I have a 2006 f150 2x4 XLT supercab and am looking at lifting it up. I was wondering the best way to go about this. I have read many of the other posts on the site and see many people recommend both body lifts and front spacers to level it off and an economical way to both gain a higher look, and be able to fit larger tires. I am not looking to take this truck off road, but more to just gain some height to the overall body. What would you reccomend as a reasonably priced way to lift my truck, while still keeping its driving quality relatively the same?

Whats the change of the truck height with just the front spacers to level it, and what is the change with the addition of both the spacers and the body lift? Do these changes put a large amount of stress onto the trucks coils and suspension system as well?

Thank you all in advance for your advice and responses.

 

It sounds like you have done some research and already have the answer to your question. Most leveling kits will lift the front 2 or 2.5 inches. That seems to be the limit without causing any problems. You can combine a levling kit with a body lift. This will lift the front of your truck a total of 5 or 5.5 inches and the rear will be lifted 3 inches, unless you add a lift block or add-a-leaf to the rear springs. I'm on my third truck with a body lift and don't hesitate to recommend them. One thing to consider is whether or not you can install these lifts yourself. If you can, that is great and you will have an inexpensive lift. If you have to pay someone to install them, you may wind up with nearly as much money in it as a full suspension lift.

 

Thank you very much wandell. I was also wondering what size tire would you then recommend. I have the upgrade 18" rims on there now from ford, but wanted to look into getting a bigger tire somewhere in the near future, also, with both the 3" body lift and 2" level kit would the ride change at all except for the added difference in turning from the changed center of gravity? Also as of right now my stock tires are 265/60/18, and i was wondering how ridiculous these would look on there until i replaced them, or should i wait to do the lifting until i have the money for the larger tires as well? Also do you have any recommendations for brands of the leveling kit and the body lift?

Also it seems i am reading that sometimes with the body lift the steering becomes loose, is this the case, and how would i go about rectifying this problem, before i even take it back out of the shop? Or would i need to take it out for a drive to figure out what needed to be changed?

 

I would go with a 325/60-18 or 325/65-18 tire with the leveling kit and body lift. I would go with the Autospring leveling kit and a Performance Accessories body lift. These mods should not affect your ride quality. As for the steering, it should not be loose. A member here reported his was loose, but I believe the installer may not have tightened the steering extension enough.

 

Thank you very much for the answer. I will definatly take some pictures once i get the leveling done, in the next week or so and post them, and then i will make sure to take more once i lift it and get the larger tires. Thank you.

One last thing is, i know the body lift just lifts the body up, but does it give the truck a different look, like would it be a cleaner look to actually lift the truck up 3" with suspension or is this not that big of a difference.

Wadell, i was looking on tirerack.com for some tires and for the nitto terra grapplers, the approved rim width is said to be 8-10" and i think that my stock rim is only 7.5". I could be very wrong about this but i think that is right, and if so is there anything i can do besides look at other tires. Thank you.

 

Usually, a suspension lift will look a little cleaner than a body lift. Little things can be done to make a body lift look as clean such as installing Gap Guards to cover the 3 inch gap in the wheelwells a body lift creates. Also, little things like raising the exhaust's tailpipe and the towhooks make for a cleaner look.
As for tires, you are right, your OEM wheels are 7.5 inches wide which is slightly narrower than recommended for a 325mm wide tire. Usually running a tire on a wheel that is too narrow can cause the center portion of the tire's tread to wear slightly faster than normal, similar to running too much air pressure. However, several members here are doing this with no problems. If you plan on keeping the OEM wheels forever, I'd go with a narrower tire. If you plan on going to a wider wheel in the near future, I wouldn't worry.

 

thank you very much again wandell. I will definatly take you advice, and i may look into a suspension, because i am no sure how clean it will look with a body lift, for the fact i would need to buy gap gaurds and move the exhaust, because i do not like the lower exhaust look. After all of that and the cost of install if i do not do it myself, it may be the same price to do suspension. Now if i do suspension, what height would you recommend, still 3" and what brands would you feel most comfortable using. Also i think i may go with a little thinner tire since i will probably keep my rims for a while, since i upgraded to the chrome package, and am happy with the 18" chrome rims i have. What tire size would you say to go with if i were to keep these? Thank you for everything!

 

I'd go with a 4 to 6 inch suspension lift. Fabtech (6inch), RCD (4 and 6 inch) and Rancho (4 inch) are probably the best. As for a tire, 325/65-18 (35x13.00) is by far the most common size for 18 inch wheels, but there are a few 35x12.50-18 tires available. I know the Toyo MT is available in this size.

 

Wandell, any idea how much it would cost to get this type of lift installed, and the amount of time it may take? As for the tires thank you, but i was actually asking if there were any tires i could get for the stock 7.5" rims i have on there now, that would be 18"x7.5"x and like 33". This may be what you were talking about and i misunderstood and i may have misled you before, sorry either way and thank you for all the help, hopefully you can help me out one more time. Thank you again. I am also ordering the 2" leveler from autosprings this week and will post pictures when that is on.

 

Yes, when I mentioned a 35x12.50, I was talking about for use on your OEM 18x7.5 inch wheels. BFG makes the AT KO in a 285/65-18 (33x11.50) and 305/70-18 (34x12.50) which would also work with your OEM wheels. As a general rule, with just a leveling kit, you can fit 35x12.50's if you use the OEM wheels and 33's if you use a wider aftermarket wheel.