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Leveling kit vs Lift Kit


jwl019

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Debating on either adding a leveling kit or 3" lift kit to my '16 Tundra CM 4wd and upsizing the tires a bit to something around 33.5-34" tall.  My truck normally stays on the pavement so not really looking for a serious suspension upgrade.  I normally keep my trucks stock but have been debating on doing it to this truck.

Which is going to tow the boat and ride the smoothest on the road?

Any kits you recommend?  The more I have looked, the more I get confused.

Garage header is 6'-9" tall so a 4.5" lift would probably be too much, so narrowed it down to a 3/1 leveling kit or 3" lift.

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2014 f150, I did a leveling kit with 34.5" tires and added air bags.  By far the air bags are the best upgrade I have done.  Check out www.customwheeloffset.com and look at their gallery.  Lots of inspiration 

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2 hours ago, ID AX said:

Check out www.customwheeloffset.com and look at their gallery.  Lots of inspiration 

That page popped up on my Facebook page the other day and browsed it. They definitely have a selection of rims/tires to choose from.

I am thinking about the Nitto Ridge Grappler's for tires.  Rims have been pretty tough to narrow down since I like several. 

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7 minutes ago, jwl019 said:

That page popped up on my Facebook page the other day and browsed it. They definitely have a selection of rims/tires to choose from.

I am thinking about the Nitto Ridge Grappler's for tires.  Rims have been pretty tough to narrow down since I like several. 

I’ve got 35inch ridge grapplers on my F250.  I love the tires.  They are super smooth, quiet, and they have an aggressive look.  They seem to be wearing really nice too.  I have 13k miles on them with about 6k of that towing, and they still look new.

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I've asked a similar question recently and had people concerned about the truck stance when towing with doing a leveling kit on the front.  Assuming that the pic is with standard suspension, then it is already sagging with that load.  I would think bringing the front up another several inches might give you issues when towing the boat.  Perhaps somebody can chime in on that issue.

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29 minutes ago, eubanks said:

I've asked a similar question recently and had people concerned about the truck stance when towing with doing a leveling kit on the front.  Assuming that the pic is with standard suspension, then it is already sagging with that load.  I would think bringing the front up another several inches might give you issues when towing the boat.  Perhaps somebody can chime in on that issue.

If you plan on leveling or lifting your tow vehicle you should also plan on air bags.  

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Decide if you want to level or lift and then go find a reputable local shop and buy whichever kit they recommend with good reviews and have them install it. That way you're getting something they're familiar with and if anything goes wrong down the road they will be willing to help.

Nice truck by the way. How do you find it tows your lsv? Ive been thinking about buying a used one. 

Edited by Cole2001
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5 minutes ago, Cole2001 said:

Decide if you want to level or lift and then go find a reputable local shop and buy whichever kit they recommend with good reviews and have them install it. That way you're getting something they're familiar with and if anything goes wrong down the road they will be willing to help.

Nice truck by the way. How do you find it tows your lsv? Ive been thinking about buying a used one. 

Superlift and Skyjacker are both located here. I having been thinking about going by both those places to see what they recommend. 

The Tundra tows it really well.  I have towed it about 2,000 miles so far. Bought in TX and took back once for the 10 hr service, along with a couple lake trips.  It may just be the picture, but it actually sits level with the boat attached.  Towing it round trip I averaged about 7.5-8 mpg, but that is at 70-80 mph (TX interstate/highways).  If I stayed under 70, it would be a lot better.  My normal tow is to Lake Ouachita and it towed my '10 VLX great going that way, and averaged around 11-12 mpg.

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35 minutes ago, SCMike said:

If you plan on leveling or lifting your tow vehicle you should also plan on air bags.  

Does those go on in addition to the lift/level kit or instead of?

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1 minute ago, jwl019 said:

Does those go on in addition to the lift/level kit or instead of?

In addition to.  With a stock truck suspension, you have a factory rake (rear is higher then the front) so when you add a load or levels out.  When you have a level or lift kit, the rear is pretty much level with no load.  As soon as you add a load, the rear end saga lower then the front and it can get dangerous when towing.  Air bags will be used when you are towing to level the truck back out.  When you don’t have a load, the airbags are empty. 

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On my Sierra Denali w/ 6.2L, I added a 2.5” leveling kit to get rid of the front rake and an airbag kit to the rear to get it leveled out when I tow. It definitely improved the looks and made towing and hauling a better experience. The air bag kit I bought was 2 single lines with fill valves, I just plumbed in an aftermarket “T” valve to get a single fill valve. The $500 remote pump option wasn’t worth the extra money to me. 

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I have a '16 Tundra DC TRD 4wd. I bought it with a leveling kit in the front only. Problem is, 2" in the front actually raises the front past the rear, so pretty much the Carolina rake. When towing, it really drops the rear past the front, looks overloaded. I'm probably going to bag it, but not towing right now so not a priority. So anyway, yes, if you level it, bag it 'cause it will drop the rear pretty good.

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6 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

There is a reason that back end sits higher - hint, it has to do with the function of a truck

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I see that and I think he must ride dirt bikes or 4wheelers, or mow yards.  Think how much safer it is to get a 4wheeler/mower in and out of the back instead of using ramps and worry about them sliding out from under you lol!

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On my Tundra's I always ran the Readylift 3/1 kit with 305/55 R20  and in my opinion they have the perfect stance with that set up. However, I would add rear air bags to help with heavy loads. My boat is a response (so light) but our MX trailer is 10,000Lbs and it pulled like a dream...........but that dream didn't include a gas gauge.......

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If you're gonna lift it, you may as well go full brodozer so you can get stuck in 1 inch of mud like this guy...  :)

 

Edited by UWSkier
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On 1/11/2019 at 12:39 PM, UWSkier said:

If you're gonna lift it, you may as well go full brodozer so you can get stuck in 1 inch of mud like this guy...  :)

 

The "performance" everyone attributes to brodozer owners.  :lol:

 

Truck is going to ride best, and tow best, in stock form.  Tundras come with good tires on them, but certainly could be a better towing tire makes/model out there.  Anyone who tells you any lift improves towing is selling, or justifying something.  

Edited by Pra4sno
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Here's the only picture I can find of my 2016.  3" shackles in the rear, Bilstein 6112's & Total Chaos upper control arms in the front.  I believe the tires are 35's but don't exactly remember.  Also upgraded the tie rod ends.  Ekstrom Design makes the shackles & tie rods.  Love his stuff.

Dave

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mpf4on7DAQQsgqfbA

 

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If you want the stock ride, then leveling kit is the way to go.  If you add to the front, you need to add to the back to keep a slight rake.  I have had 3 leveling kits and my favorite was my last truck which was a ReadyLift 2.5" Front and the larger blocks in the rear which cleared 35/12.5/20s on my 13' F150.  On my current truck I decided to go all in with a 6" suspension and 37s on a F250.  I love the package but it was a chunk of change compared to a $500 Front/Rear Level kit.   I would be concerned about garage height.  My F250 barely clears my 8' door.

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I was able to put 275/70/r18 on my truck without leveling it. I'm not really a huge fan of the lifted look, especially for a street truck. I also think leveling (especially 3" front) is putting un-due stress on a stock suspension. If you're going to lift it, do it right.

 

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3 hours ago, malibuskier2003 said:

Here's the only picture I can find of my 2016.  3" shackles in the rear, Bilstein 6112's & Total Chaos upper control arms in the front.  I believe the tires are 35's but don't exactly remember.  Also upgraded the tie rod ends.  Ekstrom Design makes the shackles & tie rods.  Love his stuff.

Dave

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mpf4on7DAQQsgqfbA

 

That looks great!

I am leaning toward something similar. I am thinking of going with either the 5100's on all 4 corners or 6112's up front on the middle setting with 5100's or 5160's in the rear with a 1-1.5" shackle in back.  I want some rake in it.  I will probably also add air bags if I end up needing to, they would probably help anyway.

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I considered a leveling kit for my F250... but I knew that wouldn't last for me, so I just did a 4" Zone Offroad suspension lift, with radius arms,  on 35's. Zone Offroad is sister companies with BDS and Fox Shocks. The ride is actually just a touch better than stock. The front springs are ever so slightly softer, so on smooth roads it actually feels better, and though the shocks have about the same "stiffness" over bumps - they have a touch better control, if that makes sense. In a year or two I'll probably upgrade to Fox shocks and that will make it ride even better. 

It was a good decision, considering it was only about $1100 for the lift, including springs, shocks, radius arms, brake line extensions and entire trackbar replacement (instead of just a drop bracket)

fwiw - they also make suspension lifts for Tundra's. 

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