Just when it looked like all new pickups had turned into El Caminos or Rancheros, a glimmer of hope arrived. The new Ford Super Duty truck line offers a truck man’s truck with a real solid front axle suspended by honest-to-goodness real leaf springs. Most truck owners who really work their trucks feel this setup is still the best for all-around four-wheel-drive performance. A live axle and leaf spring combo is also the most lift-friendly design. The engineers at Superlift wasted no time giving these new Fords some altitude to go with their attitude.
To give our test truck the altitude and attitude we desired, we gave the guys at Tyres International a call. Soon a Superlift 4-inch Super Duty lift arrived along with four 35x12.50R16.5 General Grabber APs. These tires came already mounted and balanced to four beautiful 16.5x9.75 Weld Super Single II forged aluminum wheels. It sure makes it nice when your wish list can be delivered to your doorstep with just one phone call.
The kit for the 4-inch lift consists of new spring packs for the front of the truck. Various sizes of lift blocks or an add-a-leaf can be chosen for the rear, depending on what kind of duty you have in mind for your Super Duty. New, longer Superide shocks are part of the kit, along with a track-arm relocation bracket, longer drop links for the front sway bar, and drop brackets for the front bumpstops. This lift can be installed in the privacy of your own home with basic handtools. The instructions are quite complete, even explaining the lug nut tightening sequence for Ford’s hub-centric wheels. A handy check-box system helps you keep track of the installation process as you go, lest you miss a step when the phone interrupts. The highest tech adjustments required are centering the steering wheel and resetting the headlights to their proper level.
Our test truck was a Power Stroke–equipped Super Cab with a long bed. With the lift installed and still rolling on its stock tires, the truck measured a dead honest 4 inches higher at the top of its front fenderwells (383/8 to 423/8 inches). Due to the many different varieties of Super Duties available, Superlift stresses that the overall height may vary depending on how your truck is optioned.
Our before-’n’-after tests consisted of taking the test truck out for a drive in its stock guise, installing the lift, then redriving the same course and noting the changes brought about by the modifications.
On graded dirt roads, the stock truck rode as well as on the street, and we found this to be true with the Superlift suspension as well. Once the roads turned to rough, narrow two-tracks, the Ford’s mass felt like it overpowered the stock shocks and springs quickly. The stock ride became quite bouncy, not uncommon in an unloaded pickup truck. Going slowly was the only way to cover those stretches.
Back on these two-tracks with the Superlift suspension installed, we found it was still slow going. The heavier spring rate now made its presence known in the form of a slightly stiffer ride. The new springs and shocks did a much better job of absorbing the bumps and controlling the bounce, but the sponginess (i.e., softness) of the factory ride at certain speeds was gone. However, we know this is a 1-ton truck and not a ½-ton prerunner, so speed isn’t really what we’re after here. Airing down the fat 35-inch Generals would go a long way toward softening things.
At our first real hillclimb, the live front axle showed its stuff. Our test hill has deep opposing holes created by open-diff 2WD rigs. All IFS test rigs require specific lines around the holes to get up this hill. Our big diesel just idled straight up the middle in 4WD low, both in stock mode and after it was modified. Both the stock and the Superlift springs provided plenty of articulation to keep the tires on the ground and the truck moving.
Our second hillclimb was much steeper at about 60 percent or 30 degrees. It was there that the modified truck really showed its 4WD ability to prowl. Some test rigs never climb this hill before or after. The stock F-250 climbed the hill in Second gear, low range at 2,500 to 2,700 rpm. This is fairly wound up for a diesel, and consequently, you get momentum. We experienced wheelspin and some axle chatter.
With the Superlift and the Generals on our side, the big Ford crawled the hill at just off idle in First gear, low range. No hop, no fuss, just smooth ballet.
One final measurement we take before and after is our forklift test. Instead of a ramp test, we lift the left front wheel with a forklift until another comes off the ground. This measurement shows any gain or loss in articulation between the before and after setups of the given test rig. It isn’t any good for comparing different vehicles, because it doesn’t take wheelbase into consideration like RTI does.
Our stock measurement of the F-250 was 25¾ inches. With the Superlift installed, we recorded 247/8 inches. The difference is so slight, it’s not noticed in real driving and will probably measure the other way around once the suspension has a few more miles on it. Although no big gains were realized in articulation, remember that this truck is fairly flexy stock compared to others out there.
Overall, the Superlift 4-inch suspension gave the Super Duty a much tougher look to match its tough performance. The lift allowed the use of much larger tires, which contributed greatly to the rig’s improved off-roadability. The best part is that we could not ascertain any change in the big Ford’s street manners nor any objectionable changes in its off-roadability. The addition of the Superlift suspension seemed like a win-win situation all the way around.
The Superlift Super Duty 4-inch suspension kit consists of two new front springs, four Superide shocks with yellow boots, bumpstop extensions, longer front sway-bar links, and a Panhard-bar drop-down bracket (that's the big bracket in the middle). In the rear, you can choose between various height lift blocks (with U-bolts) or an add-a-leaf, depending on your Super Duty's jobs. We went with 2-inch lift blocks for a level truck with a light load. | 
This is the left-front corner of the truck with the lift installed. You can just see the Panhard-bar drop bracket and the sway-bar drop links. The stock brake lines were long enough after we made a slight bend in the lines to the frame mount. | 
Our twisty test course could compress the stock front suspension to only within an inch of the bumpstop. At the same spot on the test course, the Superlift suspension proved a mirror match in compression to the stock travel. Note the drop-down extension for the bumpstop. |
In our twisty ravine, the stock 265/75R16 tires (31 inches tall) pretty much filled the wheelwells at full compression. | 
At the same spot in the ravine, the 4-inch Superlift made room for the 35-inch Generals at full compression. Note the improved approach angle. | 
The lower rear shock mounts are clamped to the axle tube on the new Super Duties. The Superlift instructions ask that you loosen the clamp and rotate the mount so the Superide shocks will fit. To make sure the shock bracket didn't rotate, we welded the mount to the axle tube. Rotating the mount creates ground clearance under the Ford by moving the vulnerable mount and shock body away from trail obstacles. |
We believe Superlift's claim that 38s will fit. However, it is most likely talking about driving cautiously on level ground. If you allow the suspension to flex, we found 35s to be about the maximum. Clearance from the front bumper was not a problem with 35s. | 
BEFORE: The stock truck's approach angle did not Tread Lightly! and rearranged the rock in the trail. | 
AFTER: The rock and the front bumper were much happier with the 4-inch lift and taller tires. |
BEFORE: At stock height, the receiver hitch made a nice rut for new drainage into this ravine. | 
AFTER: Just 2 inches of additional height and some 35s kept that receiver hitch from any agricultural endeavors. | 
BEFORE: Breakover angle is pretty hopeless on a truck this long, and the factory running boards don't help. We high-centered on this little mound and had to reverse off gently so as not to grade it flat. |
AFTER: With the lift and 35s, daylight can be seen under the Ford. We traversed this mound--and many others--without fear of doing damage to our underbody crossmembers or driveline, not to mention the added traction we gained with a more aggressive tread design on our taller/wider tires. Overall, we were impressed. | 
BEFORE: The stock truck measured 25 3/4 inches of lift with the forklift before the left-rear wheel lifted. | 
AFTER: Hilo, the official before-'n'-after test-verification dog, double-checked that our after measurement was indeed 24 7/8 inches. Seat-of-the-pants driving at our proving grounds told a similar story. It gave us more of an already good thing. |