How does leveling the truck effect towing? I am thinking of leveling my truck but dont want to be nose high while towing.

 

Either leave enough forward rake to allow for the drop in rear ride height, and/or use an aftermarket air bag setup for the rear suspension.

The rear spring rates in these aluminum-bodied 1/2 ton trucks are soft. Any appreciable weight in the bed will drop the ride height dramatically. This is why most F150s you see sit so high in the back.

Another rear suspension enhancement is made by Roadmaster. I've installed this on my truck and it works fine.

 

I am thinking of adding the hellwig suspension bars on the rear.

 

We don't know quite what you mean when you say "suspension bars"... reason being is twofold.

One, Hellwig is known for manufacturing "anti-sway" bars which are not necessarily a suspension ride height overload spring. A sway bar will reduce the amount of your vehicle's tendency to "roll", or lean to one side when cornering. Once your vehicle is travelling straight and level, a sway bar does nothing to aid ride height or load-carrying*.

*the aid to load carrying will be in the increased stability created from reduced body roll (again, from side-to-side).

A sway bar is a handling improvement for the reasons just noted, but, again, they do not support cargo loads as far as suspension ride height.

 

EZ-990 HELPER SPRING KIT FOR 15-20 FORD F-150 PICKUP 2WD/4WD

Part Number: 978

EZ-990 Helper Spring Kit

 

Oh, okay. Yeah, those are helper "springs" not "bars". Glad you cleared that up.

Sure, that's a good way to go but you may experience a more-firm rear suspension spring rate as a result.

 

I've done plenty of modifications to my 2015 XLT 3.5eco SCREW to help towing our 5900lb TT. When I first started with the stock truck, it was a complete poo-show that required white-knuckled driving at speeds over 10mph. After driving it 2 hours, it beat the hell out of me so much that I felt like I needed to pull over and take a nap.

Here's a short list of the items I have installed/modified.

• Bilstein 5100's all the way around - fronts set at one notch above stock ride height
• Husky Centerline TS WDH (fairly close to an Equalizer)
• Goodyear Kevlar LT tires (replaced the stock garbage Fortitute P-rated junk)
• Firestone Air Bags (only need to air those up to 15-20 psi when towing)
• Powerstop Brake Pads and Front Rotors
• Helwig Rear Sway Bar

With all of the above in place, I now hardly know the trailer is back there. Biggest improvement came from the Centerline hitch, but ranked right below that was the 5100s. The stock rear shocks were so bad that they really should not be allowed on a truck that comes with a hitch installed.

 

The 5100's work great, I wouldn't level the front or your truck will look like it's *** is drooping when ever you hook up your trailer.

 

5100's will improve the ride a lot, but depending upon the trailer, you may want adjustable rear shocks. If you're going to be at the upper end of non-WDH tongue weight, being able to increase rebound dampening will make a big difference.

LT tires: another thing that is good to have as you approach the upper end of non-WDH towing or more, but going straight to LT-E is not required, and if you prize ride comfort as much as control, consider LT-C tires.

 

Relative to the air bags, do you have the compressor in cab or do you just air up manually?