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After purchasing a new pickup, many vehicle owners will start modifying and personalizing their trucks. One of the most common upgrades is to eliminate the factory rake. Even though this is very common, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. We want to present the proper way to level out your truck.
Off Road Xtreme identified some vehicle owners were facing common issues and prematurely stressing out suspension components after leveling a truck. This may often result in a suspension failure such as a snapped ball joint on the upper control arm.
We will take a look at the proper way to level out your truck, the pros and cons of leveling out a truck, why to level out your truck, and ways to avoid problems associated with a leveled-out truck. What you need to know is that leveling out a truck may not be for everyone. Consult with a vehicle expert or truck suspension specialist to know what is right for you.
At Off Road Xtreme, we are an advocate of form following function. If you are going to mod your truck, it should serve a purpose. A few benefits of a leveled-out truck include, but are not limited to, increased ground clearance, fit larger tire size, and improved angle of approach.
Additionally, this modification in particular is rather inexpensive to achieve and accomplish. The parts are cheap to purchase, and the installation can be done with simple hand tools with moderate wrenching experience.
Obviously, another benefit is achieving a preferred stance or look by eliminating the factory rake.
Why are modern trucks lower in the front and higher in the back? The automotive industry term is called rake. On a truck platform, the factory rake is built into the vehicle setup for towing capabilities, aerodynamics, and handling.
Naturally, the more weight you tow behind your truck, the greater that the nose will raise, and the rear will lower. The level will change because the height of the hitch receiver has changed due to the weight. If you level out your truck and intend to do some heavy hauling, make sure to upgrade the vehicle towing setup with airbags, swaybars, helper springs, or a combination of options. Again, if needed, tap a specialist for expert assistance. There should be no compromise for safety.
The vehicle’s entire weight rests on its suspension. If you are unfamiliar with vehicle suspension, it is best to leave this job to the professionals. Either way, be sure to test and confirm proper drivability after any modifications are performed and regularly inspect the vehicle’s critical components.
By leveling out your truck, you have modified the designed vehicle aerodynamics. This will reduce your available fuel mileage. Besides that, the other most significant drawback when you level out your truck is the adjustment to the overall design of the vehicle suspension system. This can introduce increased wear and tear resulting in premature suspension component failure.
To eliminate this issue, upgrading a vehicle’s Upper Control Arm (UCA) will help correct proper suspension angles and geometry after a leveling kit is installed. In addition to the leveling kit and bolstering upper control arms, consider shocks properly fitted for the new setup, and undergo a full alignment.
In this article, Off Road Xtreme breaks down a complete leveling kit installation on a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. We sourced a leveling kit strut spacer, Part # 50209-GM, from Body Armor 4×4 and Cognito Motorsports Upper Control Arms, Part # SKU 110-90784 . Both of these components are compatible and will work on two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive trucks. For Tires, we landed on these 305-55-20 Terrain Attack All Terrains from Amp Tire and some Matte Black 20-inch Mayhem Delta Wheels to finish everything off.
These parts were installed at home in a garage. A vehicle lift was not needed nor any special tools required. The wheels and tires were mounted and balanced at a local tire shop. We rate the entire job two out of five wrenches on a scale of difficulty. It took about one hour per side from removal to installation of new parts.
“Overall the installation was very basic. This is something anyone with a little mechanical knowledge could handle. It took about 1-2 hours of labor, per side, from removal to installation of new parts. It goes without saying, but the second side was a lot easier once I was able to work my way through the first side. After knowing what was what and how the front end of the truck was laid out, it all came apart and went together very quickly.”
“The Body Armor 4×4 Leveling Kit was very complete with nice packaging and premium hardware. The cast iron strut spacer was standard, but it should be noted that there are other premium leveling kits made of 1-piece billet machined aluminum.”
“The provided instructions were helpful when it came to the basic steps and made for a super easy work flow. Cognito’s Upper Controls were of high quality fit and finish. They were hand fabricated and much more robust than the OEM UCA units.”
“The vehicle performance and ride quality didn’t seem to change much at all. In fact, it feels and rides like it is still in its stock configuration. Before the modification the front height measured at 37.5-inches on both the driver and passenger sides. After the leveling kit and before the larger tires, the front height measured at 39.25-inches on both the driver and passenger sides.”
“The main thing is we got rid of the factory rake and improved the truck’s stance, which is what I was going after.”
If any of our readers would like to see more step-by-step technical features like this, or something totally different, just tell us what you want to see. Feel free to drop a comment and share the article with your network.
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