So I'm considering ditching that 3" level and putting on a 4" rancho kit. It costs so much money so I want to make sure my logic is alright. Will it make a difference in ride quality? Also, will it be better for my truck (as in allowing my truck to last longer) than the 3" level? Ive also heard that it increases the chances of rolling because the center of gravity is higher. Is that true? Thanks!

 

Well, as long as I'm thinking right, you will have to retain your leveling kit if you purchase a lift. If you install a lift and do not install a leveling kit you will have a front end rake with the lift in it. So as far as making it last longer, probably not because you will still have the leveling kit in it.

Also, yes the center of gravity moves up as you move the truck up. This can make it a little more tipsy, but assuming you don't power slide around corners or anything my guess is your fine. The trucks are really long and wide enough to be fairly stable. If you were lifting a Jeep Wrangler I think you would have more to worry about as far as rolling than in your F150.

 

I'm definitely no expert on this but I thought that the lift would also level out your truck because the rancho lifts the front 4" and the back 2.5". I could be wrong but that's what I thought.

 

From experience, there is next to no height difference between a 4" lift and 2.5"-3" leveling kits; Just like you won't notice much if any difference in a 4" lift and a 6" lift... The benefit is having your front geometry back within OEM specifications, thus not wearing out the front end components like ball joints, tie rods, sway bar links, Upper control arms, etc.. Plus you probably have more options of aftermarket wheels, or you can keep the OE wheels if that is the look you like.

Do you need the lift or do you just want the lift? A leveling kit just means added wear and tear on front end components, but won't kill the longevity of your truck.. You won't have 'roll over' issues for 95% of the time, now if you go off roading and get in a predicament the chance is there, or if you where to swerve hard to say, avoid an accident on the road, the potential is there..

 

Thanks for your response. I do both need and want a lift. I've only got 38,000 miles on my truck and am hoping that it will last for a while. I keep hearing from guys on the site that the 3" level is terrible for your truck and I dont want to pay for costly repairs down the road. I also want to eliminate some of the rub from by tires with the lift. Also, I'm going to college next year and want to increase the ride quality a little bit because I'll have to ride 6 hours there and back. I am wondering if the 4" rancho would be a good solution.

 

If you don't off-road in your truck I don't think you will gain much out of the lift. You would have to drop in around $2,000 grand to make it work, and still have to replace parts as you will with your leveling kit.

Your leveling kit messes up your front end geometry, but it's not a terrible problem if you don't use your 4x4 a lot or off-road a lot where your maxing and crunching the suspension numerous times. Other than that both ways your going to have maintenance from wear and tear. As long as you keep your front end (or whole truck maintenanced) a leveling kit is going to be fine.

I don't think you will gain any ride quality from a lift either. Leveling kits keep your ride quality near stock.

I think really the added benefits for the lift kit is, if you off-road a lot your geometry is back to near stock. You can clear bigger tires. And the looks of it.

 

A 3" level is just pushing the limits of 'acceptability' on front end angles, i.e. things might start binding or wear out faster than other sizes of leveling kits... Its all a toss up though as to how fast things will wear, it depends a lot on how you drive, what the roads are like, etc...

I certainly would not call repairs from a leveling kits wear and tear 'costly', but you have to expect them at sometime; its no different than the same parts wearing out on a stock truck, its bound to happen.

Your ride quality won't change with the lift, unless you change shocks. Both the leveling kit and the lift kit are utilizing your OEM coilover setup, thus providing the same ride qualities as stock. You could run a bilstein 5100 setup (5100 front, 5125 Rear), but I'm not certain that would make a great difference in ride quality, possibly just a bit better than OEM.

 

Your front end geometry will be far better with a lift. Additionally, the Rancho lifts the truck frame about 5" up front, so it sits significantly higher than a 2.5" leveling kit. Add in the fact that you will likely add larger tires, your truck will be sitting much higher. Ride quality will be better with the suspension geometry back to stock, since the leveling kit essentially pushes your front end down, reducing wheel travel when hitting potholes, dips etc.

You will not need to keep the leveling kit with the lift. The suspension lift will have your truck very close to level, if not perfectly level.

 

Here's another solution: Does anybody know if the rancho 9000 shocks will work with a 3" level?