HOLY Suspension: Florida Georgia Line F-150 Part 1
Have you heard about the 2015 Ford F-150 that Nitto Tire and Florida Georgia Line have teamed up to give away?
Well, you have now! In true Nitto fashion, the enthusiast tire company couldn’t just sweepstakes a stock ½-ton. In fact, this particular F-150 is equipped with some of the best wares the aftermarket has to offer. We wanted to give you a better look at the EcoBoost-powered 4x4 you can win, so we stopped by the official build shop, So Cal Super Trucks, as they were installing an assortment of upgrades.
In this installment, we are following along as the truck gets outfitted with a four-inch BDS Suspension performance series lift. As you can tell, that’s just one of the many upgrades this super-trick Ford received. Be sure to check back next week as we show you the rest of the high-end upgrades.
BDS Suspension offers 2½-, 4-, and 6-inch lift kits for the 2015 to current Ford F-150 4x4. The 4- and 6-inch versions of the suspension can be optioned with Fox 2.5 series coilovers.
Once So Cal had the majority of the frontend torn down, they went to work on the small amount of cutting and trimming needed. The largest section that needed to be removed was a portion of the stock front differential crossmember. A Sawzall or cut-off wheel can easily make light work of the job.
With trimming complete, reassembly can begin. BDS provides ¼-inch-thick steel crossmembers, which bolt to the stock lower control arm mounts. The high-clearance subframe is fit with built-in cam slots and includes new cam bolts. This allows for an easy and proper alignment post lift.
BDS replaces the stock steering knuckles, which allows you to keep the upper control arm in the factory location. You’ll transfer your original unit bearing assemblies from the stock knuckles, and reconnect your speed sensors. The knuckles also feature raised tie-rod mounts, which makes them compatible with the electronic steering rack.
Modern trucks are as safe as they have ever been, and there’s no reason to jeopardize all of those safety advancements. BDS’s suspension system has been independently certified compliant with the electronic stability control systems through a series of tests known as the FMVSS No. 126 standards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This means you can have a functional lift without needing to defeat all of the advanced electronic nannies designed to keep you safe.
Adding a little protection to the stock front diff is a heavy-duty skidplate. This works well to protect the axlehousing, while retaining the high-clearance you need in the dirt.
Since the front differential has been lowered to accommodate the lift, BDS provides a driveline spacer so you can reuse the front ‘shaft. This means you can retain the factory front driveline, which has been Ford tested for highway speeds and long-term durability.
Nitto Tire understands that this truck needed to be more than just a lift, but a performance suspension system. This means the F-150 got the optional Fox 2.5-inch remote reservoir coilovers. The Fox coilovers are specifically valved and fit with an optimum coil rate which drastically improves the truck’s on- and off-road performance.
The coilovers are engineered to bolt into the stock Ford towers and lower control arms. They even include a clever mounting system to allow you to attach the fluid reservoir out of the way.
Ford got a lot of things right in regards to spring rate with the all-new aluminum F-150. To make sure you don’t lose any towing capacity or ride quality, BDS provides a rear block to get your truck lifted and level.
Fox 2.0 IFP shocks take up the absorbing duties out back. Like the front, the Fox shocks are valved specifically for this application.
KMC Wheels
Wheels for the project come from KMC. They are 20x9 XD820 Grenades with the optional satin black milled finish. The ultra-strong aluminum wheels have the right backspacing needed to be a functional and stylish fit for the truck.
Ridge Grapplers
Whoever wins this ride will be rolling on the all-new Nitto Tire Ridge Grapplers. This 35x12.50R20 tire is breaking barriers in the tire world as it’s more daring than a traditional all-terrain, and more refined than your typical mud cleat. Since it’s also designed to be especially quite, you’ll have no trouble hearing those Florida Georgia Line tunes behind the wheel.
Since Fox 2.5 coilovers were used, So Cal could fine tune the lift height of the truck, which was especially helpful with some of the other additions. The final adjustment comes by way of a full frontend alignment.
You think you’ve seen it all? Well, we’re just getting started. Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment and don’t forget to enter to win this truck!
Enter to win this custom F-150!
Sources
BDS Suspension, 517/279-2135
So Cal Super Trucks, 877/80-SOCAL
