Hi guys,
I just swapped the stock Goodyears for a set of 285/70/17 BFG's on my 2003 F150 SuperCrew FX4 5.4L. Coulnd't be happier with this addition. However, I want to pick the front end up about an inch, maybe inch-and-a-half to level it out with the rear as well as to get a little more tire clearance. I'm thinking about tightening the torsion bars to get that little extra hike in the front. I haven't done this on any other vehicle. What is involved and what are the pro's/con's? Also, any recomendations on other courses of action? Thanks.

 

If you want to lift it just tighten the bolt equally on both sides and when you are done measure at the bumper corners to insure they are the same. (make sure you are located on a perfectly level area to get accurate measerments. I don't know of any cons against it if I am wrong some one will pipe in and tell you. good luck

Lance

 

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an inch to a inch and a half wont hurt it, actaully about all it will do is throw your allignment off, just enough to wear your front tires. I cranked mine about 3 weeks ago and i am happy with it. I too also needed a little more clearence for my tires, so it was a cheap easy fix. 2 inches and up i have heard that it will eat up your axle shafts. There is a big topic in this forum somewhere about torsion bars and cranking them up. The posts from that topic where a big help for me, do a search for"TORSION BARS" you will find it.

 

Just finished tightening both driver and passenger torsion key bolts 2 turns. I took it on the interstate to feel for alignment/ride problems and it's smoother now than before. I got 2" of lift for everything in the front. The only complication is that my tires will wear faster on the outside because of the positive camber created. With some healthy rotations, this is a fair price to pay for the added clearance and stunning good looks.

 

I cranked mine about 2 weeks ago and love it. Although my 285's fit fine, the added lift in the front makes all the difference in ride and appearance. I found the front end to be very bouncy before i cranked the torsin bars and although the ride is noticably stiffer, i love it and found that it is making all the difference. I can only imagine how it will help when we go out 4 wheeling in the desert.

However, Ford cranked mine to the max. Apparently the left side gets cranked a bit more then the right side to accomodate the added weight of a driver. Why does the right side not get cranked all the way as well? Well, their answer was that there will always be a driver, but there might not always be a passenger. So they cranked mine until the point that the left (driver's side) bottomed out and adjusted the right side accordingly. This being said, and after reading the previous messages, what do i need to be concerned about with the axle shafts and how much is my alignment out?

Thanks.

 

Sounds like it is bettter lifted then lower. Can you tell me how that will impact your MPG? will it increase or decrease. Just For FYI.
Thanks
Lance

 

You should go get a alignment.It's only half the price of one tire.You'll need zsome camber adjusted which is real easy.Just did it .Although I only lifted it about 1 1/4 inches,the alignment went from perfect to out 3/4of a degree on camber and toe was off also.So anyone who think's they can lift any incrament and not get a alignment is going to pay later with the price of two tires.It won't take long .Also when you crank up all the way the adjuster bolt is on one hell of a angle to the torsion rod ear and risk breaking it off.That last 1/2 inch of lift isn't worth the risk.it does also get into a bad angle for your axle shafts.I would lower it just a bit and get a alignment.Why reck things on purpose.And it will.

 

I just did mine, four complete turns and its close to level but not quite, very happy overall with the look and still drives nice and straight with a little bit more stiffness. I have the 265's on there and I plan on going to 285's soon, I'm really eager to kill these current tires (crappy goodyear rts) and go to a quality tire so I'll take the risk on not doing a wheel alignment for now, and if its out, I"ll do it when I replace the tires.

 

OH,beleive me it's out.I think it's anything over one inch and it will be out enough to wear your tires.Just the way the geometry is.As your suspension goes down the camber goes in at the top.I degree will effect wear.I went up 1 1/2 inch and mine was way out after.Drove down the road great but on the alignment machine it was way off.

 

I cranked my bars an inch and a half or so, and I put it back to stock less than a year later. It seems that you lose the bottom travel in the suspension and the truck would bottom out if you turned off the edge of pavement onto a gravel approach for example. That drop off the edge of pavement would make a loud "clunk" and I just hated it. It sounded like something was going to break. I'm not saying that it would have broken, but I just didn't like it. I did not notice any abnormal wear on my tires and I didn't get an alignment done. I liked the way the truck looked with the bars cranked, but I am much happier with the stock setting, that's just me. I am now at 45000 miles with about 15000 of that with the bars cranked. The tires are still wearing very even, but they may have worn out prematurely if I had not returned to the stock setting, I just dont' know.

 

I guess it would depend on the truck and how the alignment is to start.But you usually can visually see the camber after lifting a inch or so.The top of the tires go in.My truck was a sc4x47700 2002.Never noticed any clunking like B-7700-4x4 has experienced.Don't know what that would be.My driving is on/and off road and my suspension is very quiet on all kinds of terrain.Maybe his truck was a little higher from factory than mine ....Making his 1 1/2 inch lift too high.Idunno.Mine is up 1 1/2 inch and I still have about 1/2inch off threads left on the adjuster bolts.I have noticed that these trucks (f150 4x4) all seem to look diffrent hight's from factory.I'm not sure the factors that dictate this,if any.Maybe optical allusion.

 

After further testing I decided to crank her down to three turns, it was alot stiffer than I thought, now she soaks up the bumps way better. Just dont like too stiff of a ride considering this truck is mostly a pavement princess. besides a slight incline looks pretty cool also.

 

I'm at a bit of a understanding loss with the alignment issue here - can you guys help me?

So once the torsion bars are cranked to 1" or 1.5", are you gentlemen saying that the alignment shops will not be able to fully align the truck's tires? If so, just how high can we go before we hit this alignment limit?

Is there any kit we could buy to get the 1.5" lift and be fully aligned?

What size socket are we using here? Did ya use penetrating oil (Parts Blaster)?

and, lastly, are aftermarket shocks required for this lift?

1999 F-150 XL 4x4, Ext. cab long bed

Thanks!

Gamma

 

The truck can be aligned they are saying or reccommending to have it done, if you go a 1 to 2 " no you don't need new shocks. Not sure on the socket size it's been awhile since I messed with mine.

Lance