in order to get the right ride height, i'm contemplating running belltech 2351 spindles along with their 23807 springs, for a combined ride height of about 4.5 inches (drop) for the front.

anyone have any comments? i already have 20'' wheels, which are required for the drop spindles.

i currently have mcgaughy's drop spring perches with 1/2 coil removed to obtain a 3'' drop, but i'm not happy with it since doing a full flip kit on the rear to about a 5'' drop.

another option would be to use the springs with the mcgaughy's perches for a 4.5 drop

the front needs to go a little lower to obtain a small rake from back to front. currently the back is probably 1/2'' lower. i had originally done a 3/4 drop, but wasn't happy with it. this is the only picture, but the back is about 1.5 inches lower now, and the front is the same

anyone try the drop spindles and drop springs together?

 

Im sure AZmidget can chime in. Im less familiar with combining parts on the newer susp setup

 

i used the 23807 springs without the spacer, removed 1/2 coil and re-installed the stock spring perches. it's completely level, though i still want probably another .5 drop in the front.

i'll pull it apart one more time and slot the a arm holes to correct the negative camber.

 

OK, first things first, that spindle is for 04-08 trucks. It can and has been done by 1 person. But to do it you have to swap to the 04-08 brake rotor setup and possibly the caliper, I forget if the calipers crossover or not.

So, right now you have Belltech 3" drop springs that you cut 1\2 a coil off? Do you have measurements of how much drop you currently have? If so I can help you get to what you want, if not, we are just going to have to guess.

I typically do not suggest cutting coils, one main reason is your stock shocks won't last long with a 3.5-4"(?) drop spring.

My suggestion is to do exactly what I have on my truck. Except slightly different settings since you cut your springs. Like I said those stock shocks won't last. I would get a set of the Belltech adjustable drop struts, they can go to 4" drop alone on the 09-13 trucks. Although when you buy the 09-13 struts they give you an extra spacer so that you don't go lower than 3.5. Currently I am at 4.5" drop in my truck with about 7000 miles on the drop with no problems. So those struts coupled with your springs can get you to 4.5" drop easily.

The only issue is if you are currently at 4.5" or more drop. Then you really need to change some hardware to take some stress off your shocks and give yourself some travel. The Belltech struts are on the bumpstop at 5.5" drop. So if you are at a 5" drop on them you only have 1\2" of travel.

Damn it, just reread your first post and saw you are targeting 4.5". Had a bunch more typed up for if you wanted to go to 5", just in case if you were at 4.5 already. But I assume you are at 3.5 or 4 now if you want to go .5 more. So my suggestion stands at getting Belltech struts and set it up for 4.5" drop total with your drop springs.

When you do get the struts grind twice as much out of the alignment holes, I did and at 4.5" I am maxed out but still in spec.

For reference here is my truck 4.5/5.5 drop

 

hey, thanks.

i only trimmed 1/2 coil. i think it's probably a total of about a 4" drop. i'm probably going to forgo the extra .5.

next up is to slot the holes as you mentioned and then a front end alignment. it's ok if the shocks wear out, no biggie, then i'll switch to the belltech. when/if i install the belltech struts, i'll probably just install them at stock ride height. will that give me more travel than the stock shock?

looking at your truck, it pretty much looks the same as mine i think except yours looks lower because of the steps.

 

azmidget91, i sent you a pm...thanks for your help

 

found out some interesting information:

09 to 13 f150's 2wd share the same shocks/struts as 04 to 08 4wd f150's.

in the monroe reflex struts, the 2wd struts/shocks for the 04 to 08's are somewhat shorter, by an average of .5 inches, with actually increased travel (in the struts only).

here are some numbers

08/13 struts 2wd and 04/08 4wd (all measurements are monroe reflex struts. can't find info on oem struts)

compressed 16.38"
extended 21.18"
travel 4.8"

04/08 struts 2wd

compressed 15.7
extended 20.9
travel 5.2

this tells me that the 04/08 struts will bolt up to the 09/14's, and are shorter, which should be advantageous on a lowered vehicle, if it borders on bottoming frequently.

kyb strut measurements are similar, and i could't find any specification on any other shocks, except gabriel, which appeared to be no difference between year models, in limited research

belltech drop shocks, as far as i know, have a travel length of 4.75 iirc. one shock fits all years, 04 to 14, the difference being an extension rod that is added for 09+ year models to the top of the strut. in this case, there is no added benefit for the belltech shock, as far as travel length is concerned, as far as i can tell.

monroe reflex can be had at rockauto.com for 65 each plus shipping. and there's a rebate till the end of april

not sure what to think, if using 04/08 2wd struts would be a worthwhile improvement on lowered 09+ 2wd's. it could be a less expensive alternative to the belltechs, assuming they aren't being used solely for dropping the vehicle, and a drop spring or drop perches are used like i did. (i used a drop spring with 1/2 coil cut to achieve around a 4" drop)

 

Im not a big fan of Monroe shocks

 

i talked to the belltech guy that hangs around one of the other forums, and he has no idea about the specs on the belltech drop struts. he said he's been installing them for 10 years without issues. i suppose there's no real way to eliminate "bottoming" issues without encountering tire rubbing issues...i mean if the tires are tall enough like mine and azmidget91. i suppose a dropped A arm can eliminate bottoming issues, but i think there will be tire rubbing issues still. right now, i don't have any tire rubbing issues at all.

i'm going to ride for a while on the stockers until they're toast, and then decide what to do about it. right now the bottoming is fairly minor and happens of course only on abrupt changes in the road surface. i'll just have to drive a little more gingerly, which should be expected anyway after lowering the truck as much as i have.

 

I'll add to it later, but one thing to consider is that the 04-08 strut uses a smaller thread than the 09-13. Belltech includes a sleeve to make the threads fit snugl in the upper mount.

 

i'm going to send an email directly to belltech to see if i can get updated specs. the 4.75 travel number i came up with is likely (hopefully) wrong. it's hard to believe they would build a drop strut and not increase travel over stock struts.

 

Being lowered and longer travel means the wheel would bottom out on the inside of the wheel well?

 

there needs to be a bump stop somewhere to keep the wheels from hitting the fender liners, or even the fenders if you hit a bump while turning. most of the time it's fairly minor and not really worrisome. i mean, think about it, when you lower a vehicle, you're using up a lot of its suspension travel, so something has to give somewhere, unless some sort of modifications are made.

this is the rub for me, so to speak. i've heard people say the right way to do it is this or that, using springs, or perches, or control arms, or dropped struts, but those guys still have trucks that bottom out the suspension or rub the tires against the fenders, so what's the difference if i accomplished a 4" drop with just springs and slotting the a arm holes? right now i don't have any rubbing, and the bottoming is fairly minor. some concessions in driving have to be made when driving a significantly lowered vehicle from stock, imho. it's just how i think and i respect everyone's opinions that post on the subject.

 

im very low static drop as well. I know exactly what you mean. That's why i was surprised you're talking about "long travel"

 

just looking for the best option, really. it's why i was inquiring about drop spindles to start with, as they maintain stock suspension travel and present no alignment issues(but they require larger diameter wheels to clear the re-positioned lower ball joints). it seemed, to my way of thinking that dropped spindles and dropped springs would provide a near perfect solution to maintaining suspension travel (to a degree of course), alignment, and ride quality. the only negative of course would be the possibility of the tires rubbing the fenders. offset control arms are probably even a better choice, but of course they're much more expensive than a pair of springs, but equal in cost to spindles. it's a moot point however as the spindles aren't available for 09+ f150s

i must not be as low as azmidget91, as i haven't rubbed the fenders, but do slightly hit the lower limits of the struts' travel, hence the questions about the belltech shocks and such.

i could get the truck lower without encountering tire rubbing issues if i switched to 18'' wheels, but that would leave a wheel well gap the the 20's eliminate. so imho there's no perfect solution to just driving with abandon on a significantly lowered f150 without making major major modifications, at least to the way i think.