Questions about F150 suspension lift

[rhester]

My son has a 2006 F150 FX4 supercab with 5.4l. I bought the truck used and he has driven it for 2 years now and put about 40k miles on it himself. He is about to go off to college so we are looking at getting him a little newer truck. He has always wanted and is now just about dead set on getting a truck with a 4" or 6" lift. I found a truck on Auto Trader in our area and there is another one listed in the TBH classifieds(also in our area) that he would be interested in. I have always been against anymore of a lift than a leveling kit, which we both have on our trucks. So, I have no experience with suspension lifts. I went and looked at a 2012 FX4 Crew Cab with 5.0l that has a 6" lift. The lift is a spacer lift. I started doing some reading about lifts and it appears the spacer lift is the cheap way out but get the job done for light duty work. I really want to know if there is any major negatives. How bad does the gas mileage get when the lift is added? Does the lift increase wear on the tires and suspension parts a lot worse?

Any tips would be appreciated.

[Black Ice]

Questions about F150 suspension lift

My son has a 2006 F150 FX4 supercab with 5.4l. I bought the truck used and he has driven it for 2 years now and put about 40k miles on it himself. He is about to go off to college so we are looking at getting him a little newer truck. He has always wanted and is now just about dead set on getting a truck with a 4" or 6" lift. I found a truck on Auto Trader in our area and there is another one listed in the TBH classifieds(also in our area) that he would be interested in. I have always been against anymore of a lift than a leveling kit, which we both have on our trucks. So, I have no experience with suspension lifts. I went and looked at a 2012 FX4 Crew Cab with 5.0l that has a 6" lift. The lift is a spacer lift. I started doing some reading about lifts and it appears the spacer lift is the cheap way out but get the job done for light duty work. I really want to know if there is any major negatives. How bad does the gas mileage get when the lift is added? Does the lift increase wear on the tires and suspension parts a lot worse?



Any tips would be appreciated.

As a grown arse man(not really) who has driven lifted trucks since 2002 it's a money pit. Now if you like throwing money out the window like I do I say get a quality six inch suspension lift and rock on. When you lift a truck your tire Expense goes up 50% and you will replace brakes and front end parts twice as often. Fuel loss is astronomical and anybody who says anything different is an idiot. Depending on the truck a 6 to 8 inch lift will result in a 4 to 6 MPG loss. Leveling kits with a 1 to 2 inch taller and heavier mud tire are from 2 to 3 MPG less.


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[Kingfisher789]

Where is he going to school that he needs a lifted truck?

[rhester]

As a grown arse man(not really) who has driven lifted trucks since 2002 it's a money pit. Now if you like throwing money out the window like I do I say get a quality six inch suspension lift and rock on. When you lift a truck your tire Expense goes up 50% and you will replace brakes and front end parts twice as often. Fuel loss is astronomical and anybody who says anything different is an idiot. Depending on the truck a 6 to 8 inch lift will result in a 4 to 6 MPG loss. Leveling kits with a 1 to 2 inch taller and heavier mud tire are from 2 to 3 MPG less.


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This is what I had always thought and why I had tried to steer him away from getting a lift. Thanks for the insight!

[AddisonOil]

86% of people that drive lifted trucks are d-bags. Make him aware of the statistics.

[rhester]

Where is he going to school that he needs a lifted truck?

He is going to Texas A&M Corpus Christi. He by no means needs a truck with a lift. The boy has fallen in love with lifted trucks as far back as I can remember. I would not buy him a truck with a lift. Now that he can put money into his own ride I don't know how long he will go without a truck with a lift.

[RGarza34]

I always wanted a lifted truck growing up, but dad never gave in. I didn't agree at the time, but now I realize it was a stupid "want", especially for a kid. Leveling kit is the way to go for sure.

[Kingfisher789]

Have fun driving that back and forth to mom&dad is all I got to say.....

[Robert]

86% of people that drive lifted trucks are d-bags. Make him aware of the statistics.

This ^^^^^^

[BBReezen]

He is going to Texas A&M Corpus Christi. He by no means needs a truck with a lift. The boy has fallen in love with lifted trucks as far back as I can remember. I would not buy him a truck with a lift. Now that he can put money into his own ride I don't know how long he will go without a truck with a lift.

I used to be that same kid, every truck I saw with a lift was super cool. The taller the better. But I never had one. Not sure why I grew out of that, maybe age or just using a truck so much for what it is maybe made me realize that lifts really are more for show and nothing else. It's other folks money so they are free to do as they please and throw as much money in as they feel but just not more me anymore. Maybe the insight from BlackIce can help sway your sons decision and help him understand that after a while his play money will be tied up with truck maintenance rather than fun stuff. Good luck man, IMO a leveled truck looks just a good if not better on just about all trucks.

[rhester]

I used to be that same kid, every truck I saw with a lift was super cool. The taller the better. But I never had one. Not sure why I grew out of that, maybe age or just using a truck so much for what it is maybe made me realize that lifts really are more for show and nothing else. It's other folks money so they are free to do as they please and throw as much money in as they feel but just not more me anymore. Maybe the insight from BlackIce can help sway your sons decision and help him understand that after a while his play money will be tied up with truck maintenance rather than fun stuff. Good luck man, IMO a leveled truck looks just a good if not better on just about all trucks.

Thanks. We'll see where this goes. My search started with trucks without lifts at all or with just leveling kits. I have not had the best of luck with his '06. I also have an '06 and his is a lemon compared to mine. That has sparked our search.

[Black Ice]

Questions about F150 suspension lift

86% of people that drive lifted trucks are d-bags. Make him aware of the statistics.

I don't consider myself a D-bag but I bet 97% of d-bags don't consider themselves d-bags[emoji23]


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[Black Ice]

Thanks. We'll see where this goes. My search started with trucks without lifts at all or with just leveling kits. I have not had the best of luck with his '06. I also have an '06 and his is a lemon compared to mine. That has sparked our search.

My dad had a bad arse lifted 86 ford and he fought me tooth and nail against getting a lifted truck when I turned 16. Once I graduated high school the first thing I did was buy a new truck and I lifted it. He never gave me a dime towards that truck and every time I complained I was broke the life lesson dad gave me always came back to something I spent on my lifted truck.


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[lungbuster1985]

The thing about already lifted used trucks is, you never know how they were treated by previous owners. Could have been a well taken care of mall crawler or it could have been beat to death and about to fall apart. Either way I don't think a lifted truck is an ideal vehicle for a college kid to commute in. The ladies will like it though.

I would buy him a stock truck. If he really wants it lifted let him buy the lift, wheels, tires, and pay for install himself. That way he has his money tied up in it and will possibly care for it better.

If you do buy him one that's already lifted, make sure it's quality parts. I would also have a reputable shop look it over for any bootleg engineering. Let him know that front ends, tires, brakes, and fuel will all be far more expensive. And that's just normal street driving. Wait till his buddies or a girl talk him into some off roading, then it gets real expensive.

[.243 WSSM]

I would be leary of anything over 2" if it's a level kit or spacer lift. Using the stock ball joints and front coils, above 2" throws everything out of geometry and causes undue stress to the whole suspension. There are cheaper lifts that use 2 spacers on coils- stay away. Disaster waiting to happen. I'm not talking about the 2" spacers on coils for level kits