There are alot of guys on the site with leveling kits like me, and then alot of y'all have 4-8" Suspension lifts...and some even combine 'em.

I'm just wondering what is the reason to get a Susp. Lift vice a Leveling kit? I love the way the 6-8" looks, but I don't really see a point unless you're running bigger than 35" tires.

Leveling Kit:
Susp Kit:Just wondering. Again, I love the way y'alls lifted trucks look, but I'm thinking 35" tires is all I want. I've done the lifted truck thing before (93 Bronco, 94 F-150) and I'm not sure I want to go that route with my 06. I'm actually satisfied with the OEM ride for once. A S/C seems more "practical" to me.

 

A leveling kit only clears 33s on aftermarket wheels and 35s on OEM wheels. So if you want to clear 35s on aftermarket wheels, with a decent offset, you need to run a 6" suspension lift. The leveling kit also creates stress on your CVs, UCAs, LCAs which will wear out faster. The suspension lift has a bigger crossmember, bigger knuckles, etc to allow all of those things to maintain the factory angles. F150s aren't big on articulation either. How do you figure there is no ground clearance increase with a suspension lift? There is plus the increase in tire size. Just get nerf bars or get the Amp Steps with extension.

 

The biggest posititve with the leveling kit for me is the money. I could spend the money on a suspension lift and go all out but at this point i dont want to throw all my money towards the truck as im getting ready to move and all that good stuff. I just put some 35x12.5.20 nitto mud graps on my stock 20 and i think thats all it needed, it gave it a more agressive stance.

 

thanks for the thought out answer Thump

as for ground clearance...unless the Lift Kit Crossmember is significantly higher tucking than OEM, you're only going to gain 1"-2" going from 35" on leveling kit to a 37" with susp lift. all the pics I've seen have them looking mostly similar...and the rear axle is going to be the same way

 

Im learning the hard way that if you are actually going to beat on your truck offroading that a leveling kit is NOT the way to do it....and Ive only had mine on for 3 days.

If money wasnt a concern for me I would already have a 4" susp lift on order (and staying with the 33" tires prob.) and be ripping this 2" AS out, unfortunatley, it is...so the leveling kit will probably stay in and Ill just have to cut back on my "***** to the walls" stuff. At least it gave me a little more ground clearance and I can fit a little bigger/better tire in there.

 

I gotcha, you're talking about the true ground clearance. The only thing that ever increases that is the tire size increase. However the lift is going to make more ground clearance for the bumpers, body, etc. No problem, I don't mind helping out when I can. I think the FX4 wheels that you've got, 35x12.50 BFG M/Ts and a 2.5" leveling kit looks killer !! Get some 4.56s and a supercharger and you'd be kicking *** and taking names offroad.

 

I had my truck for 3 days, and 500 miles (bought new with 52 on odo)...and then I put her on the side with only 2 tires on the ground. That was enough to make me (I mean the wife who was with me
) see the light and reserve crazy 4x4 stuff to cheap "disposable" vehicles
that's the plan for when I re-up to finish my 20 yrs. either that, or the new F-150 with a 6.2 will be sitting in my driveway

off topic: have any of you guys/girls with leveled truck on stock tires parked next a bone stock 4x4 or 4x2? I did next to a 4x2 yesterday and our mirrors were almost 8" apart in height. I didn't realize the 4x4 sat so much higher, and that the 2.5" leveling kit made it so much more

 

one of my buddys has a stock fx4, ill try and find a pic with are trucks next to each other

 

How does the leveling kit affect the ride? I've heard some say it rode much much harsher, and others say the same....that doesn't make any sense, its either or. I've always hated that stock raked look.

 

The ride with a leveling kit is about the same as stock.

 

Leveling kit that stacks a spacer on top of the coil-over is the exact same as stock...no difference at all

leveling kit that places spacer inside the coil-over...can be same or drastically different...this type pre-loads the spring vs. what factory specs are

 

I just drove my truck to florida and back after installing my leveling kit and the 305's which calculate out to a 34in tire. No suspension problems, ride quality was unmatched/ no change. except for a **** poor alabama highway system. love the look. i thought about the 4 in rancho lift but the money issue was it for me.

 

I may be wrong but none of it voids a warranty unless it causes a problem right, and then it has to be proven to cause the problem? moss-magnuson or something like that..

That said I had a leveling kit and was happy with it for about a week. IMO suspension lift is the only way to go, but thats coming from a guy who has no financial restraints like kids, family, rent, etc...etc...im pretty much a workacaholic and money flows pretty freely from my pockets...when ive got it For one it looks better, and your always going to want to go bigger once you start lifting. I get more compliments now than i ever got with a leveling kit. There are some guys around town w/ level kits that tell me they never get any compliments and they all have good looking trucks. Im always going to want to have the biggest and the baddest so ill never have less than 8" of suspension lift under my trucks from now on...

its just my opinion on the subject...In the past 7 months ive dropped 21k on my truck, and still plan to charge it and get kings for my bday. ill never sell bc of gas prices, ever. Id lose toooo much.

 

i wish i had a budget like that for my rig
truck looks great btw
keep on truckin

 

a leveling kit is dirt cheap, but the pros end there.

I would say do a suspension lift with a proper differential drop. My truck sees a lot of time off the pavement and on county roads with potholes, i need the suspension travel.