BretEdge
Adventurer
No, it's a small motor home and we don't tow anything with it.
2015 F-150 Adventure Rig
- Thread starter BretEdge
- Start date
No, it's a small motor home and we don't tow anything with it.
That’s the max payload for that configuration, add packages on top and you lose payload.
As an example I have a 2017 supercab XLT, max payload is 2120lb, but my package gives 1900lb payload. Lariat package removes another couple of hundred or so.
Hence the requirement to check the sticker which is unique to each vehicle.
Your insurance and the police my see otherwise if you get into any incidents. Just a word of warning.
Also worth pointing out if you’re planning on off roading having an overloaded rig is not going to be comfortable, even with airbags.
BretEdge
Adventurer
We're back from a long road trip to the incredible Pacific Northwest and several items I ordered for Betty had arrived so I thought I'd post up a little update.
Since it's hotter than Hades in Moab these days (and every summer) I ordered a Weathertech SunShade window shade to keep some of the sun off the interior. It's custom cut to fit the windshield, one side is silver for summer use (reflects the sun/heat) and the other is black for winter use (absorb the sun/heat). It's a pretty good fit and went into place pretty easily, although it ships in a tight roll which did make it a bit challenging. Kind of like those annoying thermal printers when you get to the end of the roll and the damn paper just curls under itself. All in all, seems like a good product so far.
I also bought some Husky X-Act Contour floor mats for the front to replace the factory carpet mats. The back seat already has a rubber floor mat and I didn't feel the need to upgrade it right now. I chose Husky over Weatherteach because the material is a little more pliable, allowing them to contour (duh) to the curves and angles of the floor a little better than the harder plastic of the Weathertech mats. They don't come up as high on the sides and as a result probably don't hold as much water/mud but honestly, I can't think of a time I've ever spilled a gallon of liquid on the floor.
https://www.weathertech.com/ford/20...rewcab/f-150-rear-window/power-sliding-glass/
Time will tell how both hold up but initial impressions are positive.
Since it's hotter than Hades in Moab these days (and every summer) I ordered a Weathertech SunShade window shade to keep some of the sun off the interior. It's custom cut to fit the windshield, one side is silver for summer use (reflects the sun/heat) and the other is black for winter use (absorb the sun/heat). It's a pretty good fit and went into place pretty easily, although it ships in a tight roll which did make it a bit challenging. Kind of like those annoying thermal printers when you get to the end of the roll and the damn paper just curls under itself. All in all, seems like a good product so far.
I also bought some Husky X-Act Contour floor mats for the front to replace the factory carpet mats. The back seat already has a rubber floor mat and I didn't feel the need to upgrade it right now. I chose Husky over Weatherteach because the material is a little more pliable, allowing them to contour (duh) to the curves and angles of the floor a little better than the harder plastic of the Weathertech mats. They don't come up as high on the sides and as a result probably don't hold as much water/mud but honestly, I can't think of a time I've ever spilled a gallon of liquid on the floor.
https://www.weathertech.com/ford/20...rewcab/f-150-rear-window/power-sliding-glass/
Time will tell how both hold up but initial impressions are positive.
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BretEdge
Adventurer
And now for the really good, exciting stuff...suspension!
I ordered King coilovers with compression adjusters for the front, Icon Delta Joint upper control arms and a set of Bilstein 5160 remote reservoir shocks for the rear. All of it's getting installed tomorrow and I'll post more photos after it's all under the truck. I will say that the customer service at King was over the top exceptional. It seems like good customer service is a rarity these days but they went above and beyond to answer all my questions, get me set up with the right coilovers and shipped everything out right away. Huge kudos to them!
At some point I'll replace the tie rod ends with something burly. Really considering the RPG tie rod ends. Super burly and though it really doesn't matter...pretty sweet looking.
Here's a few teaser photos but the good stuff will come later.
I ordered King coilovers with compression adjusters for the front, Icon Delta Joint upper control arms and a set of Bilstein 5160 remote reservoir shocks for the rear. All of it's getting installed tomorrow and I'll post more photos after it's all under the truck. I will say that the customer service at King was over the top exceptional. It seems like good customer service is a rarity these days but they went above and beyond to answer all my questions, get me set up with the right coilovers and shipped everything out right away. Huge kudos to them!
At some point I'll replace the tie rod ends with something burly. Really considering the RPG tie rod ends. Super burly and though it really doesn't matter...pretty sweet looking.
Here's a few teaser photos but the good stuff will come later.
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BretEdge
Adventurer
We took Betty out for her first real post-suspension upgrade adventure and ran a couple trails in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. I've done just about everything over there in either a Tacoma or FJ Cruiser, and we spend a lot of time hiking and mountain biking those mountains, so it felt like as good a place as any to try out the King coilovers, Icon UCA's and Bilstein rear shocks.
On Saturday evening we drove into Yankee Boy Basin and all the way up to the Sneffel's trailhead well above the main parking lot with the bathroom. At one point we reached a sign that read "Four Wheel Drive - High Clearance - Short Wheelbase Vehicles Only". Pffft. Whatev. We kept going and Betty had zero issues, other than a couple close calls with the damn running boards. Might need to move up the rock slider purchase! There were a couple tight switchbacks but I was pleasantly surprised by the turning radius on such a large truck. We followed a brand new, modded out Jeep for a short section of trail and where he spun out, we crawled right up without once losing traction. The wildflowers are at peak, which blows my mind considering it's mid-August.
On Sunday we drove into Animas Forks, and then up over Cinnamon Pass and into American Basin. Well, as far as we could, because there was avalanche debris blocking the road and you could only drive up about half way. The road to Animas Forks is an easy graded road for the most part, but it only opened two days ago as it had been blocked by debris from a positively MASSIVE avalanche. The county road crew finally broke through, using a front end loader to move the snow and ultimately, a blade. The avalanche was about 100 yards long and had some walls as high as probably 25-30', with debris such as huge tree trunks sticking out of the snow walls. It was a bit creepy driving through it. All of the waterfalls were going off like I've never seen before and the avalanche carnage was unprecedented.
There were quite a few wildlife sightings including four moose, 22 marmots, 2 pikas, too many deer and an ermine. First time I've ever seen moose in the San Juans, and it was four bulls, so that was super cool.
How'd the suspension upgrades fare? Just fine, thanks. The Nitto Ridge Grapplers had plenty of traction in mud, rocks and dry dirt. The King coilovers were firmer than I'd like and I'm working with King and Grand Tire (who did the install) to soften it up just a bit. Feels good on the road, and would probably be just about right for rallying at higher speeds, but it's a bit harsh for slow crawling. We'll get it worked out, though. The rear end is also quite firm but I'm leaving it that way as I'm sure it'll settle in nicely when we drop the Four Wheel Camper in the bed.
Next mod: airbags...and maybe sliders, and then the FWC at the end of September. Not sure when we'll get out in the truck again as the next two weeks are dedicated to mountain bike trips before I go in for ankle surgery that'll put me out of commission for a few weeks.
Enjoy a few iPhone pics from the trip...until next time.
On Saturday evening we drove into Yankee Boy Basin and all the way up to the Sneffel's trailhead well above the main parking lot with the bathroom. At one point we reached a sign that read "Four Wheel Drive - High Clearance - Short Wheelbase Vehicles Only". Pffft. Whatev. We kept going and Betty had zero issues, other than a couple close calls with the damn running boards. Might need to move up the rock slider purchase! There were a couple tight switchbacks but I was pleasantly surprised by the turning radius on such a large truck. We followed a brand new, modded out Jeep for a short section of trail and where he spun out, we crawled right up without once losing traction. The wildflowers are at peak, which blows my mind considering it's mid-August.
On Sunday we drove into Animas Forks, and then up over Cinnamon Pass and into American Basin. Well, as far as we could, because there was avalanche debris blocking the road and you could only drive up about half way. The road to Animas Forks is an easy graded road for the most part, but it only opened two days ago as it had been blocked by debris from a positively MASSIVE avalanche. The county road crew finally broke through, using a front end loader to move the snow and ultimately, a blade. The avalanche was about 100 yards long and had some walls as high as probably 25-30', with debris such as huge tree trunks sticking out of the snow walls. It was a bit creepy driving through it. All of the waterfalls were going off like I've never seen before and the avalanche carnage was unprecedented.
There were quite a few wildlife sightings including four moose, 22 marmots, 2 pikas, too many deer and an ermine. First time I've ever seen moose in the San Juans, and it was four bulls, so that was super cool.
How'd the suspension upgrades fare? Just fine, thanks. The Nitto Ridge Grapplers had plenty of traction in mud, rocks and dry dirt. The King coilovers were firmer than I'd like and I'm working with King and Grand Tire (who did the install) to soften it up just a bit. Feels good on the road, and would probably be just about right for rallying at higher speeds, but it's a bit harsh for slow crawling. We'll get it worked out, though. The rear end is also quite firm but I'm leaving it that way as I'm sure it'll settle in nicely when we drop the Four Wheel Camper in the bed.
Next mod: airbags...and maybe sliders, and then the FWC at the end of September. Not sure when we'll get out in the truck again as the next two weeks are dedicated to mountain bike trips before I go in for ankle surgery that'll put me out of commission for a few weeks.
Enjoy a few iPhone pics from the trip...until next time.
TantoTrailers
Well-known member
Damn some awesome pictures! Cool trip I hope to explore some of Colorado next week
BretEdge
Adventurer
They offered to re-valve them. Before we do that, we're going to crank the coils down about 1/2", as they're currently set at around 2 1/2" of lift, which is close to the max. That should soften them up a little bit. I'll then give it a couple thousand miles to see how it goes.
bknudtsen
Expedition Leader
How much do you think the E rates tires contributed to the ride quality? Been agonizing over tire selection for my F-150.
Have you found a good set of sliders for an F150? I haven't looked very hard, but haven't had any luck either.
BretEdge
Adventurer
None. When I bought the truck it had smaller BFG AT's and a leveling kit. The first thing I did was replace the stock wheels and tires with the Method's and Nittos. I drove it that way for about a month before installing the suspension lift. I didn't notice any difference in the ride quality with the Nitto's. They're slightly buzzier, if that's the right word, but the truck didn't ride any firmer. It's most definitely related to the front suspension, but I'm confident we'll get it worked out. I also spoke to a guy today who has an F-150 w/ Kings and he said it took a couple thousand miles for them to soften up a bit. I don't necessarily dislike the firm ride, but I think it'd be more comfortable if it were just a bit softer.
BretEdge
Adventurer
That makes two of us! We used to travel together in an FJ Cruiser w/ a roof top tent so the FWC on an F-150 should be downright luxurious by comparison. ;-)
BretEdge
Adventurer
I've spent way too much time looking for sliders and I've found...one set. They're made by Smittybilt and even though they're bolt on (so the ones on my FJ and they took all kinds of abuse), they're supposed to be real, honest to God sliders. I wanted some that could also be used as a side step, too. Here's a link: Smittybilt M1 Rock Sliders