2021-2023 F-150 Ford Performance Leveling Kit (by Bilstein) is released

[Bill_R]

That's very interesting

That's why I'm asking questions, too. Too hard to find information on what works well on the Tremors.

I found this on Tremor suspension/level. I don't know how good they are and haven’t researched the company.

Tremor Level and Suspension (Halo Lifts)

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[Bullitt1841]

I found this on Tremor suspension/level. I don't know how good they are and haven’t researched the company.

Tremor Level and Suspension (Halo Lifts)

Yeah, those are for the guys that off road more. I'm not looking to lift much (1" - 2" max) and also trying to keep it under $2k or so. My main goal is ride quality at highway speeds, unlike most Tremor owners.

 

[ImChris]

Alrighty, here she is! Quick thoughts, I should have done the 2.5 notch, and will, but I don’t feel like pulling everything apart after 6 hours of wrenching yesterday. I gained about an inch of lift on my PowerBoost and although I knew it would be lower due to weight, I was hoping for at least an inch and a half or so.
Anyways, not exactly the happiest with how the truck sits as of now but the ride quality makes up for it! So much more compliant and the jitters over bumps are gone. Still cozy and not too stiff during normal driving too!

I might move to an 18 with a +22 or +25 and go to a 35 tire after the 2.5 notch, but for now I’ll let my bank account relax.

You can’t tell from these cell phone pics but I’m a commercial photographer and build out my vehicles to support me living out of for weeks at a time, doing automotive and Motorsport photography. I need to be able to tackle some trails, which is why I opted for smaller wheels and larger tires.

Anyways…

Stats:
- Ford Performance level set at 2in setting
- Toyo OCAT3, 285/75/17
- 17x8.5 +18 KMC Impact

Here are some cell phone pics.

that’s it for now! Posting from my phone, sorry if the formatting is off!

-Chris

 

[TexasTruck]

@ImChris Nice work! I think it looks great as is! Looking at your pics, I think going to 2.5 might cause the rear to look lower (worse when you tow or add weight to the bed).

What is the height of the front and rear fender opening now?

 

[Zyvin]

@ImChris I think it looks perfect. When people go closer to level by measuring the wheel wells, they always look nose high to me. But of course it may settle a bit and warrant the higher perch; but in the pictures it looks great.

 

[crazywayne311]

I might move to an 18 with a +22 or +25 and go to a 35 tire after the 2.5 notch, but for now I’ll let my bank account relax.

Stats:
- Ford Performance level set at 2in setting
- Toyo OCAT3, 285/75/17
- 17x8.5 +18 KMC Impact

that’s it for now! Posting from my phone, sorry if the formatting is off!

-Chris

Ill be honest, truck looks damn good!
I'm in a slightly different boat. I have the 3.5EB. i'm supposed to get mine installed (b/c i'm lazy haha) on friday. I thought i'd be fine with the 2" level setting but now i'm wondering if i should go the full 2.5". again, not a powerboost but i want to clear 295/60/20's ET 18 without rubbing

I have crazy rake on my max tow 4x4 (over 3-3.5")

but after seeing yours with still that small rake...i kinda like it. So how hard is it to adjust the fronts from 2 to 2.5 when they are in? i know with my VW's back in the day you just had to get the weight off and use a spanner to adjust. are these different?

anyway, great looking truck man!

 

[Hebed118]

Ordered this morning from S3. Planning to put them at 2.5" with 275/65R20 SL Recon Grapplers!

 

[ImChris]

@ImChris Nice work! I think it looks great as is! Looking at your pics, I think going to 2.5 might cause the rear to look lower (worse when you tow or add weight to the bed).

What is the height of the front and rear fender opening now?

Thanks! And that was my worry and why I didn't originally go for the 2.5. I have a slide in truck camper for the bed and wanted it to look level with that guy in there (weighs about 1k lbs).

Front opening: 7 1/8
Rear opening: 8 3/4

@ImChris I think it looks perfect. When people go closer to level by measuring the wheel wells, they always look nose high to me. But of course it may settle a bit and warrant the higher perch; but in the pictures it looks great.

Well thanks!

Ill be honest, truck looks damn good!
I'm in a slightly different boat. I have the 3.5EB. i'm supposed to get mine installed (b/c i'm lazy haha) on friday. I thought i'd be fine with the 2" level setting but now i'm wondering if i should go the full 2.5". again, not a powerboost but i want to clear 295/60/20's ET 18 without rubbing

I have crazy rake on my max tow 4x4 (over 3-3.5")

but after seeing yours with still that small rake...i kinda like it. So how hard is it to adjust the fronts from 2 to 2.5 when they are in? i know with my VW's back in the day you just had to get the weight off and use a spanner to adjust. are these different?

anyway, great looking truck man!

I think the Max Tow would throw things off a bit, as those have more rake than standard. I believe some in this thread have put these on Max Tow trucks so that visual might help the decision.

As for the 295/60/20, I think you'd be fine no matter what setting. I'm not a clearance expert so take it with a grain of salt, but here are some clearance photos from my current setup. My tire is like .2 inches smaller than yours and looks like it would have enough room to fit bigger for sure. I have zero rubbing and didn't touch crash bars, or anything. Seems to be that sticking with higher offsets (+18, +22, +25, +38, etc) allow a larger tire to fit. You can put a 35 on the stock 20s with this level as we've seen, but I don't think I could go to a 35 with the +18 without removal or spreading the crash bars.

Lastly, you cannot adjust these on the truck, or at least I can't with my current tool set. I remember coilovers back in my Honda days too with the spanner, these do not have that. I disconnected from the lower control arm and used a spring compressor to compress as much as I could while installed. It still wasn't enough to unweight and move the clip. I was using the autozone rental spring compressor so maybe a higher quality one might, but I just couldn't get it to unload enough to do anything while installed.

285/75/17 with 17x8.5 + 18 clearance pics:

 

[crazywayne311]

I think the Max Tow would throw things off a bit, as those have more rake than standard. I believe some in this thread have put these on Max Tow trucks so that visual might help the decision.

As for the 295/60/20, I think you'd be fine no matter what setting. I'm not a clearance expert so take it with a grain of salt, but here are some clearance photos from my current setup. My tire is like .2 inches smaller than yours and looks like it would have enough room to fit bigger for sure. I have zero rubbing and didn't touch crash bars, or anything. Seems to be that sticking with higher offsets (+18, +22, +25, +38, etc) allow a larger tire to fit. You can put a 35 on the stock 20s with this level as we've seen, but I don't think I could go to a 35 with the +18 without removal or spreading the crash bars.

285/75/17 with 17x8.5 + 18 clearance pics:

THANK YOU!
this was a very informative post. I appreciate the pics and all.
So yeah, i also want to run the Toyo Open Country AT3s as well. i put in your set up and compared to what i want to run and i got the only real difference is the the 295/60/20's are .5" wider than your current setup. by the look of your measurements that means i'm going to be kinda close haha which is why i keep wondering if i should shoot for the 2.5" out the box.

Btw, thanks for bit on adjusting. i did look into it and yeah, supposedly it needs to be done right off the bat. once its installed apparently its dangerous and damn near impossible to do.

 

[Iconic22F150]

Can this new kit be installed on a 2023 F150 Tremor?

No, this is not made for the Tremor. This gives 2"/2.5" leveling lift to non-Tremor models and the Tremor already has the 2" of additional height in the front end.

 

[Hebed118]

Install complete! Added 275/65R20 Recon Grapplers in SL, Ford Performance Bilstein kit set at 2.5”. As it stands right now it’s about 3/4-1” of rake. Also added AMP power steps. Hope this helps some folks!

 

[crazywayne311]

Stupid question…anyone re aiming their headlights?

 

[JohnMcClane]

Stupid question…anyone re aiming their headlights?

Not a stupid question. Looks like you have self leveling headlights, so you should not need to re aim.

Really enjoying the ride on mine so far. Need to make time to install my powersteps, how long did it take you @Hebed118 ?

 

[crazywayne311]

Not a stupid question. Looks like you have self leveling headlights, so you should not need to re aim.

Really enjoying the ride on mine so far. Need to make time to install my powersteps, how long did it take you @Hebed118 ?

I do have the self leveling. Maybe I’m just over analyzing my aim but it seems high to me. Maybe it’s the glare free messing me up

 

[Bullitt1841]

I do have the self leveling. Maybe I’m just over analyzing my aim but it seems high to me. Maybe it’s the glare free messing me up

You still need to adjust the mechanical baseline of the leveling with a Phillips screwdriver. It's in the owner's manual and mine aimed much higher after removing my rear blocks (no other suspension modifications).

The self leveling is simply to actively adjust up or down from your baseline when the truck tilts during different driving conditions.

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