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A brief word on 2.5" Leveling Kits & CV Angles.

Bannerman

Bannerman

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Location
Charlotte, NC
Current Ride
2022 Tremor 402A
Current Ride #2
2022 4Runner Offroad Premium
I posted this to the Tremor FB group but I know alot of you guys are smart and stay off Facebag so I figured I would copypasta it here.


Over the past couple of days I have seen several posts where guys are concerned with their CV angles after installing a 2.5" level so I thought I would jot down some thoughts.
Summary first: you are right to be concerned.

As you know our trucks have a 1" front lift relative to a regular F-150. 2.5" of lift is generally the rule of thumb to stay at or under with IFS to keep angles safe, with 3" being the absolute maximum. When you lift your Tremor 2.5" you have an effective 3.5" lift. As a result, yes, your CVs are at an angle where you will start to see boot wear. Because there is also no diff spacer available for Fords like Toyota, if you want to lift that much your really need to start thinking about a drop bracket kit, though I don't think anyone who has spent any real time offroad would recommend that to you.

Personally I have adjustable coilovers spun all the way out so that I have a net of 1.5" over stock Tremor height, 2.5" over regular F-150. Still easily clears 285/75R18 (34.8") tires, and sits level when I tow a moderate load. Have about 1.5-2" of rake unloaded.

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do or start any arguments, but you should just be aware of what the consequences could be long term if you go this route.


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For me, this is perfect setup and look. I tow and need the rake to take into the tongue weight and squat with the trailer. If I could find something to decrease the squat from the trailer by 1" to 1-1/2" I would be able to lift the front.
 
OHMountainBiker said:
For me, this is perfect setup and look. I tow and need the rake to take into the tongue weight and squat with the trailer. If I could find something to decrease the squat from the trailer by 1" to 1-1/2" I would be able to lift the front.
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How heavy is your trailer? This sits just about dead level with my roughly 4,000 pound boat plus a few hundred pounds in the bed. You could do airbags or the RAS active suspension but I believe they both limit travel if that matters to you.
 

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OHMountainBiker said:
For me, this is perfect setup and look. I tow and need the rake to take into the tongue weight and squat with the trailer. If I could find something to decrease the squat from the trailer by 1" to 1-1/2" I would be able to lift the front.
Click to expand...
May want to look at the RAS Active Suspension kit, may be perfect for you.
 
Bannerman said:
How heavy is your trailer? This sits just about dead level with my roughly 4,000 pound boat plus a few hundred pounds in the bed. You could do airbags or the RAS active suspension but I believe they both limit travel if that matters to you.
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Trailer is just under 3500 dry with 5000 gross. Have not weighed the tongue but it sits maybe a hair lower than level when attached. I would like to have something for the rear to bring it up a little but I do not want to lose travel or articulation for when we go out west.
This is how it sat when we brought it home, propane was not filled but fresh and gray tanks were full. When loaded the rear sits a little lower than the photo.
IMG_0065.jpeg
 
I thought Pro Comp makes a 2 1/2 specifically for the Tremor?
 
Will said:
I thought Pro Comp makes a 2 1/2 specifically for the Tremor?
Click to expand...
Tremor is still listed on their website as being compatible, but I've also seen this floating around online.

In any case, just because it's offered by an aftermarket manufacture does not mean you could not have issues.

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Too add to this if you guys want check out the Ram Rebel forums on this very topic, many of them found out the hard way and determined 3" and under for total lift was best, that's the 1" factory that's built into the truck and an additional 2". Also based on all the info I have seen the RAS doesn't really limit articulation so it is a good option if towing anything 5k and up and don't want the Carolina Squat look.
 

This is a good explanation on the Ram Rebel which will be an example for this truck as well, except Ford learnt from Rams mistake and that's why we have different front knuckles and UCAs
 
Bannerman said:
I posted this to the Tremor FB group but I know alot of you guys are smart and stay off Facebag so I figured I would copypasta it here.


Over the past couple of days I have seen several posts where guys are concerned with their CV angles after installing a 2.5" level so I thought I would jot down some thoughts.
Summary first: you are right to be concerned.

As you know our trucks have a 1" front lift relative to a regular F-150. 2.5" of lift is generally the rule of thumb to stay at or under with IFS to keep angles safe, with 3" being the absolute maximum. When you lift your Tremor 2.5" you have an effective 3.5" lift. As a result, yes, your CVs are at an angle where you will start to see boot wear. Because there is also no diff spacer available for Fords like Toyota, if you want to lift that much your really need to start thinking about a drop bracket kit, though I don't think anyone who has spent any real time offroad would recommend that to you.

Personally I have adjustable coilovers spun all the way out so that I have a net of 1.5" over stock Tremor height, 2.5" over regular F-150. Still easily clears 285/75R18 (34.8") tires, and sits level when I tow a moderate load. Have about 1.5-2" of rake unloaded.

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do or start any arguments, but you should just be aware of what the consequences could be long term if you go this route.


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Click to expand...

Thanks for the post. I'm not very knowledgeable about lifts, but it sounds like getting an adjustable coilover that provides 2.5 inches of left, then adjusting it down to 1.5 inches, when installed will yield a 2.5 inch lift over a stock F 150? Why would it not be a 1.5 inch lift over stock if the coilovers are being swapped? Is something else providing the additional 1 inch lift in the Tremor? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I just don't fully understand.
 
TremorLucky said:
Thanks for the post. I'm not very knowledgeable about lifts, but it sounds like getting an adjustable coilover that provides 2.5 inches of left, then adjusting it down to 1.5 inches, when installed will yield a 2.5 inch lift over a stock F 150? Why would it not be a 1.5 inch lift over stock if the coilovers are being swapped? Is something else providing the additional 1 inch lift in the Tremor? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I just don't fully understand.
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TremorLucky said:
Hmm, I don't know what that means. The hub knuckle and upper control arm create an inch of lift?
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The lift is created by the coilover, Ford saw all the issues the Rebel was having and tried to rectify some of those in case people did puck lifts, a coilover lift will just get you the same lift as a standard f150 because the coilover on the Tremor is an inch taller. That's why people were getting weird numbers from the pick lifts.
 
The hub knuckle and our unique UCA are to try and prevent the issues the Rebel had. Ford tried to build a better mousetrap, and to an extent they did, still needs to be a little better on explanation though as to what they did so that it would be easier to figure out how to get what you want.
 
FaKtor34 said:
The hub knuckle and our unique UCA are to try and prevent the issues the Rebel had. Ford tried to build a better mousetrap, and to an extent they did, still needs to be a little better on explanation though as to what they did so that it would be easier to figure out how to get what you want.
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Thanks - I appreciate the help and explanation!
 
Once I figured out what Ford was doing I jumped ship on the level and went straight to a lift kit. My Gen 13 had a 3.5" Ready Lift SST kit installed and it was the worst thing I have ever done to a truck. It pushed the CV angles way down just like the Tremors with the 2.5" kits and had the same stance as one. But the ride on the Get 13's was much more firm than the Gen 14's and the Tremor seems to be even more soft and uncontrolled than a standard F-150. I think this sloppy ride of the Tremor masks a lot of the damage being done by the 2.5" kits. But I do believe only people that really use their trucks off road will see a lot of damage. Wait to your full dropped out on one side and the wheel turned to max lock in four wheel drive under load. It's not good. Most will just see CV boot wear, Keep your boots clean and inspect them regularly.


I did see your FB post and people saying the angles look fine. If you think this is fine I say send it, its your truck.

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Fozzy said:
Once I figured out what Ford was doing I jumped ship on the level and went straight to a lift kit. My Gen 13 had a 3.5" Ready Lift SST kit installed and it was the worst thing I have ever done to a truck. It pushed the CV angles way down just like the Tremors with the 2.5" kits and had the same stance as one. But the ride on the Get 13's was much more firm than the Gen 14's and the Tremor seems to be even more soft and uncontrolled than a standard F-150. I think this sloppy ride of the Tremor masks a lot of the damage being done by the 2.5" kits. But I do believe only people that really use their trucks off road will see a lot of damage. Wait to your full dropped out on one side and the wheel turned to max lock in four wheel drive under load. It's not good. Most will just see CV boot wear, Keep your boots clean and inspect them regularly.


I did see your FB post and people saying the angles look fine. If you think this is fine I say send it, its your truck.

View attachment 13306
Click to expand...
Those boots won’t last long haha. Is that picture from your old truck with the 3.5” lift?
 
Wow I'm going to have to take another look at my boots. Just took my pavement princess in for its 10k service and dealership service manager said everything still looks brand new.

Wife will be thrilled if we have to drop it back an inch lol
 
Will said:
I thought Pro Comp makes a 2 1/2 specifically for the Tremor?
Click to expand...
Keep in mind: The ProComp 2-1/2 kit uses both a small spacer above the strut/coilover, and a spacer that installs above the spring itself. The spring spacer is installed by disassembling the strut and compressing the spring. The result of this spacer is a stiffer spring that lifts the truck, but the strut still maintains its total length at full droop. When combining this with the smaller spacer above the strut, you gain the 2-1/2 lift, but don’t allow for the more severe CV angles at full droop that are seen when just using the 2-1/2 upper spacer like the one from AS.

I like the idea of the ProComp setup, but I still went with the 1-1/2 AS kit in an effort to maintain the factory ride quality and a little bit of rake for towing.
 
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