Facts you need to know before installing Lift leveling kits

Many truck owners like the idea of using a lift leveling kit to raise the front of the vehicle. While this is an inexpensive and attractive way to even out the front-to-rear stance and allow for the use of taller tires, there are some facts to consider before you purchase and install one.

The most important are knowing that not all leveling kits are manufactured in the same way. Many truck owners simply look for the least expensive leveling kit they can find, without considering or having any knowledge of the overall design and quality of manufacture. Name brand leveling kits such as those made by Performance Accessories, Ready Lift, Daystar, Trail Master and more, are manufactured to ensure that the kit is properly designed, matched to the vehicle, and is reliable for each application.

Here's some other important facts you might consider, if you're contemplating a leveling kit for your truck or SUV.

1) Look for high-quality manufacturing techniques. Anyone with a drill press and the right tools can make a leveling kit, but name-brand kits are manufactured using precision laser cutters, high-quality steel, and forged components. Better construction quality prevents component failures (cracking) and a better fit.

2) If you have a torsion bar style suspension, never torque the factory torsion bar keys. Use only forged, not cast, aftermarket keys. Cranking the torsion bars can add a tremendous amount of pre-load to the torsion bars causing a harsh ride when you hit a pot-hole or bump. Because of the tremendous spring pressure, cast keys can crack and have been known to break, even during installation. Forged keys are much stronger, lift your truck and are designed to prevent excessive torsion bar pre-load to maintain a smooth, factory ride.

3) Beware of extra thick coil spring spacers. If a 1.5-inch coil spring spacer is good, then a 2.5-inch spacer must be better, right? Not always. Adding a thicker spacer will compress the spring in the coil/shock assembly and make it incapable of properly supporting the vehicle and controlling oscillations. This is why in many instances, manufacturers like Performance Accessories splits the difference between a coil spacer and spacer that fits on top of the coil/shock assembly. This prevents excessive coil spring pre-load and maintains a smooth ride.

4) Spacers that fit on top of the coil/spring perch should be precision laser cut or CNC machined from high-grade steel or aluminum. Leveling kit spacers connect the top perch to the strut tower frame mount and should come with longer high-grade hardware that replace the mounting studs. This ensures that the bolts are extended properly and seat with the factory bolts on top of the coil/shock assembly perch.

5) There's a difference between a $50 leveling kit and a $200 leveling kit. Look at the quality of construction. Bolts holes should be perfectly cut. There shouldn't be any casting flash or welding splatter. Place spacers on a flat and level surface and see if you see any gaps. Higher quality construction typically costs more because components are created with sophisticated machinery and lots of development time behind them. This gives you better reliability and longevity.

6) Make sure the leveling kit is complete. Many kits are less expensive because they don't include items like shock extension brackets, longer anti-sway bar end links, a rear add-a-leaf (on some applications where they are necessary), or even shocks; like on some Ford F-250 systems. Do your research on a variety of leveling kits and find out what major manufacturers offer in their systems. You'll quickly realize that some kits come with more items to do the job correctly, and you'll discover why those "economy kits" aren't really worth it.

7) Look for leveling kits that come with an extensive set of installation instructions. Manufacturers of high-quality leveling kits have comprehensive installation instructions that show you, step-by-step, now to install the system. Many will also allow you to download the instructions before your purchase, which is a great idea before attempting the install yourself.

8) Make sure you have a coil spring compression tool, or know someone who has and knows how to use it. Most trucks and SUV's that will utilize a coil spacer style kit, will require you to remove the coil spring from the coil/shock assembly. So you'll need a coil spring compression tool. These can be dangerous to use if you've never used one before. If you don't have one, make sure you know where you can take your coil/shock assembly to get the coil spring removed and reinstalled safely.