What springs to run on Gen 1 with Gen 2 shock and bucket conversion?

[SilverGen1]

I've been running the Gen 2 shocks on my 2014 Raptor for 5 years and 65k miles without any issues. I used the Gen 1 spring, spring hat and angle wedges. The Gen 2 spring hat is identical to the Gen 1 but has shorter studs and won't work with the angle wedges. The Gen 2 spring is larger in diameter and hits in a couple places as you mentioned. Do a search on my screen name to find my writeup on this subject. This is the best mod that I've done to my Raptor.

You kept the wedges in? I removed them, and now a couple other people who have done this that did as well. What was your reasoning for keeping them? I don't even know why I got rid of mine

 

[Speedhunter]

I've been doing some more searching and I've come up with the following.

1- Gen 1 and Gen 2 top hats are identical, except for Gen 1, which has longer bolts for the wedges.

2- If you do the Gen 2 shock swap and keep your factory Gen 1 buckets then you will need to use the Gen 1 top hats and wedges.

3- If you do the Gen 2 shock swap and also swap out the coil bucket then the wedges are not needed and you can use the Gen 1 or Gen 2 top hats.

Most people I've seen prefer to run the Gen 1 springs due to their higher spring rate, despite being shorter than the Gen 2 springs.

 

[pat247]

You kept the wedges in? I removed them, and now a couple other people who have done this that did as well. What was your reasoning for keeping them? I don't even know why I got rid of mine

The reason I kept the angle wedges was because the engineers at ford felt they were needed. They set the proper angle to the I-bolt in the lower control arm and keep the spring away from the frame rail.

 

[SilverGen1]

I've been doing some more searching and I've come up with the following.

1- Gen 1 and Gen 2 top hats are identical, except for Gen 1, which has longer bolts for the wedges.

2- If you do the Gen 2 shock swap and keep your factory Gen 1 buckets then you will need to use the Gen 1 top hats and wedges.

3- If you do the Gen 2 shock swap and also swap out the coil bucket then the wedges are not needed and you can use the Gen 1 or Gen 2 top hats.

Most people I've seen prefer to run the Gen 1 springs due to their higher spring rate, despite being shorter than the Gen 2 springs.

Yes, doing some research of my own, the KHC buckets at least, and I would assume the other buckets, are already at the correct angle, with no need for the angle wedges. I WOULD NOT advise just shoving the longer gen 2 shocks into the stock gen 1 buckets, that is not the correct way to do it. The only way to do this would be to have the shock shaft shortened up, but then you're only upgrading from a 2.5 to 3.0 coilover, and not gaining any additional travel.

 

[SilverGen1]

The reason I kept the angle wedges was because the engineers at ford felt they were needed. They set the proper angle to the I-bolt in the lower control arm and keep the spring away from the frame rail.

The KHC Conversion Bucket does not require the use of the angle wedge, as the bucket is already at the correct angle. I'm assuming this is the same for the other conversion buckets out there

 

[Speedhunter]

Yes, doing some research of my own, the KHC buckets at least, and I would assume the other buckets, are already at the correct angle, with no need for the angle wedges. I WOULD NOT advise just shoving the longer gen 2 shocks into the stock gen 1 buckets, that is not the correct way to do it. The only way to do this would be to have the shock shaft shortened up, but then you're only upgrading from a 2.5 to 3.0 coilover, and not gaining any additional travel.

It's been pretty interesting.

I've seen members do it both ways with and without the bucket swap. Due to the variations, I've been trying to come up with the best way to install them.

I agree it is nice to gain the additional travel by doing the bucket swap and no longer need to use the wedges. I'm going to go this route.

 

[Speedhunter]

My next biggest question is if you do the bucket swap and use a Gen 1 spring. What is the best route for ride height?

Because the Gen 1 spring is shorter I'm pretty sure this would lower the front of the truck with the bucket swap.

To gain ride height you would have to use either:

- Aftermarket Gen 1 springs like Geisers or Eibach's
- Use the Gen 2 perch collars
- Or a RPG / SDI top hat with lift built-in