Did you know choosing between a 4″ vs 6″ lift kit could mean sacrificing the street ability of your truck? keep that page scrolling because we break down how to choose and what to look out for.
Is a 4” lift or a 6” lift kit better? now its working
It depends… But we can give you the facts you need to consider and what you want with your lift kit. More ground clearance for offroading? Aggressive look on the street. Bigger is not always better.
Factors to consider:
Wheel and tire size
| Lift Size | Recommended Tire Size |
|---|---|
| 2” | Factory – 34” |
| 4” | 35” |
| 6” | 36-37” |
**You can always go smaller for each lift size but going larger will likely cause rubbing.
4” is great for fitting bigger 34-35 inch tires but if you want to go higher you will need a 6” lift. You can run 36” and 37” tires with a 6” lift. Most of the rubbing in general takes place in the front wheels as you steer. With these combinations, you will keep good size proportions and have enough clearance for the tire size.
Gear ratios
| Tire Size | Recommend Gear Ratio |
|---|---|
| 33 | 3.55 |
| 34 | 3.73 |
| 35 | 3.91 |
| 36 | 3.91 |
| 37 | 4.10 |
As you move up in tire size you might need to put in different gears in your rear differential. This compensates for larger tires so you can maintain the torque you need to tow and go offroad
Gas Mileage Changes
As you put on larger tires you will lose some gas mileage the larger you go. This is because the tire/wheel combo gets bigger and heavier and takes more power to turn. This can impact your mileages from 12-35% depending on the size change. If you don’t want this impacted too much make sure and not jump up too large in tire size and lift size. When you swap for bigger tires make sure and get your speedometer re-calibrated so compensates for the new size.
Parking situations
Do you park in a garage? If you lift your truck higher than the garage opening you might find yourself parking it outside. Each f150 cab height is a bit different but can be as high as 77” from the factory. Standard Garage door sizes are 7ft (84”) and 9ft (108). A 6” lift could put you right at the edge of scraping the top so check your heights before you pull the trigger.
How Do lift kits work?
Lifts are designed to increase the distance between the truck body and the wheels or tires. This is accomplished in 3 ways
1. Spacers
Spacers are placed above between the front spring perch and the top of the strut mount in the front. In the rear, a block is placed between the axel and the leaf spring. This effectively raises the height the truck body and frame are from the ground but does not increase the amount of suspension travel in any way.
When you hit the 4” lift mark in the front things get a bit more involved. Because of the independent front suspension, your kit will come with a new bracket to drop the front differential lower and taller knuckles. This is because the height change is enough that these parts are needed to adjust your suspension geometry so it will steer drive and operate properly.
2. Larger Springs & Shocks
For the front, larger springs and shocks are added to provide more lift and often added suspension travel. For the Rear, a full leaf spring replacement is provided that is taller also providing more lift, ground clearance, and suspension travel
3. Helper Springs
In the rear you can add 1-2” to your existing leaf spring by “adding a leaf”. This is a sheet of metal or extra “leaf” that you bolt onto your existing leaf spring, makes it stiffer and raises your ride height.
2” lift kit
Generally, this size lift is considered a level kit. Factory F150’s generally have “rake” meaning the rear is higher than the front to compensate when the rear is loaded during towing. A level kit is between 1 – 2.5 inches in the front to “level the truck out. This is the absolute easiest and quickest kit to install of them all
3” Lift Kit
3” level kits are sometimes with just front springs and struts are in-between level/lift kit and save costs but add the lifted look for less. This is a good compromise for performance and look and is not too difficult to install.
4” Lift kit
At 4” you have left the world of leveling kits and can hang with the big boys. You can not start to run a lot bigger tires, give your truck an aggressive look and get some great performance. However, at 4 inches it requires cutting and drilling that is not easy to go back on. The install time can be as high as 10hrs and might need professional help to complete.
6” lift Kit
While there are certainly bigger lift kits than 6”.. 6” is a big jump from the factor. Especially if you are looking to fit 36 or 37” tires this is the way to go. Look out for how the lift happens if 100% of the 6” in the rear if just from spacers or blocks on the leaf springs you might want to consider getting some lateral traction bars to keep your rear axle from wanting under heavy excretion or stress.
Spacers or No Spacers?
Leaf spring spacers Yes. Coil spring spacers No. Coil spring spacers are ok for the level kits (less than 3”), but for lift kits, without new springs or shocks, you can destroy your daily ride quality.
Rear Leaf Springs
Spacers in the rear for leaf spring lift kits are mostly the norm. You can get larger leaf springs that give the lift you need but it’s a lot more cost-effective to just get the spacers. Helper springs are a good cost middle ground as well.
Front Coil Springs
Most f150’s these days are independent front suspension with coil spring & strut setup. Generally, you only want to use spacers if they are 2.5 inches or less and you just looking for a leveling look. some 4″ and 6″ lift kits come with spacers and you end up sacrificing your ride quality. Ideally, look for a kit that in the front our your f150 provides a larger shock and spring in combination with a new front knuckle. This way it maintains all your factory suspension geometry and has a new shock design specifically to provide a better ride for a lifted pickup.
Do lift kits ruin your truck?
If not put together right they can ruin your ride quality. If you go 4” or more it will require drilling and cutting that is not simple to go back on. If you are worried about that, stick to 3” of lift or less so it’s easy to put it back to the factory height.
Does Ford do lift kits?
Not for the F150. However, ford did for the first time start offering a level kit for the Ranger… so maybe there is hope for a level kit for the f150 in the future.
How much is a Ford F150 lift kit?
Level kits run a few hundred, 3” can be $300-$800, 4”-6” seem to cost about the same and runs from $1000-$4000 if you’re just paying for the kit and not the install costs. We also break down the best kits on the market in our 8 best Ford f150 lift kits.
Lift kit vs level kit?
Good question… If you want to get rid of the “rake” and keep near factory ride quality then a level kit is just fine, but if you are looking to fit bigger tires and significantly increase your ground clearance a lift kit is the way to go. For more details, also check out our article on level kit vs lift kit.
