pros and cons of a 3" body lift on an f250

B

Backwoods_VT

Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Messages
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Just wondering if anyone has ever done a body lift and what cons there were. I want to do it just for looks and to go up one size in tires. Also ive heard that bigger tires = less gas mileage, and i cant do that since i have none to spare. Thanks
 
i doubt i can help other than to say that bodies are the heaviest damn things i ever picked up, not to mention the messiest.

always happy to lend a letter or twelve, i remain,
me & vg
 
well you will lose mileage and speed and safety with a lift and/or larger tires
so if you are just after better looks get a chevy :p :D
 
Backwoods has been banned for 24 hours for failure to follow the rules of the Community Forum. He has been posting in the wrong forum despite repeated warnings. Hopefully this time he will get the message.
 
My advice is to skip the body lift and get a suspension lift. It will be easier to install, and will be better for the truck.
When you life the body you put a ton of strain on it because of the way the mounts are set up. You also run into issues with the pedals, 4WD shifter (if you don't have ESOF), possibly the transmission shifter, steering column etc. not having the right fit or clearance anymore. All of these things are attached to mechanical parts that do not get moved with a body lift.

A suspension lift on these trucks is very simple though until you go really big....springs and shocks and thats it. If you were to go bigger you'd get into some drive line adjustments and some steering parts, but for 2.5" you hardly have to do anywork at all.

A leveling kit will lift your front end about 2"-2.5" and would either include a new set of leaf springs (not legal to put blocks on front end if I remember right..) or if you have a newer truck with coil springs all you need is a spacer. Cheap and easy.

Since you have a 250, all you need for the back end is to take out the factory lift blocks under the springs and buy a set of F350 blocks which are about an inch taller.You Could probably get the blocks and U-bolts for about $50.

Rear blocks and a leveling kit will probably get you high enough to run the tires you want. My F350 is stock and came with (almost) 33's on it....room to go bigger. If you want to go bigger than 35's it will be time to start thinking about gearing and alot of other stuff anyway.
 
Mr. Shade has it right...
Also add that your fan may not line with your radiator correctly and may even hit the radiator depending the pitch of your motor.
Depending on the size tires you jump up to, you may want to consider re-gearing your diffs. You'll get some of your performance and gas mileage back. There are tons of online calculators to help determine which gear ratio to get based on engine RPM and tire size.
 
I have a stock Ford F-250 4x4. Make sure that installing a lift kit will not make your truck too tall to fit inside your garage if that is where you park it. Even some commercial and municipal parking garages have low ceilings and driving a big 4x4 inside can be a tight fit, especially on indoor ramps.
 
I have yet to find the practicality of either option, if you drive on the street pretty much at all, the lift kits ruin handline, The big mongo tires just do not last and give horrible braking and steering control, you loose something like 40% of your G rating in a hard turn. Your Insurance may not cover you if you roll the thing, by saying you have altered the risk factors.

Ride quality goes thru the floor too. If you want an off roader only, then be my guest, although a Wrangler platform will still go places your's can only dream of, Long wheel bases and big tires and limited turning radius' make driving a big truck in the boonies more challenging.

Just my .02 worth.
 
I have had a F250 that is lifted for over 14 years an aside from a rough ride when it is empty I have no complaints. I use it off road for hauling fire wood, gravel, bark, lumber and many other loads. For daily commuting it will tear your low back into pieces but it is purely a workhorse for me.

The lift is very important when I am crawling around skidder trails and logging roads or just 4x4ing around my property.
 
done correctly, a 3" lift wont ruin handling, a bud has a '03 dodge 3/4 ton w/a 3" lift and its no big deal at all, he gets plenty of mileage on tires, no probs with braking or handling, either. looks cool too, he has 34" tires, IIRC and custom wheels.

now ya go to more than 3" and then ya start seeing probs, really more than 4" or so.
 
I had a lifted Dodge for 8 years, and no problems, but it was a suspension lift. IMO it is better than a body lift, because you are actually lifting the suspension components, although it is more expensive than a body lift. If all you are doing is going up 1 size, why do you need a lift? Should fit regardless! Maybe look at coil spacers for the front end. They will lift your front end level with the back, and is even cheaper and easier to install than a body lift. As for handling, don't worry about it unless you want to drive it like a Porche!
 
I did the lifted truck thing for a few years. Go suspension lift, with a quality kit (usually determined by price, unfortunately).

Ensure your state inspection won't fail you for inspection (though I've found this is very inspector dependent).

Body lifts of an inch or so are OK, but I found they pretty much left much to be desired. When I did my lifts (a couple of Chevrolets and helping with a Ford and Toyota), an increase in suspension travel was a consideration as well as increased clearance.

No reason to have a horse buggy ride now days. Decent on-street spring rates are available (paired with front and back anti-sway bars - which are disconnected or removed for serious off-roading).

As usual, research your options before you buy. I noticed many 4X4 places pushed certain brands - not paying attention to whether that brands kits were good for which brands of trucks.

Well, have fun no matter your choice - vehicle modification is usually exciting (unforeseen problems seem the norm).
 
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