A Ford F150 leveling kit is used to increase the height of the truck from the front side. So the truck body shifts higher against the axles and, their height matches with the back stock size.
How to Install a Leveling Kit on a Ford F150? You can install the leveling kit on a Ford F150 by placing the jack stands. Disconnect strut and sway bar link and reconnect all the components. Attach the spacer and wheels. Tighten the bolts and control the arm latch. The cost of installing the leveling kit ranges from $300 to $2000. They increase the height by nearly 3 inches.
They help in parallelling the truck because usually, the manufacturer keeps the top part lower for the raked position.
Rake posture means they keep the front part a little lower than the backside of the Ford F150. As a result, the height of the front side height is usually 38inches and, the rear side is about 40inches high.
These leveling kits have various drawbacks as well as multiple benefits. Leveling kits are less expensive and, they use to increase the altitude of the truck from the front side. They also assist in enhancing the surface clearance from the ford.
They make you feel more comfortable and safe when you experience sudden stops and brakes.
How to Install a Leveling Kit on a Ford F150?
Balancing the truck is not as difficult as few people think. It is a do-it-yourself technique, but make sure you have a wise understanding and knowledge about the truck parts.
Before mounting the kit, make sure that you have chosen the proper technique that appropriates for your truck’s make and model.
If you find it hard to do the procedure yourself, you can hire a professional or expert mechanic for this strategy.
Check the leveling kit
Open the Ford F150 leveling kit, and check it contains essential parts, hardware, and six bolts. Also, make sure it has the manual book that assists you while installing the apparatus.
Read the instruction carefully, you should know about the parts, where they should place and how you can fasten them.
Park the Ford F150 and turn on the emergency brake
Park your pickup on the flat-level ground and switch on the emergency brake. The garage should vast, and you have enough space room for losing or tightening the screws.
Gather all the tools and collect thorough information about the screws, bolts, and parts of both the leveling kit and the truck.
Remove the wheel’s center cap
Loosen the middle cover with a flat head screwdriver or by using the flat tire iron. You can access the lug nuts by removing this cover.
Make sure to use a rag or soft cloth while discarding since it prevents the wheel from scratches and lines. Now remove the lug nuts with the help of a 21 mm socket, tire iron, or socket wrench.
Place the jack stands
Firstly, place the Ford F150 on an even surface and use the jack to lift the truck.
Never switch on the parking brakes because you may require to move the wheels during truck lifting. In addition, turning off emergency parking brakes will assists you inaccurately functioning.
Locate the two jack stands under the truck. It makes the Ford F150 much higher than the ground and, you can easily unscrew all the bolts or nuts by using appropriate tools. After disconnecting latches, remove the front two wheels.
Detach sway bar link
You should disconnect the sway bar link from the control arm because it is the easiest way to the open link itself. Take the 18mm socket to unbolt it.
Loosen ball junctions and strut latch
Take the hammer or arm puller to loosen the ball hookups and never disconnect bolts completely.
Once you use a hammer, knock the spindle across the junctions. Do not hit on the ball joint because it can harm the suspension.
Now unbolt the lower strut latch with a wrench or socket. It is a too much tight bolt that you can not open individually. I rent a power tool and take the help of a friend during loosening.
Remove strut, tierod, and Ubolts
After removing the strut bolts:
- Discard them by dropping off the control arm.
- Never put too much burden on the brake cords.
- Unbolt the outer tierod, old clips, and lower fastener along with the shock assembly and springs.
Fasten the spacer on the coil spring assembly. The spacer must be fixed between the top of the strut and the coil panel isolator.
Now attach the strut along with the coil spring and tighten their top bolts.
Add all parts
Assemble the bolts that come with a leveling kit, reattach all the components, suspension, and shocks similarly in reverse order. You should also follow the instruction book.
Before installing the spacer, you should attach the upper ball junctions and sway bar link to avoid any threat.
Tighten the bolts
After installing bolts and components, tighten them properly with a torque wrench. Never put extreme tension on them because it can harm the fasteners.
Attach tires
Fasten the pair of front wheels and now remove the jacks and lowering the Ford F150 gradually.
You should maintain the level from the ground as much as possible.
Tighten control arm bolts
After lowering the pickup and adding the wheels, tighten the bolts of the lower control arm with a socket wrench.
Is leveling kits and lift kits are same?
The functions of both are the same but, a leveling kit is modest and can increase height up to 3.5 inches.
They are a replacement of bigger front wheels and helping out to parallel the backside elevation with stock. They are less expensive and easy to install than lift kits.
Lift kits are complicated and expensive. However, these can increase the height of your truck from 2 to 10 inches by adapting the suspension parts.
In lifting your vehicle, you may also require to change the driveshaft, springs, shafts, and control arms.
What are the benefits of using leveling kit on your Ford F150?
They provide your truck an attractive and glamorous look by replacing your wheels. As a result, they become more eye-catching and stunning.
Inexpensive and easy to install
The leveling kits are inexpensive as compare to the benefits they to their users. However, their cost usually depends on the height, kit quality, and truck’s model.
These kits are easy to install and, you can do it at your home by following the instructions.
Better ground clearance
The most significant use of them is they help to increase the ground clearance by replacing the front bigger wheels. You can also add back bigger wheels on the truck.
These kits provide the clearance as much as the front tops.
Good for uneven roads
They are best to strengthen the off-road skills. They are ideal when you have to run the vehicle on sand, mud, rocks, dirt, and rough terrain.
They prevent the truck from unexpected damage caused by debris or sandy area. They also save you from accidents and control running because they have more sturdy or strong tires.
Can a leveling kit damage your Ford F150?
Few Ford owners buy the leveling kit by thinking they would change their vehicle’s broad look, but they provide minimum length.
They offer the lowest ground clearance and change their look slightly. If you want to increase more elevation of the truck, then you can install lift kits.
Suspensions get damage
Though leveling kits offer massive tires, they are more powerful and heavier than the vehicle’s wear and tear.
Leveling apparatus can cause to put more pressure on the suspension parts. So after a short time, you have to change these components to proper functioning.
Poor Fuel economy
When you install leveling kit, it means you have to modify the entire profile of your truck.
You might need to change the engine that can work harder with similar output. It leads to burn more energy than earlier.
The increased altitude is much expensive than the rest wheels of the truck. They also need more braking power and reduce the acceleration and speed.
How much does it cost to install leveling kit on Ford F150?
The cost of leveling kit depends on the vehicle condition, integrity, size, and model but, approximately prices of installing the apparatus and tools are
Leveling kit cost | $300 to $1000 |
When you install by yourself | $500 to $2000 |
When you install a kit from professional | $2000 to $3000 |
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