Ford Performance 2021+ F-150 Lowering Shackles Released

[BRDVPRA]

That is what I did. The springs are touching the bed rail in the Pic. Did you just keep jacking to quasi for the spring eye around the bed rail?

I figured it out.... I was not putting enough arse into the jack. When I did, the spring popped up there!

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[22SpaceWhiteXLT]

Where did you guys order from? I'm seeing them ad cheap as $139 and high as $215

I work at a ford dealership in the parts department so I order direct but there are a lot of places that stock Ford performance parts.

 

[Stealth88]

22Spacewhitexlt how did you get the spring bolts out on the too? My frame rail is still in the way with the springs pushed to the bed. Help!

I lowered the truck by the hitch with my jack to get the spring above the frame and around the bed support. A little at a time and check and repeat. Slap jackstands under the frame after the bolt clears and you’re all set.

 

[Stealth88]

I didn’t even take my wheels off when I did my shackles.

 

[nezff]

I lowered the truck by the hitch with my jack to get the spring above the frame and around the bed support. A little at a time and check and repeat. Slap jackstands under the frame after the bolt clears and you’re all set.

This is good to know! Thanks.

 

[Taxgod4u]

So what performance shocks are folks using with the lowering shackles?

 

[nezff]

I just had the kit installed this morning. 2wd 2.7 XLT. Stock measured around 40 inches in the rear. After the install its sitting just under 37.5. Looks way better than expected. The rake is almost entirely gone. Its now 37 in the front and 37.5 in the back (full tank of gas)

2.5 inches of drop!
I dont think I need that much. I figured 1.5-2 maybe.

 

[nezff]

I figured it out.... I was not putting enough arse into the jack. When I did, the spring popped up there!

Did you take before and after measurements? looks great!

 

[22SpaceWhiteXLT]

So what performance shocks are folks using with the lowering shackles?

I put on bilstein 4600s before I planned on dropping it. They are only approved for stock height so I’m just hoping for the best that they don’t start to leak and blow out. I love these shocks.

 

[22SpaceWhiteXLT]

2.5 inches of drop!
I dont think I need that much. I figured 1.5-2 maybe.

To be fair I forgot to measure before the drop. I just measured a different stock truck with the same motor and drivetrain after the fact. I work at a ford dealership so there are plenty of trucks hanging around. I think a full tank of gas could make a .5 inch difference. Either way it’s at least a 2 inch drop.

 

[nezff]

To be fair I forgot to measure before the drop. I just measured a different stock truck with the same motor and drivetrain after the fact. I work at a ford dealership so there are plenty of trucks hanging around. I think a full tank of gas could make a .5 inch difference. Either way it’s at least a 2 inch drop.

Ok. Mine is 4wd so maybe not that much drop.
Right now rear is 40½ and front is roughly 37⅜ high.
Shackles come tomorrow

 

[BRDVPRA]

Did you take before and after measurements? looks great!

I did! Before we started the inside TDC of the rear fender lip was 40" to the ground and 8 5/8" to the tire. The front was 37 5/8 and 6 respectively. When the shackles were added the rear went to 38.5 ish and 7 to the tire. It dropped 1.5 to 1 5/8 inches. I will say it seems a slight bit harsher on the rear and the arse does not come up near as bad on hard breaking.

 

[nezff]

I did! Before we started the inside TDC of the rear fender lip was 40" to the ground and 8 5/8" to the tire. The front was 37 5/8 and 6 respectively. When the shackles were added the rear went to 38.5 ish and 7 to the tire. It dropped 1.5 to 1 5/8 inches. I will say it seems a slight bit harsher on the rear and the arse does not come up near as bad on hard breaking.

Ty

 

[FirstFord]

I just received my M-3000-HB lowering shackles for my 2021. There is no shim included. I see all this talk about U-Bolts in this thread and I'm trying to figure out why you would loosen the U-Bolts to put these shackles on if there is no shim. Please tell me what I'm missing?

It looks like you never got an answer to this. There are a number of threads out there on this subject, and quite a bit of debate, so you may have to investigate for yourself and come to your own conclusions. After getting fairly deep into the weeds myself on this topic, this is what i think is the upshot of what I have found (but again, you may want to do your own research):

The pinion gear needs to be parallel to the output shaft of the transmission, which it should be from the factory. However, removing the blocks (4×4) or adding lowering shackles could alter this geometry, requiring shims to bring things back where they should be. It appears that the 145" WB trucks (SCab with 5.5 or 6.5 beds and a one-piece driveshaft) typically don't need shims (your mileage may vary), but the longer wheel based trucks - especially if they have a driveshaft with a carrier bearing - typically do need to be shimmed (again, your experience may vary). So, in a perfect world, you would verify that the geometry is correct before you start, then check pinion angle after the alteration, and see if you need to shim the pinion or not. So, my guess is that shims are not included in the kit because A) not everyone will need them, and B) of those that do need them, not everyone will need the same size of shim - some will need more shim, others less.

Hope this makes sense and answers your question.

 

[BRDVPRA]

It looks like you never got an answer to this. There are a number of threads out there on this subject, and quite a bit of debate, so you may have to investigate for yourself and come to your own conclusions. After getting fairly deep into the weeds myself on this topic, this is what i think is the upshot of what I have found (but again, you may want to do your own research):

The pinion gear needs to be parallel to the output shaft of the transmission, which it should be from the factory. However, removing the blocks (4×4) or adding lowering shackles could alter this geometry, requiring shims to bring things back where they should be. It appears that the 145" WB trucks (SCab with 5.5 or 6.5 beds and a one-piece driveshaft) typically don't need shims (your mileage may vary), but the longer wheel based trucks - especially if they have a driveshaft with a carrier bearing - typically do need to be shimmed (again, your experience may vary). So, in a perfect world, you would verify that the geometry is correct before you start, then check pinion angle after the alteration, and see if you need to shim the pinion or not. So, my guess is that shims are not included in the kit because A) not everyone will need them, and B) of those that do need them, not everyone will need the same size of shim - some will need more shim, others less.

Hope this makes sense and answers your question.

Thanks for the info! The shims are not required for my truck. Other than the well known transmission shaking under light throttle, there are no other vibrations. The calibration for blue cruise, adaptive, etc. works great too!.

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