Leveling Kit vs. Lift Kit

[azryan]

The only thing out there that will give you more ground clearance is bigger tires. So if you are looking for just ground clearance i would go with a body lift to allow an inch or two bigger tires. Suspension lift will allow you bigger tires and will also offer more "flex" on the trails. Another thing you may want to consider are wheel spacers which will allow wider tires for a bigger foot print which will give you more traction. It all depends on what you want out of your truck. i recently installed a K&N cold air intake in my truck and ive had a noticable gain in horse power, and a little better gas mileage.

 

 

 

i put the same cold air intake in my truck and added a gibson exhaust.....heck of a difference...more power and a noticeable difference in gas mileage

[BASS]

How are you guys dealing with your K&N filters out on the dusty trails? A friend of mine has one, and he carries an extra filter in a large ziplock back to replace it. After the trail is done, his looks like one big mud clump from all the oil. I use the AEM Brute force. It's a dry filter, It makes a nice whistle at about 2K RPMs.

[hunter07]

I havent had any problem at all. i keep it clean. Your freind might be over oiling it just needs a light coat. And i also get that same whistle, it makes me feel like i have a super charger even though i could never afford it.

[azryan]

i took mine out in the snow and mud yesterday...did not get a spec of dirt on it....my guess it depends on the layout under the hood....mine is protected from anything coming up underneath....i love the whistle i find myself using more gas cuz of it.....i always gas it...bring it up to 5k rpm....its addicting...

[300WBYMAG]

It seems like most of you guys who are saying to go with the leveling kits are driving bigger trucks ranging from 1/2 to 3/4 tons with some I'm sure running diesels. Those aren't the kind of vehicles that can useful in tight radius turning, crazy terrain situations that you can get into out in the woods, so I bet most of you probably have quads or side by sides like rhinos. If your need is to just have bigger tires and a little more clearance then a leveling kit will probably work good for you. If you actually are going to need it to get into some tight places and have something that can do it I would think a little harder about what you are going to do. People are talking about doing stuf that doesn't mess with the stock suspension, A-arms, sway bar, etc. Those are exactly the things you need to change. The stock components are not made for the abuse that can happen out there and you have some weak links.

 

Yes, there are lifts that are out there that are jokes, but there are many companies putting solid kits out that are making your 4x4 tougher with stronger components to handle tough situations. People might say it is going overboard, but if you want to make sure i is reliable out there then there is more than just the lift to think about to make it somehing that is more useful then just driving down the fs road to a camping spot. With that said it has to be done on te right vehicle. You can do all you want to a F350 ext cab with lifts, winches, lockers, gearing, etc. and it won't help a bit because you have a turning radius the size of a football field and hardly any suspension travel. They sure do look pretty though. So definitely take into account the vehicle you are doing this to as well. Smaller wheelbase vehicles like Jeeps and Toyota's can be made into some rocksolid trail machines, but when you start getting into full size vehicles you are talking about a cool looking dirt road machine not a romping 4x4 capable of going where no one else can go.

[hunter07]

300WBYMAG is right . I own a quad, but my 1/2 ton silverado 4x4 works just as well as long as you stay out of the ruts. But if you have a solid truck with what WBYMAG described and really want a solid lift with all the componets, Fabtech is one of the best on the market.