Truck Suspension Upgrade

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Looking to increase the performance and comfort of my '23 F150 on forest roads and level it out at the same time. I've been reading up on these options and have a winner or two in my head, curious to see what others think. I'll also be putting 33's/34's on 17's with a CASE compressor for air down/up. Will also install rear shocks to match and new UCA's up front.

I don't think my use case necessitates adjustable reservoirs, but if it's reallyyyyyy worth it I'm open to it. Or if it's really beneficial to have them in the rear but not quite as necessary up front, that would help keep cost down a bit. I think airing down will lessen the need for adjustable resi's. No towing/hauling concerns besides hunting gear and coolers, boat doesn't even require putting the truck in tow mode. I am aware that some of these are rebuildable and some are not.

 

[BuckRut]

Not much input on the suspension upgrades but do you have the room and the brakes for 34s with no lift or offsets? Most of the F150s I've seen are a little short of room for that.

 

[Marshfly]

Normal FS road use doesn't warrant the King or Fox 2.5s. Especially on a half ton. I have used the BIlstein 6112/5160 setup on my last Ram 1500. It was by far the best close to stock setup I've ever ran or ridden in on a half ton truck. Ate washboard like it wasn't even there. Felt like a true, sporty, off-road, stock suspension should be. Loved that setup. You will want something that comes with new coils. The 6112s do.

Now that I'm back in an HD Ram I went Fox 2.0 from Thuren with his coils. The big secret is better coils/leafs with new shocks to match. Anything using stock springs will ride pretty much like it does now with the lack of bump handling that comes with that.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Not much input on the suspension upgrades but do you have the room and the brakes for 34s with no lift or offsets? Most of the F150s I've seen are a little short of room for that.

The coilovers will add 2" to 2.5" of lift in the front to clear the larger tires. Based on what I'm seeing on Custom Offsets, no rubbing or trimming required with a 285/75 R17 (about 33 x 11.5), though exact tire size varies (34.1 x 11.6 in AT4W). I'm going to ask around before committing there.

I'm looking at 0mm offset Method's for wheels. But I do want to clear some of the beefier Rek Tek mud flaps so if I need to be closer to that true 33 I'll size down a bit.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Normal FS road use doesn't warrant the King or Fox 2.5s. Especially on a half ton. I have used the BIlstein 6112/5160 setup on my last Ram 1500. It was by far the best close to stock setup I've ever ran or ridden in on a half ton truck. Ate washboard like it wasn't even there. Felt like a true, sporty, off-road, stock suspension should be. Loved that setup. You will want something that comes with new coils. The 6112s do.

Now that I'm back in an HD Ram I went Fox 2.0 from Thuren with his coils. The big secret is better coils/leafs with new shocks to match. Anything using stock springs will ride pretty much like it does now with the lack of bump handling that comes with that.

I've heard that Bilstein setup is harsh compared to the Eibach and Fox options. I haven't thought about replacing leaf springs, but maybe I should look into it.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Depends on your budget. I have Eibach Pro Truck on my 08 Tundra and I’ve been happy with those, but I didn’t want to drop a ton of money.

 

[SloppyJ]

I've tried 5100s and the like of cheaper adjustable struts. They all rode like shit. Excessive downforce caused teeth rattling pothole hits.

I've decided when it's time to swap them I'm going withthe adjustable foxes or Kings all the way around.

The ONLY one I would consider would be the 6112s but I don't think they're going to be what I want. I've found if they ride good then they will sag eventually.

 

[CorbLand]

I had 5100s all around on my first gen tundra and the thing rode better when it was stock and had the 4600s. I dont know that I will go with Bilstein's ever again.

 

[Marshfly]

I've heard that Bilstein setup is harsh compared to the Eibach and Fox options. I haven't thought about replacing leaf springs, but maybe I should look into it.

Mine wasn't harsh at all, admittedly on a Ram. But you can't have plush on the road and controlled in the dirt. One requires lower spring rates and softer shocks. The other requires heavier springs and stiffer shocks. Just the way physics works. Something plush on the road would get blown through to the bump stops in the dirt. Unless you significantly increase travel but that's a whole other can of worms.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Depends on your budget. I have Eibach Pro Truck on my 08 Tundra and I’ve been happy with those, but I didn’t want to drop a ton of money.

I was going to do a full 4" BDS lift with the Fox 2.0 shocks and 35's but decided to stay a little lower with a smaller tire. That was going to be $4k+. so I'm not averse to spending close to that, it's just a question of if the juice is worth the squeeze. Just for parts not including UCA's, some of the price differences would be:

Eibach - $1200
Fox 2.0 - $1300
Icon Stage 2 - $2000

Fox 2.5 - $3600
Icon Stage 5 - $3500

Reviews of the Fox 2.0's indicate it might be the best value for the ride type I'm looking for. The Icon's have the digressive valving that makes it a little stiffer on pavement.

 

[Marshfly]

Mine wasn't harsh at all, admittedly on a Ram. But you can't have plush on the road and controlled in the dirt. One requires lower spring rates and softer shocks. The other requires heavier springs and stiffer shocks. Just the way physics works. Something plush on the road would get blown through to the bump stops in the dirt. Unless you significantly increase travel but that's a whole other can of worms.

All of this is plus 2 or 3 when you load the truck up for a hunting trip with hundreds or a thousand pounds of people and gear. Why I moved to a 3/4 ton truck. I always felt like I was about to break the half tons.

 

[KurtR]

My brother builds shocks for a living. He is not that far away from you lives in Star Idaho. He builds a bunch of stuff with bilstein or penske . When he starts to get real technical I dont under stand all the valving and rebound rates or spring stuff. I know he doesnt like fox for any thing. More or less rebranded with a fox sticker on it

 

[BigAl!]

You can't go wrong with any of those choices for your use case.

 

[Djacker]

I have the Eibachs on my Silverado, they are great.

 

[Cameron.25]

I voted icon cause that's what I went with, got the reservoirs for the front only, not sure i needed them or not. They ride great, were a tad squeaky for about 2k miles but I've got about 25k miles on them now and no complaints. I know most people go with bilsteins and are happy with them tho

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

My brother builds shocks for a living. He is not that far away from you lives in Star Idaho. He builds a bunch of stuff with bilstein or penske . When he starts to get real technical I dont under stand all the valving and rebound rates or spring stuff. I know he doesnt like fox for any thing. More or less rebranded with a fox sticker on it

What shop is he with?

 

[Sccritterkiller]

What engine and what's your gearing? You can get the best lift, tires, ect but if your gearing isn't right you won't be able to get out of your own way. I have yet to lift a truck/Jeep/Bronco and not had to regear.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

What engine and what's your gearing? You can get the best lift, tires, ect but if your gearing isn't right you won't be able to get out of your own way. I have yet to lift a truck/Jeep/Bronco and not had to regear.

3.5 Ecoboost with 3.31 gears. Figure I'll tune it first and see how it performs before regearing if necessary.

Tires will definitely be heavier but the stockers are 32.7 dia I believe. So not a huge step up in diameter.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

3.5 Ecoboost with 3.31 gears. Figure I'll tune it first and see how it performs before regearing if necessary.

Tires will definitely be heavier but the stockers are 32.7 dia I believe. So not a huge step up in diameter.

You will need at least 3.7s, 3.9s would be better to turn 34s efficiently...all the tune will do is make the turbo work constantly and change shift points. Use longer SS break lines as well. Replace your front rotors with drilled and/or slotted when they need replaced...it will keep the heat down and they will last longer than the stock rotors with the bigger tires. I have a '21 f250, 90'YJ, and a '75 Bronco they are all lifted and they all have the suggestions above, except the 250 haven't had to replace the rotors yet, but they are sitting on a shelf in the garage when needed.

 

[Marshfly]

I would adjust the speedometer for the tire size and run it before worrying about gearing. A lot of the newer trucks with the 8 and 10 speed transmissions adapt to larger tires much better than expected as long as you tell the truck the correct wheel circumference. You wouldn't think it but getting that right makes a much larger difference than people think in how a modern truck drives.