I just bought an 01 f150 lariat,sc,sb, 4x4, offroad pkg. This truck replaces my 94 Mazda B4000(Ranger) that was stolen about a month ago. On that truck I had a K&N, Bosch+4 plugs, Jacob's wires, hi-flo cat & a gibson cat-back. I presume similar products exist for the 150. I plan on upgrading whenever anything needs replacing.
Are there any mods that I should do right now? I'm mostly interested in improving mpg at this point.

Also I mostly use the 4x4 for trips to the mountains for snow skiing(25-30 trips a year) and some really lightweight wheeling when I'm out camping(7-10 trips per year). So the extra height on the offroad package is not needed. I only got it because all the 4x4s that were left came with it and I didn't want to wait for a special order.

Does anyone know what the height difference is on the stock 4x4 v. the 4x4 w/ the offroad package?

What is involved in bringing the truck down to stock 4x4 height? Is it just changing out the blocks on the axles? My reason for doing this would be to improve handling on the winding mountain roads and hopefully a slight improvement in mpg.

 

As far as I know, the only difference in the off-road package is the wheel and tire sizes and that sticker on the bed. There may be a small height advantage due to the slightly larger tires. The shocks may be a little different. Do you have 265/70/17 tire/wheel combos? There is also a 7700 GVWR truck that came with 7 lug wheels that actually has 245/75/16, load rated tires, and would be a little shorter. I suspect that the best handling and mileage will come with the factory suspension and tire sizes, although a slight mileage improvemnt may be seen with a taller tire, depending on which ratio rear axle you have. I suspect it's the 3.73, and you could use a taller tire. 285/75 is probably the largest on a factory rim with no lift. Unless something has chaned since 99, the only block to be removed has the Bump stop on it and should not be removed. As far as the other performance mods, the typical ignition, intake and exhaust mods are good, but waiting for something to fail could take 100,000 miles on your Ford :-)

Greg

99 F150, 5.4 , 4" Suspension lift , 315/75r16 tires

 

Just looking at the truck it appears taller than just the 1/2" gained going from a 16" tire to a 17. That block I am talking about is the one between the axle and the springs. It looks to be about 4" thick. I'm not thinking of removing it altogether but replacing it. At the dealer yesterday, I saw an "Roush"(sp?) version of the F-150 4x4 w/ 18" tires and a block one about half the size of the one on my truck.
A quick note on the handling of the truck. It has greatly improved over the last couple of days. I guess it just took a little while to get used to it as I had been driving a loaner the past month- an import so small I could practically do donuts w/o leaving my lane.
My truck has the 6500lb rating w/ a 3.55 limited slip. I felt the 3.73 was more than I needed as I was getting the 5.4L.
As far as the mods go I guess I'll do them when I have some extra money. The air filter first then plugs & wires, followed by exhaust.

One question: Who has the best service manual? Is the shop manual worth the extra $$? I used to do do virtually all maintenance and repairs- but that was on my '57 F100 and Datsun p/u back when I had a garage. Now, garageless, I'm limited to repairs and maintenance that can be done outside in less than 48hrs(the weekend).

 

shouldn't have to worry about buying plug wires. If you do let me know!

 

I shouldn't have to replace the plug wires? Before I ask why I'll go take a closer look at what's on there.

 

Replace the factory air filter with the K&N one. That will help. As for the lowering the rear of the truck and stuff, why mess with a good thing? Leave the truck alone. Put fancier tires and rims on if you want, but don't mess with the mechanics of the truck. The factory manuals are great to have. They will help out greatly, worth the extra $$. There's not alot to do on the new trucks for maintinance. oil changes, air and oil filters, plugs, and grease fittings, differential oils, transfer case oil and tranny fluid changes.The amount of maintinance items is cut way down now. And besides, look under the hood today and see how hard it is to do basic things like hoses and that may change your mind. Everything is shoehorned in now. They're designed now so you have to take them back to the dealer for service. I worked for Ford for almost 15 years and many a factory rep told me that this was the game plan at Ford, to get the customer to come to the dealer for all service needs, no matter how small. Enjoy the truck and work on it when it needs it.The plugs and wires will last you pretty near 100,000 miles now.

 

Well the differance between the 2 styles of trucks isnt much, i have a 2000 F150 Sport 4x4 and a friend who has the same year truck only OffRoad edition and we only noticed the height differance when parked side by side and i was about an inch shorter we both have the same rubber/rims we figure its in the springs and just part of the package, best bet ask your dealer !!

Later

 

The only difference between the off road package and the non is 17" tires and wheels, different shocks, and skid plates. The only difference in height is from the tires. You can get up to a 305/70-17 on a stock 4x4. The reason you don't need to worry about plug wires is because the 5.4 doesn't use plug wires...it uses coil packs.

Lok

97 F-150 Supercab 4x4, 4.6 V8, 4R70W Auto
Lifted, 35" tires, 4.56 gears, and a whole lot more.

 

Hey Pilot,
Congrats on the new toy.

I have a `97, 4X4 Off-Road w/96k on it.
I`ve replaced, the tires, front pads, oil every 3k, tranny fluid twice, air filter 10 times. But EVRYTHING ELSE is original.
I`m wondering how long the water pump and serpintene belt will live. I`m gonna put plugs in it soon and replace the serpintene belt and flush and replace the coolant.

Just letting you know that this Ford was built Tough, knock on wood. Right now its running great, like the first day I got it.

Bill