Earlier in this thread I mentioned that the suspension of our 2011 F150 seemed soft. Fine when not loaded, but too "floaty" when loaded (typically with 1500-1800#). Our previous 4x4 (Tacoma) was very stiff, a real "neck-breaker" when unloaded but very good when loaded up. At the time I thought it was because the F150 was a 4x2.
Not so. Since then I've been discussing this with other Ford F150 owners on another forum, and it seems to be an issue with all standard F150's. The truck's suspension is designed for commuters and occasional towers/haulers, not for operating fully loaded full-time. Maybe I'm just being fussy, but IMHO, the shocks are weak, the springs sag when loaded fully, and the P-metric tires are squirmy.
The solution, apparently, is to order your F150 with the Heavy Duty Payload option (or go up to an F250) . This will give you heavier rear springs, heavy duty shocks and LT tires. It will also give you a heavy duty rear end and rims that increases your payload substantially.
But I didn't need the payload increase, just the stiffer suspension. And besides the HD Payload option is only available in certain F150 models and configurations ... not mine. So using the HD Payload option as a guide, over the last year I've switched to Michelin LTX MS/2 LT-metric tires on 17" rims, changed the regular shocks to Ford's HD Payload shocks and added an aftermarket rear spring called Roadmaster Active Suspension.
Taken together these have given me the suspension I've been looking for. And I'm now a happy camper, literally!
