Ok, after 5K miles I think safely beyond the mystery vibration, and some how I've avoided all the little "moans, groans, bumps, shimmies, etc, etc". I still own a 97 F150 and drive it more often than my 04 FX4 due to work reasons, and I fall in love all over again each time I get the chance to drive the 04. Hands down its 100% better ride and total driving experiance than my 97 4x4.

BUT....

I get sick each time I walk out the door of my house and both trucks are parked side by side and my 04 FX4 looks like a 2 wheel drive compared to the 97 4x4 that is totally stock. The icing on the cake was when I drove the 04 to work one day and a guy I work with came up and said that's a really sharp looking truck you've got, but why did you get a 2 wheel drive? I had to explain to him that for some reason Ford had killed the look of their 4x4's with this whole nose down thing and how it meet government impact regulations.

So...

I originally just wanted to go with a leveling kit, but after reading post after post of each respective kits' pro's and con's I decided against the leveling kit idea. I think I would be most happy with the 4" rancho lift that I've read about that seems to offer nearly the same ride as the stock set up. However, I'm clueless as to the price of such a set up and I'm hoping someone here can give me a ballpark figure for what it might cost me. If possible I'd like to know the cost of the kit and how much it would cost me to have it installed along with a "basic" set of wheels, no larger than 18".

thanks for any advice you might provide!

 

I had an estimate of $2200.00 for the 4 inch Rancho system, you do not even have to buy new wheels since it takes a 6 inch backspace wheel.

The price was the same for the PROCOMP 6 inch lift, but you will have to buy new wheels and tires.

You must got a raw deal on the height of your FX4, my Lariet 4x4 275/65/18 skys over any stock previous version Ford 150.

 

the front of the truck is low though. i want the rancho and about 2K, i might just get a leveling kit though cause i could get the car i always wanted with money. (an old bmw 2002)

 

ouch!! $2200 bucks and we're not even talking wheels yet?? I may have to opt for the front leveling kit and hope for good results.

I haven't actualy broke out a tape measure and took measurments of each truck, but visually the 97 F150 4x4 looks much more "4x4'ish" than my 04 FX4 when parked side by side. And for those looking for numbers the 97 has stock 17" wheels on stock tires (265/60/r17 i think?) and the 04 has the 18" wheels with 275 rubber from the factory. It could be an optical illusion since the 97 is a regualr cab shorty and the 04 is an extended cab 6.5' bed. I will grant that the 04 looks much more taller in the rear due to the 2" higher bed, but also the rear bumber of the 04 is higher than the 97. But up front the 97 appears to sit much higher and even the cab appears to be higher off the ground than the 04 (ground clearance from the door to the ground).

I know the best answer to this question has already been posted 100 times, but for someone just wanting to add a little "beefyness" to the front of an 04 FX4 with out giving up all of the plush ride, what would be my best option? Daystar, autospring, revtek, or something I haven't heard of yet?

 

How about the 3" Skyjacker lift? It's something like $550. Includes a replacement shock/coilover and an add-a-leaf. Checkout rockymountainsusp.com.

3" with Platinum Series front shocks
F4301K
$550
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2" REVTEK KIT AND 33'S (PICS IN GALLERY) CHECK OUT WWW.ROCKYMOUNTAINSUSP.COM. THEY HAVE SKYJACKER. RANCHO, DAYSTAR,ETC. THE PRICES ARE GREAT AND THE EMPLOYEES WERE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND HELPFUL.

 

rancho 4" kit for 04 F150 is $1475 or so..... not sure if that includes shocks or not.