Leveling Kit info
 

Hey guys just wanted to know some info on leveling kits.
First off I wanted to know what is the usual cost of having
the leveling kit installed, what a good deal is and what a bad
one would be? I understand that costs differ from state to
state and city to city; what I'm looking for is more of a general
estimation.

Second what brand of leveling kit would be a reliable product
to buy from, from experience and reputation? I heard "airbags"
were great but I'm afraid that the heat here in Vegas, the
extreme weather in general, would affect it. So I'm leaning more
towards the spacers, but would like info on both.

Next I wanted to know which space 1" to 2.5" would give the
best flush look, I have a tonneau cover that I think has some
substantial weight so I don't want a sag. I would like either a
1.5" to 2" but am considering 2.5" if it is much straighter compared
to the others.

Are there any downsides to having a leveling kit? Once you have
the leveling kit on what else do you need to maintain the integrity
of the vehicle? I understand that after leveling a vehicle you need
an alignment, but are there any other things you need to do?

Thanks for the future comments and I'm always grateful for all the
help that you guys give, thanks again.

PS I have a 2wd dunno if you guys need anymore info.

I put on a 3" procomp leveling kit, cost about $200 but i installed it myself. It took me maybe 2 hours, and it was very simple and straight forward. You can search my albums and see what my truck looked like before and after if you want. I did notice that my front was about an inch higher than the back, but i did have a tonneau cover that was about that high installed over the bed and I never thought the front was up too high unless I looked only at the lower half of the truck. You could do a 2.5 or a 2 inch leveling kit and it would make it about even, but I have heard of some trucks getting a 3" and it settling down to a 2" after a few months of driving. idk how true that is, but it is definitely food for thought.
Airbags are usually for the rear of the truck, so if you wanted to do those with the leveling kit, you could, and you could basically lift the truck, 3" in the front and 1" in the back. :D
Any other questions feel free to ask. :)

3" woud be too much for a 2wd and I think the settling happens on the polymer style lift kits.

I have a hell bent steel 2.5" leveling kit for 04-08 2wd. It was around $70 I think. If you do not want to install it yourself find a shop that'll quote you for removing and reinstalling the two front struts (that is what I was quoted). I ended putting them in myself with some jacks, proper wrenches and a metal bar to use for leverage. I'll post some pics later because I just realized I deleted them by accident a few months back and can't access my photobucket. If you are a member on F150Online or TruckModCentral just look me up there. I've got some pictures over there that should show how my truck is sitting now. I also posted a thread on F150online when I installed them and included before and after pics.

That's awesome! Yeah I'm most likely going to end up installing it myself, with my girl's step-dad because he's a mechanic. Just wanted to see how much just in case I got lazy.

Both of you're trucks look awesome and I'm settling more on the 2.5", and I think I'll go with the steel spacers that you just mount on top of the strut. I was wondering if you guys know if there is a difference between the materials, I guess there is a polymer and steel kind? Was just wondering which would you guys prefer? I've talked to a guy at my work who had a leveling kit and he said the steel kind is the way to go and that the other stuff makes a squealing sound after awhile. Is that true?

I see, about the airbags I won't be getting that then haha. Don't want to do too much on the truck, just want to lessen the factory rake. From you guys' experience and from what you've heard are there any downsides to putting on a leveling kit? Any extra maintenance? I'm getting extra money from the army and hopefully am able to install the leveling kit soon. Any reputable brands I should shop for? Thanks again for you guys' help its very much appreciated.

I didnt even think about the 2wd being lower than the 4wd, but that makes total sense...
I did the steel because of the durability factor, I know that I won't have to worry about them. I could see the polymer spacers squeaking, but I haven't dealt with them at all so I don't know for sure.
The only difference in the leveling kit maintenance wise is that you should make sure nothing rubs anywhere in the suspension after they are installled, mine was close, and i had a mechanic that did a brake job for me tell me that I shouldn't jump the truck or do anything that would rapidly extend the shocks because it might break something important, like the springs... lol. So yeah, keep that in mind :cheesy smile:

I just looked online and am wondering is there a difference between the aluminum and steel spacers?

Awesome. Yeah I'm thinking more towards the steel spacers also. And my tires aren't too big so rubbing shouldn't be a major problem. Would bull bars make my front sag? Or do you guys think it'll be okay on 2.5"?

yes... but there really won't be much of a difference as far as i know. The steel will be stronger, but the aluminum should be cheaper/lighter so if you don't have the money for steel, the aluminum should do fine. but then again they might be the same price, so get the steel. :D

i Hope that helps :D

I didn't see that comment, and I dont think the bull bars would be a problem at all, and if they did make the front heavier they would only help make it more level :cool:

Lol you'd be surprised to here that the Aluminum one was the the more expensive, but
yeah I want to get the steel ones. What tools would I need to install them? A jack, stands, some wrenches...? Thanks.

yeah, I guess people will pay more "knowing" that there is less weight so it is worth more... but yeah, I think it isn't going to make sense to buy a weaker product for more money... :giggle:
Yes aluminum is strong, but steel is for sure stronger, so I would think that it would be best to get the stronger... :), especially if it is cheaper.

Awesome! I just wanted to get the one that covers my grill. Not the fancy one where it covers the lights and all. It's okay bro, I'm glad you reply this community is of much help to me. thanks

that isn't what I would buy, but it should do the trick... :cheesy smile:
and yes, this forum is great for getting actual help without too many side conversations, but those can be fun too :D

Actually the aluminum ones are a tad heavier because they are a solid chunk that is milled out while the steel ones are two plates welded to a cylinder, but neither one should be any weaker than the other. The aluminum ones are for people that want the blingy look.

And I've really liked my kit and haven't had any trouble with them. The company also sent them pretty quick when I ordered. Just take your time installing them and you wont have any trouble.

Lol and some forums have really snotty dudes who just reply to add comment count. It
gets pretty annoying after awhile. I see, I'm not really a flashy guy and I dislike chrome
so I guess I'll just be staying with the steel ones. Had another question, does the kit
come with a manual for installing or it just comes with the spacer and bolts?

I would bet that it does come with a sheet of paper that says "remove shocks, install spacer using original bolts, use provided nuts to reinstall shocks"... well it might not be that simple, but pretty close :D if it doesn't have a manual or something I am sure that you can find stuff online.

Yeah, I can't stand people who make random posts just to show they can type. Luckily that is not an issue over here. I'll usually post to a thread to show the OP that people are reading just because it often slow over here.

They came with some pretty decent directions but it is also a pretty intuitive assembly. The most important things are the torque specs. Also, make sure you look at the truck and have a socket for just about every part. I ended up having to take the struts out so you may need a wrench big enough for that big bolt...but you may be able to muscle it. I was a skinny 120ish kid when I installed them myself. :giggle:

Longshot has some great advice. Make sure you have sockets and or wrenches big enough for some of the LCA bolts. If I remember correctly, the bottom strut bolt is 1.75" nut or something.

I put on a 2.5" ProComp leveling kit. ~$100 and installed in 2 hours. Make sure you secure those back tires, these trucks are heavy, and a bit intimidating up in the air on jack stands.

I also fabricated a 1" rear block to add to my current 2" factory supplied block that the FX4s come with. So I'm 2.5" up in the front and 3" up in the back. I have a heavy bed cover so I'm pretty close to level now.

If you are planning on towing anything, your truck will sag, and air bags come in very handy, however, if you are planning on doing any 4-wheeling (like me!) , the air bags drastically limit the rear end articulation (not like it has a bunch anyways...).

I would definitely recommend HBS too. They make a quality product, but no complaints with my ProComp setup.

Cheers,
MileHigh

Yeah so actually I received the package expeditiously, It didn't come with
an actual instructions manual but they did give me some high speed stickers
lol. It's okay though as they sent me to the website and had a pdf of the
manual which I think is a lot better in a "green" sense. So I just shot it to
my ipad and looked from time to time as my girlfriends stepdad and I worked
on it.

Yeah bro, I hate those dude's that just leave useless comments and stuff, it's
funny cuz they think their sarcastic and bs statements are helping the poster
when in fact it's just annoying.

As I stated up there though I didn't receive instructions but was guided to the
website. Actually my girlfriends stepdad didn't even need the manual that much
he just looked at the pictures from time to time, this is because he was a prior
ford mechanic, just to see how they did it. But all in all didn't even really need
to borrow any parts from autozone because he had impact wrenches and
all the sockets and wrenches that were necessary for the job. didn't even
need a torque wrench cuz the impact corrected many of the torque specs.
All in all the job took us less than an hour and ten minutes. Would have been
faster, but he took the first side slow so I can memorize the system. And I
did the other side by myself. Those impact wrenches really helped. After I got
my alignment today, I waited a day after the installation to get it done, the
difference is very noticeable to me and it remains the same ride as it was prior to the installation and am overall very happy with the product.

Now only if a water bottle didn't magically open in my backpack and doused
my amp for my door speakers with water everything would be tip top on my
truck lol. I'm resorting to my ipod and headphones at the moment because
the only speaker working on my truck at the moment is my bass. It sounds
like I have war music blasting in my truck when I try to play something.

Awesome, yeah I don't go off roading my truck is only a 2x4 so all that other
stuff isn't necessary for my application. Just wanted the factory rake gone.
HBS has an awesome product from what I've seen so far the spacer looks
very solid! As far as towing, I guess maybe after I purchase a motorcycle
trailer I will see some sag, but I put a 2.5" lvling kit and have a solid tonnaue
cover in the back and from just looking at the side profile the truck looks very leveled and I could not be more happy with the end result.

I want to thank you guys for commenting and really appreciate the help that
you guys provide. Thank you very much and I hope you guys have a good one.