I have been reading lots on here the past couple days, great forums, so glad I joined.

Many have put a leveling kit on your F150's.

Basically steel spacers to raise the front.

Does this improve handling or something?

How about rear end squat when loaded, I use my truck to haul stuff, not just drive with the box empty.

Do they hurt gas mielage? My truck is a 2007 Crewcab, 4x4 with 6.5 foot box.

And if they are a good thing to install, is just a straight 2 inch front lift best, and which one?

Thanks

 

well a leveling kit pretty much just bring the front level with the back it doesn't change ride or handleing just lifts the front

now if you haul alot of weight the truck still will sag like normal but it will be a little more noticeable since the front is now higher

 

Thanks.

I see you have a "Hell bent" kit on your truck.
Is it the best, or are they all pretty much the same?

Seems its basically just a small steel spacer, so I assume any kit is basically fine to use.
Would I be correct in my assumption?

 

well pretty much all kits are the same ...but make sure that you get the spacer that goes on top of the coil not in the coil ...i got mine from ebay where it was the best deal i could find and im happy with it and you can also get different highes and yes it is just a metal block or some are made like little stands

 

when you install the 2.5" like I did, it caused my rear bumper to sit lower by about 1".


makes sense if you think about it. my truck sits dead level with an empty to about 1/2 tank of gas. a full tank sits about 1/2" low in the rear.


the sagging with a load isn't bad, and really isn't noticeable unless you have alot of weight. but I wanted a slight rake again, so I picked up the AS 3" block and need to install it. it will replace my OEM 2" block and give me about 1" more room out back. should remove any squat I have unloaded or loaded.

 

i've got a 3" block in the back and noticed more side to side movement in the rear over bumps and washboard... an add a leaf is 1.5" i believe and i assume would have been a better idea

 

what you are describing dadirtydogg is the nature of the beast. the higher you go, the more sway you get. An AAL will create the same effect...but more of a stiff ride.


I bought the 3" blocks because shipping was free to Hawaii. But given a choice, I would have done the AS 1" AAL...but they wanted about $80 to ship them.


$130 shipped vs $200+ shipped made the decision for me.

 

Just remember, whenever you start messing with the suspension, you WILL alter the way it handles a load...and when these alterations raise the truck higher than designed, you loose stability.

I regularly push my truck's limits with payload and towing...there is NO WAY I'll ever modify the suspension....

Just something to think about if you regularly "use" your truck as a truck...not as important otherwise.

 

I always seem to be hauling, or towing with my truck.

It has 46,000 kms on it, and I would guess 35,000 of them are hauling or towing.

 

I also would not go with no more than a 2.5" level kit