I have a 2018 F150 3.5 ecoboost, 4x4 SuperCab with a Livernoise tune and a larger, open CAI. The suspension is stock. I am planning to build a home on a ripply gravel road six miles from nearest pavement. The road climbs 2000 ft in those six miles. Sometimes the county grades the road and it's pretty smooth, for a while. Most of the year it has washboard ripples in gravel over a large percentage of it. Driving over about 20 mph, the truck will rattle one's teeth from the corduroy road. I looked into using this as an excuse to upgrade to a Raptor, but there's a waiting list, and the dealers are adding 8-10K$ to list, making them around $90k, if and when I could get one. My F-150 only has 32,000 miles, runs great ( can get rubber in three gears) and is fully paid for. So...I am looking into a Garrett turbo upgrade and also seeking suspension advice. There are so many options. Can one of you knowledgeable suspension gurus tell me what would be a good setup so I could 'float' over these ripply roads at 40 mph without shaking the truck to pieces?

 

What’s the difference or need to go over said roads at 20 or 40 MPH.
The end result will be the same.

With that being said, it sounds like you’re just interested in the next phase of your F150 build.
Any aftermarket suspension setup will do what you’re interested in and you can go from mild…..which is nothing more than new shocks to an all out coil over setup with a lift and new control arms.

End the end, your budget will determine what you want or can afford.

Many if not most people modify their vehicles in the wrong direction and it looks like you did the same.
More power, then suspension, and maybe brakes.

The latter should have been the first modification or in your case the second modification.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I guess I could have been more specific. I am looking for suggestions on suspension mods to allow my truck to handle miles of washboard roads daily without rattling my teeth and the truck to pieces.

 

Welcome to FTE, ByronS,

I’m about to replace my worn shocks. Right now I have 7 year old stock shocks with 63k miles and a 2.25” spacer. The stock shocks were never great and are now bothersome.

There are a several options from mild to wild. A lift kit won’t do for a rough road, it’ll just make things worse. Right now, after extensive research, the best bang for the buck is this set from Eibach.

These springs

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/e3...t-springs.html

Combined with either Eibach or Bilstein 5100s. You don’t set the shock for any lift. The springs provide the 2.7” of lift. Then you benefit from longer suspension travel without the harshness of having the Bilstein or Eibach on the highest perch with stock springs, which will pre load the springs and make for a harsher ride.

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/15...shock-kit.html

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/15...sport-kit.html

i’ve looked at them all and read all of the reviews. This set up is the best bang for the buck. If you are going to put a bumper replacement/winch, you may want to consider the Bilstein 6112s.

There are more expensive coil overs out there from Fox, Icon, Elka, King, Radflo etc. prices start over $1k and go to $5k, just for some shocks. If you want to drive 70 up your rough road with a load in the truck, then the more expensive set up is for you

 

Thanks for the recommendation, This is the kind of info I was hoping for. I realize that a 2.7" lift in the front will make the truck slightly nose high, but I am also planning to put some kind of protective bars on the front as this road sees a lot of elk, deer, and pronghorn activity as well.

 

For elk and pronghorn, I would recommend a full front bumper replacement. I used to work for Ranch Hand years ago. Th bolt on grille guards are good for smaller animals and bump gates, but don't stand up to hits on mule deer, elk or high speed hits on white tails. A full front bumper/grille guard combo will bring the front down a little from the 2.7, giving you about 2.25. If you are going to put a winch in it, I would suggest the Bilstein 6112s with a 1/2" spacer on top.

https://frontier-gear.com/new-products/#ford

https://www.ranchhand.com/ford.html

 

I would see what the raptor guys are upgrading to. Fox or King with remote mount reservoirs would be good for that road and not over heat.

Run a lighter tire combo too. 315/70/17 goodyear territory or 295/70/18 terra grappler are 2 options.

 

Good luck with that...your road is what it is !! stiffing up your suspension will only increase your teeth rattle ??

 

A longer coil over with longer travel may be more firm on the road, but better off road as the spring rate and travel allow more suspension movement while keeping the shock form bottoming out or hitting the bump stop. Just an additional 2” of travel can make a huge difference.

 

Man...I was just going to suggest a Power Wagon when I thought it was more of a two-track with ruts and dips. If it's an actual dirt road...that would be mostly overkill.

I have a neighbor who needed construction supplies delivered to his cabin, about 2 miles off the main road down a rutted two-track, had to climb over a couple steep hills. He had it loaded in his heavy-duty dump trailer but his old half-ton kept getting stuck with the load and his Geo Tracker couldn't pull it. The Wagon had no issues.

The rest of these guys are correct, you're going to want shocks/springs that will articulate and 'absorb' the bumps like a Raptor's suspension (or whatever they're upgrading to)...or frankly like my Wagon has. I swear the thing rides better than my wife's '19 F150.