If done correctly, a high-quality leveling kit will protect your truck.
But, if the leveling kit is of poor quality and is improperly fitted, installing it might harm your truck’s fuel efficiency, worsen suspension wear, and potentially violate the manufacturer’s warranty.
In this article, find out in-depth why installing leveling kits might harm your truck and what are pros and cons of installing leveling kits on your Ford F-150 are.
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Do Leveling Kits Hurt Your F-150 Truck?
Leveling kits are a common vehicle modification that may be applied for several purposes, including:
- supporting a snowplow,
- allowing for wider tires, or
- raising the ground clearance.
Fears regarding leveling kits originate from worries that they may subject equipment to excessive strain and wear. Yet, a high-quality leveling kit that is put in correctly will protect your truck in the long run.
Most modifications raise the truck’s front a few inches, bringing it to level with the back (trucks are factory-built for the suspension to sit higher in the rear).
It is crucial to have the kit adequately installed and keep up with further maintenance to prevent any problems.
Customers who claim issues with installing leveling kits don’t always consider whether the equipment was installed by a professional or not.
Let’s review some things that installing a leveling kit will affect in your Ford F-150.
Fuel Efficiency
It’s essential to remember that leveling a vehicle makes it consume more gasoline than it would if it weren’t, especially when using two-wheel drive.
Due to the belief that a considerable weight in the truck bed will level the suspension, trucks are constructed with the rear sitting higher.
The front of the vehicle will end up sitting slightly higher than the back if you attempt to transport a big load after leveling the suspension (raising the front) manually.
This will increase wind resistance and reduce fuel efficiency.
Increased Maintenance
A leveling kit may cause suspension parts to wear out more quickly than if the truck were left in its original condition, which is a significant drawback to be aware of.
The manufacturer builds every vehicle to function in a specific way, and making any changes might make your car wear out faster.
The tension on ball joints and CV joints will likely rise when the front suspension is adjusted. These components deteriorate more quickly the more the suspension’s height is altered.
Significant modifications increase wear quicker than minor alterations (two inches or less).
These are the biggest cons of installing a leveling kit.
Let’s review more.
Pros & Cons Of Installing Leveling Kits In Your F-150
Does a leveling kit affect ride quality F-150? You will find out if you keep reading the next two paragraphs, where we will list the pros and cons.
What Are The Pros Of A Leveling Kit?
Higher Traction | A suspension leveling kit’s ability to boost your vehicle’s traction is one of the main advantages. For those who often use their vehicles off-road, this is very advantageous. |
Enhanced Handling | An additional advantage of a suspension leveling system is that it may make your car handle better. Greater handling is often associated with a higher center of gravity. |
Better Appearance | One of the primary motives for installing suspension leveling kits is to make a car seem better. Installing a suspension leveling kit may make your truck or SUV seem more muscular and aggressive. |
Higher Ground Clearance | Improving your vehicle’s ground clearance is the last advantage of a suspension leveling kit. This is advantageous for people who often drive off-road or across difficult terrain. Whatever your motivation, installing a suspension leveling kit on your truck or SUV will provide you with several advantages. |
What Are The Cons Of A Leveling Kit?
With the two cons explained above, the poorer fuel efficiency and the increased level of maintenance, there are two more.
Keep reading to find out what are the cons of installing leveling kits.
Heightened Weight | The fact that utilizing a suspension leveling system might make your car heavier is one of its main drawbacks. This is because the majority of kits are constructed of sturdy materials. |
Reduction in Tire Clearance | The last drawback of employing a suspension leveling kit is that it may result in less tire clearance for your car. This might be an issue if you routinely drive your truck or SUV off-road. |
Conclusion
Using a suspension leveling kit might have specific problems, but generally speaking, the positives outweigh the negatives, in our opinion.
A suspension raise kit can be the solution for you if you want to enhance your vehicle’s or SUV’s appearance and functionality.
So, yeah, the leveling kits can harm your truck if it is not installed correctly and if the equipment is not of good quality. However, if you do those things right and maintain the truck, you should have no problems.
Luna Meschiari is a full-blooded car nut who is well known to local garages, as each article is meticulously researched and peppered with the latest piece of information. Guess what car she’s driving right now? A RAV4 2021 Hybrid. But her heart also sleeps for pickups like the F-150. Get to know Luna better on the about us page.
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