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[Knox GSL]

So I'm new here and have recently replaced my wife's Civic with something with a little more room. She said she wanted to sit up like my truck and have room for 7 so this is what we got. 07 expy, 3/2 lift with new rims and tires. Updated a few cosmetic issues but other than that it's a great vehicle.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Nice truck Knox. Hey, do you have wheel spacers by any chance? I’m planning a 3/2 lift but am not decided on whether to install wheel spacers or not.


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[Knox GSL]

Nope just a -25 off set. My only gripe with the lift is that the front upper control arms are maxed out and it rides rough.

 

[chuck s]

Both my '07 and '17 ride like a Town Car so I'm curious why lift this truck at all. And can you restore it to OEM height?

- Chuck

 

[1997SCEBFEX]

welcome aboard. thanks for sharing.

 

[Knox GSL]

Both my '07 and '17 ride like a Town Car so I'm curious why lift this truck at all. And can you restore it to OEM height?

- Chuck

I could put it back but then I would have to put the ugly factory wheels with Grandpa's Michelin tires back on.

 

[jeff kushner]

Nice truck Knox. Hey, do you have wheel spacers by any chance? I’m planning a 3/2 lift but am not decided on whether to install wheel spacers or not.


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You might want to re-think the spacers Muddy. I did a LOT of research in the Spring because I REALLY like the look of a mildly lifted truck with spacers and I found instance after instance where the owner had to replace wheel bearings and in several cases, rear axle parts where they connect to the wheels.

Evidently, the stock bearings do a fabulous job as long as they aren't being unduly loaded by being "leveraged" by the spacers. I really wanted them but after reading so much info, I decided that it wouldn't be worth it to someone like me who keeps their trucks long after they are paid for.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do!!

jeff

 

[Knox GSL]

Do any of you know where I could find a longer upper control arm? I think that it would help a lot with the geometry if it were slightly longer. If not I'm going to pull out the stock style strut/spring/spacer and go with an aftermarket adjustable at 2" instead of 3. Between the angle on the the upper arm and extra weight of the larger wheels the ride isn't what it should be.

 

[AllBoostNoEco]

http://www.chaosfab.com/2004-2008-Ford-F150-Upper-Control-Arm-Suspension-Kit-80501.html

I’m assuming that your truck uses the same upper control arm as the 04-08 F-150. This one is not longer than stock, because you can’t change the length of it without wrecking the geometry, but it does have a uniball versus a ball joint. Not sure if it will help the ride or not.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

So I'm new here and have recently replaced my wife's Civic with something with a little more room. She said she wanted to sit up like my truck and have room for 7 so this is what we got. 07 expy, 3/2 lift with new rims and tires. Updated a few cosmetic issues but other than that it's a great vehicle.View attachment 22332 View attachment 22333 View attachment 22334

Welcome to the Forum. That's a nice looking truck @Knox GSL. I love the lift. I've been thinking about doing that myself on my 17

 

[Knox GSL]

Welcome to the Forum. That's a nice looking truck @Knox GSL. I love the lift. I've been thinking about doing that myself on my 17

If you do get a 2" in the front. I'm driving it tonight on the highway and it's not as smooth as before.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

If you do get a 2" in the front. I'm driving it tonight on the highway and it's not as smooth as before.

@Knox GSL when you say not as smooth are you referring to going over bumps or vibration coming through the suspension.

Did the kit you installed consist of just spacers or did you install new springs and shocks as part of the kit?

 

[Knox GSL]

@Knox GSL when you say not as smooth are you referring to going over bumps or vibration coming through the suspension.

Did the kit you installed consist of just spacers or did you install new springs and shocks as part of the kit?

Everything in the road is felt. I just drove it about 300 miles and it seems to have gotten better. I'm thinking that part of it may be the tires going through a break in period as everything is better than when I left home. We don't put a lot of miles on a vehicle in town as I work from home and my wife's school is about 1/2 a mile away. We do travel to Alabama and Georgia to visit family often which is where we rack up most of our miles. I'm hoping that we get out and do some mountain trails north of Knoxville like we used to in our jeep now that our boys are old enough to go camping.

I used the ready lift setup.

In hindsight I think I would do the 2" rear spacers and an adjustable coilover in the front set to about 2" if lift. My F150 has a 2" spacer in the front and does much better than this so I may swap that out for now. You can run a 10 wide wheel with less back spacing with 2". My mistake was doing the "stance" thing with a negative off set which will rub with no lift. The tires are the same diameter as stock, just wider and more off set. 305/50/r20.

Overall I love the vehicle, massive amount of room, comfortable and it feels like driving a truck unlike many of the modern SUVs.

I've swapped the Ford logos front and back to black on chrome and some vent visors to help with summer heat.

I've averaged 16mpg so far, a little better than my truck but this is with 12" wide AT tires so that's not too bad.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Man I thought ready lift guaranteed that your truck would ride factory even after their kit was installed. I don’t want a tougher ride. This truck rides perfect and as much as I want a life, I don’t want to kill ride quality...


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[ExpeditionAndy]

Everything in the road is felt. I just drove it about 300 miles and it seems to have gotten better. I'm thinking that part of it may be the tires going through a break in period as everything is better than when I left home. We don't put a lot of miles on a vehicle in town as I work from home and my wife's school is about 1/2 a mile away. We do travel to Alabama and Georgia to visit family often which is where we rack up most of our miles. I'm hoping that we get out and do some mountain trails north of Knoxville like we used to in our jeep now that our boys are old enough to go camping.

I used the ready lift setup.

In hindsight I think I would do the 2" rear spacers and an adjustable coilover in the front set to about 2" if lift. My F150 has a 2" spacer in the front and does much better than this so I may swap that out for now. You can run a 10 wide wheel with less back spacing with 2". My mistake was doing the "stance" thing with a negative off set which will rub with no lift. The tires are the same diameter as stock, just wider and more off set. 305/50/r20.

Overall I love the vehicle, massive amount of room, comfortable and it feels like driving a truck unlike many of the modern SUVs.

I've swapped the Ford logos front and back to black on chrome and some vent visors to help with summer heat.

I've averaged 16mpg so far, a little better than my truck but this is with 12" wide AT tires so that's not too bad.

That's good to know and that's why I'm still on the fence about what to do. I don't really want to change the ride quality.

 

[Knox GSL]

Update. I got a set of hub centric rings for the wheels and the highway ride is much better. Now it's not stock but that faint off balance feel is gone and the front suspension is calmer.

 

[gixer2000]

Any pics of how far these wheels stick out? I'm looking for a 20x10 and not sure what offset I wanna go with. I'd Also be going with a 33" tire and have 2" of lift now. Any rubbing at all or areas that are close to rub?

 

[Adieu]

Yeah so if at all possible, do major changes one step at a time


If you just simultaneously throw on spacers in not one but TWO planes, new wheels, and new tires, who knows which part is messing up your ride

 

[J Ski]

If you do get a 2" in the front. I'm driving it tonight on the highway and it's not as smooth as before.

I’ve got a Readylift 3/2 on my 16 and it rides way better than stock. Curious as to why urs is rough riding. What brand lift

 

[Knox GSL]

I’ve got a Readylift 3/2 on my 16 and it rides way better than stock. Curious as to why urs is rough riding. What brand lift

Ready lift as well. I did change out the shocks/springs as the same time but I think most of that issue is the maxed out upper control arms.