2017+ F250/F350 Diesel 5.5" Pathfinder Suspension System

Description:

Nestled between the Backcountry and Pintop, the Pathfinder system is built for Super Duty owners prioritizing on-road comfort and off-road confidence. Akin to a Backcountry on pavement and only slightly off-pace the Pintop’s dirt performance, the Pathfinder removes all strain from your daily drive while inspiring you to venture beyond the tarmac.

This system delivers a controlled and predictable ride for light to moderate off-road use, though it won’t stay as composed as the Pintop over aggressive, high-speed terrain. On the road, however, the Pathfinder stands out. Small and medium imperfections are absorbed with ease, creating a supple, comfortable ride that doesn’t require an aggressive driving style to feel its benefits. It’s the perfect choice for drivers who value daily comfort, but want their suspension to come alive when venturing off the pavement.

The Pathfinder is equipped with Carli-SPEC 2.5” aluminum-bodied shocks finished with a hard-anodized coating for superior corrosion and scratch resistance. All billet components are black-anodized, creating a sleek, premium look straight out of the box—an aesthetic that previously cost customers over $1,200 in custom color upgrades on our King kits. Inside, we’ve spec’d a high-performance red shock oil designed to resist heat and fade, even under spirited driving, ensuring consistent damping and long-term reliability. The Pathfinder delivers unmatched on-road composure and comfort for which many are happy to sacrifice the extremes of off-road capability they’d find in our King-Shock offerings.

Super Duty owners will find the Pathfinder to be the perfect middle ground. Its 2.5” diameter shock bodies provide a significant boost in oil volume—55% more piston surface area than a 2.0”—which improves heat management and extends rebuild intervals. While the Pintop excels in aggressive off-road driving, the Pathfinder is happiest soaking up rough roads and cruising comfortably without requiring more skinny-pedal to feel the damping.

This system is the result of over a year of development, tuning, and testing to deliver exactly what customers felt was missing: a premium 2.5” shock package that’s affordable, aesthetically premium, on-road focused, and build to withstand the rigors of HD off-road use.

The truck will sit 5.5” higher in the front and have more wheel travel thanks to the taller, Progressive Rate Coil Springs. Radius Arm Drop Brackets reset the pivot point and keep the travel linear for the best ride. The front Sway Bar Geometry will need to be addressed with your choice of a Sway Bar Drop Bracket & Carli Extended Sway bar End Link combination or, for those seeking the most possible ride quality, we offer our full replacement Torsion Sway Bar that lightens the most commonly neglected spring rate – the factory sway bar. From the Torsion Sway bar upgrade, one can expect a far more compliant feel and increased articulation with only slightly more body roll. Bump Stop Drops protect the shocks from over-compressing, the Adjustable Track Bar centers the front axle and Stainless Brake Lines firm up braking and ensure there is enough line for the newfound travel. To round off the front end, we include Caster Shims to tighten the steering.

The rear can be outfitted with a replacement Full Progressive Spring Pack (reduces capacity to a “light” ¾-ton) or factory leaf-pack modifying Progressive Add-a-Pack (eliminates the factory block and maintains payload capacity; pairs with a rear bump stop drop). This is where the F250 and F350 are a bit different. Since 2008, the main spring packs on these two trucks is different; the F250 has a lighter rate spring pack (2 main leaf springs) than its 350 counterpart (3 main leaf springs). The F250 Add-a-Pack equipped systems are a nice improvement over stock; the F350 with the Add-a-Pack is still very stiff in the rear as the main pack doesn’t move much unless loaded. We recommend the Full Replacement Leaf Spring packs for both trucks but especially the F350 given the super-stiff factory springs. If you own an F250 built with the Tremor or high-capacity tow package, these are equipped with an F350 rear spring and should avoid the add-a-pack, as well. If capacity is a concern, an aftermarket airbag system should be installed to complement the Full Progressive Leaf Springs to restore the F350 capacity. We recommend a system that will allow the airbags to disconnect from the lower mount during suspension cycling to ensure you’re able to take advantage of all your rear suspension travel. The Full Progressive Leaf Spring Pack will shift the axle slightly forward in the wheel well to ensure maximum tire clearance for a 37” M/T at full compression.

Base Kit:

Lift Height Note: 2020 Super Duties were lowered 1” from the factory when comparing to the 2017-19. Further, the Tremor Package is a factory 2” lift on the 20-22 platform putting them 1” taller than the 17-19. As these all START at different heights yet utilize the same lifts, the stated lift height is different. They’ll all end up measuring the same with the lift installed!

Specs:

• Front Lift Height: 5.5" (2020+ F250/F350) / 4.5" (2017-2019 F250/F350)
• Rear Lift Height: 3" - 4"
• Front Travel: 10"
• Rear Travel: 12.9"
• Shock Diameter: 2.5" Carli Spec Remote Reservoir
• Tire Fitment: 37" x 13.50"

Wheel and Tire: 

Factory Wheels SHOULD NOT be run with oversized tires. They’re known to rub the radius arm, sway bar and most concerning – Brake Lines. Factory tires and factory wheels will work without issue but we DO NOT recommend running oversized tires on factory wheels. On our 4.5” Ford Systems, we recommend 17”-18” wheels, no more than 9” wide with 5” of backspacing with a 37”, E-Rated Tire. The more rubber, the better the small bump compliance will be at proper inflation pressures. The ride will firm up as you go larger in wheel diameter.

Sway Bar Options:

Extended Sway Bar End Link Kit & Drop Bracket Kit:

• Combines end links and drop brackets for perfect sway bar position
• 17-4 stainless steel, greaseable, fully rebuildable end links
• Excellent articulation

Torsion Sway Bar Kit:

• Replaces the immobile factory sway bar with a custom torsion bar
• Huge ride quality improvement
• Best bang for your buck upgrade!

Leaf Spring Information:

See buy with products for leaf spring options!

The Pathfinder System has been optimized for use with the Full Progressive Leaf Springs. This system is also compatible with the Progressive Add-a-Packs but there will be a notable ride quality difference on and off-road. Add-a-Packs are NOT recommended for the F350 (or any F250 equipped with the High Capacity Tow or Tremor Package). More information can be found in the description at the top of this page. Selecting "NO Rear Leaf Spring Selection" will result in an unknown ride quality and height result as all Carli Systems are optimized to either the Add-a-Pack or Progressive Leaf Springs.