Why Carli Suspension Is the Move for Heavy Duty and Super Duty Trucks

Five real Carli Suspension builds off the Battle Born Offroad shop floor - Pathfinder and Dominator systems on Ford Super Duty trucks, built to tow, haul, and wheel without the rough factory ride.

By Battle Born OffroadAug 19, 2026

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The Problem With Stock Super Duty Suspension

These trucks are built to carry a lot of weight. That's why they ride rough when there's nothing in the bed. The rear suspension has a heavy spring rate, not much travel, and a stiff overload spring. Hit a bump and the back end bucks around. Up front, the factory sway bar keeps the truck stable in the corners, but it also sends a bump on one side of the truck straight through to the other side.

None of that is a mistake on Ford's part. They built the truck to do a job. Carli's parts fix the ride without taking away the capability.

The Carli Lineup: Pathfinder vs. Dominator

Carli builds a few different systems, and we pick the right one based on how the customer uses the truck, not just how much they want to spend. We carry the full Carli Suspension lineup here for Ford, Ram, and GM heavy duty trucks.

Carli Pathfinder - This is Carli's newer system. It sits between their old Backcountry kit and their old Pin Top kit. It comes with a 2.5-inch Carli shock, about 3.5 inches of lift, and new stainless steel brake lines. This is the system we use most on a truck that tows, hauls, and still needs to ride good on the highway.
Carli Dominator - This is the toughest system Carli sells. It runs a 3.0-inch King shock, which gives you about 40% more damping than the 2.5-inch Pathfinder shock. This is for a truck that's going to get driven hard off-road, not just lifted for looks.

Both systems can be built out with radius arms, a torsion sway bar, and a new rear leaf pack. What you add depends on the truck.

Build 1: The Lake Havasu Tow Rig - Ford XLT Super Duty

This truck came to us from Lake Havasu, Arizona. It's an extended cab, which you don't see much anymore since most guys go with a crew cab. The owner tows UTVs and a boat, but he also wanted a truck that could handle off-road use on the weekends.

Suspension: Carli Dominator system with 3.0-inch King shocks, the fully loaded package
Load support: Full travel airbags on top of the Dominator kit
Steering: A steering stabilizer and a diff guard for off-road protection
Tires and wheels: 38-inch Toyo RT Pro tires on Foundation wheels

The 3.0 King shock is a big shock. Towing isn't going to be a problem for this truck. He can also take it out and drive it hard on the weekends without the suspension holding him back.

This truck shows why Dominator makes sense for some guys. He didn't want to pick between towing and off-roading. He wanted both, so he paid for the shock package that does both.

Carli Suspension Pathfinder Lift Kit and Radius Arms

Build 2: The Complete Ride Fix - 2023+ F250 Super Duty

This build shows why we like Carli on a Super Duty. It's not just a lift kit. It's a full system built around one goal, comfort and performance, without giving up what the truck was bought to do.

Front end:

Full Carli Pathfinder system, 2.5-inch Pathfinder shocks
Carli torsion sway bar - The factory sway bar on the F250 does a good job keeping the truck stable, but it also sends too much of a bump from one side to the other. The Carli bar softens that up without making the truck feel loose.
Carli radius arms (this is an optional part) - It has a built-in limit strap that protects the front shocks and helps them last longer. The arms are also kicked in a little, which gives you more caster. We aim for 6 to 7 degrees of caster on these 23-and-newer trucks. That gets rid of bump steer and death wobble, and keeps the truck driving straight.
SNB fuel tank - This gives the truck over 1,000 miles of range when it's loaded up. It runs off the stock fuel system, just with a bigger tank.

Rear end:

Full Carli leaf spring pack - This rides softer than stock, which does lower the load capacity a little on its own.
Full travel airbags - These aren't connected to the leaf spring, so the truck keeps full articulation off-road. Combined with the leaf pack, the payload capacity actually goes up.

Wheels and tires:

37x12.5R18 Toyo All-Terrains - These are made in Georgia. They last a long time and ride quiet. We like the RT Trail tire more for off-road use, but this customer drives a lot of highway miles, so the all-terrain made more sense.
Battleborne Wheels Sierra Holdfast, 18x9 with a plus 18mm offset - Battleborne Wheels is a different company out of Reno, not related to us. It's a clean-looking wheel with no fake bead-lock ring. This offset also leaves room to run a 38-inch tire later if he wants.

This build came out to about $25,000 installed. That's a lot of money, and it is. But these trucks aren't cheap from the factory either, and this is what it costs to make one ride the way it should.

Build 3: The Alignment-First Build - F250 Super Duty

Not every Carli build is about a bigger shock. This F250 got the full Pathfinder system, but the real story here is the caster fix.

Carli Pathfinder system with the new Pathfinder shocks
Carli radius arm drops, paired with Carli radius arms
Carli torsion sway bar with billet end links

Running the radius arm and the drop bracket together means we don't need caster shims to set the alignment. We don't like using shims to adjust caster. It's not the best way to do it. With the Carli radius arm, we can get more caster than stock, which means the truck drives straighter after the lift than it did before. The radius arms also give you more clearance for bigger tires when you turn the wheel all the way. The built-in limit strap protects the shocks if you're driving it hard off-road.

Build 4: 9 Inches of Travel - 2024 Platinum F250

This customer wanted the fully optioned Carli Pathfinder system. This kit pulls about 9 inches of travel, which is a lot for a Super Duty.

Front:

SNB front valance - This is a $99 part that makes the truck sit a little taller and gives you more tire clearance.
PMF dual opposing steering stabilizer
Fully optioned Carli Pathfinder system: 2.5-inch Carli shock, about 3.5 inches of lift, new stainless steel brake lines
Carli torsion sway bar, so the front suspension can move independently on each side for a smoother ride
Carli radius arms - On 24-and-newer trucks, you can't use shims to fix caster, so the radius arm is the next best option. It lets you dial in 4 to 6 degrees of caster and adds tire clearance.

Rear:

Carli 1-inch rear leaf pack - A lot of the rough ride on these trucks comes from the rear suspension, the short travel, and a stiff overload spring. This leaf pack rides softer without losing load capacity.
Carli shackles

This system isn't cheap, but it proves the point. Super Duties don't have to ride rough. You just have to pick the right parts.

Build 5: The Top-of-the-Line Build - 2025 F350 Limited

This is a brand new F350 Limited. We put the Carli Dominator 5.5-inch system on it, which is the toughest setup Carli sells.

Front:

3.0-inch King shocks - This gives about 40% more damping than the 2.5-inch Pathfinder shock.
Aftermarket radius arms for more caster and tire clearance, with a built-in limit strap so the suspension doesn't fully drop out when driving hard
Carli torsion sway bar for a smoother ride

Rear:

3-inch King shocks, built to Carli's spec
1-inch lift leaf spring pack with a block under it, for a softer ride on and off-road
Carli full travel airbags - These add about 4,000 pounds of load capacity. We used an Airlift system instead of filling them by hand, so the customer can adjust the pressure from inside the cab and save settings for different trailers.

This customer tows and hauls real weight, so we didn't want to put a heavy-duty leaf pack on it. That would have made the ride worse just to get more capacity. The airbags handle that job instead, without hurting the ride the rest of the time.

We also added a Banks-designed Carli exhaust system, which clears the leaf springs so there's no clanking. There's a custom bracket with a pair of Horn Blasters train horns tied into the same air system as the bags. We put Method wheels on it with an offset that gives good clearance if the suspension gets stuffed off-road, and a set of Toyo tires for a quiet ride on the street without giving up grip off-road.

That kind of setup, one air tank running both the load bags and the train horns, is the kind of detail we like to add on these builds.

Build at a Glance

Lake Havasu Tow Rig - Ford XLT Super Duty. Dominator system (fully loaded). 3.0-inch King shocks. Full travel airbags in back.
Complete Ride Fix - 2023+ F250 Super Duty. Pathfinder system with radius arms and torsion sway bar. 2.5-inch Pathfinder shocks. Full leaf pack plus free-floating full travel airbags in back.
Alignment-First Build - F250 Super Duty. Pathfinder system with radius arm, radius arm drop, and torsion sway bar. Pathfinder shocks.
9 Inches of Travel - 2024 Platinum F250. Fully optioned Pathfinder system. 2.5-inch Carli shock. 1-inch leaf pack plus shackles in back.
Top-of-the-Line Build - 2025 F350 Limited. Dominator 5.5-inch system. 3.0-inch King shocks front and rear. 1-inch leaf pack with a block, plus full travel airbags with Airlift, in back.

Carli Suspension Backcountry reservoir shocks

What These Builds Cost

The $25,000 Pathfinder build above is a real number for a full system installed correctly. That includes the radius arms, torsion sway bar, rear leaf pack, airbags, and a wheel and tire package. A Dominator build with 3.0 King shocks costs more, just for the shocks. These trucks aren't cheap from the factory either. Carli isn't the cheap option. It's the option that fixes the one thing Ford couldn't build in: a good ride without giving up payload.

The Bottom Line

Super Duties don't have to ride like a work truck when they're not working. A Pathfinder system fixes the caster and smooths out the front sway bar. A Dominator system is built for a truck that's going to get driven hard off-road. Which one you need depends on how you use the truck: towing, hauling, wheeling, or all three.

We've done hundreds of these trucks and install Carli kits every week, from a basic leveling kit up to the off-road systems above. Check out the full Carli Suspension lineup or the rest of our Super Duty parts online, or come see us at battlebornoffroad.com if you're in Las Vegas or headed this way. Give one of the sales guys a call and they'll help you pick the right kit for how you actually use your truck.