Performance

My Truck Details

Jake Kelley

• 3 min read
My Truck Details

I bought this 2018 Lariat 502a with a 2.7L in October of 2023. I drove up to Twin Falls, ID for it where a gentleman from Montana had traded it in.

My previous truck was a 2015 Platinum with a 3.5L, and while I absolutely loved it I didn't really care for the color any longer. It was Tri-coat White Pearl, a beautiful color but just not for me.

My previous 2015 at the Bonneville Salt Flats

This time around, I decided a Lariat 502a offered all the luxury/technology options that I wanted such as heated and cooled leather seats and LED headlamps. I also decided to give the 2.7L a try this time around and it did not disappoint! It is certainly a tad slower than the 3.5L is, even when they are both tuned, but it has a great driving feel to it that is accompanied by great reliability.

The first day home, completely stock except for some Big O AT tires

After getting it home, I quickly installed a 2" leveling strut kit from Eibach and some bigger/better 265/70R18 Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT tires with the help of my friend Austin, the owner of Square1Offroad.

Of course, no modification goes without its struggles and I managed rip a CV boot on the passenger side while prying out the OEM struts. I have no idea why Ford used pressed studs on those things... getting them out without dropping the LCA is an absolute challenge.

This didn't last long, as I decided I wanted to take a different approach to this truck and lower it back down on street tires. I installed the Ford Performance lowering kit and removed the rear lift block, which dropped it down to about where a stock 2wd would be. It rides beautifully now, and definitely sees better gas mileage on long trips. And it now has window tint!

Modifications List

Performance

  • Ford Performance M-12405-35T 1-step Colder Spark Plugs
  • CVF Titan v2 Intercooler
  • S&B 75-5122D Dry Cold Air Intake
  • Various octane daily and performance tunes from MPT, 5Star, and Gearhead.
    • MPT 91 PR-X & 91 Daily/Tow
    • 5Star 91 Performance & 87 Daily/Tow
    • Gearhead Adaptive Octane (AO) Performance & Safe AO Daily/Tow

Interior & Exterior

  • BAKflip MX4 Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover
  • BedRug Classic Bed Liner
  • 15% ceramic tint on sides & back
  • 50% ceramic tint on windshield

Suspension

  • Ford Performance 2.5R/1.5F Lowering Kit, rear 4wd lift block removed.
  • Hellwig Adjustable Rear Sway Bar, on middle notch.
  • Eibach Pro-Truck Sport front struts
  • Fox 2.0 rear shocks

Wheels & Tires

  • Pirelli Scorpion All Season Plus 3 275/60R20 tires
  • 2021+ 20" OEM Performance Pack wheels