leveling kits - Dodge Diesel

got_soot · 11-02-2009, 10:28 PM

just looking for some input for a leveling kit for my truck. how many inches should go with and something stylish possibly like a stainless steel or something of that sorts. Mainly i want my truck to sit up a bit but i dont want to go with the lift kit route. one more thing im looking at a set of wheels from eagle alloys and if the offset is -4 does that mean the rim sticks out 4mm past the stock offset?

tedsawicki · 11-18-2009, 01:53 PM

will a leveling kit void the warranty

BroncoHound · 11-20-2009, 11:09 PM

A 2" or 2.5" leveling kit will likely get you an even front to rear stance when unloaded. Keep in mind with a level lift that as soon as you start adding weight behind the truck (or in the bed) the back end will sag lower than the front and that will also cause your headlights to blind oncoming traffic at night. Just some things to think about.

Not sure there are any stainless leveling pucks out there and, even if there were, it's not something you would easily see. Most are powdercoated black so they just blend in with the rest of the suspension.

As for wheel offset, it depends on the wheel width. Here is a formula to convert offset to backspacing:

For negative offset wheels: (Wheel Width +1)/2 - (offset * .03937)

With an 8" wide wheel, you want to stay as close to 6" backspacing as possible, as that is around where the stock wheels are. Less backspacing means they will stick out further and possibly cause tires to rub on the fenders, depending on size, brand, tread type of the tires.

My local dealers won't void any part of the warranty for leveling pucks (they install them for some people) but you might want to check with your dealer first if you are concerned with warranty coverage.

got_soot · 11-21-2009, 04:46 PM

broncohound you are a wealth of knowledge. You seem to bail me out on alot of these troubles i have and i want to thank you. what would you suggest on the right size leveling and tire size.

Crude dude · 11-21-2009, 05:16 PM

I also didnt have any issues from my dealership after I installed my leveling kit. I did however get a lot of people flashing their brights at me.

BroncoHound · 11-21-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by got_soot

broncohound you are a wealth of knowledge. You seem to bail me out on alot of these troubles i have and i want to thank you. what would you suggest on the right size leveling and tire size.

No problem, man. That's what the forums are for. As for the right size, it seems each truck is a bit different. Some sit a bit more level from the factory than others and thus require a shorter leveling puck. On my '08, I used the 2.5" Hell Bent Steel brand leveling pucks and it leveled the stance almost perfectly. I tow fairly heavy fairly often, so I soon after installed a set of Firestone Ride Rites airbags to the rear so I can keep the correct stance under load.

Regarding tire size, that depends alot on you. Things to consider are how you feel about load range D vs. load range E (alot of the taller size tires only come in load range D), about rubbing the control arms at full lock (a 12.50" wide tire on stock wheels will rub them slightly), about possibly trimming some of your lower valence (depending on your wheel width and backspacing), about tire longevity and width, and about fuel economy.

My '08 with the 2.5" HBS leveling pucks and 325/70R17 Nitto Terra Grapplers:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crude dude

I also didnt have any issues from my dealership after I installed my leveling kit. I did however get a lot of people flashing their brights at me.

There are headlight adjustment screws on each lens, behind the little rubber flap on the inside edge of the lens. It is a torx head, either #20 or #25 I can't quite remember for certain. In order to properly adjust your headlights, find a solid, flat wall around dark, park your truck where the front bumper is exactly 25ft. from the wall, then measure the distance from the ground to the center of the headlight lens perpendicular to the ground. Adjust the cutoff line of your headlight beam on the wall until the distance from the ground to the cutoff line is 4" less than the distance from the ground to the center of your headlight lens. Repeat the procedure for the other headlight and don't forget to aim the foglights down a bit as well (the same size Torx head, the adjustment screw is on the top of the foglight lens). No more people flashing you. Even with 6000K HID retrofits in both my headlights and foglights, nobody ever bright lights me.

Crude dude · 11-21-2009, 11:29 PM

Thanks Bronco! Will do

got_soot · 11-27-2009, 08:06 PM

Pictures do justice and might i add that your trucks set up is just perfect

txfiremedic · 11-27-2009, 08:14 PM

Heres mine with the Hell Bent Steel 2.5in leveling kit:

kennyblatz · 11-27-2009, 11:13 PM

carli suspenion my truck rides smoother then my brothers chevy

n2moto · 12-05-2009, 05:41 AM

I wouldn't go with spacers. I want a better ride and more travel. The KORE kit is around 350 or 400 bucks and comes with springs, shocks and spacers for the sway bar.

LawDodge · 12-06-2009, 05:01 PM

I went with a 2" leveling kit on both my 07 and my 08 Megacabs and they have worked without an issue. They took about an hour to install and then I reset my headlights and foglights due to the change in angle.
To stay low cost, I picked up my kits from Ebay for around $60 with free shipping.
My tires are roughly 33x12.5x20's and are on 20" eagle alloys. I forgot the off set, but they are near stock back spacing so I don't have any rubbing issues.
Here are some crappy cell phone pics.

Danderson · 12-06-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroncoHound

No problem, man. That's what the forums are for. As for the right size, it seems each truck is a bit different. Some sit a bit more level from the factory than others and thus require a shorter leveling puck. On my '08, I used the 2.5" Hell Bent Steel brand leveling pucks and it leveled the stance almost perfectly. I tow fairly heavy fairly often, so I soon after installed a set of Firestone Ride Rites airbags to the rear so I can keep the correct stance under load.

Regarding tire size, that depends alot on you. Things to consider are how you feel about load range D vs. load range E (alot of the taller size tires only come in load range D), about rubbing the control arms at full lock (a 12.50" wide tire on stock wheels will rub them slightly), about possibly trimming some of your lower valence (depending on your wheel width and backspacing), about tire longevity and width, and about fuel economy.

My '08 with the 2.5" HBS leveling pucks and 325/70R17 Nitto Terra Grapplers:

There are headlight adjustment screws on each lens, behind the little rubber flap on the inside edge of the lens. It is a torx head, either #20 or #25 I can't quite remember for certain. In order to properly adjust your headlights, find a solid, flat wall around dark, park your truck where the front bumper is exactly 25ft. from the wall, then measure the distance from the ground to the center of the headlight lens perpendicular to the ground. Adjust the cutoff line of your headlight beam on the wall until the distance from the ground to the cutoff line is 4" less than the distance from the ground to the center of your headlight lens. Repeat the procedure for the other headlight and don't forget to aim the foglights down a bit as well (the same size Torx head, the adjustment screw is on the top of the foglight lens). No more people flashing you. Even with 6000K HID retrofits in both my headlights and foglights, nobody ever bright lights me.

Broncohound,how many miles do you have on the Grapplers?

BroncoHound · 12-10-2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danderson

Broncohound,how many miles do you have on the Grapplers?

Slightly over 67K miles presently. They are certainly starting to show their age, but still have plenty of tread and have yet to give me reason to worry in adverse conditions. I will probably replace them around 75K miles, unless something starts giving me cause for concern before then.

Pa outlaw · 12-10-2009, 06:27 PM

if you tow alot grapplers are not the way to go, i had them on my truck pulling a 24 ft enclosed with a micro sprinti only got 32,000 miles out of them till i had to replace them cause the tread wore right off, hope this helps you out, pro comp tires wear the best for bigger tires if you tow

11-02-2009, 10:28 PM	#1
got_soot Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: ohio Posts: 232 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	leveling kits just looking for some input for a leveling kit for my truck. how many inches should go with and something stylish possibly like a stainless steel or something of that sorts. Mainly i want my truck to sit up a bit but i dont want to go with the lift kit route. one more thing im looking at a set of wheels from eagle alloys and if the offset is -4 does that mean the rim sticks out 4mm past the stock offset? __________________ 2007.5 2500 QCLB, black g56, smarty me. 5" tbe mbrp. and a few other things.

11-20-2009, 11:09 PM	#3
BroncoHound Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: RGV, Tx Posts: 1,136 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	A 2" or 2.5" leveling kit will likely get you an even front to rear stance when unloaded. Keep in mind with a level lift that as soon as you start adding weight behind the truck (or in the bed) the back end will sag lower than the front and that will also cause your headlights to blind oncoming traffic at night. Just some things to think about. Not sure there are any stainless leveling pucks out there and, even if there were, it's not something you would easily see. Most are powdercoated black so they just blend in with the rest of the suspension. As for wheel offset, it depends on the wheel width. Here is a formula to convert offset to backspacing: For negative offset wheels: (Wheel Width +1)/2 - (offset * .03937) With an 8" wide wheel, you want to stay as close to 6" backspacing as possible, as that is around where the stock wheels are. Less backspacing means they will stick out further and possibly cause tires to rub on the fenders, depending on size, brand, tread type of the tires. My local dealers won't void any part of the warranty for leveling pucks (they install them for some people) but you might want to check with your dealer first if you are concerned with warranty coverage. __________________ 08 QCSB 4WD 6.7L/G56/3.42 HBS Level Lift Carli Valved 5100's Thuren Track Bar SSSSS Ride Rites 325/70R17 Nitto TGs EV2 Boost/EGT Gauges Smarty *Shaved BlueTec Badge "Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never really care for anything else thereafter."

11-21-2009, 05:16 PM	#5
Crude dude Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Phoenix Posts: 138 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	I also didnt have any issues from my dealership after I installed my leveling kit. I did however get a lot of people flashing their brights at me. __________________ 2007 4x4 QC 5.9/modified stock airbox,Superlift Lev.Kit/Firestone airbags/Smarty Jr/48RE Billet flex/Billet input/Billet pistons-servos/Triple disc/Autometer Pyro/Trans/Boost

11-27-2009, 08:14 PM	#9
txfiremedic Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: The Lonestar State Posts: 1,351 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	Heres mine with the Hell Bent Steel 2.5in leveling kit: __________________ '08 3500 4X4 Inferno Mega 6.7, Auto, Debadged, DeBlueTec'd, 5" TBE, XRT (Thanks to All Terrain Diesel), Glowshift Gauges, AFE Stage 2, Kenwood DVD/Nav, XD Rockstars, Frontier Bumper Replacements, HBS 2.5" Leveled, Auto On Exhaust Brake Mod Founding Member of DTR Megacab Club Join Here IAFF Local 2922 Donate to DTR, HERE

11-27-2009, 11:13 PM	#10
kennyblatz Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 365 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	carli suspenion my truck rides smoother then my brothers chevy __________________ 1998.5 5 speed quad cab LB 4x4, AFE intake, DSS, 3rd gen track bar, 4" exhaust, bd 130's, valair 13", adrenaline, bd short throw, carli starter kit in the garage, ats t4, gt4094r, ED 50mm WG, mach 4's

11-18-2009, 01:53 PM	#2
tedsawicki Registered User Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 3 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	will a leveling kit void the warranty

11-21-2009, 04:46 PM	#4
got_soot Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: ohio Posts: 232 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	broncohound you are a wealth of knowledge. You seem to bail me out on alot of these troubles i have and i want to thank you. what would you suggest on the right size leveling and tire size.

11-21-2009, 11:29 PM	#7
Crude dude Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Phoenix Posts: 138 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	Thanks Bronco! Will do

11-27-2009, 08:06 PM	#8
got_soot Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: ohio Posts: 232 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	Pictures do justice and might i add that your trucks set up is just perfect

12-05-2009, 05:41 AM	#11
n2moto Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Castaic CA Posts: 464 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	I wouldn't go with spacers. I want a better ride and more travel. The KORE kit is around 350 or 400 bucks and comes with springs, shocks and spacers for the sway bar. __________________ 97 5 spd Banks, Rickson 19.5 Wheels 290k 04.5 juice with attitude. nv5600 worst shifting transmission I've ever driven 3.73 laramie brite box bulbzilla pac brake

12-06-2009, 05:01 PM	#12
LawDodge Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 11 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	I went with a 2" leveling kit on both my 07 and my 08 Megacabs and they have worked without an issue. They took about an hour to install and then I reset my headlights and foglights due to the change in angle. To stay low cost, I picked up my kits from Ebay for around $60 with free shipping. My tires are roughly 33x12.5x20's and are on 20" eagle alloys. I forgot the off set, but they are near stock back spacing so I don't have any rubbing issues. Here are some crappy cell phone pics. __________________ 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 Mega 4x4 Cummins, 6.7L w/ Dual pipes, GT programmer, 2" leveling kit, 33" Mickey Thompsons

12-10-2009, 06:27 PM	#15
Pa outlaw Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Pa Posts: 154 My Photo Gallery My Classified Ads	if you tow alot grapplers are not the way to go, i had them on my truck pulling a 24 ft enclosed with a micro sprinti only got 32,000 miles out of them till i had to replace them cause the tread wore right off, hope this helps you out, pro comp tires wear the best for bigger tires if you tow __________________ 09.5 mega cab 3500 4x4 laramie inferno red 6 spd auto tube step bars lots more to come (Ad removed site violations)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode