To tackle miles of washboard roads, muddy trails and rocky slopes, we were going to need more than just factory suspension and some highway tires. We outfitted our F150 hunting rig front to back with new Fox coilovers and shocks, as well as some blacked out Fuel wheels and 33" Falken Mud-Terrain tires. The truck not only looks great, but it has the strength and capability to back it up!
We tossed the old factory struts, and in their place, we installed a pair of beefy Fox 2.5 Remote Reservoir coilovers. Since the coilovers are adjustable, we set them to add 2" of lift to the front of our truck. Normally this would level the truck's stance, but we also have an add-a-leaf kit in the back that causes some rake. The 2.5" diameter aluminum bodies and remote reservoirs maximize heat dissipation and reduce fade to maintain a smooth and controlled ride off road. We put these coilovers to work and are happy to report that the difference is immediately noticeable! 14-18 F150 4WD FOX 2.5 Factory Series Reservoir Front Coilovers
NOTE: A 2009-2013 F150 version of these coilovers is also available: 09-13 F150 4WD FOX 2.5 Factory Series Reservoir Front Coilovers
We chose match up the front 2.5 coilovers with a set of Fox 2.5 piggyback reservoir shocks on the rear of our truck. The bulkier 2.5" diameter and additional reservoir allow these shocks to soak up the big hits and provide some additional control on washboard roads and rutted terrain. These shocks do not provide any additional lift on their own, but they are able to handle the extra height that comes from our 2" block and 1.5" add-a-leaf kit. These Fox shocks also helped to better manage the additional weight of our DECKED system and the four-wheeler we had loaded in the bed. 09-18 F150 Fox 2.5 Factory Series Piggyback Reservoir Rear Shocks
Since rear shocks don't provide any actual lift, we needed a block kit to get our F150's rear end bumped up. The HaloLifts 2" Rear Block Kit was the system of choice and we figured that it would pair up nicely with the 1.5" ReadyLift add-a-leaf kit we were adding as well. The blocks are made from machined 6061 billet aluminum which gives them excellent strength and corrosion resistance and they include u-bolts and hardware for a complete installation. We didn't have any issues bolting on the add-a-leaf with our new blocks, but we were surprised just how resilient the leaf spring was under pressure. Realistically you would only need one of these mods to provide a leveled stance when hauling or towing. 09-18 F150 HaloLifts 2" to 2.5" Rear Block Kit , 04-14 F150 ReadyLift 1.5" Add-a-Leaf Kit
With all of our suspension mods taken care of it was time to handle the wheel and tire situation. Flashy aftermarket wheels don't make a lot of sense on a hunting truck build, but we wanted something with a more aggressive look than the factory 18" wheels. Our solution was a set of 17x9" Fuel Enduro Wheels in black. These wheels have a similar look to a blacked-out steel wheel, but with more of a modern flare and the -12mm offset allows them to poke outside our F150's fenders for a slightly wider stance. 04-18 F150 Fuel Enduro 17x9" D608 Wheel (-12mm Offset)
New suspension, bumpers and LED lights are all great upgrades, but the best upgrade you can do to improve off road performance on any truck is a good set of tires. For our 2014 Hunting Truck Build we threw on a full set of LT295/70R17 Falken WildPeak Mud-Terrain Tires. The Wildpeak M/Ts have become a favorite of ours since we ran them on our 2017 F150 build. They provide all the knobby traction you could ever need along with being a little quieter and better behaved on the road than most other M/Ts on the market. LT295/70R17 Falken WildPeak Mud-Terrain M/T Tire
Our F150's brakes were completely toasted when we picked up the truck. The pads were almost nonexistent and the rotors had more grooves than a Japanese zen garden. With all the added weight on board our F150 Hunting Rig, the brakes needed to be replaced ASAP. To ensure consistent and reliable braking we bolted on StopTech's full drilled brake kit. This meant new rotors on all four corners of the truck, as well as all new pads which allow for more stopping power and better heat dissipation than stock. 12-14 F150 StopTech Front & Rear Drilled Brake Kit
