So I have a 96 F150 Reg cab, long bed, I want to do something to it to change how it sits lowered in the front. I've read all the stuff on leveling coils, vs. f250/f350 springs, but haven't seen a ton of actual numbers on changed height...So if anyone has those, so I could compare between Moog springs and the actual leveling coils..
Or, I can get a 2.5" lift kit with all the brackets for it to align for $225.. That seems to make the most sense, Only thing holding me back is just dropped $200 on stock height shocks over the summer. Would stock height shocks fit a 2.5" lift? I was even thinking maybe just leaving out the rear block in the kit and just doing the front components for a truly level look? or depending on what size the block is, maybe slightly smaller blocks?
I have stock 235/75/r15 tires on it right now, eventually I want 31's, or maybe 33's depending on what I find as far as good deals, and wheels... but I don't want to have to drop a $1000 right away on tires, plus wouldn't a larger lift kit destroy my mileage even more?

Thanks

 

I would just get some F250 springs from Moog. That will raise the front about 1.5 inches or so and still leave the rear a hair higher. Thats good so that if you put any weight in the bed it won't be as nose happy.

If its 4wd you can run 32 11.50. That looks awesome and isn't too big of a tire.

 

I'm assuming it's a 4x4..

1. Stock shocks should work. Pro-Comp lists the same part number for ES9000 Shocks on their website for stock and 2" lift's. Same thing for the Rancho's on Summits website
2. The leveling springs listed on the site are on 1.5", so adding 2.5" in the front and skipping the blocks would leave the rear sitting bit lower than the front. Also, doing a lift on a F150 without doing the extended radius arms will hold you back. You need to do radius arms also to really get the suspension to articulate. If you are just wanting clearance though, the basic kit will work
3. Unless you are doing some extreme 4wheeling, you should be able to fit the 31's without a lift and probably the 33's also. 235/75's are 29.1" tall, 31" tires are 30.8", and 33" is 32.8" (BFG Mud Terrains) So the 31's (30.8-29.1= 1.7/2= .85) are only going to be about 3/4 taller into the wheel well, and even the 33's vs the 235/75's (32.8-29.1= 3.7/2= 1.85") are only making a difference of just over 1 3/4". into the wheel well. (FWIW, I ran 33's on both my 90EB Bronco and 90 XLT Bronco with no issues)
4. While you will lose some aerodynamics by adding a lift, keep in mind you started with the aerodynamics of a brick to begin with. You will see more of a difference in mpg from the tire change. Depending on the motor/gearing combo and the way you drive it, it could be to the better, or it could be to the worse. If you started with higher gear/stronger motor combo (say 5.8 and 3.73 gears) it will probably improve a slight bit in normal driving. If it was a lower power setup (say a 5.0 and 3.55's) the extra power needed to turn the bigger tires will probably cause a drop.

 

It's a 2WD so it would be purely for looks, hence the not wanting to drop a thousand or more on a larger, quality lift and tires etc.
I've read that it can be hit or miss on it being able to be aligned with just leveling springs, so that was another reason why I was leaning towards the complete lift kit, as it includes the brackets etc that a higher kit would include and should eliminate that uncertainty?

 

 

Here is my truck, so you can see what yours would look like . I used the daystar leveling kit . i wanted spacers so i could keep my stock coils. Spacers were 120 . camber bushing kit 60(for proper allignment) and in this pic i put a 3 inch block in back.

 

What size tires are those?

 

Leveling kit.

How big of coil spacers did you get for the front on your green truck? 2in or 2.5? Do you ha e the kit model number somewhere? I want to do the same exact leveling kit to my truck. Were you able to use the stock shocks?

 

Also where did you get your mud flaps? I have been looking for some like that.