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A little over 2 years ago, I had my 2018 (SRW CCSB Lariat) leveled with the 2" BDS kit and Fox shocks. Ever since then I feel like my front suspension is a little "loose". I notice it going over small bumps in the road. It's not a particularly loud or annoying rattle, but it almost feels like a shock is compressing and not immediately decompressing, or something like that. I'm no mechanic, and I never know what I'm looking for when I get under there. It also happens more in colder weather. To my knowledge, everything was installed properly. I've have the service guys at the dealer look several times, but they're never very helpful. It's been 2 years, and I've kind of given up on making it any better.
My question is, could it simply be the driver side shock not functioning properly? Would new shocks fix the problem? If so, any recommendations? Do they have to be the Fox ones specific to my leveling kit? Or is this something more serious (more expensive) and have to move on completely from the BDS level?
ok, start with shocks
visual exam. Do you see any lines of moisture/oil running down the tube? This would indicate your shock is leaking.
get a wrench and verify all the mounting bolds are tight.
Do you have a steering stabilizer? single or dual? With wider tires, the truck wants to follow every line in the road. dual stabilizers will firm it up
How many miles on the truck? could be normal wear and tear, could use some upgraded suspension parts.
Truck has 30,000 miles on it. I doubt it's normal wear and tear since I noticed it immediately after the truck was leveled when it had less than 5,000 miles. After the level and new tires/rims I put the single Fox steering stabilizer on there, and it made a huge difference in the bump steer (basically gone). To be clear, the bump steer is not the issue. My wheel doesn't pull or rattle side to side. It's simply the feel of that front shock or suspension not feeling tight or solid. Again, it's not a huge thing, and is only noticeable on certain bumps, but I'm positive I'm not imagining things.
I'll get under there after work and make sure things are tight, and inspect for oil.
Well the Springs are certainly broken in and settled by now. ~Most~ Aftermarket Springs are going to give you a better ride than stock, which some could consider "mushy" or "loose".
As stated, I'd start with Shock first, since that's the easiest / cheapest place to start, and can be done in the driveway with minimal tools / effort.
I'm reading two different descriptives, "loose" and rattle. Loose feel could be associated with alignment (caster) but a rattle would have nothing to do with caster. Besides the advice already given, visual inspection and throwing a wrench on the parts, an alignment check might also be a good place to start. Not only can they make sure its in spec but also might discover any loose or worn parts contributing to what you're experiencing. Because of the high torque spec on the trackbar I always wonder if some shops are not hitting the proper torque.
If it’s a loose feeling I’d start with castor shims. I had the same feeling on my F-250 at work after leveling and the castor shims brought it back to a stock planted feel. I just picked up 2 sets for when I level my 2020 F-350. The 23228 are the ones that Carli specs in they’re kits but I’m going to try the 23268 on the driver and the 23269 on the passenger side when I do my truck and see if that will get rid of the slight right pull that I have on the work truck.
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