Pro Comp Stage II F350 Super Duty 4" Lift Kit

Ford's new F350 Super Duty Powerstroke Crew Cab shortbox is one of the most popular heavy duty pickups on and off the road. It is an extremely versatile vehicle equally suited to carrying the kids to soccer as it is to transporting a full crew of men to the worksite. With a solid front axle and an ultra-torquey diesel motor, this Ford has taken the truck market to a new level.

A stock F350 has a decent ride that is a compromise between load carrying ability and passenger comfort. This compromise is something that Rob, the owner of this F350 wanted to address as he felt the vehicle wallowed badly on logging roads and on the highway the truck would be pulled into rain ruts easily. Off road performance was also an important consideration as the owner drives to Baja every winter and would be traveling through some very rugged country. Also important was the consideration given to what size and type of tire would be used to enhance off road performance. The new 315/75R16 Pro Comp All Terrain was chosen. This tire fits the stock Ford aluminum rim and stands 35" tall which was a drastic improvement over the stock 285/75R16 Firestone tire. Another benefit of the Pro Comp is that it's a Load Rated "D" tire which is very important on a vehicle this heavy.

The kit comes complete with front dual shock mounts, track bar bracket, front replacement spring packs, front extended sway bar links, dropped pitman arm, extended bump stops, rear add-a-leafs, and rear tapered lift blocks. (Also included but not shown here are the ES3000 shocks and u-bolts.)

Rob recently brought his truck into NSOR and we suggested the new Pro Comp Stage II 4" lift system. The Pro Comp system features new front replacement springs and a complete replacement track arm bracket along with a dropped, forged pitman arm. In the rear, in order to raise ride height and increase payload ability, an add-a-leaf and a small block is used. Because the Powerstroke diesel is very heavy a dual shock setup was chosen for the front and Pro Comp ES3000 shocks were used at all four corners.

Installation of this kit is fairly straight forward as the truck is a common configuration with solid axles front and rear and leaf springs at all four corners. In the NSOR shop it generally takes a full day to do the complete install. All of the parts for this install are extremely large and heavy not too mention the huge weight of the vehicle itself that might preclude all but the most well equipped home mechanic from attempting this install. No cutting or welding is required for this installation.

We are very happy to report that our customer is incredibly happy with the Pro Comp lift system. He has reported that the ride is smoother over potholes and road defects and unlike the stock truck it no longer automatically steers into rain ruts on the highway. The feeling is definitely more controlled with less body roll and better front-end stability when cornering. The appearance of the truck is noticeably more aggressive and definitely more of a head turner on the street. Rob is happy to report that the addition of the Pro Comp lift kit has noticeably improved an already excellent truck package.

Here is the improved rear suspension with the add-a-leafs, tapered lift blocks, and ES3000 shocks.	Notice the huge size increase of the Pro Comp dropped pitman arm over the stock unit.	The lowered track bar replacement bracket is also a very stout piece.
While providing 4" of lift and having more leaves than the stock spring packs, the Pro Comp units still provide better control and comfort.	The Pro Comp kit provides replacement shock towers that allow the mounting of dual shocks and both front corners. By using two shocks at each corner, the shocks divide the work load which allows them to stay cool longer and resist fading.	The dual shocks look like they came that way from the factory.

Before

After