I am at a crossroads here trying to decide how to best lift/level my truck.
I don't want to create a monster truck, I don't want to ruin my ride, I don't want to change my rim size (17")
I am looking to put 33" tires on my 17" rims.

I have the option of tweaking the torsion bar - cheaper, won't affect gas miliage, and really the only way to level a 2003...

or Lift kit 4" - 6" - now I would have to go with a bigger rim and tire- affecting the gas miliage, and of course it is more expensive all around
But what I am really interested in is which will provide a better (smoother) ride.

Has anyone done this? Any pictures?
Thanks - Todd

 

You can use torsion keys to level also.

 

thats what he meant when he said tweak torsion bars is use torsion keys...

if you lift your truck 4-6 inches you will have to get bigger tires (for it to look right at least) but you wont have to go with bigger rims. your stock 17s will be fine no matter how big you go. some ppl like the way lifted trucks look with 20s or 22s and big mudding tires but i prefer the smaller rims bigger tires look. so yes your 17s will work but you might want to go with a bigger rim just for looks.

 

I got great results using a 3" body lift. Easy to install, maintained factory ride, and handled decent. I put 35s on the factory 17s. The only thing I would do different is use a leveling kit instead of cranking the torsion bars so much. Overall the expence was reasonable and I got what I was looking for.

 

I believe you can also get leveling kits just for the front end. Should lift anywhere from 1-3 inches. Depending how far you need to go. They are fairly inexpensive from what I've seen.

 

I have a 5 inch suspension lift I'm very happy with .I went with 20,s because thats what my truck came with tires for 20,s are priced too high 17,s are a better deal although some aftermarket ones dont fit.[IMG][/IMG]

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You can turn the screws to the torsion bars to level it also without installing torsion keys.

 

I have decided to go with the Torsion key leveling kit from California Super Trucks, it comes with the leveling keys and Bilstein 5100 shocks. It will run me between $600-$700 installed, I will take pictures and let you guys know how it worked out. I guess if I have any regrets I am only out a few hundred dollars rather that 3x's that amount on a lift that I might not be happy with, this way I can always upgrade if I need to.

I don't go mountian climbing with my truck, but I live on a dirt road, so the truck sees plenty of rocks, bumps and ruts on a daily basis, as well as several hundred miles of pavement every week. So I guess time will tell how durable the torsion keys are and how they will affect my ride.
Thanks for the imput - Todd

 

You don't need to do anything to fit 33s. As a matter of fact, you can run 35s with just a leveling kit (or cranking the T bars).

 

I was able to put 285/70/17 BFG AT on my 04 without lifting or leveling the truck and they fit great. I was thinking about a body lift but with the grill guard I have it won't work.

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