I am going to hopefully buy a lifted f150 soon and am wondering a few things. It is a '99 ex. cab 4x4 with a nine inch lift on 38s. It has 456 gears out back.
1.What kind of mpg can I expect?

2.Is this high of a lift street legal in California?

3.Would I need to inform my insurence company of the lift?

4.And last of all is it worth it? I love the look of a lifted F150! I think nothing looks better lifted but is the ride really bad with that kind of height?

All advice is wanted and any experiences with lifts of this nature is welcome. Please help me out on this one!

 

1.expect to never pass a gas station (under 10mpg definatly)
2. don't know
3.I would inform them, it would suck to crash and have them use that as their "out"
4.No, it only looks good, in my opnion that is excessive to be functional. The ride will be poor, but you would look down on everybody. While I love the look of a lifted truck, that is too much.
now if it wasn't a daily driver, and only sat in a garage for shows, then mabey.

just my $.02

 

First off when you say it has 4.56 gears out back, whats up front? If they're not 4.56 in the front you can't use 4x4 without breaking the chain drive in the transfer case. Also with that big of a tire you won't be able to wheel it very well. Thats just flat out too much tire for an 8.8 IFS axle. You'll be breaking CVs and you'll also be replacing bearings and brakes ALOT more frequently than normal. Also it wears out all your steering and ball joints prematurely too.

Here is California's lift laws:
What you can do is dependent on the GVWR. If your truck's is 4,500 pounds, the maximum frame height is 27 inches. If the GVWR is 4,501 to 7,500 pounds, it's 30 inches, and for 7,501- to 10,000 pounders, it's 31 inches. Also keep in mind that the lowest portion of the body floor can't be more than 5 inches above the top of the frame

 

personally, i dont think its worth it. i love lifted trucks, but 38's is a bit much, especially if its gonna be a daily driver. i wouldnt go over 35's on a daily driver, unless youNEED all that ground clearance. rememberwith those tires youre gonna have pretty bad gas mileage, youre not gonna have too much power, and when it comes time to get new tires youre gonna spend a pretty penny. good luck in whatever you decide!

 

Yea, your gonna be better off gettin one with a 4in or 5in lift on it. The ride quality is gonna be better, more power, and less money into tires. I have heard that body lifts arent that great either, and that thing must have a body lift on it. Plus , buying a truck that is lifted that high, you know there is already gonna be wear on the drivetrain. Probably wont last that long b4 breaking.

 

You're right body lifts suck, big time. I have one and I wish all the time that I never put the thing in. The only reason its still there is the fact that its a bitch to take it back out. Sure it looks good and all but its a huge hassle.

And yes that truck is going to have a body lift on it. Most likely a 6" suspension lift and 3" body lift. I don't know of any company that makes a 9" suspension lift. It goes from 6" to 10" and the 10" is flat out worthless.

If you're really going to drive this as a daily driver don't get one lifted to the sky unless you like throwing away your money or unless mommy and daddy buy it for ya. If you really want a lifted truck get one with maybe a 4" suspension lift or (as much as I hate to say it) a 3" body lift (just for the sheer fact that its about $900 cheaper) and run some 35s and gear it to 4.56. This way you have a truck that still looks decent and won't absolutely kill you with gas and repair bills.

 

hey man get it!!! honestly who cares about gas mileage my friend has a black f1 with a 9" inch and its sweet. yah its going to be expensive but who wants a stock truck. all modded trucks are gonna have expenses! so go for it!

 

Honestly, i care about gas mileage, and i bet a bunch of other guys do to. It takes me over an hour to get to the nearest town from where i live.

 

Yes that's a legal lift here in Cali...you can go as far as 42 inches of tire too.

I say go for it, even though I see about 10 trucks a day matching that same description.