Just had some Ground Force Drop Shackles (91200) put on my truck this afternoon. Came out pretty good, level and just a little easier for me to get into the truck. So, I'm happy. Nothing drastic but here's some pics (take w/phone):





Thanks to this site. I did all my research here before the purchase.

 

Now all you need to do is bring the front down about 1.5" and it'll be done

 

I've been thinking about lowering the front an inch or so. I'm going to take the step bars off today & see what I think about it. I removed them from a pic last night and thought it looked good so we'll see.

It's level at the moment, it may not look it from certain angles, but, it is.

 

I'd definitely lower it in the front to get the rake back. Steering issues aside, I think trucks look awkward when they're level. Keeping a 1.5-2" rake while being lowered gives it a sporty look.

Either way, nice truck.

 

Took the step bars off, looks much better IMO. Should have done it sooner. I've been looking at Belltech struts to lower the front a bit. Seems like an easy way to get the front down a little. Think I'll live w/it the way it is for a bit though and see how I like it.

My wife likes some rake to the truck too....

Thanks for the comments EsJayEs.

 

For referrence, I'm also running Ground Force shackles and Belltech struts. Here's a pic of my truck. The pics below show my truck 2" lower in the front and rear, so I have maintained the factory 2" rake. Before that I had it lowered three other ways and this was the best solution for me. Steering feels perfect, I can still tow and haul. And for really heavy loads, I have Firestone airbags in the rear for extra support.

 

I really like the look of your truck. stance looks good. I'll probably have to cough up a few bucks for the struts. What size wheels are those?

And thanks for taking time to post the pics.

 

Thanks! Those are 20" wheels from a 2008 F-150 FX2 and the tires are Firestone Destination ST 275/55/R20. If I ever find a steal on some 22" Harley wheels, that would be the only way I'd ditch these ones.

 

I would recommend Belltech's Struts to level the front. Very nice strut.

 

I've decided to lower the front w/the Belltech 25001 (I think). The one thing holding me back is from what I've read I have a choice of either 1" or 2" drop. I didn't measure the drop the ground force shackles gave me in the rear but it was supposed to be 1.5 inches on a 4x4. So, ideally I'd like to do 1.5 inches drop in the front as EsJayEs suggested. But, what I've read I've got a choice of either 1" or 2" as stated above. I'm afraid if I drop it too much in the front it'll look funny.

If the truck was dropped lower in both the front and the back I think level would be good, but, I'll still need my truck to be used as a truck on occasion. That's why I was thinking of 1.5 inches. Any thoughts on this? I like the Belltech strut, from what I've read ride won't suffer much if at all and of course cost is always a factor and this seems to be a cost efficient way to do what I want.

Any advice would be appreciated guys....

 

I actually have mine lowered 2" front and rear, but I have a 2WD.

The Belltech struts are funny. The spacers aren't an exact science. It took me a few tries to get the height right. With the shims set to 1.5", I only had 1" of rake. I removed a 1" shim, and had 3" of rake. Finally, I settled on 2" worth of shims and got exactly 2" of rake.

It's all about finding that balance.

Since your truck is 4WD, I'd recommend removing the lifting block from the rear axle if you haven't done so already. That will lower your rear to 2WD height minus the drop from your shackle.

Short version is that for you to have a stance similar to mine, remove the lifting block and set your struts for 2" of lowering (use two thick shims). That is as low as you can safely go with a 4WD anyways. The CV axles can't reliably handle any more drop than that.

 

First of all thanks again for all the help EsJayEs!

Now, here's whats throwing me. From what I've read you can set the struts to 1 or 2 inches. Didn't see anything about increments between inches, i.e., 1 1/2 inches.

 

You're welcome. The struts come with two different kinds of shims. One is 16mm thick, and the other is 8mm thick. Every 16mm shim is supposed to equal one inch of lift/drop. The 8mm shim is supposed to change the ride height by 0.5". What I found in reality is that the formula was part math, and part magic.

With that in mind, here are the measurements from my truck in various configurations. This is taken from the center of the wheel to the fender. Since your truck is a crew cab, your measurements may vary.

Rear
- With 2" shackle: 22"

Front
- One 16mm, one 8mm shim: 19"
3" of rake, excessive

- Two 16mm, one 8mm shim: 21"
1" of rake, truck looked bad, but steering was ok.

- Two 16mm shims: 20"
2" of rake, as specified by Ford. Steering and suspension feel like OE.


One other thing worth mentioning is your alignment. It needs to be done immediately after installing the struts. Ask your alignment tech to set the camber as far negative as possible, while keeping it within spec. This will make your truck feel much more confident when turning.

 

Got it, that makes sense. Didn't want to buy these things if I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Appreciate it!

 

The struts in 1/2" increments.