F-150 Suspension recommendations please!

[jnelson4x4taco]

Looking for suspension recommendations for my 2016 F150. Theres so many options and im new to the F150 game so im hoping someone can help point me in the right direction. Ill try and be as specific about my truck and needs without being too wordy ( I have a habit of that).

Truck: 2016 F150 4x4 XLT crew cab short bed, max tow, 3.5 ecoboost. Bilstein 5100 rear shocks and Timbren progresssive bump stops in the rear. Wears a topper year round and we recently added a RTT that will be on during the warm months.

Needs: This truck spends the majority of its life on pavement, but we do haul a 30ft travel trailer a handful of times a year (8-10), and also like to do day trips and hit up some forest service roads/ mild trails. We added the RTT so we had an option to do quick getaways when we dont have camper reservations or want to be more spontaneous with our two boys.

I realize that towing performance and off road performance dont always mean the same thing, but this is the truck that I have, and a dedicated tow rig/off road rig is out of the question. Im hoping to find something that bridges those two and offers a mild lift (~2 inches) for some more aggressive tires.

Budget: Fairly open. I want it done right. Im big on value, not on name brand so Im willing to pay for quality parts, not bling.

Appreciate the feedback and suggestions! I am really excited to do some more "real" camping and get my family off the pavement a little more!

-Jeff

 

[Huck]

how much tongue weight do you experience with the 30ft trailer? if it's as high as I imagine, it might be worth combining airbags in the rear with a nice setup like any of the middle ground coilover packages (e.g. bilstein 6112/5160, etc.)

 

[Jupiter58]

What Huck said. Put the suspension you prefer in built for all the uses but the towing. Add the airbags for the times you want to tow and you have the best of both worlds.


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[skrypj]

The problem I have seen with the airbags on the F150 is that they can be damaged offroad. When I have full articulated my rear axle my Airlift Ridecontrols look like they are gunna rip in half. I honestly think they might even be stopping the axle from dropping fully.

I am running Bilstein 5100's on my 2014 now but am looking to upgrade. One thing you may want to consider is the type of shock tuning. The Bilsteins and Icon's are valved digressively while Fox and kind I believe are Progressive. Digressive means that the shocks ramp very quickly and then taper off on bigger and bigger hits. Progress means they start off soft on mild hits but then get stiffer and stiffer as the hits get harder.



This means a digressive shock will tend to be harsher on smaller bumps like daily driving or washboard but also means they will be tighter for things like hauling and towing. Progressive should be smoother on the smaller bumps but may be a little "fluffy" while towing.

Maybe hit up a company like Accutune that does custom valving for your needs. You can specify the weight of your truck and then select from one of their 3 tunes(mild to wild) and they will custom valve the shock for you. I was looking into this recently and I believe they carry Fox and King. No Icon.

 

[skrypj]

Also, I am thinking about doing the same thing as you with regards to the RTT. I have a Jayco X213 trailer right now, but man, sometimes taking that thing out for a quick weekend trip is a major PITA. By the time to get it ready before and then clean up after is almost as long as the trip itself.

 

[skrypj]

Oh, also, one thing you need to be careful of on tire size with the 2016 F150's is the crash bars. These were not installed on trucks prior to 2015. I am running 315/70R17's on my basically stock height 2014, but that would be impossible on a 2015+. If you do decide to go up in tire size just do your research otherwise you might be out there bending/cutting your crash bars.

 

[zcoughlin]

I have a 2014 F150 super crew short bed. I went with King 2.5 with reservoirs all the way around, non adjustable. I also went with Deavers HD pack in the rear and the ride is phenomenal. Does great in Baja and on forest roads throughout the US. I also tow a 22’ Jayco travel trailer and the trucks sags a little more but a good WDH keeps it stable.

 

[WAStateOverlander]

If you plan to add airbags, add Daystar cradles. They will allow the truck to properly articulate even with the airbags inflated.

 

[givemethewillys]

This is timely, as I have basically the same truck with the exception of mine being a long bed. I currently have stock suspension on the truck, and hate the ride. I feel every bump, and the overall ride of the truck feels "unsettled" and jerky.

Do you dislike the bilstein 5100's? People seem to rave about them. I'm now nervous about the fact they're a digression shock after one of the above posts, since the little bumps seem to be the worst in my case.

Have you considered an add-a-leaf kit for the rear? It'll provide an inch of lift and more support for towing.
https://www.stage3motorsports.com/aal1502-15-20-f150-auto-spring-rear-add-a-leaf-kit.html

 

[Grassland]

Falcon tow/haul. Adjust setting when towing and hauling, set to normal for street.
New rear leaf pack, or an add a leaf, but I'd lean towards a new multi leaf pack.
Maybe Billy 6xxx series if available but I don't think the rears have an adjustable dampening setting.

 

[skrypj]

This is timely, as I have basically the same truck with the exception of mine being a long bed. I currently have stock suspension on the truck, and hate the ride. I feel every bump, and the overall ride of the truck feels "unsettled" and jerky.

Do you dislike the bilstein 5100's? People seem to rave about them. I'm now nervous about the fact they're a digression shock after one of the above posts, since the little bumps seem to be the worst in my case.

Have you considered an add-a-leaf kit for the rear? It'll provide an inch of lift and more support for towing.
https://www.stage3motorsports.com/aal1502-15-20-f150-auto-spring-rear-add-a-leaf-kit.html

The 5100's are stiffer than stock but in a good way(IMHO). The rear end no longer hops on mid corner bumps and when you hit regular bumps you no longer get the jitter/shimmy that the stock suspension provides.

So while the suspension is a little stiffer, the ride is improved due to the superior control of the chassis. Some people don't like them but I found the improvement to be pretty big.

 

[Chilliwackexplorer]

I’ve had the Bilstein 5100 front levelling kit on my last two F150 (2017 & 2020) and I really like the ride for daily driving, towing, as well as washboard. As others have mentioned it’s a little stiffer, but much more controlled and planted. Don’t ignore the impact of tire pressure either. I run 34” Toyo AT and 10 psi can make a major difference. I will run as high as 65 for towing heavy loads because it really stabilizes the ride, but drop to as low as 20 when empty and on washboard. Huge difference in ride quality from 40 down to 20 when driving washboard and a lot less sliding in corners and bumps.


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[jbaucom]

Make sure you're running the correct tire pressure for your tire size and load using a load/inflation table such as this: https://www.toyotires.com/media/3729/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20200723.pdf

Many people running larger than stock tires, or LT-metric tires on a vehicle that was originally equipped with P-metric tires are setting their tire pressure too high, either by guessing at it or going by the max inflation pressure on the sidewall. The larger the tire, the more weight it tends to carry at a given psi. If in doubt, weigh the truck and get your front & rear axle weights so that you can adjust your pressure based on your actual weight, then increase pressure when needed for additional loads or towing. Knowing what's required as a baseline is key, as a pressure that is unnecessarily too high will degrade your ride quality. Obviously, air down as needed off road or on washboard roads.

 

[skrypj]

Make sure you're running the correct tire pressure for your tire size and load using a load/inflation table such as this: https://www.toyotires.com/media/3729/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20200723.pdf

Many people running larger than stock tires, or LT-metric tires on a vehicle that was originally equipped with P-metric tires are setting their tire pressure too high, either by guessing at it or going by the max inflation pressure on the sidewall. The larger the tire, the more weight it tends to carry at a given psi. If in doubt, weigh the truck and get your front & rear axle weights so that you can adjust your pressure based on your actual weight, then increase pressure when needed for additional loads or towing. Knowing what's required as a baseline is key, as a pressure that is unnecessarily too high will degrade your ride quality. Obviously, air down as needed off road or on washboard roads.

I got a set of KO2 Raptor takeoffs for my truck and did the chalk test. It turned out the chalk test put me at the exact pressure that the door sticker on the Raptor reads.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

RAS or air bags would be my choice with air bags being my first choice.