What f350 suspension system?

[Jay Smallen]

Good morning. We're looking at putting 37's on the rig and are starting to look at suspension systems.

Does anybody have experience or recommendations? So far, I've looked at Carli and ICON, but honestly don't know enough about the product itself, support etc lol! Probably going 4.5" mid level system hoping to stay between $4-5,000 if possible. We live in the Sierras just East of Tahoe.

We're open to any and all suggestions!
Thanks much.

 

[Cav 3724]

What year ?

 

[Cav 3724]

BDS is good.

 

[The Roach ...]

Carli. hands down. I have the full set up on my 2018 f250. just came back from the trans cont. trail run. I'm putting in better ball joints than OEM... not a glitch on anything we saw... running 35's on 20 inch wheels since I tow a bit. next rig will go 37's on 18 inch Rims and a Full Carli suspension. air pressure is everything. we ran about 40 psi the whole time on toy open country at3's. (amazing tire). going lower felt better in the pure dirt / rock. but we transitioned across roads several times and the compressor I had with me couldn't keep up.

 

[Jay Smallen]

What year ?

Sorry for the slow reply on my end lol. It's an 06 f350 and I ended up ordering a Carli system today. Regardless though what were your thoughts? I'm just soaking up whatever I can Haha!

 

[Jay Smallen]

BDS is good.

Thanks for the heads up on that. I'm still going to take a look at BDS even though we went with a Carli. I like checking stuff out lol!

 

[Jay Smallen]

Carli. hands down. I have the full set up on my 2018 f250. just came back from the trans cont. trail run. I'm putting in better ball joints than OEM... not a glitch on anything we saw... running 35's on 20 inch wheels since I tow a bit. next rig will go 37's on 18 inch Rims and a Full Carli suspension. air pressure is everything. we ran about 40 psi the whole time on toy open country at3's. (amazing tire). going lower felt better in the pure dirt / rock. but we transitioned across roads several times and the compressor I had with me couldn't keep up.

Thanks and good to hear! Glad your trip went well too. We ended up ordering a Carli 4.5" Pintop system today and are looking forward to getting her out. With any luck we'll have her set up in a few weeks. Thanks again for the input The Roach!

 

[Cav 3724]

If it's an 06, definitely check both upper and lower ball joints on both sides. If they haven't been replaced yet, they'll probably need it. Front wheel bearings, otherwise known as unit bearings. Check them as well. If they are bad, replace them. 37's can beat them up . There is a kit that replaces the "unit bearings", called a free spin kit made by Dynatrac. Pricey, almost $2,000. But it replaces the unit bearing with the older spindle and greasable bearings, and Warn locking hubs. If you stay with unit bearings, go with quality parts. No China bearings. You don't want a wheel falling off in the middle of nowhere.

 

[The Roach ...]

Thanks and good to hear! Glad your trip went well too. We ended up ordering a Carli 4.5" Pintop system today and are looking forward to getting her out. With any luck we'll have her set up in a few weeks. Thanks again for the input The Roach!

agreed on the changing of the ball joints.. the factory balljoints are weaker than the available after markets and at the cost of the full system.. go ahead and spend the extra 700.00 on the heavy duty rebuildable.

 

[Jay Smallen]

If it's an 06, definitely check both upper and lower ball joints on both sides. If they haven't been replaced yet, they'll probably need it. Front wheel bearings, otherwise known as unit bearings. Check them as well. If they are bad, replace them. 37's can beat them up . There is a kit that replaces the "unit bearings", called a free spin kit made by Dynatrac. Pricey, almost $2,000. But it replaces the unit bearing with the older spindle and greasable bearings, and Warn locking hubs. If you stay with unit bearings, go with quality parts. No China bearings. You don't want a wheel falling off in the middle of nowhere.

Thanks for that info too. I'm taking notes lol! Probably not a bad idea to address that stuff too, after 175000 miles. We're the second owners, but thankfully the truck seems it was well maintained.

 

[Daryl 32]

When I did our 2wd to 4wd conversion I bought ICON 4.5" lift components. I went with the 2.5 body adjustable shocks in the front.

As a 2wd it had a 6" lift on it which was close to a 4.5" lift on a 4wd.

Truck is an E99 7.3 I adapted an 07 F350 coil front suspension and axle.

 

[The Roach ...]

How are the Icon's working for you? I'm running Bilstein 5160 that seems to work fine for this application. but am looking at all the other options.

When I did our 2wd to 4wd conversion I bought ICON 4.5" lift components. I went with the 2.5 body adjustable shocks in the front.

As a 2wd it had a 6" lift on it which was close to a 4.5" lift on a 4wd.

Truck is an E99 7.3 I adapted an 07 F350 coil front suspension and axle.

View attachment 169656

 

[Daryl 32]

How are the Icon's working for you? I'm running Bilstein 5160 that seems to work fine for this application. but am looking at all the other options.

So far they are working really good. Still playing with the adjustable setting. My only concern is that the body is big - so it sits close to the chassis mount.