Leveling kits vs lift kits
 

Guys I am curious , I see people mention leveling kits and I am interested in lifting my truck possibly.

2003 4x4 DRW QC.

I see the rake in the front and I assume that the leveling kit would be for the front. I am guessing roughly a 2" kit would level it to the back, maybe 1.5". I ll check for sure before I do anything.

But my question is , I saw a leveling kit that was like $1300 ( Lorenzo I believe it was ) , had some pretty awesome looking parts to it. Then I see $55 pucks that go extend the coil spring basically.

I would like to eventually go with a 4-6 " lift overall and some 37's on stock wheels. But right off the bat, I would like to atleast level it so it doesn't look like its dragging its nose.

So couple questions, obviously hitting the search button brought up alot of opinions on what lift kit was the best and what ride comfort etc. But what about install. I see long arm and short arm, no arm, shocks , no shocks etc.

I would like to have a reliable minimum installation work setup. This is just a daily driver , no hauling no towing, 12 miles a day driven. Purely for looks and ride quality. I don't need major off road ability. And I don't need 85 inches of suspension travel, or super crazy aggressive tires. I am just after a look pretty much.

So any info or comparisons are appreciated.

Thanks
Todd

Leveling kits generally just lift the front 2-3". At this height you do not need to address as many things as if you do a true lift. These usually start just over 3" and include parts like trackbar dropbrackets, replacement pitman arms, longer control arms, etc.

As you have found, a level kit can be as simple as a spacer or more complex like the kits from Carli. The higher end kits use better springs that will help to improve the ride as well as lift the truck. Most of them also include Bilstein 5100 shocks and new sway bar endlinks. The stock endlinks on these trucks are very weak and can easilly bend and break when the front is lifted much over stock.

I started off with a 2" leveling kit and I installed it. It wasn't too awful bad, took me several hours but I was limited on tools and it was the first time messing with suspension. Then here about a month ago I had Les Schwab put a four inch lift on and I really like the 4 inch kit. I did find out though that a four inch lift raises the front four inches and the back 2" which levels it out and is really plenty of lift. I just wanted a little bit of lift since mine sees more road miles then any kind of off roading. I'd just go with a four inch lift if you're wanting 37's I think you'll have some rubbing issues if you just level the front. You can run 35's with the leveling kit.