I am enjoying my 2015 f150 fx4, but after two years and 45k miles, it's time for a new set of tires.

Stock tires are 275/55-20. Thinking going little larger to 275/60-20 or 275/65-20. Probably nitro terra grapplers g2.

Question is if the leveling kit (2") would really mess up the ride? Make it much harsher? Can't decide if a leveling kit is necessary for that size tire, but it's mostly for looks.

What are your experiences? Thanks

pretty much everybody has their own opinions

my 3/4 4x4 Ram was about 7" higher than my 3/4 ton 73 Chev 2x4;

while I liked being up a bit in traffic it was a PIA climbing UP and climbing DOWN;

while I'd never do it to one of my own rigs on purpose, the Ram was OEM.

If it ain't my truck or my money, I don't have an opinion that counts for much.

Since you asked, " it's mostly for looks. "

Maybe so but it ain't what I want for my own rig.

My Z71 is leveled and no it doesn't change the ride significantly. The 305/55/20's do, but it's still a pretty good riding truck.

Leveling and tires will affect fuel consumption, but by how much is anyone's guess.

275/55/20 is a 32" tire.
275/60/20 is a 33" tire.
275/65/20 is a 34" tire.

I definitely think you'll need a bit of lift to clear 34's and maybe 33's.

When did a lift kit start getting called a leveling kit?

Two inches is a modest lift and won't mess up steering geometry or driveline angles. I assume it has independent front suspension. With IFS the alignment will be affected. If you have enough adjustment to get the camber and caster back to specs there is no problem, but sometimes you have to put in aftermarket adjustable ball joints, cams or sometimes even longer upper control arms.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
When did a lift kit start getting called a leveling kit?

Modern trucks come from the factory with a very pronounced rake front to rear for fuel mileage reasons. "Leveling" kits lift the front of the truck only to make it level with the rear. Rather than lift kits that raise both front and rear.

quote:

Originally posted by geektoad:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
When did a lift kit start getting called a leveling kit?

Modern trucks come from the factory with a very pronounced rake front to rear for fuel mileage reasons. "Leveling" kits lift the front of the truck only to make it level with the rear. Rather than lift kits that raise both front and rear.

Leveling kits typically raise the rear as well, just not as much as the front. The end result is the vehicle is leveled, and that awful factory rake is eliminated, but it also does lift the whole vehicle slightly.

On my jeep, I haven't noticed anything negative after leveling her. In my opinion, it greatly improved the ride.

I've leveled two of my trucks with no issues at all. Personally, I don't care for the stink bug rake they put in them these days. One was a 2002 gmc 2500 HD with torsion bars and the other is a 2010 suburban with the strut spacer. Both kits just raised the front to level the rocker to be parallel to the road.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by geektoad:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
When did a lift kit start getting called a leveling kit?

Modern trucks come from the factory with a very pronounced rake front to rear for fuel mileage reasons. "Leveling" kits lift the front of the truck only to make it level with the rear. Rather than lift kits that raise both front and rear.

Leveling kits typically raise the rear as well, just not as much as the front. The end result is the vehicle is leveled, and that awful factory rake is eliminated, but it also does lift the whole vehicle slightly.

On my jeep, I haven't noticed anything negative after leveling her. In my opinion, it greatly improved the ride.

For most of the pickups, that's not the case. They're literally just spacers on the front spring hat.

The ride doesn't change, as it's more of a 'body lift' than anything. What you need to worry about though is the slight change in suspension geometry once you go past 2". Make sure to get an alignment if you do it and stay on top of rotating your tires.

OP, I've got a 2015 also. Do you happen to know the actual height of those tires? You can get away with 33's without a lift/level but when you go to 35's you need the 2" level.

Here are the specs on the two tires including height. Rubbing is definitely a concern.

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
275/55-20 6.0in 16.0in 31.9in 100.2in 632 0.0%
275/65-20 7.0in 17.0in 34.1in 107.0in 592 6.8%

quote:

Originally posted by geektoad:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
When did a lift kit start getting called a leveling kit?

Modern trucks come from the factory with a very pronounced rake front to rear for fuel mileage reasons. "Leveling" kits lift the front of the truck only to make it level with the rear. Rather than lift kits that raise both front and rear.

Not for fuel economy reasons but rather if you use your truck to haul things, the truck sits level. If you hitch a decent size trailer up, the truck sits level. It also handles and rides well. Without the built in rake, anytime you used your truck as a truck, you'd be driving down the road nose high, rear sagging which looks really bad.


If you bought your truck for looks, by all means get a leveling kit. If you use your truck as a truck, skip the leveling kit. For tires, the LT275/65R20 has a 126 load index and is going to be heavier and stiffer riding. That's the size that came on my F-350 which probably weighs 3,000 pounds more than your F-150.

However you get there, one that's leveled out looks much better in almost all cases.

In most I've been in, the ride is fine afterwards.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

Originally posted by geektoad:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
When did a lift kit start getting called a leveling kit?

Modern trucks come from the factory with a very pronounced rake front to rear for fuel mileage reasons. "Leveling" kits lift the front of the truck only to make it level with the rear. Rather than lift kits that raise both front and rear.

Not for fuel economy reasons but rather if you use your truck to haul things, the truck sits level. If you hitch a decent size trailer up, the truck sits level. It also handles and rides well. Without the built in rake, anytime you used your truck as a truck, you'd be driving down the road nose high, rear sagging which looks really bad.

Jeeps come out the factory with that disgusting rake; they're not exactly meant for "hauling" things...

Agree with another member, make sure you get an alignment once it's done. If you're getting new tires most places will do that as part of their "package".

I put a leveling kit on my 4Runner a handful of years ago. Drove it for a while without an alignment as I was due for new tires in a few months anyway. It didn't take long for the fronts to show noticeable wear on the insides due to the lift. Something to remember are your CV joints. You'll be putting additional stress on them and they will be easier to damage. New upper control arms will offset that chance, but the prices start to add up fast.

I had spacers on my old GMC, went with coilovers on my 13 F150. A true level would be about 2.5in on our trucks, but I went with a 2in. Looks right but leaves just a little rake in. BTW, 285/65's look great on these trucks

back in the old days when I worked a pickup truck I always used Timbren load levelers.

http://timbren.com/timbren-ses/

If you change the rake don't forget to get your headlights realigned also. Unless you want all the oncoming vehicles at night flashing their brights at you.

There's a couple of different ways to level it. The most popular is a spacer kit. They're cheap, the downside is reduced suspension travel with an increase of the angle induced on the ball joint accelerating its wear. The most effective way is with a coil over kit like Fox or Boss. They have the ability to adjust the ride height and fine tune it, not as aggressive angle on the ball joint.

The other way is with adjustable shocks. Bilstein and Eibach make them for the 2015+ F-150's. The front shocks have 3 separate positions for the spring perch to adjust ride height. Better than spacers in that the angle on the ball joint is not as severe. Not as expensive as a true coil over kit. I had the Bilsteins on my 2013 and the Eibachs on my 2015. Overall I have liked both of them. Increased ride height in front and much more controllability in handling.

To the poster who said if you intend to use it as a truck leave it as is. Mine gets used as a truck and it's leveled. The difference is I can fit larger tires, gain ground clearance and not tear up my truck getting back into some of our favorite fishing holes and hunting spots.

Nothing wrong with them but don't confuse them with a lift kit.
They adjust the rake when applicable.
My titan had oversize tires and I accomplished the "mini lift" with adjustable front coil-overs / hi-travel A-ARM and rear leaf springs and longer rear shocks.
Looks and performs fabulously.
The main goal was performance.

quote:

Originally posted by 2000Z-71:
To the poster who said if you intend to use it as a truck leave it as is. Mine gets used as a truck and it's leveled. The difference is I can fit larger tires, gain ground clearance and not tear up my truck getting back into some of our favorite fishing holes and hunting spots.

Serious question...what happens if you put 1,500 lbs or so in the bed? Does that change the angle of the front end? i.e. make the nose point at an upward angle?

My 89 Chevy K2500 is level stock, but when I put 1.5 tons of gravel in it, the bed sure does sag down.

quote:

My 89 Chevy K2500 is level stock, but when I put 1.5 tons of gravel in it, the bed sure does sag down.

What do you expect? You are putting 1.5 tons in a 3/4 ton bed.