Hi All. I recently had an issue with a broken front drivers side strut. 105k miles on the truck and original everything, 2013 F150 FX4. Tires are stock size. When the shop told me they had to replace both struts, I figured why not have them throw a leveling kit in there as I've been wanting one for some time now. I wasn't looking for a lift necessarily, just the leveled out look rather than the steep nosedive. I do some occasional off-roading (not for fun, but to get to and from my wood lot) and the extra front end clearance would certainly help. I had them put in the Rough Country 2" leveling blocks on top of the new struts. I picked up the truck, and those 2" blocks seem like they added closer to 4-5". I also have some issues now driving where I can hear clicks / knocking type noise coming from the new suspension, taking corners, reversing going forward in parking spots for example, and also the truck pulls to the right when braking hard. Alignment was done and driving has no drift, just when braking.

I'm wondering if the shop installed these wrong, or maybe installed the wrong struts that may be longer than stock. The issue (besides the creaking and pulling) is the truck is actually higher in the front than the rear now, not level. So I can either have them take the blocks out, or put in an add a leaf to raise the rear up.I would prefer add a leaf over blocks because I frequently carry wood loads. If I go this route, what's the best AAL for least ride impact? I have read in old threads the long 1.5" Pro Comp is the best option. If I do this, what shocks should I get? I assume longer shocks are needed? Below are some pics and the measurements now showing the difference in height. Very odd. Does anyone else with a similar year FX4 have measurements I can compare too?

Front Drivers Side Ground to Fender: 40.5"
Front Passengers Side Ground to Fender: 40.25"
Rear Drivers Side Ground to Fender:39"
Rear Passengers Side Ground to Fender: 39.5"

Before and After Photos

Before

After

 

Pretty common for leveling kits to make the front higher than the rear. I’ll be going for a 1.5inch level for that reason. You can add blocks to the rear though. Still may not be 100% level.

cant comment on the “sounds” it’s now making but I doubt that’s normal.

also, you’re truck looks really low in the before picture. Especially in the front. Are you the only owner?

 

I always thought it was too low also... No there were previous owners I bought it around 80k miles.

 

They got something wrong I'd say. I have a RC 2in kit on my 2013. It left me with just about a half inch of rake (back is .5" higher than the front). Other than the visual difference, I would never know they were put on. Rides the same, brakes the same, steers the same, quiet and barely needed an alignment afterwards.​​​​​​​

 

Interesting, I wonder if maybe my rear is sagging lower than normal then. Do you know measurement from ground to fender?

 

Here are my measurements. Tires are 275/65Rs with about 35psi. I have about a quarter tank of gas. As I noted earlier, about .5" of rake.

Front Drivers Side Ground to Fender: 39.75"
Front Passengers Side Ground to Fender: 39.5"
Rear Drivers Side Ground to Fender: 40.25"
Rear Passengers Side Ground to Fender: 40.0"

 

I've got a 2" Fox lift - the front is 41" and the rear is 40.75". Visually, it appears to be taller in the front but the tape doesn't lie.
Do you know if the installer followed the directions?

 

The noise could be a bolt not torqued down once the truck was lowered off the rack. Had the issue with my Bilstein kit. Left the shop and it knocked like something awful even on the smallest bump. Went back and they tightened down the top bolts again. All is well now. No noise and handles even better than before.

As for your front end, yeah something isn’t right. Measure it and see the true difference. That would give us a better idea of if it’s the front or rear that’s the issue.

 

I put the AS 1.5" level on my truck, 2013 Supercrew 4wd and netted over 2". If you were replacing your struts I would have used the Bilstein adjustable struts rather than a spacer kit.