Before you Buy: 2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Lift Kit Breakdown!

Our dear friends over at Rough Country are one of the biggest names in lift kits and truck accessories, and they're offering more than a few excellent 3" Lift Kits for the 2021-2022 F150s. The kits range from budget-friendly 3" spacer lifts to immensely powerful (and pricey) 2.5 coilover and 2.5 rear shock 3" lift kits for the 2021-2022 F150s that will give you and your F150 awesome off-road performance. But which should you actually choose for your very own 2021-2022 F150? Well, we're breaking down Rough Country's 2021-2022 F150 3" Lift Kits, looking at their components, pricing, and capabilities so that you find the perfect Rough Country F150 3" lift kit for your awesome 2021-2022 F150 Build.

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Spacer Lift Kit

At the more budget-friendly end of the spectrum, we have the 2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Spacer Lift Kit with Rough Country N3 shocks. This particular kit uses a combination of leveling spacers and spring preload spacers to generate its 3" of front lift, with 2.50" rear blocks at the rear to add 1" of lift. The combination of front and rear lift provides a pretty leveled look and the clearance to fit on up to a 34" tall tire with the right combination of wheel backspacing and offset. The N3 rear shocks provide a bit of a performance and handling bump over the factory rear shocks, while being in a more optimum travel range with the rear blocks. A set of forged aluminum UCAs help avoid contact issues with the spring at full droop and are stronger than the stock stamped UCAs. Since this kit uses spacers in lieu of a full strut or coilover assembly, it's easy on the wallet, despite coming with a lot of hardware.

While the base spacer kit does give you everything to give your F150 some extra lift, it doesn't do much else. Since the kit keeps the stock front coilover assembly, you don't see any improvement in handling or off-road performance in the front suspension. In fact, since this kit partially relies on preload spacers to achieve its lift, the kit will likely result in some stiffening of your F150's ride quality. The rear shocks will help rear-end handling to some extent, but the N3 shocks definitely aren't the most capable of Rough Country's offerings, and if you're planning on pushing your F150 hard off-road, you probably want to go with one of Rough Country's more extensive kits.

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Spacer Kit Pros:

• Budget-friendly
• Adds 3" of ride height
• Provides improved rear handling

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Spacer Kit Cons:

• Does not provide an improvement in front-end handling
• May result in stiffer ride due to preload spacers
• Not meant for really aggressive off-roading

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2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" N3 Shock & Coilover Lift Kit

Next we have the complete 2021-2022 F150 N3 Coilover and Shock 3" Lift Kit from Rough Country. The N3 Kit is step up from the basic spacer kit in both price and capability, but may be right up your alley if you're concerned about ride quality and moderate off-road use. Like the spacer kit, the N3 lift system adds 3" of front ride height and 1" of rear ride height. However, instead of strut and preload spacers, this kit uses full-length N3 coilover assemblies to give you 3" of front lift right out of the box. The N3 coilovers feature a similar velocity-sensitive, gas-charged design as the N3 rear shocks, but come with their own spring, mounts, and hardware that let them drop right into place of the stock coilovers. The combination of N3 front and rear coilovers offer up an excellent ride and improved handling and control than stock, which can help you out both on and off-road.

While this kit is a pretty good step up from the spacer system, you do have to pay for it, and going from spacers to a full coilover system does send a shot over the bow of your wallet. Granted, that price may be worth it to you if your actually want an improvement handling on all four corners of your truck. That being said, the N3 coilovers aren't going to be able to handle extremely aggressive trail riding or overland applications, so even with the price jump, you may still need more, depending on your application.

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country N3 System Pros:

• Includes complete coilovers instead of spacers
• Provides improved handling and control
• Much easier to install than the spacer kit

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country N3 System Cons:

• Pretty big price jump over basic spacer kits
• Not for extremely aggressive off-road applications

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2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Vertex Coilover Lift with V2 Shocks

Stepping up to the next "tier" of Rough Country's 3" lift kits is the 2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Vertex Coilover and V2 Shock Lift Kit. The Vertex Coilover System is a huge jump in price from Rough Country's other kits, but for that, you get a set of Rough Country 2.5 Vertex Remote Reservoir Coilovers and V2 Monotube Rear Shocks to make a truly performance-oriented suspension system that can handle tough applications on and off-road. The Vertex Coilovers' large diameters, remote reservoirs, and gas-charged monotube internal designs let them shake off hard hits from rough terrain while resisting fade with awesome levels of heat dissipation. While the V2 rear shocks may not have reservoirs, they still have larger diameters than stock, an aluminum body, and a gas-charged monotube design that keep your F150's rear end under control and resists jounce and bounce in almost any application. The coilovers provide 3" of lift out of the box, and drop right into place of the stock coilovers for an instant performance improvement on and off-road.

If you haven't notice, the price of this kit jumps up QUITE a bit from the N3 system, and it at least makes sense. Big coilovers with remote reservoirs aren't cheap, and their performance and durability pays for themselves in aggressive off-road applications. That being said, if you aren't using your truck off-road consistently, this system may be overkill. The remote reservoirs of the Vertex coilovers also make them slightly more difficult to install than the base N3 coilovers, but the reservoirs do offer improved fade resistance over base coilover assemblies.

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country Vertex V2 3" Lift Kit Pros:

• Provides excellent handling and off-road performance
• Vastly improved fade resistance over stock
• Can handle tough trails and off-road applications

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country Vertex V2 3" Lift Kit Cons:

• Big price tag
• May be overkill for some applications
• More difficult install than non-resi coilovers

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2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Vertex Coilover & Rear Shock Lift Kit

The top-tier, GOAT, 3" lift kit in Rough Country's arsenal is their 2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Vertex Coilover & Rear Shock Lift Kit. Built specifically for tough off-road applications, this kit comes with both 2.5 Vertex Remote Reservoir Front Coilovers as well as 2.5 Vertex Piggyback Rear Shocks that work together to handle practically any terrain or off-road application. This kit can take hard hits, and with extra reservoir volume on the front and rear, this system effectively dissipates heat to avoid fade in extremely high-speed off-roading. This system is perfect for F150s that see serious trail riding, tough overland adventures, or high-speed desert running. Granted, you have to pay a pretty penny for it.

By far the biggest downside to this kit is its price. This kit is guaranteed to punch your paycheck right in the face, though I'd argue you're getting what you pay for...if you off-road pretty aggressively and pretty regularly. If you aren't, then this kit is probably a bit overkill, and you may want to settle for one of Rough Country's less intensive kits. If you are really yeeting your F150 around off-road, the coilovers and rear shocks can also likely handle a lot more than the included UCAs and their standard ball joint, so you may want to consider going with a different 2021-2022 F150 Upper Control Arm at some point.

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Vertex Coilover & Shock Lift Kit Pros:

• Awesome levels of off-road performance
• Tight, consistent on-road handling
• Excellent heat dissipation for high-speed trails

2021-2022 F150 Rough Country 3" Vertex Coilover & Shock Lift Kit Cons:

• Huge price tag
• May be overkill for many F150 owners
• UCAs can't handle as much as the coilovers and shocks

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In the end, Rough Country offers up a pretty impressive selection of 2021-2022 F150 3" lift kits, All of them are nicely tailored to price, capability, and intended application. Just keep in mind that if you are planning on pushing your truck hard off-road, you have to pay to play. If Rough Country isn't your cup of tea, make sure to check out our other 2021-2022 F150 0-3" Lift Kits or our 2021-2022 F150 Coilover Packages for other options. What suspension are you looking to grab for your 2021-2022 F150 build? What do you already have? Let us know below!