Levelling kit questions

Hoping to get some insight,

Im looking to put an aftermarket bumper on my 4r and kind of expecting the front will look low with with the extra 70lb. Everything is in stock form at the moment. My question is will a front levelling kit solve this, and will my handling be adversely affected? (Already find this thing all over the place compared to a newer f150 i drive..just their nature i suspect)..

Thanks for any input

 

Hmmm, hard to tell. Is it a full steel plate bumper like mine or tubular? Winch included or without? When I spec’d my lift I included the bumper and winch installed and I am running about a 3” lift that is level with 700 lb. front springs.

 

FWIW, this low profile style bumper from Lost Trails plus a winch dropped my front end enough that I raised my front shock spring seats a notch (Eibach adjustable shocks). That likely approximates what a leveling kit would do height-wise but I don't know how your ride and handling would be affected. You may or may not know that you have to double whatever you're adding to get the actual lift. This is due to the front end geometry. In other words, adding a 1/2" spacer results in 1" of lift.

 

Thanks i didnt know about doubling the measurement

 

Your best bet is to invest in some aftermarket shocks like Bilstein 5100 or Eibach Adjustable shocks (they aren't expensive).

Both of those have multiple height setting that allow you to choose your lift height based on your application.

So let's say you want to stay at stock height. Measure that height, put your bumper on and measure again to see how much you've dropped. If it went down 1" in front, then you can put the new front shocks on and set them to 1" of lift (or more if you want more lift). You can use the stock spring with these shocks or you could add a heavier duty spring if you feel that would be beneficial.

The added benefit is the truck will feel more controlled with this shock set-up compared to the softer stock shocks. A leveling kit (usually just a spacer lift) will not improve the ride quality.

 

I just found the details on what the previous owner installed. It has Kyn gas-a-just shocks in the front.. i dont know how well they work, but maybe i will be alright and not have the front hang low.

 

If you just want to keep the look of your car a leveling spacer should work fine. If you're concerned about ride quality I'd say get some cheapish adjustable coilovers for the front.