Leveled Ride Quality - which one?

[22CCSBF150]

My truck should be landing in two weeks, now.
2022 XLT 302A Sport and FX4 package. I’m going to be putting 285/65R20 Wildpeak AT3’s on the stock sport wheels and will be leveling the truck soon after.
Just trying to figure out what route to go without sacrificing ride quality. I don’t care to have the truck corner better, I just want a cushy, plush, floaty ride.
2in puck? Bilstein’s? Fox? what’s your vote?

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[SpaceWhiteF150]

Foxes are more floaty than bilstiens, but if your wanting oem ride without any more stiffness stay oem with a puck.

 

[22CCSBF150]

Foxes are more floaty than bilstiens, but if your wanting oem ride without any more stiffness stay oem with a puck.

How negatively do pucks affect the stock ride? I’ve heard it can be more “crashy”, but I’m not familiar with this world

 

[SpaceWhiteF150]

On mine I went bilstien 5100s, but I’ve driven a puck leveled one and could tell very little difference between stock and puck leveled, not squashy feeling. I’m not really sure what squashy means though. I’m just saying puck leveled rode perfectly fine to me.

 

[hotrodmex]

How negatively do pucks affect the stock ride? I’ve heard it can be more “crashy”, but I’m not familiar with this world

Nothing changes for spring rate or damping with a spacer kit.

People often pair this with a switch to LT tires and don't realize the effect sidewall stiffness has on ride.

Maybe you could argue the higher roll center makes it feel firmer, because there is less roll and pitching with the new arm geometry, but the ride will essentially be the same.

 

[My 2ND Ford]

Nothing changes for spring rate or damping with a spacer kit.

People often pair this with a switch to LT tires and don't realize the effect sidewall stiffness has on ride.

Maybe you could argue the higher roll center makes it feel firmer, because there is less roll and pitching with the new arm geometry, but the ride will essentially be the same.

Yes LT tires significantly affect ride quality. My brother in law just put Lt tires on his 2020 F-150 and remarked that it now rides like a truck.

 

[AlxMlr]

The biggest issue with a leveling spacer over a preload style strut (bilstein, eibach, even coilovers are preloads) is that you’re lengthening the entire assembly and removing 1.5-2” worth of droop travel out of the suspension. Your ball joints are now the limiting component for droop travel bump.

So if you go over hard speed bumps or dips, then you could make contact with the knuckle to the spring which is not a good sound. In addition to that, Since the ball joint is now Essentially your droop bump stop you run the risk of over extending the ball joint too which can cause premature wear and even shearing the ball joint. Most peoples rebuttals will be “you should never get to that point unless you’re off roading” - but you’d be surprised just how close you will get to max droop extension just with some large rolls in the highway and speed bumps.

nevertheless, a spacer style is fine, but I would say grab a set of upper control arms if you can afford it. Most will say not needed, but with how much flex I saw in a stock ball joint at full droop, I’d say otherwise! Just my .02c

 

[hotrodmex]

The biggest issue with a leveling spacer over a preload style strut (bilstein, eibach, even coilovers are preloads) is that you’re lengthening the entire assembly and removing 1.5-2” worth of droop travel out of the suspension. Your ball joints are now the limiting component for droop travel bump.

You don't remove any droop with a spacer. Just the opposite, you have to be careful not to move the travel range down too far and overextend anything at full droop. Travel does not change with a spacer kit, just where the travel occurs relative to the frame.

I would agree there is a limit, but 1.5" to 2" should not be in that range.

Pre-load coilvers are the ones that shift droop travel to up travel, which absolutely doesn't make sense to me why "off-road" companies do this.

 

[mnstang]

I can vouch for the fox 2.0 coilover kit, read my impressions here:

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...h-fox-2-0-level-lift-impressions-review.6925/

 

[9663mu]

I had a 2in spacer and was hitting coil on UCA at full droop barely going 15 mph over bigger speed bumps. I would also imagine FOX is probably best for more on road use given three come on so many factory cars and trucks.

 

[hotrodmex]

I had a 2in spacer and was hitting coil on UCA at full droop barely going 15 mph over bigger speed bumps. I would also imagine FOX is probably best for more on road use given three come on so many factory cars and trucks.

Which brand? If the part was listed as fitting anything earlier than 2020, then it would lift more than 2" on a 2021+ due to the different motion ratio of the suspension (new lower control arm moved strut mount inward). By anecdotal accounts, it would be more like 2.5".

 

[ATLalien]

Added a 2" level (Readylift "pucks") to my XLT Powerboost recently. Still on stock wheels and tires (275/65/18). It's much stiffer than before. Still not a bad ride, and it does corner better, but I do miss the cushy, stock, ride.
From what I understand, a puck kit will always result in a firmer ride, to at least some degree; as it compresses the springs slightly, and the stock strut/shock length remains the same.

 

[9663mu]

Which brand? If the part was listed as fitting anything earlier than 2020, then it would lift more than 2" on a 2021+ due to the different motion ratio of the suspension (new lower control arm moved strut mount inward). By anecdotal accounts, it would be more like 2.5".

AutoSpring and it was 2in from what I saw/ordered. It was for 21+ because the different U BOLT. And your last comment about the ratio/strut being inward is first I have ever heard this. And I think your right about that as it makes sense. My 18 never did this. Anyway I did change out to Falcon shocks and icon UCA and no more scuffing. What is mind boggling is that some with 21+ are running puck spacers and have no issues. I was not sure if my long WB 157 had anything to do with it.

 

[chewys68]

Installed the Auto spring 1 1/2" in my 2022 fx4. Ride is the same as stock and gave me just the right stance I wanted.

 

[hammerhead2411]

Added a 2" level (Readylift "pucks") to my XLT Powerboost recently. Still on stock wheels and tires (275/65/18). It's much stiffer than before. Still not a bad ride, and it does corner better, but I do miss the cushy, stock, ride.
From what I understand, a puck kit will always result in a firmer ride, to at least some degree; as it compresses the springs slightly, and the stock strut/shock length remains the same.

A puck does not compress the coil/shock. I have a 2" ready lift puck and it still has a cushy stock ride over almost everything. The only thing I have noticed is that the ride is harsh on things like potholes or sharp drops @ expansion joints on concrete, and some speed bumps. I assume this is the result of loosing some 2" of "droop". Upper control arm is over extended with both a puck and coilovers like fox, bilstein, icon, etc... In a year or so I will be replacing the stock control arms with some Camburgs. I hear this will improve wheel travel.

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