Do the leveling kits go on the top of the strut? If so, it would seem that they raise the body, keeping the suspension geometry the same, no?

 

Here's my opinion.
None of the front driveline rotates unless you're in 4x4. With as little as I have to use 4x4, extra wear is not a concern.

 

higdogg is correct. not enough time has passed to say either way. that's why i plan to wait until i need to replace my factory tire and rims. if after 5 years there is no big problem with the autospring.... i'll get one.

 

It'll be time for a new truck by then.

 

It seems to me, that by the looks of some of the trucks on this sight, there aren't a whole lot of people significantly concerned about long term wear. I cannot definitely say that leveling kits, 3" or 6" lift kits, aggressive mud tires or whatever cause damage, but you gotta think that these Ford deisgners have a whole lot more historical resources and general smarts than either us or the folks that design and sell aftermarket products. They designed these trucks for a balance of maximum efficiency, mileage, performance and longevity. Any changes that may increase performance in one area, will most likely affect another area, possibly negatively. Every action has a reaction.

I think most of us agree that the satisfaction we receive from these mods, and the performance improvements that we receive are worth the chances of increased wear in the future. If you can afford the mods, you should be prepared to afford any problems as a result.

My first truck I lifted was a '77 F-150. I went 6" and installed 36" Micky Thompsons. I used the heck out of the thing and was constantly in water or mud. I went through wheel bearings every 3 months. It's the price I paid to drive the truck that I wanted.

 

Your post is laden with way too much logic for this board...

 

I put a 4" lift on my '91 explorer. The only problem I ever had with it was prematurely wearing out u-joints. A small price to pay.

 

I had a 2.5 Daystar leveling kit on my screw for about two months and took it off MW. I really loved the look of it on there but I am just too **** about the angles it put on the driveline. My upper control arm would drop down and hit the coil spring if the wheel did a full droop. I read in one of the big 4x4 mags last month that Ford re-designed the cv shafts on the 04-05's too take more angle on the OUTBOARD joint only, the inner one has MUCH less working angle to play with. With the daystar on and sitting on level ground they are at a pretty steep angle already, not to mention the tie rod ends. I figured screw it, not worth the extra wear and tear just to sit level. The RIGHT way to do it is a lift kit with a diff drop bracket. Just my opinion, sorry for the long post.

 

I agree with you, and after much thought, my EZ-Lift aluminum spacers are coming out tomorrow... If anyone wants to purchase it, contact me at "m1_tivo at bellsouth dot net"...

 

Here is my opinion: If the FORD dealers can sell brand new ROUSH and TUSCANY TONKA TRUCKS with the 2 inch lift (which is a AUTOSPRING SPACER) they have just accepted this modification as part of their warranty. That is why i wen't to the dealer and looked to see what the have installed, so i did the same thing.

 

Good point fx4 but not entirely true. I work at a Ford dealer that sells Tonka trucks. I can tell you that if that Tuscany lift screws up a cv joint in 25k miles Ford will NOT cover it...dealer will probably bill Tuscany for it. If that lift doesnt hurt anything till 40k miles (more likely scenario) then it doesnt matter, truck is out of warranty anyway.

 

This is exactly what I did. Here in Calif. there are usually 4 to 5 trucks on every lot with leveling kits, most of those are daystar. I figured if they can install them, so can I. So far so good no problems at all.

 

Why thank you.

 

If my 04 F150 can't take the little added stress from a 2" leveling kit, then maybe I bought the wrong truck. So far though I have noticed nothing. I have the Revtek 2" leveling kit that goes on top of the spring inside the coilover. It doesn't change any angles, it effectively justs preloads the spring so it is just the same as having a stiffer coil in there. I've never actually seen a truck with the spacer on top of the coilover, but I wouldn't worry about that too much either. The little bit of extra wear is like worrying about the little loss in fuel economy from putting on a bug deflector or something. My point is if the parts wear out faster then they aren't very good parts to begin with. I would put it on and not worry about it at all. Oh, by the way, I am a Ford tech and my truck is leveled. (among other things.)
So go for it!

 

I can guarantee you the levelling kit will wear out parts faster. Particularly the CV boots. How much faster, probably not very. CV axles are cheap anyways, I'm not going to sweat it when I put in my levelling kit and big tires.