05-07 FORD F250/F350 2.5" COILOVER BYPASS 2.5 SYSTEM, BASE, DIESEL

This is one of our most capable off-road systems. Similar in street ride to the Coilover and Pintop kit with seemingly no bottom, we spec’d this system with King 2.5” Front Coilovers, 8” Stroke 2-Tube Front Bypasses, and 12” Stroke Rear 3-Tube Bypass with an oversized rebound tube. This system is also height adjustable approximately 1” to compensate for large bumpers or winches.

For those unfamiliar, a bypass shock has external tubes with one-way check valves that are fully adjustable to allow users to tailor the amount of fluid that bypasses the piston/valving on either the compression or rebound stroke. Typically, a compression tube at ride height allows fluid to move freely around the piston for a supple ride. When a large hit is encountered, the piston closes off the port, forcing all fluid through the valving to substantially increase resistance in this secondary zone. This acts like a tunable internal bump-stop and makes it the perfect dual-purpose setup.

On the rebound side, we spec oversized tubes deep in the travel stroke to allow a high volume of oil to bypass, ensuring the shock shaft returns quickly enough to maintain ground contact. As the shock extends and closes off the rebound tube, all valving engages to slow the shaft at maximum extension. Simply put: larger diameter shocks increase capability, more tubes/zones increase adjustability, and larger tubes allow greater fluid flow and tuning potential.

The Coilover/Bypass system boasts Carli specific, blueprinted, King 2.5” shocks on all four corners. We designed a custom piston to determine proper base flow rates to ensure the shock works well in the heavy-duty truck platform, then tuned around the custom pistons for optimal seat-of-the-pants feel. All King shocks feature shafts machined and polished from solid 17-4 Stainless. Unlike King’s standard shafts, there is no coating to wear off, weather can’t hurt them, and small chips can be rounded with emery cloth without damaging the seal housing. The shocks are finished with King oil good to -55° F and built with a plated steel body. For extended inclement weather, we recommend wrapping shocks in 3M for a replaceable moisture barrier.

The truck will sit 2.5” higher in the front with increased wheel travel from the Coilovers. Stainless Brake Lines and an Adjustable Track Bar correct front-end geometry, while Caster Shims improve handling. The rear is equipped with a block-eliminating Full Progressive Spring Pack, providing lift and extended travel with reduced wheel hop/axle wrap, though load capacity decreases ~15% compared to a stock F250.

The Coilover-Bypass is an off-road oriented system. We recommend adding a Differential Guard for axle protection, a High Mount Steering Stabilizer for steering control, and Fabricated Radius Arms for strength and Limit Strap mounting. At this suspension level, a roll cage is also recommended if using the system to its full potential.

Being bypass-equipped, customers may hear clicking from the opening and closing of the check valves in the external tubes. The upside is tunability—Carli tunes the shocks from the factory with wide-open rebound and neutral compression (our recommended all-around setup), but customers can adjust for more float and comfort or tighter control for aggressive off-road driving.

Wheel and Tire: On our 2.5” Ford Bypass Equipped Systems, we recommend 17”-18” wheels, no more than 9” wide with 5” of backspacing with Carli Fabricated Radius Arms. Tires: 37×12.5” will fit with trimming; 35” will likely fit without trimming. More rubber improves small bump compliance at proper pressures, while larger wheel diameters firm up the ride. See our article on wheel and tire selection and tire pressures for more details.