Building up a 2018 F150

[TXhoghunter94]

A solid 15 around town and 16-17 highway.

Ok cool, I went with 33s in a XL rating along with a leveling kit and getting about 19-20 on the highway and 18 around town

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[goofiefoot]

Ok cool, I went with 33s in a XL rating along with a leveling kit and getting about 19-20 on the highway and 18 around town

I bought mine with 55k miles, and it had mildly aggressive all-terrain tires in the stock size. I've not seen that good of mileage ever. Keep doing what you're doing!

[TXhoghunter94]

I bought mine with 55k miles, and it had mildly aggressive all-terrain tires in the stock size. I've not seen that good of mileage ever. Keep doing what you're doing!

Mine is also the 10 speed so I try to keep it under 1500 rpm when I can

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[goofiefoot]

I never understood why Ford thought wheel well liners should be an option, rather than standard. After adding my rear lift, it was really obvious that I needed some fit and finish. Luckily I got an awesome deal on Prime Day for some Husky liners. Super-easy install!

Husky Wheel Well Guards

Before:


After:


Installation was easily less than 20 minutes total. Here's the steps:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGoCUfHE5iw"]Easy Upgrade to Your F150 - Wheel Well Guards - YouTube[/ame]

[TeamAmerica]

I travel to hunt and fish fairly often, so a solid, secure tonneau cover is a must. I liked the Bakflip hard folding cover on my 2007, and in looking for something for the new truck, I came across Gator Bed Covers. I was impressed with their sales team, and the FX model was slightly less expensive than the comparable Bakflip model. Plus, the FX was in stock, so I put in the order!



One of the features I like most is the ability to fold the cover completely up to allow full access to the bed. Not many manufacturers do this, so I was pleased to get that functionality from the Gator. It also has the clips to secure it in place folded to the last section so you can drive with it mostly open and still see out the back.

So far, I'm liking it. It's at least as nice of quality as the Bakflip, if not better. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they were manufactured in the same factory.

The install was pretty straightforward. You may want a hand maneuvering the cover onto the rails, but it wasn't too bad.

Check out the video below:
--> https://youtu.be/HmlJ1ix4mrE <--

Here's the link to the cover itself:
Gator FX Tonneau Cover

I'm experimenting with my next mod, and it's a messy task, so stay tuned!

How are you liking this after owning a while? Seems like a pretty good discount over the bakflip. Thinking about ordering one.

[goofiefoot]

How are you liking this after owning a while? Seems like a pretty good discount over the bakflip. Thinking about ordering one.

I'm still liking the Gator. It's virtually the same as the Bakflip - even down to the customer service. I did have some issues to resolve, and found that I was contacting Bak Industries for service, and they were as awesome to work with as with my Bakflip cover.

[TeamAmerica]

Got the gator installed today. Nice setup and seems like it is well built. I like that there are only two hand knobs to take it off it I need to. Considered the rough country model which seemed like a good price but it doesn't have the option to fold up against the back window (not sure I'll need that option but nice to have). It isn't as secure with no keys or deadbolts but my tailgate locks it in - basically at least a little to slow them down.

[bdubb]

A solid 15 around town and 16-17 highway.

Nice mileage!

In a 2020 with 34.5" tires (285/65/20) I get around 13 mpg in my daily driving with the 5.0L V8.

Installed Raptor takeoff blocks in the rear to adjust from a front level as well, using the Bilstein 6112's and 5160's. Too nose high when the bed was loaded down with camping gear etc.

Recent change was an Oz Omega X tune and 2018 intake. Outside of going even deeper to change up the drivetrain and re-gear and adding Torsion diffs front and rear I think I'm done. Looking at recent Tremor costs, I'd likely still be ahead even if doing the drivetrain upgrades.

[TRL75]

Nice Boat and truck

[TeamAmerica]

I'm going to install these soon. Never liked the exposed rear wheel wells.

Rough Country Rear Wheel Well Liners for 2015-2020 F-150-4515 https://a.co/d/hW78uaX

[goofiefoot]

Got the gator installed today. Nice setup and seems like it is well built. I like that there are only two hand knobs to take it off it I need to. Considered the rough country model which seemed like a good price but it doesn't have the option to fold up against the back window (not sure I'll need that option but nice to have). It isn't as secure with no keys or deadbolts but my tailgate locks it in - basically at least a little to slow them down.

I'm glad you like it! Yeah, the ability to fold completely up was a must-have for me, and it's easy to take off with the knobs if you need to completely remove it. I did have an issue recently where my tailgate mechanism failed with the cover closed. Not wanting to damage the cover, it was quite the trick to get it open, so it wouldn't be a super-easy task for someone to get in while it's all locked up. Though frustrating, I was impressed with the security of it.

Nice mileage!

In a 2020 with 34.5" tires (285/65/20) I get around 13 mpg in my daily driving with the 5.0L V8.

Installed Raptor takeoff blocks in the rear to adjust from a front level as well, using the Bilstein 6112's and 5160's. Too nose high when the bed was loaded down with camping gear etc.

Recent change was an Oz Omega X tune and 2018 intake. Outside of going even deeper to change up the drivetrain and re-gear and adding Torsion diffs front and rear I think I'm done. Looking at recent Tremor costs, I'd likely still be ahead even if doing the drivetrain upgrades.

Yeah, even with my add-ons, having bought it used, I'm pleased with my setup, and I'm no where near the price of a new one!

Nice Boat and truck

Thanks!

I'm going to install these soon. Never liked the exposed rear wheel wells.

Rough Country Rear Wheel Well Liners for 2015-2020 F-150-4515 https://a.co/d/hW78uaX

Those look good, and are probably just as easy to install as the Husky versions.

[goofiefoot]

A rep from Valenti, who makes LED tail lights, reached out to see if I wanted to try out and review their F150 tail lights. It wasn't an upgrade I was planning to make, but I figured what the heck? I've had these on for about a week now, and have really grown to love them!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg2e3SbmWI0

I'm about to turn over 100k miles, and still love this truck! My dad and I took a 2800 mile road trip in it to explore the headwaters of several Texas rivers, and it performed like a champ. I installed new Cooper tires right before the trip and saw a bit of mileage improvement over the BFG KO2s they replaced.