Gen 3 Raptor Front Suspension

Gen 3 Raptor Front Suspension Parts and Kits (2021-2026)

Billet upper control arms, tie rods, spindles, billet top hats and leveling collars, limit straps and bump stops, front sway bars, coil bucket and shock tower reinforcement, and complete mid travel and +3" long travel front kits for the Ford F-150 Raptor and Raptor R.

On a Gen 3 the front end fails in a predictable order: limit straps and bump stops first, then tie rods, then the cast factory arms. Upgrade in that order and the same money buys a truck that holds together. Every part here is designed, laser cut, CNC bent and machined in-house in Mesa, Arizona.

Everything that lives between the frame and the front tires on a 2021–2026 Ford Raptor and Raptor R. Upper and lower control arms, tie rods, spindles, billet top hats, leveling collars, limit straps and bump stops, sway bars, coil bucket and shock tower reinforcement, and complete mid travel and +3" long travel front suspension kits.

The front end is where a Gen 3 runs out of parts first. The factory arms are castings — a cast steel upper and a cast aluminum lower — and the tie rods bend before anything else does, so the order you upgrade in matters more than how much you spend. The panels below are arranged that way — the parts that fail first, then the parts that change how the truck rides, then the full kits. Working on the back of the truck instead? That is all on the Gen 3 Raptor rear suspension page.

Front Suspension Kits: Mid Travel and +3" Long Travel

Two levels of front end, and the difference is width and shock package, not just travel numbers.

Mid travel keeps the factory track width. New arms, new shocks, no fender work and no cut bumper — a truck you still drive to work that stops running out of front travel in the whoops. Offered two ways: with a billet upper control arm, or with a fabricated upper control arm.

+3" long travel widens the front three inches per side and is a fabrication job. It is the front end for a truck built to run desert at speed, and it expects bypass shocks and body work.

Front kits

Shocks and shock mounting

Upper and Lower Control Arms

The factory Gen 3 front arms are castings — a cast steel upper and a cast aluminum lower — each with a sealed ball joint that is not serviceable. A casting is strong in the direction it was designed for, and when the ball joint wears you replace the whole arm. A machined billet arm is cut from solid with material placed where the load actually is, and it runs a uniball you can press out and replace instead of an arm you have to throw away.

Upper control arms

Lower control arms

Spindles

Fabricated Ultimate Strength Front Spindle Kit

Billet arms and top caps are available in raw machined billet or anodized. Raw is a finish choice, not a lesser part — plenty of builds run raw billet on purpose for the machined-aluminum look.

Tie Rods and Steering

On a Raptor running a bigger tire, the factory tie rod is usually the first part to bend. A bent tie rod shows up as an alignment that will not hold, then as steering that wanders, and eventually as a failure at the worst possible moment. It is the cheapest serious upgrade on the front of the truck.

The full length kit replaces the tie rod outright. The half kit keeps the factory inner and replaces the outer half — a lower-cost way to get the same failure point sorted. Both cover Gen 1 through Gen 3.5.

Front Lift: Billet Top Hats and Leveling Collars

Both ways of lifting the front of a Gen 3 keep the factory shock. Neither changes how the shock damps — they change where it sits, so the Live Valve system keeps doing its job.

Leveling collars are the simplest and least expensive route. Billet top hats replace the factory upper shock mount, a part that wears out, with a machined housing and a serviceable uniball. Every top hat comes in standard and heavy duty; heavy duty uses a larger uniball and is the right call on a truck that lands hard.

Truck	Top hat lift options
Gen 3 Raptor, 2021–2023	Stock height, 1.5" (Phase 1), 2" (Phase 2)
Gen 3.5 Raptor, 2024–2026	Stock height, 1" (Phase 1), 1.5" (Phase 2)

Standard billet top hats

Heavy duty billet top hats

Leveling spring collars

Any change in front ride height changes camber and toe, so budget for an alignment with a lift.

Limit Straps and Bump Stops

If the budget is small, this is where it should go first — ahead of arms, ahead of shocks.

A bump stop controls the last few inches of compression. A limit strap controls the end of extension. Without them the front either slams the frame on a big hit or droops past what the joints were designed to take, and the damage shows up somewhere else in the front end.

Almost everyone skips this and goes straight to shocks. Per dollar, it is the single change that alters how the truck feels most.

Front Sway Bar Kits: Check Engine and Arm

Gen 3 front sway bar kits split two ways, and getting either wrong means the kit will not bolt on.

Engine — the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 and the 5.2L supercharged V8 Raptor R take different kits.
Lower arm — stock and fabricated lower arms are not interchangeable.

That is four combinations, and all four are listed:

Look under the front of the truck before ordering, or send us a photo and we will tell you which one you need.

Front Springs and Spring Hardware

Geiser springs are offered as a front-only pair or as a front and rear set. Matching the rear to a +2.5" front keeps the truck sitting level instead of nose-high — see Gen 3 Raptor Rear Suspension for the rest of the back end.

Spring perch keepers are the small retaining rings that hold the spring seat in place on the factory shock — a common loss during a top hat or collar install, and cheap to have on hand before the truck is apart.

Reinforcement and Replacement Parts

The Gen 3 front end has a handful of known failure points in the chassis itself, not in the suspension parts bolted to it. These are the fixes, in both bolt-on and weld-in form.

Shock tower and coil bucket

Lower control arm mounts and pockets

Reinforce before it cracks and it is a bracket. Wait until after and it is a pocket replacement with a welder involved.

Gen 3 Raptor Front Suspension FAQs

What should I upgrade first on a Gen 3 Raptor front end?

Limit straps and bump stops, then tie rods. Those two changes address the parts that actually fail on a stock truck and cost a fraction of a set of arms. Control arms, top hats and full kits come after.

What are the factory Gen 3 Raptor control arms made of?

Castings. The front upper control arm is cast steel and the front lower control arm is cast aluminum, each with a sealed ball joint that cannot be serviced on its own. Only the standard non-Raptor F-150 uses a stamped sheet metal lower arm.

What is the difference between mid travel and +3" long travel?

Mid travel keeps the factory track width and bolts on, with no fender or bumper work. A +3" long travel kit widens the front three inches per side, needs fabrication and body work, and is built around bypass shocks. Mid travel is for a truck that still gets driven every day; long travel is for a truck built to run desert at speed.

Do billet top hats or leveling collars give a better lift?

Collars are simpler and cost less. Top hats replace a factory part that wears out, use a serviceable uniball, and hold up better on a truck that gets used hard. Choosing on price means collars; choosing on durability means top hats.

Will a front lift ruin the factory Live Valve ride?

No. Collars and top hats change where the shock sits, not how it damps. The factory shock keeps working the way Ford set it up.

Why do billet top hats and upper arms need servicing?

They use a replaceable uniball, which is a wear item by design. It presses into the billet housing we machine and gets replaced when it wears — no new arm required. Standard top hats use the FK FKS12T; heavy duty use the FK WSSX14T. Both are listed under Serviceable Parts.

Do these parts fit a 2025 or 2026 Raptor?

Yes. Gen 3 and Gen 3.5 front suspension parts fit 2021 through 2026 trucks. Where a part differs between the 2021–2023 Gen 3 and the 2024–2026 Gen 3.5 — top hats and leveling collars especially — the listing says which years it covers.

Does the Raptor R take different front parts?

Some of them. The Raptor R uses its own billet upper control arm and its own front sway bar kit because of the 5.2L V8. Most other front parts are shared with the V6 truck.

Do I need an alignment after front suspension work?

Yes. Any change to ride height, arms, tie rods or spindles changes camber and toe. Budget for an alignment as part of the job.

Which of these need professional installation?

We recommend every part is installed by an experienced individual or shop, and that anything requiring welding — pocket replacements, slot delete plates, coil bucket replacement, long travel — is done by a professional fabricator.

Where are these parts made?

Every Foutz upgrade is designed, laser cut, CNC bent and machined in-house at our facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA.

Can I get a build quote or an install appointment?

Yes. Email info@foutzmotorsports.com or call (480) 718-9800 and our sales team will put together an estimate and recommend an upgrade path for your build. You can also request an appointment here.

What are shipping and lead times?

In-stock products typically ship within 48 hours. Items not currently in stock generally run 4–6 weeks for production and delivery. For stock status, contact us at (480) 718-9800 or info@foutzmotorsports.com.