2016 Ford F-150
Ford continues the 2016 F-150 half-ton lineup, offering three cab configurations, three bed lengths, four engines and two bed sizes. New for the year is a Special Eddition Appearance package, targeted at XLT and Lariat models to give them a more sporty look. New 20" aluminum wheels, smoked head lights, black running boards and an anodized black grille are the exterior elements, where inside the truck owners will find Alcantara seating with red accents and stitching. Also released for the year is a new Pro Trailor Backup Assist and SYNC3 multimedia connectivity. Engine packages are the same three V6 options (3.5L, 2.7L EcoBoost, 3.5L EcoBoost) and one V8 (5.0L Coyote).
Hot Rod Engine Bay
With the intent of the 2016 Special Edition Appearance packing being to add a bit of hot rod flair to the F-150 pickup, why not continue on this vein and dress up the engine bay. Aftermarket valve covers (also called cam covers, since technically they are covering the cams since the F150 lineup features all overhead cam motors) are a classic way to spruce up the engine bay. Made exclusively from aluminum, aftermarket covers are either cast or billet. Cast covers are usually left unfinished, with the intent that you get them powdercoated in a color of your choice before installation. Billet covers, on the other hand, feature a high polish and are meant to be installed like that. An alternative to a traditional valve cover change is a coil pack cover. These pieces overlay the coil packs and give a more seamless appearance with the intake manifold. In terms of designs, there are many to choose from, with similar options as the cam covers and many more custom patterns available. The nice aspect of these dress up pieces is they are easy to install and don't require any dissassembly of the engine.
Hot Rod Stance
Everyone knows about lifting their truck, but what about lowering it? Lowering your 2016 F-150 is entirely feasible (and not that difficult) if a hot rod stance is what you are after.
- Low, aggressive stance
- Decreased tire to fender gap
- Repositioned CG improves handling
F-150 lowering kits range from slight to massive drops. Given that the rear of the truck is positioned higher from the factory, you'll notice nearly all lowering kits offer more drop for the rear then the front. This is taking the factory rake into account and is intended to produce a level ride once lowered. Dropping the front is done through revised suspension components and potentially a new set of drop spindles, depending on the level sought. The rear makes use of new suspension components too, but also involves a more lengthy and difficult process called an axle flip in order to produce the most dramatic result. An rear flip reverses the position of the differential in relation to the leaf springs. Instead of having the rear differential positioned below the leaf springs, as is the traditional setup, the differential is actually relocated (using brackets and new suspension components) to now have the leaf springs below. This produces a massive drop and is how you can really get a slammed, hot rod stance form your 2016 F-150.
Hot Rod Tuning
One last aspect that can add hot rod flavor has to do with the interior of your 2016 F-150. Supplementary gauges can give a cool look to the interior while also providing important information. In this case, given the mainly digital nature of the factory dash, aftermarket gauges focus on the 52 mm size and are intended to be mounted on the window pillar, HVAC vents or on top of the dash. Whatever parameter you want to track (water temp, air fuel ratio, exhaust gas temp, boost, vacuum etc), there is an electrical secondary gauge for it.
