Help With My Boat

[Tkageals]

Hello! I am new to the forum and trucks in general. I have an electric F-150 Lightning as a daily driver/work truck. I also own a Tesla as my personal vehicle. I love the truck so far, with one (well….two exceptions):
1) It floats way too much. I’ve read through some related threads, but can’t find anything that suggests there’s a shock upgrade that will fix that. I have looked on the Eibach and Bilstein websites and can’t find anything for the electric F150 lightning. I’m not necessarily keen on lowering the truck, I just wanted it to stop floating.
2) OK…. The truck looks nothing like it does in the FordPass app. The rear is way too high. Although I dislike this look, I’m assuming there’s no simple way to fix it as I have seen post about camber issues, lowering springs, etc. this is really just more of an observation as I don’t think I can invest thousands of dollars in a work truck!

I’d be happy if I could just take care of number one!

suggestions?

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[Tkageals]

Yeah…. I’m not particularly interested in messing around with the back end. Some good socks with SOME rebound damping would be great. In sedan/sports car world, some Koni FSDs works be great. Not sure they do trucks though.

 

[marc_hanna]

You could put some stiffer sway bars on it. That would take out some of the float. Less roll in the twisties.

 

[Ecstatic]

Hello! I am new to the forum and trucks in general. I have an electric F-150 Lightning as a daily driver/work truck. I also own a Tesla as my personal vehicle. I love the truck so far, with one (well….two exceptions):
1) It floats way too much. I’ve read through some related threads, but can’t find anything that suggests there’s a shock upgrade that will fix that. I have looked on the Eibach and Bilstein websites and can’t find anything for the electric F150 lightning. I’m not necessarily keen on lowering the truck, I just wanted it to stop floating.
2) OK…. The truck looks nothing like it does in the FordPass app. The rear is way too high. Although I dislike this look, I’m assuming there’s no simple way to fix it as I have seen post about camber issues, lowering springs, etc. this is really just more of an observation as I don’t think I can invest thousands of dollars in a work truck!

I’d be happy if I could just take care of number one!

suggestions?

The truck “floats” when towing a boat, or the truck ride feels like you’re floating in a boat?

 

[ctuan13]

I realize everyone will have different opinions, but this is something I'll never understand. One of my favorite things about the Lightning is how soft it rides. It's way more comfortable than a typical truck. I only wish the suspension was even softer. And as for the floatiness, I like it as well, it gives a relaxed feeling to the ride and it reminds me of my 79 Lincoln.

As for the rake front to rear, it did bother me a bit at first, but when I realized that it meant it wouldn't sag excessively if the bed was ever loaded up or a trailer hitched up, I didn't really mind it so much anymore. I load my bed up with gear often and to me the idea of a truck where the rear is sagging lower than the front, is way worse than the factory rake.

 

[Heliian]

It's a truck that actually rides better than any other truck.

Most, if not all trucks have a higher rear end to allow for loading the truck box or trailer and maintaining a level ride.

If you don't use the truck for truck stuff then there are many leveling kits available.

sedan/sports car world

It's a truck, very few people are tracking trucks, not to mention its incredibly heavy.

 

[Henry Ford]

My wife's Navigator rides slightly better than my Lightning. Slightly.

In my opinion any change you make to the suspension will make the ride worse. Embrace the float. People pay a lot of money for actual boats.

 

[Adventureboy]

You could put some stiffer sway bars on it. That would take out some of the float. Less roll in the twisties.

The Lightning doesn't roll much in the twisties compared to most trucks. Low centre of gravity due to the battery placement really helps with that. I doubt say bars will help with the float. Stiffer shocks are needed for that.

 

[Adventureboy]

Eibach does have a kit for the Lightning. I think you can set the front Eibach shocks to a small lift to level the truck a bit. Search this forum - there are several threads on it. For the higher rear end - this is designed with the suspension to support cargo loads and tongue weight for trailering. If you don't plan on loading it or towing, some have "levelled" the truck with a small lift in the front but at some minor impact to the range (full alignment needed to straighten everything with the new ride height). Anything beyond the above gets into a different price range.
I'll probably do the shocks at some point to dampen the floaty bounce but will leave the pitch as it is since I load and tow a bit.

 

[marc_hanna]

The Lightning doesn't roll much in the twisties compared to most trucks. Low centre of gravity due to the battery placement really helps with that. I doubt say bars will help with the float. Stiffer shocks are needed for that.

I didn't think it had that much roll either compared to other trucks. Compared to sports sedans and roadsters, it definitely has a lot of roll.

A stiffer sway bar will reduce one dimension of the float, the lateral rock, which for many people, will be enough to take out the "boaty" feel. I think it would retain the truck's comfort feel, and if one were subject to motion sickness, would likely alleviate some of that.

 

[Adventureboy]

A stiffer sway bar will reduce one dimension of the float, the lateral rock, which for many people, will be enough to take out the "boaty" feel. I think it would retain the truck's comfort feel, and if one were subject to motion sickness, would likely alleviate some of that.

Agreed it would help slightly but I've driven trucks my whole life and the Lightning corners the best of any of the stockers I've owned. I find the float most noticeable on the Lightning when hitting a bump or dip in the road. A decent shock upgrade would dampen that along with damping the bounce from speed bumps.

 

[Ltron]

I believe the stock Lightning , with its IRS and balanced handling is pretty damn good. It is comfortable empty and capable towing my 6500 # boat. Good for me. Wish range were better, but what can you expect ?

 

[roddiaz1]

TKageals,
My guess is that in a few years (2 or 3) when more models are produced and out in the wild, the aftermarket community might be more motivated ($$$) to create aftermarket suspension products for Lightning. For now the options are very limited, I would agree.

My fantasy would be for someone to develop an adjustable height air suspension system.

But I agree with you wholeheartedly, I would like to lower the back ~4” and the front ~2”, but not at the expense of poor ride quality or camber/caster issues.

Lastly, I think the worst suspension problem with the Lightning is wash-board conditions. The harmonics are tough to overcome (Unless your trying to shake a martini).

Keep us informed if you find something.

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