So I bought a 2011 XLT and it's a decent truck but the ride height is just too low for me. It just doesn't look like a 4wd truck. I like the sport or FX4 ride height. It looks a little more proportional.

I've been scouring sites to try and find the best solution to my problem. I figure that the truck needs to be lifted up about 1.5" to 2" for my liking. First off, a body lift is out of the question. I'm just not a fan of em.

I was thinking about adding a leaf spring in the rear and cranking the torsion bars up front. Here's my question though; Over time, won't the front end sag, leaving me to have to crank up the torsion bars again? Also, after cranking the torsion bars, I'll need an alignment, I'm assuming. But, will front end parts wear out faster as well? Tie rods, ball joints, etc.

There just seem to be a lot of options and I'm having difficulty deciding on what route to take. I don't like doing anything half-assed and would like to do this right the first time.

Yeah this is a "newb" question I guess and I'll probably get some "try the search engine" replies but it's not very easy to use the search engine to find the answer to a question that I think is fairly in depth and specific. (Already been there) So, thanks for your help.

 

go search in the suspension section. there is a long thread about the 08+ trucks being lower then previous years.

 

yes also search for the "prekey" mod.

 

Buy Torsion keys for a 2003 4wd and rear blocks/ubolts for a 2003. It will then be the same height. That is what the guys are talking about. Then get the truck aligned after they have been installed.