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Still haven't done anything yet either, but the only reason is I just ordered brand new fuel wheels and tires. $$$ Once they get here I'll be slapping them on and seeing how much lift I need to clear them, really not wanting to go 4 inches if I can help it. Every single truck around here has the 4 inch 35's combo....
Plus I'm thinking about using fox shocks. A buddy of mine has a 250 with a bds lift and fox shocks, holy wow that thing rides nice. Mind you the new coils play a big role in that, I think the fox shocks def help.
But we'll see, not going to decide till after I see exactly what I need to clear
Wow that looks awesome! did you add anything to the rear? How does it feel/ride? I just did my body mount bushingS yesterday, wanted to get that done first. Leveling next.
Wow that looks awesome! did you add anything to the rear? How does it feel/ride? I just did my body mount bushing yesterday, wanted to get that done first. Leveling next.
The rears were gonnnnnee
Thanks, I really like the leveled look and nothing to the rear, just new shocks a couple months ago otherwise everything is stock on it. As for the feel/ride it rides a little softer, still a 1 ton but definitely takes to the smaller bumps better. But man those things were bad haha
Old Thread, but I just purchased a '16 F350 last night. Is the bilstein kit working out? Any Pros or Cons? I see that Sarge was able to get everything aligned without the adjustable track bar, but is that the case for everyone? Sarge, any issues arise from the lack of the adjustable track bar?
Thanks.
Just for my education...why would you need any alignment concerns with spacer based leveling kits which use spacers on top of the springs.....4wD in particular.
with the height change the pinion arms position change vertically some.....but everything else follows with not change in alignment relative to each other. Even the anti sway bar adapts to the new position so no link changed are needed.
if you think about it....if we say an alignment was needed on a 4wd....we would be saying there are severe mis alignment issues going on during road bumps as the axle moves up and down within the travel range of the pinion are.
Just for my education...why would you need any alignment concerns with spacer based leveling kits which use spacers on top of the springs.....4wD in particular.
with the height change the pinion arms position change vertically some.....but everything else follows with not change in alignment relative to each other. Even the anti sway bar adapts to the new position so no link changed are needed.
if you think about it....if we say an alignment was needed on a 4wd....we would be saying there are severe mis alignment issues going on during road bumps as the axle moves up and down within the travel range of the pinion are.
I was speaking specifically to keeping the axle in speck side to side. The adjustable track bars allow for this adjustment and some say they are needed and some say they are not. Sarge specifically spoke of not needing the adjustable track bar for this particular lift, so I am wanting long term info on this lift with my questions. On my Excursion, I had to have an adjustable track bar and a drop bracket to get the axle centered. They were able to adjust this when I had an alignment done on the EX, so I will hopefully be able to do the same with this truck.
I’m going to have to take an alignment 101 course.
on 4wd
castor= can’t be agjusted and on 4 Wd models not needed. For 2wD models there is an aftermarket bushing with lobes that once installed caster can be adjusted. Castor when looking front to back is the tilt of the wheel a few degrees off vertical measure at the bottom and top of wheel.
Toe or in toe out= is the change in distance which the leading or the trailing edge of the wheel has....toe out is wide leading edge and narrow trailing edge toe in is narrow leading edge and wide trailing edge. Measured at 3:00 and 9:00 position on the wheel . This can be adjusted with the drag link which is the link that ties one hub to the other.
the track bar adjust the relative position of both wheels to the steering box. Measured on the wheels at 3:00:00 position. If the wheels are straight but the steering wheel is off...adjust the track bar.
on a 2wd , when leveled using spacers, castor is impacted and if the aftermarket bushy ng is not installed, you won’t be able to adjust caster. Toe in and out is not impacted.
on a 4wd neither caster or toe in and toe out is impacted when lifted with a spacer becusse the axle is solid and pivots on the pinion arms and all linkages follow it.
if anyone can better explain, feel free to correct and or clarify.
Old Thread, but I just purchased a '16 F350 last night. Is the bilstein kit working out? Any Pros or Cons? I see that Sarge was able to get everything aligned without the adjustable track bar, but is that the case for everyone? Sarge, any issues arise from the lack of the adjustable track bar?
Thanks.
I can only speak for myself here but I've had the Bilstein kit for about 2 years now on my 2005 F350 and I haven't had any issues. As far as pros and cons go, pros are I like the way my truck sits a lot better after leveling, its only 2-2.5" but it makes a big difference, cons are my truck is over 7' now so certain car washes and parking ramps are off limits and the only time I notice is when I make a very sharp turn and lock the wheel you can feel the tires rub on the springs, I also have 295/65/20 which are a bit wider than whats spec'd. I had the shop install the adjustable track bar because majority of posts I saw people had them, When the shop first did my level the axle was shifted to the passenger side by about 2", passenger side tire stuck out of the wheel well a bid and the driver side was sunk in 2", brought it back the next day and they reinstalled the adjustable track bar and centered the axle.
the track bar adjust the relative position of both wheels to the steering box. Measured on the wheels at 3:00:00 position. If the wheels are straight but the steering wheel is off...adjust the track bar.
The track bar is used to help keep the axle in alignment with the truck. It attaches to the axle then to the frame. To the best of my knowledge, it does not have to do with steering. I have a track bar on the back axle on my FJ cruiser that is being used with the 4 linkset up.
Just a quick pic off of google. I am not talking about readyLift, just pointing out the track bar.
I can only speak for myself here but I've had the Bilstein kit for about 2 years now on my 2005 F350 and I haven't had any issues. As far as pros and cons go, pros are I like the way my truck sits a lot better after leveling, its only 2-2.5" but it makes a big difference, cons are my truck is over 7' now so certain car washes and parking ramps are off limits and the only time I notice is when I make a very sharp turn and lock the wheel you can feel the tires rub on the springs, I also have 295/65/20 which are a bit wider than whats spec'd. I had the shop install the adjustable track bar because majority of posts I saw people had them, When the shop first did my level the axle was shifted to the passenger side by about 2", passenger side tire stuck out of the wheel well a bid and the driver side was sunk in 2", brought it back the next day and they reinstalled the adjustable track bar and centered the axle.
Thank you for the info. I understand the pain with the height being an issue sometimes. My excursion sits around 7'-4", so I have a hard time with the garages. Car washes are not even possible.
Here is my Excursion. I love it, but the 6.0 is keeping it in the shop more than out. Hence the new purchase.
My understanding is as you move the truck up and down the track bar will move tbe the axle and wheels right to left.
So if you have done a lot of lift and not addressed the track bar the axle will tend to sit a bit to the driver side. That
is if my geometry is correct. But how ere you look at it when over a stock hight the axle will shift and give you
two different track lines on the ground.
I have been running a leveling kit on both trucks and they have done just fine.
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:00 position. If the wheels are straight but the steering wheel is off...adjust the track bar.
