I have a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 4x4 with stock 20" wheels and 33" tires. I want to add a 4" lift kit with new rims and tires.

I'm going with a 4" lift because I want to still park in my garage. I have 7" of clearance from the top of my truck to the top of my garage door.

I'm considering sticking with 20" rims and increasing to 35" tires. With the 4" lift, and 35" tires, I assume that will give me enough clearance to still pull into the garage.

Am I missing anything? If you have any pointers, thoughts, or a similar truck with a 4" lift, please post pictures.

 

Well, with 4 inches of lift, and 2" larger diameter tires.... you are only going up 5 inches.... Probably a bit less, as it's unlikely your tires are a "True" 35" diameter, and the weight of the truck will push 'em down some too. So, you should still fit in the garage.

Keep in mind, the lift kit ain't gonna be cheap, since you have independent front suspension..... fair bit of work to install as well. Planning on doing it yourself? Or having a shop do it?

 

Thanks for responding. That's good to know, because for me, it's a make or break on getting it into the garage. One suspension lift kit I saw was the one from Rough Country for $1100. I am tempted to do it myself, but not sure I want to open that can of worms. A local place who specializes in installing them quoted me $800 for labor.

The area that I am confused about is the rim size. I read so many differing opinions from smaller rims (e.g. 17") with bigger tires, to larger rims (e.g. 20") with smaller tires. I don't intend to do any off-roading other than the occasional dirt road here and there.

 

That makes rim choice just a matter of esthetics then. Put on there what ya like, and call it a day. Keep in mind though, that some rim sizes are more popular than others, which makes the tires cheaper.

800 bucks for the install is actually reasonable. Does that include a front end alignment?

 

The rough country shocks are ****, and I had some serious issues with alignment with the knuckles they sent me. It had significant scrubbing when the suspension cycled, with some back and fourth between Rough Country's R&D department and a local shop I paid for diagnostics we determined the knuckles simply were incompatible. Somehow.

They sent me some new knuckles that required the 20" wheels (no problem for me) and it fixed the issues.

This is a before and after, before meaning the knuckles that came with the lift kit, and the after being what the R&D dept. sent out to correct the issue. Notice the angle of my tie rod in the before vs after



your mileage may vary, it's been a good kit ever since.

 

I like the idea of cheaper tires. My stock tires are about $1,000 for a new set, and that's after pricing around everywhere. They last about 5 years. That part I'll miss.

A few other shops were charging around $1,000 - $1,500 for the same install. The $800 price includes alignment.

 

Thanks for the info photos. It's definitely helpful. I like the look of your truck. Is it a 4" lift? How about your wheels and tires? I'd like them to stick out just a little, but not too much.

 

Appreciate it.

It's the 5 inch kit, but instead of the blocks for the rear I run Skyjacker leafs. The wheels are Motometal 962s, 20x10 -24 offset wrapped in Falken Wildpeak at3w 325/60r20

I also re-geared to 4.56 front and rear to make up for the 35's