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I have a 19’ 2500 duramax. My front is right around 3” lower than the rear. I only want to raise the front 2” max so I have around 1” of rake left.

 

I know I can crank my stock keys to achieve 2”, or at least I’m told so. My question is do I go all out with control arms, diff drop and new shocks/or shock extenders? Or is 2” alright without any of that stuff?

 

I’m NOT cutting the truck at all, so a lift is out of the question. Like I said I just want 2” taller up front, but want it done as best as it can be (for the most part, not spending 2k to level either...)

 

Thanks!

f4de67300204b5e14831ecbaf1fd4c52.jpg

 

 

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I have stock keys cranked.  Shock extenders are pretty well a must as you will hit the travel limit of the shocks and something so cheap anyway.   I have a diff drop in mine and a steering stabilizer.  Are they a must? No. The trucks drivability improved with the steering stabilizer though.

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Pics of what?  Nothing underneath no and the truck is just an HD sitting level.  I will say the upper balljoint will probably wear out faster but I will cross that bridge when it actually wear out. My a arms have never touched the travel stops either.  The ride is stiff and shitty just like it was bone stock lol.

Edited by SierraHD17
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I think my truck rides pretty decent considering it’s a 2500. I guess all I have to compare it to is an older 2500 I rode in, with aftermarket lift keys cranked, rode like a brick.. That’s what I don’t want.

 

 

As for photos, I just meant of the truck leveled.

 

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I had the dealer change out my keys for ReadyLift keys. Kit includes shock spacers. My truck is raised approx 2.5 inches. Within a week one of the UCA ball joints boots had blown and all the grease was coming out. I decided to replace the UCA with ReadyLift UCA. After they were installed I noticed a significant improvement in the stability of the front end. Steering more stable much better ride than before. 

 

I know some will disagree on the UCA but this has just been my experience. If you don't change them I would be prepared to depending on what you find after you level.

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I’m ok with buying the correct parts, as of right now I’m thinking

arms
spacers
diff drop
maybe keys

The RC 3.5” set at 2” May work to, for $500-600 it seems like a good price for everything you get. Let’s be honest spacers/diff drop and keys are the same across the board. It’s the control arms I wouldn’t want to cheap out on


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You can get the height you want out of the stock torsion bar keys in the truck. The only reason to install aftermarket keys is to be like most and overcrank the front to the point you start having problems with boots blowing out.. and have the front sit higher than the back lol.  But it seems like most people are set on that and somehow think it will ride better with aftermarket keys... but that's just people not understanding how a torsion bar works lol.

Edited by SierraHD17
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56 minutes ago, SierraHD17 said:

You can get the height you want out of the stock torsion bar keys in the truck. The only reason to install aftermarket keys is to be like most and overcrank the front to the point you start having problems with boots blowing out.. and have the front sit higher than the back lol.  But it seems like most people are set on that and somehow think it will ride better with aftermarket keys... but that's just people not understanding how a torsion bar works lol.

I have all the measurements from before and after, front to back, side to side. It took 2.75" to level with the back. Yes, visually it looked higher in the front. ( But a tape measure is a little more accurate than looking at it.) That was more than I wanted and had them lower it to where it is now at about 2.5" or a little less. I don't think anyone is intentionally raising the front higher, it just looks like that when it is actually level. The ride was terrible when it was up 2.75" and there were marks were the UCA were hitting. After dropping it the ride was still worse than stock and after the UCA boot blew I decided on replacing the UCA. There was a significant improvement in ride and steering after that.

 

I didn't level because I wanted a level. I did it because when I changed wheels the different offset (+15) made the tires rub slightly.

 

Opinions are all over the place on this, so as someone else said, start with the least expensive and add as needed to get what your looking for. (But be prepared to spend more than your thinking is my suggestion.)

 

Edited by cford716
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If we choose to level or lift, I'm a firm believer in purchasing a quality engineered kit from a reputable manufacture. We invest a lot of money in these trucks, so, in my opinion, spend a little more now and it may save you in the long run (or leave it alone...na, we can't do that...ha, ha).

 

The engineered leveling kits with UCA, diff drops, shock extensions, etc...will keep our front geometry as close to factory specs as possible. Remember, it won't obviuosly be at the factory spec..this is one of the reasons our ride stiffens. It also increases CV angles and tie rod angles. It also adds a little more stress to the idler and pitman arms. Aftermarket UCAs do keep the ball joints happier and increase the droop stop distance. These, in my opinion, are a must with leveling kits. The more you crank on the keys, the more stresses you impose on on the parts and the CV angles widen...and the ride gets worse.

 

In order to be as close to factory specs and maintain them, a lift kit is necessary. But these cost more up front and some do require cutting and welding for installation...which make these permanent...

 

If you know the pro's and con's of each, you can make an informed decision. You may end up replacing a few components a little earlier down the road with a leveling kit. If you are ok with this...go for the leveling kit. 

 

This is what I did. I also have my alignment re-checked along with rotating and RoadForce Balancing the tires every 10K miles. This confirms to me everything is staying tight on the front end. I've had my leveling kit on since about 6K miles and I'm almost at 30K now. Everything is good up front. No accelerated wear. I'm only cranked to raise about 2". The ride is slightly stiffer than stock. The Bilstein shocks ride much better than the stock cheap Rancho's...

 

I'm running a kit from Central Coast Motorsports (ccmoffroad.com). They are a small shop in the Central Coast of California...they manufacture their own which keeps cost down. Check them out. The pic of CCMs UCA is when I still had the cheap Rancho's on my truck...  

 

 

Side 2.JPG

UCA Side.JPG

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A big one I read complaints of is the steering feel and drive.  A steering stabilizer fixed everything with my truck after swapping it to the 34's I have.  Before hand it tracked and drove somewhat peculiar but I lifted it with the stock rims and tires and felt no change whatsoever until I swapped to bigger tires.  It's a component most people ignore or disregard and really should be on these trucks stock... let alone after messing with the front end.

 

For fun my employees 16 HD was a typical overcrank with aftermarket keys just like another friends 2014 HD.  The front on both trucks was higher than the rear.  The 16 I measured out at just under 2" taller lol... He had cognito arms and everything still was worn completely out in maybe 70000 miles.  I told him to drop the front at minimum 2" while replacing the front end parts but I have no idea if he did.  The 14 I did not measure but it was roughly the same "Cali lean" stance.  Neither of these trucks were owner installed lifts and both done by shops lol.  

 

My 17 with stock keys has 3/4" of rake with the rear being 3/4" higher.  Perfect in my opinion and exactly what the OP is after.  I clear 34's with miles of room.. will probably jump to 35s on the next tire especially since I have 4.56 gears in the truck anyway.  35s still will not touch... but I have stock offset as well.  I like my paint on my truck lol.

Edited by SierraHD17
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4 minutes ago, SierraHD17 said:

A big one I read complaints of is the steering feel and drive.  A steering stabilizer fixed everything with my truck after swapping it to the 34's I have.  Before hand it tracked and drove somewhat peculiar but I lifted it with the stock rims and tires and felt no change whatsoever until I swapped to bigger tires.  It's a component most people ignore or disregard and really should be on these trucks stock... let alone after messing with the front end.

 

For fun my employees 16 HD was a typical overcrank with aftermarket keys just like another friends 2014 HD.  The front on both trucks was higher than the rear.  The 16 I measured out at just under 2" taller lol... He had cognito arms and everything still was worn completely out in maybe 70000 miles.  I told him to drop the front at minimum 2" while replacing the front end parts but I have no idea if he did.  The 14 I did not measure but it was roughly the same "Cali lean" stance.  Neither of these trucks were owner installed lifts and both done by shops lol.  

 

My 17 with stock keys has 3/4" of rake with the rear being 3/4" higher.  Perfect in my opinion and exactly what the OP is after.  I clear 34's with miles of room.. will probably jump to 35s on the next tire especially since I have 4.56 gears in the truck anyway.  35s still will not touch... but I have stock offset as well.  I like my paint on my truck lol.

I'm guessing you have a 2017 truck. The 2016 and newer do not have a steering stabilizer and also no mounts to put one. What did you get? and I haven't been sure how one would affect the digital steering assist.

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