12. The 4-inch kit comes standard...
12. The 4-inch kit comes standard with lift blocks for the rear suspension, but we upgraded to the 6-inch-lift leaves and eliminated the factory block. We did this to level the vehicle and to eliminate the stock leaves, which were prone to cracking.
13. New U-bolts, plates, and...
13. New U-bolts, plates, and hardware are included to complete the installation of the new leaves.
14. Here you can see how the...
14. Here you can see how the rear suspension looked in finished form with the new leaf springs and Bilstein 7100 Series remote-reservoir shocks installed.
15. The approximate 2-inch...
15. The approximate 2-inch increase in overall tire diameter meant that our Super Duty's speedometer needed to be recalibrated. To do this, we installed Superlift's TruSpeed Speed Sensor Calibrator. Here, Attitude Performance technician Alex Clark locates the speed sensor wire inside the driver-side fenderwell to begin the wiring procedure.
16. After making the appropriate...
16. After making the appropriate connections via the detailed directions, we calibrated the unit and mounted it out of sight under the dash near the fuse panel. As long as there are no changes to tire size, our TruSpeed will remain silently on-duty with no maintenance or adjustments.
17. Lastly, we mounted up...
17. Lastly, we mounted up the 17x8.5 one-piece forged Weld Racing Method wheels and LT285/70R17 (32.6x11.7) Nitto Dune Grappler tires. We opted to increase wheel diameter by 1 inch over the stock 16 inchers. We did this for several reasons, including the fact that we want to add bigger brakes down the road. When combined with our new tire size, we also have a good aspect ratio.
Ready To Work
It used to be that hanging the snowplow on the front of our Super Duty resulted in a low-hanging front end and really wallowy road manners. Not anymore. The new Superlift leaves keep the front end level (we had to readjust the plow height of course to compensate for the lift), and when combined with the dual steering stabilizers, handling is improved as well. Overall ride quality is slightly stiffer, but it's a small trade-off for the improved handling. The Bilstein 7100 Series remote-reservoir shocks are light years ahead of the twin-tube shocks and further help to improve the ride and handling. They're worth every penny. The Nitto Dune Grappler tires have pulled our rig through a miserable snow-clogged Midwest winter with nary a complaint. Though we have noticed that due to the tread design there is more side-slipping when plowing than we had with the Cooper Discoverers that they replaced. Overall, it turns out that the Dune Grapplers are good for way more than sand dunes.
Before
After
Let's talk flex, because our Super Duty has plenty of it now. Before the lift, our Super Duty traveled 61.5 inches up a 20-degree RTI ramp. After the lift, it traveled a stunning 81.5 inches up the ramp (see before and after photos). That 20-inch increase is incredible and calculates out to an impressive 568 RTI points.
Overall we're thrilled with how our Super Duty turned out. We improved its on- and off-highway functionality and we didn't have to sacrifice an ounce of work ethic.
Before
After