If you've done any mods on your truck, you know how fast a wallet can shrink. That being said, you'd be surprised how much you can improve your own F150 with just $2000 on hand. We got crafty with this first round of mods and were able to add improved lighting, a 2.25" leveling kit, new tires, floor mats, a bed mat and a tonneau cover to our 2018 F150 without turning our wallets inside out! Get all the details below.
We picked up our F150 brand new, straight off the lot which means it's very clean inside and we'd very much like for it to stay that way. We threw down some WeatherTech floor mats in the front and back of the cab for the ultimate carpet protection. These mats are form fitted to the truck's floor pan so that they tuck into all the grooves and catch every bit of mud, sand, and spilled coffee that will inevitably make it's way in to our cab. 15-18 F150 SuperCrew WeatherTech Digital Fit Black Front & Rear Floor Mats
The 5.5' bed of our F150 is about as basic as they come. No liners, no accessories, just plain painted metal which can get ugly real quick once we start tossing, tools, parts and camera gear in the back. The fix for this came in the form of a ProMaxx drop in bed mat. This 5/16" thick, textured rubber mat is cut to the dimensions of the truck bed and is an affordable way to protect our bed while also preventing our gear from sliding every which way as we drive. We will warn you though, the rubber scent is quite strong so you'll want to let this bad boy air out for a day before dropping it in. 15-18 F150-Raptor 5.5ft Bed ProMaxx Bed Mat
Just because we're working within a tight budget doesn't mean we have to skip out on the details. In typical Stage 3 fashion we made sure our 2018 F150 was outfitted with a new Raptor style amber grille light kit, which has basically become a right of passage for our builds at this point. This LED light kit is a great way to give your build some of that Raptor-inspired flair without the Raptor-inspired price tag. As an added bonus, this light kit is a simple, hassle free install that you can do at home! 2018 F150 Custom Auto Works Raptor Style LED Amber Grille Light Kit
With a new bed mat in place the other important upgrade for the rear of our truck is a tonneau cover. We chose to install an Extang Trifecta 2.0 which is a tri-fold soft cover that is both lightweight and affordable. The Trifecta is not the most rugged tonneau on the market, but it's also not designed to be. This cover is simple and effective for keeping anything in our F150's bed out of the elements while also coming in at less than half the cost of most high end tonneaus! 15-18 F150-Raptor 5.5ft Bed Extang Trifecta 2.0 Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover
Weak light output can make driving at night frustrating and even unsafe, so we cranked up our F150's light output with a pair of CrystaLux LED fog light bulbs. The CrystaLux LEDs are capable of producing up to 12,000 raw lumens at a 6500K color temperature for a sharp white light. These LED bulbs are direct replacements for the factory bulbs and they reuse the stock fog light housings for a simple, hassle-free light upgrade. F150 CrystaLux XHP50 H10 LED Fog Lights
With the fog lights handled we needed to tackle the problem of our dim halogen headlights. Sticking with the theme of LED lighting we chose to install Diode Dynamics SL1 LED low beam bulbs to match the bright white color of the fog lights we installed and increase output and safety. These Diode Dynamics bulbs are an excellent way to improve the truck's lighting without committing to the price of an entirely new set of housings or a more expensive HID conversion. 15-18 F150 Diode Dynamics SL1 Low Beam LED Conversion Kit
Achieving that perfect stance and improving off-road capability can be real challenges on a small budget, but with a simple leveling kit and tire upgrade, it's not impossible. For our F150 build we decided to run ReadyLift's 2.25" spacer kit which simply installs right on top of the factory strut and gives the truck a proper 4x4 stance. While the look and the ride quality are solid, one of the biggest benefits this kit offers is the ability to run a more off-road worthy 33" tire without rubbing. 15-18 F150 ReadyLift 2.25" Front Strut Extension Leveling Kit
A leveling kit is only one part of the equation in getting our F150 sitting just right. We wanted to keep our factory 18" wheels to save money, but they're tucked a ways inside the fender which doesn't fit the look we want. To correct this we installed a full set of BORA 1.5" spacers which bolt on behind the wheel and push it out to the edge of the fenders for a wider stance that makes our truck look like it means business! 15-18 F150 BORA 6x135mm 1.50" Wheel Spacers
Last but certainly not least on our upgrade list is a set of 275/70R18 Falken Wilpeak A/T tires. While these tires did technically push us about $200 over budget for this tier of our F150 build, we really didn't want to compromise by running a less capable or lower quality tire. These Falken's measure out to a 33.4" tire which is a perfect fit with our 2.25" leveling kit and 1.5" wheel spacers. The blocky tread pattern provides us with better traction in the mud, rocks and sand, but still behaves nicely on the highway and doesn't pester us with excessive road noise. LT275/70R18 Falken WildPeak All-Terrain A/T3W Tire
