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Posted On: October 22nd 2026, 11:00 pm
Just because your coilovers are adjustable, doesn’t mean you need to adjust them. In fact, most brands try to set up their coilovers so that the out of the box preload or lift height settings are around what they think is the right compromise in terms of performance and stance on the vast majority of vehicles they are designed for. If not perfect, at the very least they are worth installing before you need to mess with things.
So when are you almost guaranteed to have to make an adjustment?
Weight is the primary variable here, and to ensure most buyers do not have to change a thing, most brands develop their coilovers around the most popular package, powertrain option, and or sub model of a particular vehicle. The problem is the most popular stock weight package does not cover everything on the road, and F-150s are the perfect example of that.
The most popular combination on these trucks, and the one most manufacturers develop their shocks for is a Super Crew, short bed, 4WD with a 3.5 EcoBoost which weighs around 4800-5200 lbs. By chance that is basically the same weight as a 4WD 5.0 Coyote truck with the same bed and cab, meaning the vast majority of buyers have nothing to worry about.
The problem is those same coilovers are what you would use on a 4400 lb Regular Cab 2.7 EcoBoost and a 5700 lb PowerBoost Hybrid, which means those out of the box settings are likely to be wrong. That 2.7 truck will need significantly less preload and the Hybrid will need significantly more to achieve the same height that the coilovers were intended to come out at on the 3.5 EcoBoost or 5.0 Coyote trucks they were originally intended for.
But if you wanted more of those critical nuggets of knowledge for your F-150 make sure to keep it locked on our YT Channel because coming up next week we are dropping episode 1 of our Suspension Guide Series for F-150s so you don’t want to miss out.
And if you wanted more tips on how to adjust the preload on your coilovers, make sure to check out last weeks video where we give you a quick how to on the very subject.
#shocktalk #shcoks101 #fordf150 #shocksurplus #coilovers
So when are you almost guaranteed to have to make an adjustment?
Weight is the primary variable here, and to ensure most buyers do not have to change a thing, most brands develop their coilovers around the most popular package, powertrain option, and or sub model of a particular vehicle. The problem is the most popular stock weight package does not cover everything on the road, and F-150s are the perfect example of that.
The most popular combination on these trucks, and the one most manufacturers develop their shocks for is a Super Crew, short bed, 4WD with a 3.5 EcoBoost which weighs around 4800-5200 lbs. By chance that is basically the same weight as a 4WD 5.0 Coyote truck with the same bed and cab, meaning the vast majority of buyers have nothing to worry about.
The problem is those same coilovers are what you would use on a 4400 lb Regular Cab 2.7 EcoBoost and a 5700 lb PowerBoost Hybrid, which means those out of the box settings are likely to be wrong. That 2.7 truck will need significantly less preload and the Hybrid will need significantly more to achieve the same height that the coilovers were intended to come out at on the 3.5 EcoBoost or 5.0 Coyote trucks they were originally intended for.
But if you wanted more of those critical nuggets of knowledge for your F-150 make sure to keep it locked on our YT Channel because coming up next week we are dropping episode 1 of our Suspension Guide Series for F-150s so you don’t want to miss out.
And if you wanted more tips on how to adjust the preload on your coilovers, make sure to check out last weeks video where we give you a quick how to on the very subject.
#shocktalk #shcoks101 #fordf150 #shocksurplus #coilovers
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