I have a 2011 FX4 SCrew. I am trying to decide between a level or a lift. I see a lot of people who love the Bilstein leveling kits. Doing a google search seems to lead me to sites that sell everything BUT them. Figures, since I am not totally sure what I am searching for yet.

The other way I am looking is a Rancho 4" suspension lift. Figure that is about the highest I want to go.

What can I expect with either setups?

Looking at running NITTO Trail Grappler 285/65R18's on 18X9 wheels.

 

The bilstein shocks won't lift the truck any higher than the rear. All it does it raises the front end by 2" or so to give ur truck a level stance and let's u for.bigger.tires.

With the ranching, you'll be changing out a lot more than just the shocks, which will lift the truck 4" above stock height. Ur looking at about a $1000 difference in price between the two. In the end, its all up to u on what u want and what ur willing to pay. If I had the money, I'd go with the ranching 4" lift

 

BTW I meant to say rancho, not ranching! Stupid predictive text on my phone haha

 

Got to love cell phone technology!

I know the overall difference between the two kits (level vs lift). I guess what I want to know is the differences in ride, what to expect for performance changes, ect.

 

Well I can tell u from experience that there's really no change in performance or ride with the leveling kit. In the past, I've had the spacers type leveling kits, not the bilstein shocks. I've read on here that those shocks actually make the ride feel better. Either way u probably won't notice a big difference. It also depends on the tires u slap on. I've only had all terrains on my truck and the ride isn't as smooth as the stock tires but after a while, u get used to it. Looks like u wanna put on a mud terrain. I'm guessing the ride will be a little rougher than all terrains but I really can't say for sure. If u put on the rancho lift, ur suspension will be stiffer. Either way, those tires ur looking will cause a drop in mpg.

 

Yeah I expect the drop in MPG.

I have read that the Rancho has settings to help with the ride.

 

The Rancho 4" kits on Dodges are the real deal, but I'm not familiar with the Ford ones. 4" is a good height to not have to put on 35/12.5 and still low enough to not have to jump in. 6" seems to be a great look on these fords though!

Im done with lifted trucks now, so I just did a level with the bilsteins. No big change in ride, looks better and doesn't drag the front end when driving through ditches and such.