2017 F150 Build /Adventure

[DrockinWV]

Hey Everyone!

Wanted to start a thread to keep track of my journey on my 2017 F150. Definitely not going to be an over the top build since this is my DD. However I will have to add some aftermarket parts to make the truck more capable to get into places I'd like to visit. Growing up I was always an avid camper with my family and friend, but in last 10 years or so I have strayed away. Looking to get back into it now especially now that I have a capable vehicle that can carry all of my gear, and get me to where I wanna go. I was very spoiled growing up and camping in Arizona utilizing all of the states wide open spaces. Now being in WV, there are still opportunities to get out and camp, however the areas and trails are a lot tighter for a full size pickup.

I traded in my 2015 Subaru STi for this 2017 F150 Supercrew 2.7 XLT 4x4 back in February 2018. Truck only had 2,400 miles on it and I got a hell of a deal on it and could not pass it up. This picture was taking right when I purchased it.



First addition I made was to change out the awful halogen head lights for a set of Diode Dynamic SL1 LEDs, and Diode Dynamic XLM2 LED yellow fog lights, it was a huge improvement to night vision. Then eventually I have changed out all halogen factory lights to Diode Dynamic LEDs which greatly improve the brightness of all the lights at night. From there I knew I needed to get started on some of the suspension parts. First I changed out the rear factory shocks to a set of Bilstein 5100s. These were a nice upgrade for the rear of the truck to improve the handling and over all drive ability of the vehicle. After driving around on the Bilsteins for a few months I knew I had to upgrade the front end with a new set of coilovers, with some wheels and tires that better suited the truck for off road use. I ended up going with a set of Halo Lift Boss coilovers which gave me 2.75" of lift in my front end. I also grabbed a set of Falken Wildpeak ATW3s in 285 75 17s with Method NV305s in bronze. This is how the truck sits as of 10-11-18.




I don't necessarily have a build goal for the truck or path that I want to take. But I'm sure once I get out more a list will start to accumulate for items to make trips easier and more fun.

 

[Raul B]

Nice to see another f150 on here....

 

[DrockinWV]

After finally getting the level kit installed with the new wheels and tires, I was itching to get out on a trail. I grabbed my new Purple Lizard map of the Dolly Sods area here in WV and got together a quick day trip with my dogs (see how happy they are lol).



All and all the trip was an approximate 180 miles. Nothing extreme, just a toe in the water, and some great scenery of a fall West Virginia.

 

[DrockinWV]

Nice to see another f150 on here....

Thanks, and I agreed! Need to get some more F150s on here for ideas and inspiration.

 

[Raul B]

Thanks, and I agreed! Need to get some more F150s on here for ideas and inspiration.

There is a good handful of us on here... Possibly 12.

 

[DrockinWV]

There is a good handful of us on here... Possibly 12.

It's a start, I dont think we will be surpassing Toyota anytime soon however haha.

I have seen where you were selling some of your gear from your rig. Are you selling the truck and going a new route, or just different route with your current F150?

 

[Raul B]

It's a start, I dont think we will be surpassing Toyota anytime soon however haha.

I have seen where you were selling some of your gear from your rig. Are you selling the truck and going a new route, or just different route with your current F150?

Im actually not 100% sure just yet. I kind of want to get back into a SUV or a shell for the truck... truth be told im pretty bored with it. I have someone picking up the rear bumper this Saturday and someone else lined up to buy the rack setup.

I don't camp as much as I used too and I also cant fit the whole family with our dogs in my truck. I used to own a diesel excursion that was all setup and sold it like an idiot. I would love to get back into one.

 

[DrockinWV]

Im actually not 100% sure just yet. I kind of want to get back into a SUV or a shell for the truck... truth be told im pretty bored with it. I have someone picking up the rear bumper this Saturday and someone else lined up to buy the rack setup.

I don't camp as much as I used too and I also cant fit the whole family with our dogs in my truck. I used to own a diesel excursion that was all setup and sold it like an idiot. I would love to get back into one.

Totally understandable, to be honest I would have loved to have gotten into a 4runner lol. But having a truck to me is so much more usefully for not only camping, but other projects around my house. Either way currently right now it is just my fiancee and our two dogs. However she could careless about camping or any of the sort (Im still working on it lol). Either way hopefully you find what you're looking for and can get back out and enjoy some outdoors!

 

[DrockinWV]

Just a small update of a trip over the last weekend. Loaded up the truck and headed about 2.5 hours south to Mt. Nebo, WV to my families cabin. We have a get together there every year during Bridge Day (https://officialbridgeday.com/). We have about 30 acres, most of it barely passable, but has some great spots for hiking and small camp sites.

 

[Whiteout]

Hey Everyone!

Wanted to start a thread to keep track of my journey on my 2017 F150. Definitely not going to be an over the top build since this is my DD. However I will have to add some aftermarket parts to make the truck more capable to get into places I'd like to visit. Growing up I was always an avid camper with my family and friend, but in last 10 years or so I have strayed away. Looking to get back into it now especially now that I have a capable vehicle that can carry all of my gear, and get me to where I wanna go. I was very spoiled growing up and camping in Arizona utilizing all of the states wide open spaces. Now being in WV, there are still opportunities to get out and camp, however the areas and trails are a lot tighter for a full size pickup.

I traded in my 2015 Subaru STi for this 2017 F150 Supercrew 2.7 XLT 4x4 back in February 2018. Truck only had 2,400 miles on it and I got a hell of a deal on it and could not pass it up. This picture was taking right when I purchased it.

View attachment 72604

First addition I made was to change out the awful halogen head lights for a set of Diode Dynamic SL1 LEDs, and Diode Dynamic XLM2 LED yellow fog lights, it was a huge improvement to night vision. Then eventually I have changed out all halogen factory lights to Diode Dynamic LEDs which greatly improve the brightness of all the lights at night. From there I knew I needed to get started on some of the suspension parts. First I changed out the rear factory shocks to a set of Bilstein 5100s. These were a nice upgrade for the rear of the truck to improve the handling and over all drive ability of the vehicle. After driving around on the Bilsteins for a few months I knew I had to upgrade the front end with a new set of coilovers, with some wheels and tires that better suited the truck for off road use. I ended up going with a set of Halo Lift Boss coilovers which gave me 2.75" of lift in my front end. I also grabbed a set of Falken Wildpeak ATW3s in 285 75 17s with Method NV305s in bronze. This is how the truck sits as of 10-11-18.

View attachment 72605 View attachment 72606


I don't necessarily have a build goal for the truck or path that I want to take. But I'm sure once I get out more a list will start to accumulate for items to make trips easier and more fun.

Thanks for sharing your build. I've got a 2016 F150 XLT, 2.7. How do you like the ride with Halos up front and Bilsteins on the back? The 5100 rears are a $100 cheaper the the Halo rears.

 

[DrockinWV]

Thanks for sharing your build. I've got a 2016 F150 XLT, 2.7. How do you like the ride with Halos up front and Bilsteins on the back? The 5100 rears are a $100 cheaper the the Halo rears.

Thanks for checking it out so far. I love the ride of the new setup it feels very close to factory if not even better with the rear end being more planted. It would probably be even better, but I went with a 10 ply tire. That being said, I went with the Halo's stock setting of 2.75" of lift in the front. I do run a little nose high currently and will be adding roughly an inch block in the back. Going that inch will max out the 5100s, I think if I were to do it again I may have went with something to give myself a little more travel in the back. But the 5100s support up to 1" of lift so it may not be as big a deal as Im making it out to be.

 

[Whiteout]

Thanks for checking it out so far. I love the ride of the new setup it feels very close to factory if not even better with the rear end being more planted. It would probably be even better, but I went with a 10 ply tire. That being said, I went with the Halo's stock setting of 2.75" of lift in the front. I do run a little nose high currently and will be adding roughly an inch block in the back. Going that inch will max out the 5100s, I think if I were to do it again I may have went with something to give myself a little more travel in the back. But the 5100s support up to 1" of lift so it may not be as big a deal as Im making it out to be.

Thanks for the feedback. I ended copying your setup and added a 3" block in the back to a slight rake (thank Stage3 Motorsports for the advice). If I would have done anything different is to have waited a week for Stage3's Black Friday sale (would have saved $50). Regardless, the ride, handling, and the steering are soooo much better. Now I just need figure our my tire and wheel setup. The F150 stock turn radius sucks.

 

[DrockinWV]

Thanks for the feedback. I ended copying your setup and added a 3" block in the back to a slight rake (thank Stage3 Motorsports for the advice). If I would have done anything different is to have waited a week for Stage3's Black Friday sale (would have saved $50). Regardless, the ride, handling, and the steering are soooo much better. Now I just need figure our my tire and wheel setup. The F150 stock turn radius sucks.
View attachment 78171View attachment 78173 View attachment 78175 View attachment 78176

Looks good! Which rear block did you end up going with? I didn't think the 5100's would accommodate 1.5" lift in the rear. I really do like my wheel and tire setup. However if I were you I would try to stay away from LT or E load tires unless you really need them. My 285 75 17s are E load and I lost a ton of MPGs. I went from roughly 17.5ish down to 14.0 - 14.5 with the extra weight.

 

[Whiteout]

Looks good! Which rear block did you end up going with? I didn't think the 5100's would accommodate 1.5" lift in the rear. I really do like my wheel and tire setup. However if I were you I would try to stay away from LT or E load tires unless you really need them. My 285 75 17s are E load and I lost a ton of MPGs. I went from roughly 17.5ish down to 14.0 - 14.5 with the extra weight.

Ready lift 3"...got em from Stage 3 for $99. Good advice on the tires...I saw that the factory ones weigh 39lbs and the Nitto Ridge Grapplers I like at 69lbs. 120lbs of unsprung weight is a lot especially for my DD truck.

 

[DrockinWV]

Ready lift 3"...got em from Stage 3 for $99. Good advice on the tires...I saw that the factory ones weigh 39lbs and the Nitto Ridge Grapplers I like at 69lbs. 120lbs of unsprung weight is a lot especially for my DD truck.

Yeah the factory 275 65 18s weighted in at 63 pounds each, and my Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws weighted that much themselves, basically added 32lbs to each wheel/tire. I would recommend maybe a 285 70 17, it will be less than an inch shorter but I believe you can get them in a different load rating. But for the Falken, not sure about the Nittos.

 

[JonathanMColeman]

let the f150s gather. lol love the build

 

[JCWages]

The Icon 2.0s are reasonably priced. You might check them out fir the rear. On the Colorado/Canyon they handle up to 2" of lift which is why I got them. My OE shocks were completely maxed out and sounded horrible when a wheel dropped into a hole. Bang!

 

[Cort]

What’s the actual height of your tires. I have stock size on mine but E load for a camper I don’t have anymore. I can’t wait to get rid of the e loads. I’d like to get as close to a 34-35” tire as I can.

 

[JCWages]

What’s the actual height of your tires. I have stock size on mine but E load for a camper I don’t have anymore. I can’t wait to get rid of the e loads. I’d like to get as close to a 34-35” tire as I can.

The LT285/75/17 is 33.9". The next size up that may fit your rig is the 35×12.5R17 which is ever so slightly narrower than a 315. Unfortunately when you go that large it seems like most tires are LT E-metric. http://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeaka/t3w-tire

The Nitto Ridge Grappler in LT285/75/17 comes in a C but it is heavier than the E Wildpeak and probably $60+ more per tire. https://m.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/ridge-grappler-light-truck-tire/

 

[Cort]

Thanks! Most true 35’s will require bending or removing the crash bars in the front. 315s are pretty wide, add to the rolling resistance and suck down some mileage as well. Our trucks need as much wheel/tire height to help with water fjording depth which is pretty weak for a 4x4 truck.

Like every upgrade or modmthere is compromise. I have one more summer on these tires more than likely, I have time for the hunt.