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Ford F-250: Lift and Level Modifications

There's more than one way to lift a F-250 or Super Duty. This guide will introduce you to the different levels of lift available for your truck.

By Pizzaman711 - November 18, 2014

This article applies to the Ford F-250, F-350 and Super Duty Trucks (2004-2014).

Leveling and lifting your truck is not only a great way to improve the look of your Super Duty, but also its off-road performance. This modification allows you to fit those wider wheel and tire combos as well as larger tires to gain ground clearance. There are several different ways to raise your truck, and this guide covers the pros and cons of each.

Leveling Kits - Up to 2.5"

There are a couple different options to level a truck, including the use of a spacer or springs.

Figure 1. Super Duty leveled vs. stock.

Spacers

Figure 2. Super Duty leveling spacer.

DIY Cost – $100-$300 plus alignment
Professional Cost – Parts plus $150-$250 for labor
Skill Level – Moderate; Removing and installing the spring with the spacer isn't easy due to the pressure on it.

Spacers are the easiest and least expensive way to gain enough height to clear 34-35" tires properly. Spacers allow your truck to maintain a stock-like ride quality, but offer little improvement in off-road performance besides the added clearance.

Springs

Figure 3. Super Duty leveling springs.

DIY Cost – $150-$600 plus alignment
Professional Cost – Parts plus $150-$250 labor
Skill Level – Moderate; Removing and installing the spring isn't easy due to the pressure on it.

Larger lifting springs will add height while also adding suspension travel, unlike spacers. Springs are generally described as giving a better than stock ride quality.

Pro Tip

It should be noted that when choosing a leveling kit, if the one you pick doesn't come with any track bar relocation brackets, you'll want to consider picking some up. Otherwise the added height will slightly shift the front axle so that it's off center when looking at it from the front of the truck.

Intermediate Lift Kits - Up to 5"

This section covers the intermediate kits for those who want to fit around a 35-37" tire. You don't see as many of these size lifts out there; people usually start with a leveling kit, want to go bigger, and go straight to a 6-8" kit instead to get the biggest gain in height.

Figure 4. Super Duty with 4" lift.

Combination Kits

Figure 5. Super Duty combination kit.

DIY Cost – $700-$1,000 plus alignment
Professional Cost – $300-$500 for labor plus parts
Skill Level – Moderate; It can be a lengthy and difficult install without air tools.

These kits use a combination of different aspects from other kits, both bigger and smaller, to create a more affordable option. You'll see a mix of coil spacers, coil springs, radius arm drop brackets, track bar drop brackets, drop pitman arms, etc., all to help keep correct suspension geometry. You'll gain a little more performance off-road in addition to ground clearance, and you'll save a decent bit as opposed to bigger kits.

Radius Arm Kits

Figure 6. Super Duty radius arm kit.

DIY Cost – $900-$1,300 plus alignment
Professional Cost – $300-$500 for labor plus parts
Skill Level – Moderate; It can be a lengthy and difficult install without air tools.

You'll get both an improvement in looks and performance with these kits, whereas the combination kits use drop brackets for the radius arms, these will come with new replacement radius arms instead. You'll also see a majority of them with replacement springs instead of using a spacer or spacer/spring combo, as well as all the other corrections needed to help keep the correct suspension geometry.

Rear Blocks and Leaf Springs

Figure 7. Rear blocks.

DIY Cost – $30-$700 (usually included with kits)
Professional Cost – $50-$300 plus parts
Skill Level – Easy; Blocks are an easy bolt in swap. Leaf springs take a bit more care to be safe.

Most kits will come with blocks, add-a-leafs, or a combination of the two. Only the top tier, most expensive kits will come with full replacement leaf springs. All of these are different ways to lift the rear of the vehicle; blocks will have a more stock-like ride, add-a-leafs will offer a little stiffer ride, and replacement leaf packs will offer a better than stock ride.

Advanced Lift Kits - 6" and Up

While these are the most expensive lifts, you'll gain the most ground clearance as well as more off-road performance, and you'll be able to fit 38"+ tires.

Figure 8. Super Duty with 8" lift.

Radius Arm Drop Bracket Kit

Figure 9. Super Duty radius arm drop bracket.

DIY Cost – $1200-$2,500 plus alignment
Professional Cost – $400-$700 for labor plus parts
Skill Level – Difficult; It can be hard to keep the axle centered to line everything up without the proper tools.

Drop bracket kits will be the cheaper of the two for the large lift kits; however, you'll rarely see them in sizes above 7". By dropping the radius arms down, it'll help correct the geometry. In addition to using radius arm drop brackets, you'll also see the use of drop pitman arms, track bar drop brackets or replacement trackbars, and stabilizer drop brackets all to help correct the geometry and improve on road driving performance. However, many people agree that the radius arm drop brackets don't look good.

4-Link Kit

Figure 10. Super Duty 4-link kit.

DIY Cost – $1600-$4,500+ plus alignment
Professional Cost – $400-$700 for labor plus parts
Skill Level – Difficult; Some of these may not be completely bolt on kits.

The 4-link kits are top of the line when it comes to an off-the-shelf suspension lift. These will offer all the benefits of the radius arm drop kits, but will look so much better. The radius arms are replaced with a 4-link suspension setup, which not only helps clean up the look, but also makes the front end a whole lot more adjustable. It'll allow you to fine tune both the height and the alignment to ensure you get the best tire wear possible to keep those expensive tires going.

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