Leveling Kit

[dave7777]

I am looking into getting a leveling kit for my 2005 GMC Sierra 1500 Z71. From what i measured, my front wheel well is 35 1/2 in from the ground to the middle of my wheel well flare and the back is 38 in. Is there a leveling kit that will make my front 38 in. because i looked at rough country and it looks like there kit is only 1.5 inches? I am new to all this so i hope this made sense!!!

[Weingartner]

Here is a link to 2.5 inch kit for your truck.

 

http://4wheelonline.com/Products.aspx?Cate...roductID=117006

[J45p3r]

Before you buy that kit you should crank your existing torsion keys and see if they'll give you what you want. I found the truck didn't have to be perfectly level to look much better. You will need an alignment after changing the torsion key adjustments.

[dave7777]

Before you buy that kit you should crank your existing torsion keys and see if they'll give you what you want. I found the truck didn't have to be perfectly level to look much better. You will need an alignment after changing the torsion key adjustments.

 

 

 

i have heard that cranking torsion keys without using a leveling kit is bad for your truck. Is this true?

[broys]

I'm also looking at leveling the front of my truck ('04 Sierra 1500 z71 ext. cab) and I'm looking at a Pro Comp leveling kit. I put on LT285-70R17 BFG tires last summer and get a little rubbing in the front when turning sharp. http://4wheelonline.com/Products.aspx?Cate...roductID=151363

 

I looked at Ready Lift but the Pro Comp is cheaper. Does anyone have any experience with the Pro Comp leveling kit? Does it put any additional stress on the front end components?

 

Also, if I level out my truck, am I going to have a problem with the rear end sagging when I go to use my truck as a truck (carrying a very large and heavy four-wheeler for instance)?

 

If you have any pics of your trucks leveled out already, I'd love to see 'em.

 

Thanks, all.

[J45p3r]

Before you buy that kit you should crank your existing torsion keys and see if they'll give you what you want. I found the truck didn't have to be perfectly level to look much better. You will need an alignment after changing the torsion key adjustments.

 

 

 

i have heard that cranking torsion keys without using a leveling kit is bad for your truck. Is this true?

 

The leveling kit linked in the second post is just a new set of torsion keys that have a different index than the stock keys. All that does is allow you to crank the keys further than the stock keys would let you. So, unless there is a different leveling kit available than that one, it's the same idea.

 

The only thing it is "bad" for is the CV joints, but like I said, the linked kit doesn't do anything to address that anyway.

[03blackz71]

Just like stated above, the leveling kits you are looking at just allow you to crank the torsion bars more than the stock keys will allow you too. If you crank the stock keys all the way up, that load is just the starting point for the new keys!! The new keys just put that much more load on the bars than the stock ones.

 

That said just try and crank up your stock ones to get it level it it doesn't work than look into the so called leveling kits.

 

I leveled out my 03 silverado with the stock keys.

[03blackz71]

And when they say it will have the stock suspension "feel", They are wrong for torsion bar leveling kits. It will ride rougher!!! Just save your money and crank stock ones up and be done with it!!

[J45p3r]

This is my truck, close to level, using stock hardware.

 

[2000DV4.8]

The only thing it is "bad" for is the CV joints, but like I said, the linked kit doesn't do anything to address that anyway.

 

 

It's not just bad for the CV joints. It puts extra stress on the CV axle itself, and it'll accellerate the wear on ball joints and tie-rod ends. Cranking over about 1.5" is just not a great idea unless you want to be replacing front end components all the time. You'll also have to worry about things breaking when you're driving down the highway at 75 mph.

 

IMO crank the stock keys about 1-1.5" MAXIMUM and be done with it.

 

Another option if you want it to be completely level would be to remove the 2" block under the rear leaf, and then go with either a 2" or 3" body lift.

[J45p3r]

I've done 2" on mine so I guess we'll see how it goes. 50,000 miles and everything is still tight.

[silveradoHO]

I put a readylift kit on my 05 Z71 and raised the front about 2". The ride quality seems good to me, I didn't really notice any difference from stock.

[K.Jump]

i put the ford keys on mine and didn't crank them in even half way. It leveled it out and the ride wasn't affected hardly at all. I'll post some pics of when I first did the lift and then with the new wheels and tires.

[dave7777]

KRJ,

 

Your truck looks good, what size tires/rims are those?

[K.Jump]

KRJ,

 

Your truck looks good, what size tires/rims are those?

 

Thanks for the compliment Dave. The rims are 17x10 and the tires are 285x70x17. I could have went bigger with the tires, like a 33x1250x17.