and speed. Less jarring to my passengers and gear.


4) Suspension upgrades (and, I should mention, skid plates) give me confidence to pick my way through the slow rocky sections without losing control over the vehicle on the drop-offs or the technical obstacles. This confidence is important when I'm at height and the cliff on one side is hundreds of feet down.


5) Higher lift means I have high center of gravity which means I'd be less in control / comfortable during the rocky patches, or less confident when I'm staring over the side of the cliff.


So I'm talking myself into the coilover lift, which gives me ~2.5 inches of lift and vastly upgrades suspension control and performance (with either King or Fox 2.5" coilovers in the front). I can install it myself. With that modest lift, I can fit up to a 34" tire, maybe a 35" tire with an offroad bumper (also in the plans). In summary: I get a largish tire, I get upgraded suspension, I get lower COG, and I didn't spend money cutting my differential bracket.


Am I missing anything in my reasoning? Have any of you said "I'm so glad I got this lift or else I would be stuck right now" or "without this lift there is no way I'd have gotten past that obstacle"? I'd be very interested in your experiences because I want to set up my truck correctly.


I'm thinking that before I spend any money on a bracket lift I ought to buy: high performance coilover suspension lift (King / Fox), offroad bumper, skid plates, winch, recovery gear, the best tires I can. Am I on the right track?

16LariatFx4

you don't want to add a coilover kit to the spacer kit that you already have to get 2.5 more inches. your front end geometry will be a mess. if you remove the current leveling kit to install the new kit then you wont change height at all.


the new coilover setups should make your truck handle better in washboard type of situations but not sure if you will get much additional suspension travel out of them. if you want more suspension travel I believe that you have to change out some additional items.

Blownfour

quality strut/shocks(fox, king, whatever flavor you want), leafs, UCAs, appropriate sized tires. Lift kits are the opposite of performance driven. Yes, your control arms will be at a better angle and your suspension will cycle slightly better. That comes with a higher COG though, and spacers on the struts which would be a weak point.

Baja Kits

Pm, Email or Call me and I can answer any questions you may have.

We have 3 different levels of off road suspension kits for the F150 and I believe 2 of them or perfect for you!

Chase Kit - Boxed UCA paired with Front and rear King 2.5 shocks and Deaver Springs





Then you have our Prerunner Kit - Boxed Upper and Lower arm paired with a Raptor Coilover. This kit will widen your stance by 3" per side and give you 12" of wheel travel

Florida_F150

I think you're doing the right thing in thinking about the types of obstacles you're most likely to face and creating the truck that best handles them.

I went through the same process myself and went the other direction (went with the lift and tires) and for my specific needs and budget it works great off-road. I'm in Florida and the trails by me have deep mud, deep holes, washboard, and logs and other forest items in the way. I needed traction and ground clearance the most, so for me the bigger tires and lift provided that. The approach and departure angles were important for the deep holes. In my previous truck, coming out of those holes I could hit my front bumper or frame. I don't have to worry about that as much now. Regarding the tires, I have 37's on 18" wheels. So there's about 9 1/2 inches of sidewall on the tires (37" - 18" divided by 2). That's a lot of cushion for rocks, washboards, branches, etc. The bigger tires allow that extra cushion, so it's not just about the clearance.

As for mud, I was just out wheeling this past weekend, and I went through deep mud / water that I would never have considered in my previous truck. I only went through the mud because I have a winch and knew I could get myself out... didn't even need the winch. Drove right through it.

I also like the added height for the visibility. I can more easily see what's going on around me, how deep a hole might be, etc.

Again, your situation seems somewhat different, so what works for me may have no value for you. But you'd asked if there were people out there who felt they needed their lift, and I wouldn't go out on the trails I went out on this weekend without a lifted truck. Hope some of this helps.

By the way, I just posted this morning some info about my truck. I think my thread is right next to yours in the off-road section. Just look for the one with the Florida trails in the title.

Good luck!

cjackson2191

Thanks for sharing your experiences and your pictures. Yours was the other option I've been debating: 6" lift with upgraded reservoir coilovers and reservoir shocks in the rear. That is the only way I could see a lift making any performance sense-- if you also put a lot into the suspension.

Certainly that setup is more expensive, though. With a 2.5" coilover lift I can fit 34" or maybe even 35" tires in the wheelwells. It takes a 6" lift, new rims (for me), regearing, and decreased daily mpg in order to fit 37's and get that last 1 inch of clearance. That is the debate for me-- it seems like a lot of $$ to chase after that final inch of clearance under the rear differential.

I like your points about additional visibility and approach / departure angles. Those must be some pretty serious mudholes you are diving into! If I was ever in Florida I'd love to come with you.

schmeal

I think your logic is sound.

The only thing I can add is this. From stock->2.5 coilovers->raptor swap, the only thing I noticed is the increase in speed and comfort at which I could tackle obstacles. At this point I've taken the truck equipped with 2.5's through way more BS than since its been raptor swapped.





If I were you, I'd start with RCI skids or similar since you're already using your truck as intended. Then move on to the other upgrades.

Florida_F150

Agreed with your approach! Unless you're dealing with the deep mud and holes that I'm dealing with, you'll probably do great without a huge lift, and instead go your route with better suspension. And yeah, in summer when it pours daily, the mud and holes get crazy deep! If you're ever around Tampa Bay, give a shout!

STingray1300

Lift kits are for mud bogging or street-show. Pretty much it. With a 2" level, I've been places that most people cringe at (Class IV Jeep trails). And that's saying something about the capabilities of a 145" w.b. truck, fully loaded for overlanding (RTT, full kitchen, etc.)

Lifting ruins the c.o.g.. Bigger tires is a benefit, to a point. I run 305/70R17s (34 x 12). They don't rub - anywhere except when backing up in full lock, then they flick the fender inner liner. (who cares?).

Suspension spacers for leveling is sad. Cheap? Sure. But sad. Why? Because one still has the crappy OEM suspension, just spaced up a bit. If you want to do washboards, then you will REQUIRE new coilovers and aftermarket UCAs. Also, just blocking the rear leafs is almost as sad as spacers on the front. OEM leafs are sagged out to the overload leaf in about 25-30,000 miles. They're stiff enough, but that's due to the overload leaf. Replace the rear leafs too. Deaver, National, whatever. Cheap? No. But what, that is worthwhile ever is? No more wheelhop besides!

Get a good set of skid plates. Reposition the hitch receiver (it will give you 6" of departure angle by integrating it into your bumper). Don't get an obtrusive bumper (@ either end), they ruin your angles.

Also, as far as Fox shocks go, I was looking at getting a set of Fox 2.5 rear shocks. I happen to be in Colorado right now, and stopped by Halo Lifts in Bloomfield, and spoke with Alex about my thoughts (they carry Fox), and strangely, he strongly recommended me AWAY from Fox. Seems a few issues have come up, including a 16 week build time and poor customer service. He recommend the Icon 2.5s . Go figure. (but I still love the BOSS front coilovers) Alex is good people.

1 further note about washboards: (1st: I hate 'em!) 2nd: Air down! LTs - 20-25 psi.

So how good does *just* a 2" level do? Would you take it on trails like this?:






Spend your money wisely, and you'll spend it only once...

squishware

Just drive it with 33s and see what NEEDS upgrading. Any bigger and you will be choosing to want gears.