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Leveling Kit

Shots said:
I've used Zone Offroad in the past, and they make great stuff. I've also used a plethora of the spacer blocks that sit on top of the spring (or coil pack depending on application). Nothing wrong with those either.
This time around I went with Bilstein springs/struts because I didn't like the way the strut extension is mounted on these trucks. I got 2" of gain out of it, and I'm sitting completely level. I don't like the idea of the truck squatting when I load it, but that is a side effect of leveling. A few hundred pounds doesn't do anything, but if your loading a few thousand, it'll sag. I ordered some airbag helpers for the rear to be able to air up as needed and take the squat out for the times I load heavy. I've done those before with other leveled trucks, and it works out pretty well.

The Bilstein kit (46-268655) was $487 and an adjustable track bar (I got for free) are typically about $150 - $200.
Install can be done in your driveway with basic hand tools and 2 jacks. Nothing special needed to get it done.

View attachment 76427
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Sexy!!!
 
darrellr said:
I bought my truck with 35x12.5s and a level. I bought it to tow a fifth wheel. I added airbags (Airlift 7500XL) to my truck to level it back with the load. I upgraded my trailer (21,000#) and took off the 35s and rear spacers to go back to stock tire size. Still couldn't get it quite level at 100psi in the bags. So I just took off my RC 2.5" spacer and went back to stock. Haven't towed with it as I just took it off yesterday, but will get it re-aligned this week. It is towing far more often than not, so it just didn't make sense to keep it leveled imo. Now the spacers are sitting in the corner. BTW, they are metal, not plastic, in case anyone cares.

I sure miss the way it looked when I bought it, though. It was nice.
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Im running a 35 on my DRW also, and tow a 5er. I could never go back! Although my trailer is only 14k lbs loaded.

Did you not like the tow performance with the larger tire?
 
I agree with a few others here. I think these trucks ride just fine on the stock springs. I've ridden in much harsher vehicles (I'm looking at you Jeep CJ). When it comes down to it, these are trucks. They shouldn't ride like a grocery getter. Although I don't feel like they're too bad even for a HD truck. If you're happy with the ride, and only want an inch or two of lift, a spacer is fine.
That said, I replaced the springs on mine because I didn't like the strut relocation bracket on the spacer kits. I figured if I was replacing the struts I might as well do the springs too. Nothing wrong with a space though, I've used them many times before.
 
Shots said:
I agree with a few others here. I think these trucks ride just fine on the stock springs. I've ridden in much harsher vehicles (I'm looking at you Jeep CJ). When it comes down to it, these are trucks. They shouldn't ride like a grocery getter. Although I don't feel like they're too bad even for a HD truck. If you're happy with the ride, and only want an inch or two of lift, a spacer is fine.
That said, I replaced the springs on mine because I didn't like the strut relocation bracket on the spacer kits. I figured if I was replacing the struts I might as well do the springs too. Nothing wrong with a space though, I've used them many times before.
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You talking about the shock extensions? I agree those are lame. Factory shocks are junk anyway so might as well just buy longer shocks.
 
gimmie11s said:
Im running a 35 on my DRW also, and tow a 5er. I could never go back! Although my trailer is only 14k lbs loaded.

Did you not like the tow performance with the larger tire?
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I did not like the mileage hit or the wear on the tires. But primarily was looking to improve mileage. When people say it is only 1-2mpg for a change but you are only getting 7-8mpg, it is a significant difference ;).
 
darrellr said:
I did not like the mileage hit or the wear on the tires. But primarily was looking to improve mileage. When people say it is only 1-2mpg for a change but you are only getting 7-8mpg, it is a significant difference ;).
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Wear on the tires is different with larger tires? Interesting, never heard of that one. Mine seem to be wearing better than the stock tires since I aligned the truck, set toe properly, after the lift and tire change.

MPG definitely worse, I understand that one well.
 
gimmie11s said:
Wear on the tires is different with larger tires? Interesting, never heard of that one. Mine seem to be wearing better than the stock tires since I aligned the truck, set toe properly, after the lift and tire change.

MPG definitely worse, I understand that one well.
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Most AT tires are softer and wear faster than stock sizes.
 
darrellr said:
Most AT tires are softer and wear faster than stock sizes.
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I doubt the size makes much of a difference, but the tread pattern and intended use of the tire, sure.

Example, a highway tire warrantied for 60k miles damn sure better wear longer than some random 35" AT.

Then again, I got about 20k miles out of my stock DRW tires and they wore like poop. Glad they're gone.
 
gimmie11s said:
I doubt the size makes much of a difference, but the tread pattern and intended use of the tire, sure.

Example, a highway tire warrantied for 60k miles damn sure better wear longer than some random 35" AT.

Then again, I got about 20k miles out of my stock DRW tires and they wore like poop. Glad they're gone.
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I didn't say the size mattered with wear, but it went into my decision to change them. I bought the truck from the dealer, brand new, with 35" AT tires and the level. I changed the tires due to size, but they were also softer than better towing tires and were wearing faster than they should have imo. I changed them at about 10k miles.
 
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Rockcrawlindude said:
You talking about the shock extensions? I agree those are lame. Factory shocks are junk anyway so might as well just buy longer shocks.
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Yes, the shock extensions. Other kits I've used have had extensions too but they go about it differently. On these trucks they all seem to force you to drill a hole into the frame to keep in place. Definitely not a fan of that.
I mean, I can drill the hole, and I can take steps to ensure it doesn't rust prematurely, but why? Seems like a lot of extra work, and from an engineering standpoint it's not ideal. They're creating one more potential failure point in the system. It's not likely to fail, but I felt better simply replacing them.
 
Another alternative to level the truck is to lower the rear. I'm an old man and tall, but getting into a lifted truck is sometimes difficult. I got the Timber Grove 3" rear drop air bag system. Very easy to level the rear now or evn drop it lower that the front (I have a 4X4 2023 CTD Crew Cab short bed) The ride on the Timber Grove is much nicer than stock. I run about 35 PSI. If I got a load I can air it up to level the truck. I am pretty sure I can still run 35" tires with some slight trimming of plastic stuff up front. I've never understood why they have such a massive rake on these trucks.
 
darrellr said:
That is a pretty odd comment on this forum specific to HD trucks.
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LOL True. But I wager most 2500 HD RAMS don't run around with 5,000 lbs in the bed. It'd be sort of stupid to do that. The HD RAM 2500 Crew cab with the short bed can tow a bunch. As to cargo weight my 2023 Tradesman Crew Cab short bed with the 6.7 CTD is listed around 3100 lbs. The 6.4 version can carry more weight in cargo(4,000 lbs), but tow much less.
 
BigBob said:
LOL True. But I wager most 2500 HD RAMS don't run around with 5,000 lbs in the bed. It'd be sort of stupid to do that. The HD RAM 2500 Crew cab with the short bed can tow a bunch. As to cargo weight my 2023 Tradesman Crew Cab short bed with the 6.7 CTD is listed around 3100 lbs. The 6.4 version can carry more weight in cargo(4,000 lbs), but tow much less.
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True for 2500s, but the rake will be pretty similar. It also has an impact on fuel economy as leveled trucks will often get a little penalty on it vs standard rake.
 
darrellr said:
True for 2500s, but the rake will be pretty similar. It also has an impact on fuel economy as leveled trucks will often get a little penalty on it vs standard rake.
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??? I only have about 5K miles on mine. I certainly don't notice any fuel mileage difference.
 
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