Okay everybody with a slammed F-150, share your experience. I want to do it right the first time and am thinking about a 3 or 4 inch front and 5 inch rear slam.

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2000 F-150 4X2 XLT Ext Cab Flareside (Black w/dark graphite) Sport Package, 5.4L, Auto, 3.55 Limited Slip, Keyless Entry, Tow Package, Pwr Seat.

1999 Eddie Bauer Explorer 4X2, Green... Every Option.

1997 Harley Davidson, Springer Heritage...Lots of goodies.

 

I like the Roush Suspension drop. It's a 3 front 4 back. Steeda has a good drop as well. Even though both are more expensive than the most of the ones in Trucken Mag and such, I believe they are of better quality.

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Carrollton Texas (DFW), Member of Fordified.
Black 1999 Roush F-150 Super Cab Flairside Roush package includes the Roush Suspension, 18"x 9.5 Chrome Wheels, B. F. Goodrich Z295/45, Full Ground Effects, Leather Signatured Interior (Front and Back), Flowmaster with Side Exit Infront of the Wheel, Embroidered Floor Mats, and Roush Eyebrow Logo. Extras are the Superchip, F1 Cobra Hood, ******* Hard Tonneau, Bedrug, Slide Window and lots of other little odds and ends

mumbly@myf150.com





[This message has been edited by Mumbly (edited 09-21-1999).]

 

Steeda is actually a Ground Force kit, so is the Ford Motorsport kit. I been shopping for the 2/4 kit for 3 months now and finally brought the Ground Force complete kit and had to put it for sale or lay it away in the garage because I had to completely redo the customized welded exhaust(400.00). Now I'm going to installed air bags instead of lowering it.

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1997 XLT Supercab emerald green,4.6 auto superchip, rear dual exhaust, Atlas wheels w HP 275/60/17 tires, Lund steps and quarter window shades, Outland grille guard w KC daylighters (for sale cheap), piaa 1000 in bumpers openings, Trenz billet grille, edlebrock ISA shocks, Powerslider, stainless steel fender trim, fluidyne cooler, Airaid kit, Gentex electronic compass dimming mirror,Downey SST tonneau cover(for sale cheap),A.R.E. lid,
AAR hood next.

 

Thanks for the info Mumbly. Both Roush and Steeda are well known and offer high quality aftermarket equipment. I'll look into both.

Thanks also to you MIF-150. Based on what you've said, I'll hold off on my exhaust mods until I do the suspension mods.

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2000 F-150 4X2 XLT Ext Cab Flareside (Black w/dark graphite) Sport Package, 5.4L, Auto, 3.55 Limited Slip, Keyless Entry, Tow Package, Pwr Seat.

1999 Eddie Bauer Explorer 4X2, Tropic Green/Tan... Every Option.

1997 Harley Davidson, Springer Heritage...Lots of goodies.

 

SPORT2000 - All the kits are pretty much the same quality as long as you go with one of the top 3 or 4. It boils down to personal preference and what's easily available to you. I used the Belltech 2-4 drop kit and I'm very happy with it. I installed the Nitro-drop shocks in place of the stock units. Be advised that even though I used a 2-4 drop kit, my actual change was 3" in front and 4-1/2" in the rear. A friend put the Ground Force kit on his truck beacuse he could get it faster and his truck changed 2-1/2" in front and 3-1/2" in the rear.

You mentioned you wanted to go lower with your truck. Just be aware that its going to get pretty low and you will have some clearence problems for sure. I drag my trailer hitch receiver every now and then going in a driveway. With more than a 2-4 drop, I think your ride will really suffer and become much more harsh. That's just my 2 cents - maybe that's exactly what you want. My truck rides the same as stock right now. Here a photo of my truck.

Oh yeah! I've seeing a post from the guy who is selling his drop kit because of his exhaust. I lowered my truck AFTER having the exhaust installed and I didn't have any clearance problems. Nothing clanks of bumps or anything as far as the exhaust pipes go.


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Black '97, SC with 4.6, 3.55 gears, automatic, 2-4 Belltech drop kit, SnugTop fiberglass lid, 3 chamber Flowmaster muffler, billet bumper grill, fog lights, American Racing 17x8 wheels with 275-60 Goodyear Eagle GT II tires.


[This message has been edited by Mr.Wizard (edited 09-23-1999).]

 

Yep, that's me Mr.Wizard, after looking at your photo I really thinking about spending the four bills and redo the exhaust. That's one fine looking truck you got there. I already ordered the Firestone air bags today from JC Whitney, they got a special price on them 203.99 for the whole set up. I can also use the bags even if I decided to lower it. I got the exact same wheel as yours except with the Bridgestone Dueler HP, the rear wheels and tire combo kinda look small with the big fender gap on mine. steve

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1997 XLT Supercab emerald green,4.6 auto superchip, rear dual exhaust, Atlas wheels w HP 275/60/17 tires, Lund steps and quarter window shades, Outland grille guard w KC daylighters (for sale cheap), piaa 1000 in bumpers openings, Trenz billet grille, edlebrock ISA shocks, Powerslider, stainless steel fender trim, fluidyne cooler, Airaid kit, Gentex electronic compass dimming mirror,Downey SST tonneau cover(for sale cheap),A.R.E. lid,
AAR hood next.

 

MIF-150 -
You sure have your truck loaded with some fine add-ons. I did see your post concerning the air-springs and you had a question about the ride. I don't have these bags myself but my neighbor does so I asked him about it. My thoughts when I read your post were that the bags can't possibly give you a softer or smoother ride (someone mentioned the ride of a Lincoln MK VIII). Unless you chance the rear springs, you will KEEP the same ride characteristics of that spring. Adding the bags will not change the characteristics of the spring, the bags will only stiffen things up. The bags are used to maintain ride height when the truck is loaded. My neighbor confirmed what I thought. If he puts much air in the bags on his unloaded truck, the ride gets quits hard. However, when he puts 400-500 pounds in the bed, the bags keep the rear end from sagging and THEN he gets a nice smooth ride. He said he sometimes wishes he could drive around all the time with a 500 pound load.

 

Mr. Wizard

That's a fine looking ride. That's about what I'm after except maybe a little less space between the front tire and fender. Your rear tire gap looks perfect though. I like it slightly lower in front than rear. Maybe taller wheels in back and shorter ones in front with the same drop kit you installed? My truck (Sport Pkg) has nice looking 17" wheels from Ford. I did see a really nice pair of wheels in Oct 99 pg.19 or Nov 99 pg. 149 Truckin' Magazine from "Niche" Truck Wheels.

What all parts did you have to change with the Belltech kit? I'm assuming front coil springs & shocks but how about the upper & lower A arms and spindles? How about the rear? Rear springs, shocks and different snubbers only? I do not want to cut the frame and install a flip kit. Did you have to change the brake lines? Anyway thats all no sweat to do at home and then get it re-aligned. By the way, did Belltech mention anything about changing the caster & camber from factory specs when having your truck re-aligned?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm kinda picky when it comes to doing things right. I hate sloppy/shoddy crap.

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2000 F-150 4X2 XLT Ext Cab Flareside (Black w/dark graphite) Sport Package, 5.4L, Auto, 3.55 Limited Slip, Keyless Entry, Tow Package, Pwr Seat.

1999 Eddie Bauer Explorer 4X2, Tropic Green/Tan... Every Option.

1997 Harley Davidson, Springer Heritage...Lots of goodies.




[This message has been edited by SPORT2000 (edited 09-24-1999).]

 

Sport2000, Ford Lowering 101-
If you lower the front of your truck with springs, it will change camber. When I dropped 3" in the front with Eibach Progressive Springs my camber was slightly off. My alignment man (also a friend of mine)said that it wasn't that big of a deal, it may or may not wear tires out quicker depending on driving habits. I didn't have to worry, I like the twisties fast. If you use lower controls arms supposedly alignment geometry is not changed. Upper control arms are only for use with extreme drops, they help negative camber when used in conjuction with adjustable camber plates (Ford part # was posted a while back). You will always have to replace shocks with properly valved units for dropped trucks. My truck has 3" springs, lower control arms, upper control arms, and adjustable camber plates in the front for a total of 7" actual inches of drop and still is capable of correct camber settings. The springs will soon be replaced by air bags (I have them in the shop)so height can be adjusted.
In the rear with a 4" drop you will have to replace shackles, hangers, shocks, bump stops, and shim the rearend for correct pinion angles. Shimming involves a shim (obviously), new center bolts, and new Ubolts (new Ubolts should always be used any time you removed the old ones, they are cheap insurance). The hardest part is removing the stock hanger, it is riveted into place. You seem to already know about flipping and notching.
With a little research, you should be able to find some very nice lowering kits (Belltech, Ground Force, most of the big names)for your truck that maintain good geometry and ride quality.

 

SPORT2000 -
Everything that LOWDOWNFORD above wrote sounds like its right on target. As far as the specifics on my truck, here goes!

The Belltech kit I used is considered to be a mild lowering job. It included new front springs, rear shackles and spring hangers, and a couple of shims to keep the pinion angle correct. It also included four new shocks. The shocks are shorter and designed so the valving is correct and riding in the middle of the shock. Using the stock shocks will put the valve in the wrong part of the shock body and create some problems pretty quickly. The rear spring hangers are riveted to the frame so they must be ground off to remove the stock hangers. The Belltech units are then bolted back in place. No A-Arms were used as they are normally needed for more extreme drops. All my alignment angles came back to stock specification although I'm pretty much used all the adjustment there was to get to the stock specs. At this point, I've got about six thousand miles on the new tires and there are NO signs of anything being wrong. The tires are wearing perfectly. I did not have to do anything with brake lines. I will take a guess and say that lowering the truck any more than I did will require notching the frame in the rear to clear the axle. My axle is pretty close to the frame now but there are no clearence problems for me. There is a short rubber bumper on the frame over the axle to take the hit in cases of extreme compression and it looks like I may have touched this bumper slightly a time or two. I used to teach wheel alignment so I'm a firm believer in making sure my vehicles are aligned properly. My truck is set to factory specs for both camber and caster.

Good luck if you go for it!


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Black '97, SC with 4.6, 3.55 gears, automatic, 2-4 Belltech drop kit, SnugTop fiberglass lid, 3 chamber Flowmaster muffler, billet bumper grill, fog lights, American Racing 17x8 wheels with 275-60 Goodyear Eagle GT II tires.

 

can i get ya'lls opinion..i have been really thinking about lowering my truck (cableguy/mr.wizard your trucks are awesome.) but i guess my biggest concern is,how will this effect my truck. i drive a lot of miles..i average about 2200 miles a month..if i drop my truck am i going to be buy tires and shocks all the time..can i drop it 2" and be allright(springs/shackles).i would love a 3/4.but i think that is unpractical for my type of driving. what do you guys think ?? any flaresides out there with a 2" drop or 2/3..

p.s mumbly is that your truck that i saw on www.pegasuscustom.com (roush fords)

thanx in advance...

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99 f-150 xlt,black,s/c flareside,4.6 v8,5-speed,3.55,17" sport rims w/bfg 275's,k&n gen II fipk,flowmaster 2-chamber 50 dual exhaust, kenwood cd player,amp and speakers,viper 800 alarm

 

spydog -
Since I've only had my truck lowered for the last 4 or 5 months, I can't tell you for sure what the future will bring. I can tell you that I had a truck before that was lowered and I had absolutely NO problems with excessive tire or shock wear. I put over 90,000 miles on that truck after it was dropped. I will say that not going too extreme with your drop job will help you keep all the alignment specifications where they should be. Extreme drops (unless done correctly) usually make it more difficult to maintain your angles. I can't stress it enough that alignment is the key. As long as you can align the truck properly, it really doesn't matter how low it rides.

Lastly, keep in mind that dropping the truck too close to the pavement could cause other problems because you won't have enough clearance. A buddy of mine drove over a cattle grate going to a car show at the fairgrounds. His truck was really low and the grate banged his oil pan causing a severe leak. That cost him a few dollars to replace the pan.

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Black '97, SC with 4.6, 3.55 gears, automatic, 2-4 Belltech drop kit, SnugTop fiberglass lid, 3 chamber Flowmaster muffler, billet bumper grill, fog lights, American Racing 17x8 wheels with 275-60 Goodyear Eagle GT II tires.

 

mr wizard,
thanx alot for your input. you have set my mind at ease concerning wear and tear on a lowered truck...i think i am going to go with a 2" drop all the way around. i do not like my truck being perfectly level,i like the rear just a bit higher than the front...the new harley editions are 1" lowered and the lighting are 1 1/2" ..if i do not like it i could just slap a hanger on later..once again thanx

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99 f-150 xlt,black,s/c flareside,4.6 v8,5-speed,3.55,17" sport rims w/bfg 275's,k&n gen II fipk,flowmaster 2-chamber 50 dual exhaust, kenwood cd player,amp and speakers,viper 800 alarm

 

Spydog...Everyone is right on the money. And thankyou for the compliment. As Mr. Wizard stated the truck with a mild drop (mine was a 2"/4"...actual: 31/2"/4") will ride just as it did stock. I drove mine from Washington state (near Seattle) all the way to San Diego and back. Met up with CAF150 (Awesome Truck!!!) while I was in the LA area scoting sponsors. During the trip the truck ran beautifully, a bemmer couldn't stay with my 5.4L through the mountains, averaged 90-100 through the mountains (backed off to 75-80mph on a few scary turns), and with the chip avaraged around 17-19mpg. I haven't hit the rear hitch or bumper yet. When I get the truck down here in NM I have lots of mods I am going to do and am looking real forward to a set of 18" rims with 295/40's. This sould bring it down just a scooch more (right ?).
Heres "Big Red" with "CAF150".


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1999 F-150 XLT, Ext.Cab, 5.4L, 3:55 limited slip, 4x2, Bright Torch Red(all color matched-bumpers, mirrors) "Sport" pkg., Tonneau,285/50/17, 3" custom catback, Superchips, Airaid, Lowered 4" rear & 3" front, Herculiner bed lining(self install) AWESOME! Newest E/T at the drags 6/26/99: 14.9sec at 90.4 mph. Billet Badges, Billet Antenna, Removal of "Sport" sticker and door guards. For photos e-mail me at: whtstuff@aol.com OR my web page at Http://members.aol.com/whtstuff/myweb.html