2006 Z71 CrewCab Tire and Leveling kit questions

[dawgvet]

Hello, I have a bone stock 2006 Z71 crew cab with stock 265/70r17 tires. It is time for new tires and I was wondering about going up a size to 285's on stock wheels. Will I need a leveling kit to lift the front for clearance? What about just turning the torsion bar key screws up to level out the truck, realizing it will need an alignment? It is used as a daily driver so I was wondering how much MPG I would expect to lose vs staying with stock size tires.

Thanks,

Jed

[Big Whiskey]

I ran 285/70/17's on my 2006, with the stock rims. Cranked the torsion bars up 5-6 turns and got it aligned. No rubbing. No need for a leveling kit, as they do the same thing as cranking your stock keys. MPG was 12-13 avg with the 5.3, 4-spd, and 3:42 gears. If you have 4:10's, you won't notice as much of a MPG hit as I did.

[BlackZ71Silverado]

Be careful cranking the torsion bars as suggested. It really affects the ride of your truck, especially when maxing them out or coming close. If you want to level your truck, your safest bet it to buy new keys specifically designed to lift the front end.

 

 

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[dirtfan21]

That is not true. Aftermarket keys do nothing more than allow you to crank further than your stock keys. You want a better ride on cranked torsion bars then get some upgraded shocks.

[Big Whiskey]

That is not true. Aftermarket keys do nothing more than allow you to crank further than your stock keys. You want a better ride on cranked torsion bars then get some upgraded shocks.

 

X2. I'm not sure why people can't understand that aftermarket keys do the same thing as cranking up the stock ones. And like you said, they just allow you to go beyond the limits of the stock keys. That's the only benefit.