picasso

heard of people cranking up the torsion bars on f150s to give a little
extra lift in the front end.

these 4x2's are pathetically low in the front, just wondering if i can
crank up the torsion bars, and how do do it, i've read a few articles,
but most seem to be 4x4's... are the 4x2's the same? 18mm 1/2" drive,
two bolts crank about 5 times for 1 inch lift in the front?

I do realize it will need an alignment...

jim warman

08 F150 has struts on the front.... 4X4 struts are longer than 4X2 struts -
they will interchange but that will bring "baggage"... BAD baggage.

The last F150 with torsion bars was the 04 "Heritage" F150 (basically a
leftover 03) but only in 4X4.... the 4X2s had coil springs...

Now... what do you have and what do you want to do?

dave d

One could offer more and more useful help if you would tell us what year,
model, etc. we are dealing with......An off the cuff suggestion would be to
go to the local dealer and inquire about a "levelling kit". I know they are
available for some models. They do exactly what you are looking for....

DaveD

picasso

Ya, thats where the problems start.

In the title I had 08 F150 4x2... its an XL model.

Its a company truck, and they decided that the leveling kits were
unsafe, and increased the rollover of the truck... mine currently has a
leveling kit, which is excellent, its used in the woods, so it actually
has pretty good clearance... its got 265/70/17s on it, which also help

for safety reasons... they are also taking these off, in favor of a tire
no more than 10% taller than what the truck was stamped for (this truck
shipped w/ 235's on it).

Anyway... i find it impossible that these leveling kits are unsafe...
this truck is no higher than a comparable 4x4 model...

the company has lost it.

picasso

I will add that they began looking in to rollovers, which were on
rangers... 3 ranger rollovers, and no f150 rollovers, but they started
looking in to the safety of the f150s

dave d

I hear you... I would argue, however, that the company did not loose it
rather the crybabies ("Oh, no. It could not possibly be my fault") and their
greedy lawyers have caused the company to react in such a fashion.

DaveD

picasso

a coworker who had a truck from 07, and never had a lift kit in the
front the crossmember is beat right up in the oilpan, and the oilpan is
sagging down over the crossmember... my crossmember and oil pan have
about 1.5" between them (for now...) until i lose my leveling kit!!

Not my truck, but i do want to take care of it

i don't feel those leveling kits make the truck any less safe at all

dave d

I agree completely. Given the litigous nature of society in general these
days, I can't imagine that Ford would offer an accessory that might open
them up for a flurry of suits. The leveling kits are not the same as the
lift kits offered by some firms. The overall front end geometry should not
be altered by a significant amount. I think this "rollover" scare is another
strawman, another windmill at which to joust....

DaveD

jim warman

OK.... is Ford offering the levelling kit? Is it the dealer? Is it strictly
aftermarket? This is the first thing to get straight...

I do not see Ford "approving" suspension modifications... This is the stuiff
that would cahnge WSM procedures as well as specifications and settings....
That shit doesn't happen...

FWIW... Many owners want mods.... But when the mods go bad, the tech or
whoever installed them gets drawn into the melee....

We see a lawsuit because a cup of coffee is hot.... Excuse me? Isn't a cup
of coffee supposed to be hot?

Take it from there, guys.... Am I going to climb up on a rock and shout...
here I am.... sue me whenever you get the chance.....

Any modification or variation from what the engineers have accepted will
have the chance of coming back to haunt the guy that did it... but you guys
think that's OK because there WILL be a scapegoat...

Where'd the torsion bars go? Back on to the Ranger?

lugnut

FWIW, I don't think the ban on the parts you want is related
as much to "rollovers" as it is to a mismatch in bumper
height with the safety devices installed in other vehicles
for passenger protection. It doesn't take much for a lifted
truck to go right over the reinforcements into the passenger
compartment resulting in unnecessar injuries or fatalities.
There have already been law suits where a lifted vehicle was
found at fault in such cases. You will notice that even
class 8 vehicles (truck tractors) user a very tall front
bumper that extends quite low to the road surface for this
very reason. Also, I have never heard of a manufacturer
advocating suspension modifications other than as part of a
safety recall. Even commercial vehicle manufacturers do not
authorize chassis or frame modification. If you read the
papers that come with the suspension modification kits like
leveling kits, they will usually indicate they are for
offroad use only which sort of relieves them of any
liability in traffic accidents. Their lawyers have some
insight into this issue. Any one who modifies or authorizes
the modification of the chassis or suspension are (will be)
on the hook for any negative outcomes.

Lugnut