7 Best leveling & lift kits for Ford F-150 & Buyers Guide (2020)

Leveling / Lift kits are perfect way to lift the front of the vehicle and avoid sagging as well as gives a ground clearance advantage. You will be able to have the front of the truck at the same level as its back and besides practical advantage, it will give your truck a more aggressive and dependable look. However, it’s really important to make sure you’ve chosen the proper kit (leveling or lift kits) for your vehicle. Otherwise, the effect you’re trying to get won’t meet your expectations. This article will disclose all features of a range of leveling/lift kits, provide all pros and cons and cover all kit related issues

Lift kits vs Leveling kits. Which is for you?

This is the most common dilemma among drivers of SUVs and off-road vehicles. The answers lie in what target you are pursuing with buying the kit. The thing is that lift kits are used for rough terrains and they usually demonstrate a higher lift than leveling kits. The later ones are designed to balance your car. What’s more, lift kits are more expensive due to their broader use and are harder to install. To make a proper choice, follow the link for more information

Most people have no idea what leveling kit is. But now, if you've looked at the front of your truck, you may have noticed that the front sits are a lot lower than they do for the rear. Ford does this from the factory to help maintain better stability of the vehicle and all driving situations.

A lot of people find this unsightly and that is what the leveling kit is for. So basically what it consists of in most situations is a polyurethane spacer that you're going to put in between the front coil spring in the cold spring bucket. It's going to raise the front of the truck up level with the rear. So you're going to be able to put a lot larger tire under the truck and it just makes the overall appearance of the vehicle much more appealing.

So leveling kits come in a variety of sizes. Basically they start at three quarters of an inch and you'll generally see them go all the way up to two and a half inches depending on your application. Now leveling kits don't just strictly single out the front. There's also a kit that will level the front and the rear with spacers of different sizes and as well as there are some suspension lifts that are designed to level the vehicle as well.

Basically that leveling kit is going to give you that small bump and lift height to put on a little bit larger tire size. If you're not looking to make huge modifications to your vehicle or let's say, you do have a very tall lifted Ford and you need that little extra bit of lift, you can stick a leveling kit in there to go from let's say you run in 37th and you just need that extra lift for 40s you might want to look at a leveling kit to get the job done okay.

The prices for leveling kits can vary greatly. Generally speaking, the kits are much cheaper if to compare with lift kits say. On the average the money you will have to spend can be between 200-500$, whereas for lift kits you have to expect to pay between 200-1200$. However, the price depends on many factors. Firstly, the type of a kit makes difference. Secondly, you should take into account what other parts come with the kit (spacers, shock-extensions, etc). If you buy a full kit, be ready to pay extra. In addition, installation of a kit may require extra expenses. Thus, if you have to use a garage service, you can add to a price 300-500$. But bear in mind, decent quality needs good investment.

Leveling kits are famous for their durability. However, it also depends on the materials they are made of. There are three main types: aluminium, steel, and molded polyurethane. All of them serve really well. But polyurethane is more heat, oil, and ultraviolet light-resistant. Most kits of high quality use this material for their leveling parts. As a result, they can serve you for years.

When it comes to choosing a levelling kit, everyone may ask themselves a question how easy it is to install it on their trucks. Leveling kits have the biggest advantage over any other lift kits: they are really easy to install. What you need is some hand tools, some garage or any other space that can be used for this purpose, some spare time and a good video with instructions.

In fact you don’t have to replace a lot of parts to install the kit. What you need is dismantle some components of the suspension you have. Although if your truck has to have coil springs detached, you will need a professional help with kit installation.

Taking into consideration the simplicity of levelling kit installation (see the answer above), it doesn’t take long. If you have all tools needed at hand, it may take a few hours of your time. Another thing that matters is how experienced in car servicing you are. If you are familiar with fundamentals, it may take about an hour for one side of your truck. If you have any doubts as for your capacities or experience, go ahead and use the help of a professional. However, you may need more time to wait for your vehicle to be serviced.

Yep. The headlights. Think about it. If the truck normally covers the road with light, what will it be, if you leveling or lift the clearance? The answer is headlights gonna be pointing in people's eyes. Shocking, isn't?

So, you do have the ability to adjust the headlights to get them back down a little bit further. Its real simple to do. You, basically, just park your truck in front of a wall at night and you can adjust them.

Special attention should be paid to the way how driveshaft is working. The thing is that the driveshafts have their own limit angle of inclination at which they can work. So, keep in mind that, the larger the angle of inclination - the faster your driveshaft wear capacity goes off.

Leveling kits are really popular with drivers. They help make the ride more comfortable and protect the vehicles at the same time. However, leveling kits are more typical features of pickups. The reason is that they come from the factory with a rake. In order to balance the truck, leveling kits are commonly installed. Despite the fact that leveling kits are rarely marketed for such vehicles as SUVs and jeeps, the drivers do install them. As any other truck, they have a tendency to wear out their suspension due to a load or sagging can start with the time. For these reasons, the owners use leveling kits to lift the front level of the vehicle.

Commonly leveling kits are easy to install. It definitely depends on what kit you buy, but in general the process won’t be too complicated and you will have to replace a few parts in your vehicle. However, it’s a mechanical process and it needs good preparation and a wide range of tools available in your garage. So before you get started, make sure you have the following:

• Floor jack and jack stands rated for the correct weight
• Wrenches (18 mm, 15 mm, 17 mm, 21mm) S
• Screw driver
• Pliers
• Hammer
• Extra nuts, bolts and screws in case you misplace yours
• Ratchet
• PB Blaster
• 15mm Socket.
• 7/32 Allen Wrench.

To sum up, we do hope the information selected in this article will help you make the right choice, make your vehicle parts more durable, help you face road challenges bravely and save your money.

To choose a proper kit for your particular car is not an easy task. It may require a profound research and can be time-consuming as well as costly at times. This is the reason why you need to make a priorities list first. Think carefully what you expect from your leveling kit. Take all the criteria in consideration before making your final decision.

Keep in your mind that some kits despite their durability, good price and high quality, may not fit your truck anyway. Some leveling kits are designed for professional drivers only, so if you are lack of experience better have a look at another one. Some of them are really hard to be installed or may not include any installation guide, so you will have to have it installed in the car service , which means extra expenses. In addition, some kits have all features you can dream about and seem perfectly fit, if not only one drawback: they don’t lift your truck at a needed level.

Thus, if you are thinking of purchasing a really good leveling kit for your vehicle and never regret buying it, be ready to shell out. We highly recommend Rough Country - 510.20-2.5-inch Suspension Leveling Lift System, MotoFab Lifts F150-2 – 2 and Rancho Suspension QuickLIFT Loaded Strut and Shock Kit. They have all characteristics a driver may think of, and the price is an only disadvantage of them. However, when you see them at work, you will have no doubts that you’ve made the right choice. They are really worth it!

Bear in mind all recommendations listed above and you will definitely have the best kit ever!

Resources:

1. Lift kits vs Leveling kits, realtruck
2. Installing a Leveling Kit on an F150, instructables