Tags Posts tagged with "leveling kits"

leveling kits

Did you just get a brand new Toyota Tundra, Nissan TitanChevy Silverado, Ford F-150 or GMC Sierra? Sweet!

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 2017 Nissan Titan with Rough Country 6? Lift KitRough Country Pocket Fender Flares, and Rough Country Black Series LED Light Bar Installed

Now, what are you going to do to make it look cool and get it ready for off-road shenanigans? That’s easy; Lift It, duh! However, before you go chasing that ground clearance, there’s one important question you need to answer…

Do you want a lift kit or a leveling kit?

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That’s where the Off-Road Truck Experts at STILLEN come in. While most of our fans know us from our work with fast Nissans, we actually started out in Off-Road trucks and trucks are still a passion of ours today.

Lift Kit vs. Leveling Kit: What’s the Difference?

White Toyota Tundra with Leveling Kit at STILLEN
Toyota Tundra with Leveling Kit Installed

LEVELING KITS

A leveling kit is a great way to change the look of your vehicle without having to spend a lot of money. Truck leveling kits will raise the front of your vehicle anywhere from 1-3″ depending on the kit and the vehicle. With this additional increase in ride height you can fit a larger and more aggressive tire size and pattern. One of the advantages of a leveling kit is the low cost of entry- most front leveling kits range from $100-$400.

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You will also gain the additional ground clearance and an overall more aggressive look and stance. Leveling kits also maintain your factory ride characteristics as you are not actually changing out the shocks or springs so you aren’t making any adjustments to the overall ride.

Lifted 2005 Ford F-150 4WD
Lifted 2005 Ford F-150 4WD

LIFT KITS

On the other side of that, a truck lift kit is also about elevation! Most lift kits will give you 4-11″ of additional height, depending on what kind of truck you have and which type of lift kit you purchase. Lift kits are very versatile. Whether you’re simply looking for a great look or you intend on using your truck out in the wild, a lift kit is a great way to make a statement. There are many different types of lift kits.

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2017 Nissan Titan 4WD [H61] with a Rough Country 6? Lift Kit (87820)

Your options include everything from replacement spindles and upper control arms to complete bracket lifts. Replacement spindles allow for an increase in ride height and additional wheel travel. Complete braket lifts actually lower the subframe and suspension mounting points of the vehicle to effectively lift the rest of the truck. Neither option is “right” or “wrong” it all depends on the vehicle, the kit, and the purpose of the lift kit. Rough Country‘s line of Lift Kits are a popular choice among our Nissan Titan customers.

Determining The Best Option for You

By answering a few simple questions, we can help you find which kit is right for you. Keep reading to find out more information about these two popular options and whether you should install a ReadyLift leveling kit, Daystar urethane leveling kit, or McGaughy’s leveling kit. You may find that the best fit for you might be a lift kit by CSTRough Country Lift Kit or you might prefer a McGaughy’s lift kit. All of these are excellent examples of the range of options you have available, depending on your goals and plans for the vehicle. Ask yourself these questions:

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What Type of Driving Will I Be Doing With My Truck?

If you’re looking to use your truck as a daily driver and occasionally see some light off-roading, low speed, minimal wheel travel required, you can definitely get away with a simple leveling kit. However, if you plan on pushing the truck or climbing obstacles a leveling kit may not suffice for you.

If you use your truck to tow your off-road vehicles out to the wild and occasionally want to have a bit of fun taking the truck around and kicking up some dirt, you might find that a lift kit will be a better solution for you. One thing to keep in mind is that a lift kit is strictly designed to lift the vehicle. Just because the vehicle is taller, doesn’t mean you’ve built a trophy truck. We don’t recommend trying to jump the vehicle or trying to push the vehicle beyond it’s limits. Lift kits are also an excellent choice if you’re simply trying to build a great looking truck that will offer additional ride height, and a stand-out style!

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How Much Taller Do I Want My Truck?

If you want to raise your truck 3″ or less, a leveling kit is perfect for you. However, if you want to raise your truck more than that, you’ll want to go with a lift kit.

How Much Do I Want to Spend?

Leveling kits are typically $100-$400, while lift kits start at $400-$500 and run into the thousands depending on the quality of lift kit you are purchasing. There are also a lot of options on the lift kits such as shock types, single or double shock conversions, lift blocks vs. leaf springs, etc.

STILLEN customized Nissan Titan

How to Pick the Right Lift Kit or Leveling Kit for Your Truck?

By now, you should know whether you should be buying a lift kit or a leveling kit. But now, you’re probably wondering what lift kit or leveling kit is right for you. Now let’s narrow our focus a bit further.

Which Lift Kit is Right For Me?

This is a two part question, what lift kit is right for my uses, and which lift kit is right for my budget. To know one you must know the other. There is no point in spending more than you have to or want to but at the same time, if you go cheap today you’ll end up spending more in the long run.  We recommend selecting the lift kit that you feel will accomplish your goals, whatever they may be, and will fit within your budget.

Lifted Ford Raptor

Which Leveling Kit is Right For Me?

If it sounds like you want a leveling kit, the type of leveling kit you purchase depends entirely on which type of suspension you have. If you have a strut suspension, you should use an aluminum or steel leveling spacer. On the other hand, if you have a coil spring suspension, you should use a urethane spacer leveling kit. Finally, if you have a torsion bar suspension, you should use a torsion key leveling kit.

A very common question is, can’t I just adjust my torsion bars and raise the front of the truck? The simple answer is yes, that is possible. However, what you’ll need to be aware of is that you are putting additional tension and stress on your torsion bars that they were not intended to see. Additionally, this is pre-loading the torsion bar thus increasing the stiffness of the bar. This translates to an altered ride quality that may be too stiff and too harsh for most people. The best solution is to install a new torsion key which clocks the torsion bars at an angle that is optimized to maintain a good ride quality as well as reduce the stress put on the various parts of the suspension.

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Next Steps

If you are looking for more specific recommendations for leveling kits or lift kits for your truck, or if you would like to order your own, give us a call at 866-250-5542 to speak to our knowledgeable staff, and if the phone’s not your thing, you can always email us at sales@stillen.com or talk to us in real time by using the Live Chat on stillen.com

When it comes to your 2014, 2015, 2016 Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra 1500 there are quite a few options for a more aggressive look. One of the best ways to add an aggressive look to the already beefy styling of these trucks is to add some bigger tires. From the factory, the Silverado and Sierra come with a staggered stance, where the rear of the truck is higher than the front. This limits the tire size you can add to the front of the truck without experiencing tire rub on the inner fenders and suspension components. Adding a strut spacer kit for your GMT901, GMT902, GMT910, GMT911, GMT912, GMT926, GMT936, GMT946 is a great way to raise the truck enough to clear bigger tires, increase the off road potential of the truck and improve the look – all without spending a tremendous amount of money and maintaining the factory suspension characteristics. Below, we’ve listed some of our favorite leveling kits for the 2014-2016 Silverado GMTK2XX and 2014-2016 GMC Sierra.

 

ReadyLift Leveling Kits for 2014, 2015, 2016 Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra

ReadyLift Levelign Kit for 2014 Chevy Silverado

ReadyLift offers two different leveling spacer kits that work with both 2WD and 4WD 1500’s 6-lugs. The first kit is an upper strut spacer that offers 1.5 inches of leveling. This spacer allows for up to a 32.5 inch tire. The second kit offers 2.25 inches of leveling using a billet upper and lower strut spacer.  The larger leveling kit allows you to run a 33 inch tire without any rubbing.

Part Numbers

2014, 2015, 2016 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Leveling Kits by Icon

2014 Silverado and Sierra Icon Leveling Kit

Icon Vehicle Dynamics offers a more advanced style of leveling kit. Icon’s kit is a standard coilover kit. The coilover kit replaces the stock strut unit with an adjustable coilover unit. This unit is designed to allow you to adjust you ride height from the stock height to an additional 2 inches of ride height with keeping the same stock control arms. This will allow you to clear 33 inch tires at the 2 inch adjustment. The advantage to getting a coilover is getting a drastically improved suspension, both off-road and on-road use. Icon also offers an extended travel coilover that can work with aftermarket control arms to give you an extra inch of adjustment and clearance.

Part Numbers

Next Steps

These leveling kit options are just the start to the options available for your 2014, 2015, 2016 Silverado or Sierra 1500. We also have full lift kits available for a more extreme look and off road capability, superchargers, exhausts and more. For more information on our full line of Silverado 1500 performance parts and GMC Sierra 1500 performance parts, please visit www.stillen.com or call us at 866-250-5542 and we will be happy to help you. If you live in the Orange County, CA area, be sure to stop by our performance shop in Costa Mesa, CA. Every day, we are installing exhausts, body kits, superchargers, AP Racing Big Brake kits and more. We’d love to talk with you about any ideas you have for upgrading your truck!

There’s nothing quite like getting out in the wild and connecting with nature – especially when you’re off-roading in your Jeep Wrangler! If you’re ready to climb mountains with your Jeep, you’re in luck – Eibach has just released their new Jeep Wrangler All-Terrain leveling kits and lift kits. Keep reading for specs on the new Eibach lift kits and find the kit that’s right for your Jeep!

Rugged Terrain, Maximum Performance

Drive over rugged terrain with confidence knowing that your Eibach All Terrain Lift Kit is designed by experts using the same technology found in CORR, NASCAR, SCORE, and WRC racing, so you know it’s durable and will be extremely reliable. You can also rest easy knowing that it comes with Eibach’s Million Mile Warranty and the shocks are covered by a two year manufacturer’s warranty.

Proper Off Road Clearance

Eibach knows having the correct off road clearance is very important, so they designed their kit to give you the best performance handling possible. With the Eibach All-Terrain Lift Kit, you can enjoy up to 3.5” of lift depending on your options and trim level. Even if you aren’t a thrill seeker, you’ll still love the look of the Jeep Wrangler lifted using an Eibach lift kit. Check out the difference between a stock Jeep Wrangler and a Jeep Wrangler with All-Terrain Lift kit below.

Eibach All Terrain Lift Kit & Leveling Kit Information

Get answers to all the questions you’ve been wondering about with the table below, which breaks down the technical information for each of the Eibach Jeep Wrangler All-Terrain Lift & Leveling Kits.

Part Number Eibach 2897.940 Eibach 2894.940 Eibach 2894.980 Eibach 2897.980
Fits 2007-2014 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited 4-Door 2007-2014 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited 2-Door 2007-2014 Jeep Wrangler 2-Door JK 2007-2014 Jeep Wrangler 4-Door JK
Kit Type Leveling Kit Leveling Kit Lift Kit Lift Kit
Approximate Lift – Front 1.0″-2.0″ 1.0″-2.0″ 2.5″-3.5″ 2.5”-3.5”
Approximate Lift – Back N/A N/A 2.0″-3.0″ 2.0”-3.0”

Front Technical Specs:

OE rate 122 lbs/in 122 lbs/in 122 lbs/in 122 lbs/in
ATL rate 122 lbs/in 122 lbs/in 122 lbs/in 122 lbs/in
Bump-stop OE w/Bump-stop spacer OE OE w/Bump-stop spacer OE w/Bump-stop spacer
Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper
Track bar Adjustable Eibach Track Bar OE Adjustable Eibach Track Bar Adjustable Eibach Track Bar
OE wheel center to fender 21in 21in 21in 21in
ATL wheel center to fender 22in 23in 24in 24in
OE shock travel 7in 7in 7in 7in
ATL shock travel 9in 9in 10in 10in

Front Alignment Specs:

OE Camber -0.3 (+/-0.4 deg) -0.3 (+/-0.4 deg) -0.3 (+/-0.4 deg) -0.3 (+/-0.4 deg)
OE Caster 4.2 (+/-0.5 deg) 4.2 (+/-0.5 deg) 4.2 (+/-0.5 deg) 4.2 (+/-0.5 deg)
OE Toe 0.2 deg (+/-0.1 deg) 0.2 deg (+/-0.1 deg) 0.2 deg (+/-0.1 deg) 0.2 deg (+/-0.1 deg)
ATL Camber -0.3 deg -0.3 deg -0.3 deg -0.3 deg
ATL Caster 4.0 deg 4.0 deg 4.0 deg 4.0 deg
ATL Toe 0.2 deg 0.2 deg 0.25 deg 0.5 deg

Rear Specs:

OE rate 166 lbs/in 166 lbs/in 166 lbs/in 166 lbs/in
ATL rate N/A N/A N/A N/A
Bump-stop OE w/Bump-stop spacer OE w/Bump-stop spacer OE w/Bump-stop spacer OE w/Bump-stop spacer
Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper EIBACH Pro-Damper
OE wheel center to fender 546mm 21in 21in 21in
ATL wheel center to fender N/A N/A 23in 23in
OE shock travel 8in 8in 8in 8in
ATL shock travel 10in 9in 10in 10in

Rear Alignment Specs:

OE Camber N/A N/A N/A N/A
OE Toe N/A N/A N/A N/A
ATL Camber N/A N/A N/A -0.3 deg
ATL Toe N/A N/A N/A 0.3 deg
Eibach All Terrain Lift Kit Components

Eibach All Terrain Lift Kit Components

Eibach All-Terrain Lift Kit Components

All Eibach All-Terrain Lift Kits includes bumpstop spacers, adjustable endlinks, adjustable front track bar, rear trackbar, location brackets and stainless steel brake lines. Plus, the kits also include the following items:

  • All-Terrain Springs – Each Eibach lift kit includes precision engineered springs, which provide you with superior handling and stability. Plus, these springs will offer you improved off-road capability.
  • Pro-Truck Shocks – These American made shocks are made to last with a heavy duty construction, including nitro-coated rods, MAXIMA shock oil and powdercoated bodies.

Next Steps

If you have questions about the Eibach All Terrain Lift Kits or Leveling Kits for 2007-2014 Jeep Wranglers or are ready to order, give us a call! You can reach our experts by calling (866) 250-5542.