Hi all, I presently have a 2010 F150 with a leveling kit/35's and am yearning for a proper 4-6" lift. What is really holding me back is the fact that there is some cutting to be done for these. As my vehicle is leased I don't want to permanently do something that can't be returned to stock if I decide to not buy the vehicle out at lease end.

What's the scoop? Is the piece that you have to cut a replaceable part?

It seems Ford is pretty lenient when I comes to leveling kits and warranty, but will doing more major structural modifications cause warranty issues?

Finally, I really like my stock 20" rims, most lifts I see recommend less backspacing than the stock rims. Is there any that I can use the stock 20's with. Will a quality 1" wheel spacer really be any different than a rim with 1" less backspacing? They both push the wheel/tire away from the hub.

 

Wheel spacers are something I would never mess with, but with that being said, there are plenty of members on here that are lifted and riding on their stock wheels. You should have no problem with that.

As far as cutting the cross member, all drop down suspension lifts require this to be done, and no it is not a replaceable part. If it is a leased vehicle, I would not do the lift.

A better alternative might be new coilovers in the front, cranked about 2.5 inches, new upper control arms up front, and either a new leaf pack or an add a leaf in the rear with longer shocks. This coupled with 35" tires will yield you about 4-5 inches of lift, and a much better riding suspension. And it can all be taken off and returned back to stock if you choose to not purchase the vehicle.

*Edit-I failed to see you already have a leveling kit and 35's. You could probably still do the coilovers cranked for more height but you would probably need to get a new leaf pack for the rear (or a block, yuck!) to level the truck out.

 

I believe I heard somewhere on here that pro comp makes a bolt on kit that does nit involve cutting. The question of stock wheels rancho makes a kit that allows you to keep the stock wheels, however there is some drilling involved in that kit. I'm not certain about your warranty question but unless you have the lift installed by a dealer and then use said dealer for warranty work, any dealer could void some warranties if they believe that the modification was the cause for the failure.

Edit- also I'm no expert on wheel spacers but they are much different than backspacing on wheels. I've heard they put extra leverage on parts. However I know marshal runs them and ran them on his old jeep. Just my 2 cents

 

I read that too, but looking at the Pro Comp installation instructions it appears that cutting is required.

they put extra leverage on parts because the wheel is further away from the hub, I may be mistaken but a wheel with less backspacing does exactly the same thing. The problem with cheap wheel spacers is vibration and balancing issues, but a quality spacer should eliminate that.

 

what's this about new upper control arms?

I looked at that Camburg kit, while pricey is sure looks like a nice option. I imagine the ride is amazing.

 

The Pro Comp 6" lift does not require cutting anything. If you "believe" it does, make sure you are reading the correct instructions for the 09+. No where in that kit install does it say nor illustrate that cutting is required. It just says "unbolt all this old stuff, bolt on all this new stuff." That's it.

If you select any of the other suspension lift kits, those all require cutting sections off the welded on front cross member mount(s). Sure, you could probably order the mount(s), completely cutoff the old one(s) and weld in the new one(s) when trying to go back to stock, but that's just too much effort and it would be recommended to go the Pro Comp route if you even have the slightest inclination to return it to stock, or least have that option (and definitely if your leasing).

None of the kits will allow you to use OEM 20" wheels because they have a 6" backspacing. The most these lift kits allow would 5.5" backspacing, and only on the Pro Comp and BDS (maybe Skyjacker too). If you want to know everything about wheel compatibility, check out this other thread.

 

Although the Camburg's are definitely a nice option, they, unfortunately, require a maximum backspacing of 4.5", regardless of rim diameter.

Most 20" rims come with more backspacing than that, I'm afraid...

 

http://www.procompusa.com/downloads/...09_52209MX.pdf

steps 22 & 23, it even shows how to measure the cut line and tells you what to cut it with.

 

BDS 6" lift allows stock wheels.

people here have returned their vehicles back at the end of the lease and removed the lift and had that piece welded back on. personally, something i wouldn't recommend but it is possible.

 

Well cry me tears. Now that's BRILLIANT. It seems my copy I downloaded long ago is outdated. GREAT. Now I've got EGG on my face.

DAMN YOU PRO COMP

 

haha, that's ok. I'm used to being wrong, my wife tells me so.

At least now I know I'm not nuts. I read it a half dozen times to make sure I wasn't seeing something that wasn't there!

 

McGaughys has a 6.5" suspension lift that only requires a hole to be drilled. No cutting and no irreversable modifications. I haven't done it yet myself, but I was sold on BDS, not not as sure. I really like the 100% bolt on idea over having to modify my truck structurally.

 

You aren't chopping the frame up, it's a bracket which is no longer needed when you lift the truck. You can save the small piece you cut if you really feel like it so it can be welded back on if you decide to go back to stock.

 

There was a brand new FX4 with a 6" Procomp and the new 20" FX appearance wheels rolling on 35x12.5x20 Trail Grapps at my local Ford dealership. I would snap a picture of it for y'all to see, but some oilfield guy must have bought it because I've only seen it once in the few weeks it has been sold.

So I guess you can roll stock 20s with a Procomp, but you would still be cutting brackets to install.

 

I would look at the lease agreement as you can't do anything that would void the warranty. And must be in the same condition as it was stock. I wouldn't do any suspension mods at all on a leased truck.