I installed it myself, the whole kit took about 2 or 3 hours. I had the allignment done @ a shop afterward.

 

on a scale of 1-10 how hard was it

1 being super easy

 

I"d rank it right around a 3 or 4. You just to make sure u got some jack stands and a couple of jacks.

 

Drober,

Here is what you need to know about a leveling kit that mounts on top of a strut:

When you make your strut longer by putting a spacer on the top of it, yes it does keep your factory ride FEEL the same, because the spring and strut remain at the stock pre-load and static height.

However, the suspension gets altered more then you would think.

The truck will now sit on its "tip toes", as if you lifted the truck at the frame with a jack 2.5". Except now when you actually take the wheels off the ground, or under full articulation on uneven terrain, it will droop even farther then intended, because you spaced the strut down, and although the stock strut travel is the same, you moved it 2.5" lower. Thing is, you didn't move anything else. Now your upper control arm is most likely too short, your Cv shaft angles are way to great, and your ball joints don't sit center anymore, and your tie-rod ends are angled down, putting stress on an already pretty bad rack and pinion steering.

What does all this spell? For a while it won't spell anything, the truck will seem great, but in the long run, its going to mean going through parts faster then the guys who don't have a leveling kit installed. I am not talking about long term as in someone saying "i have had the leveling kit isntalled 11,000 miles and no issues." Thats not long term.

I am not telling you this to defer you from doing what makes you happy with your truck. If you look at my sig you will see I have a leveling kit installed, which I installed myself, and lift blocks from the rear axle.

Just know this information going IN, so you make the decision that seems the best for you. If you can squeeze larger tires to achieve more lift without a leveling kit, it's prob a better option then installing a leveling kit.

Leveling kits are easy, but not the best choice for the long run. An actual lift kit that fixes all the front end issues mentioned above is the only true long term solution IMO. Then again nothing beats stock for longevity IMO.

With either choice you decide to make, good luck.

 

Long run? Why would Dodge put a spacer on the TRX-4 if it was not good for the long run? I would think the engineers would not put a spacer on the truck if the upper control arm was too short and the CV angles were going to be thrown off.

 

sarguy does have a really good point there

 

Show me a picture or somthing. If the trx 4 has some sort of lift spacer, but the tie rod ends, rack and control arms are all the same, then thats just poorly done by the factories part.

Or someone show me a picture of there 2009 ram, with the front end off the ground, and the wheels off, with the leveling kit installed. I will show you what I am talking about.

Unless the truck is setup to somehow already be able to accomadate a difference in the height of a trx and non-trx.


I am not trying to come on here and be a know it all. It's just well known that if your going to space a strut down, your going to throw off your CV's, ball joints, etc. It's impossible for it NOT to do that. Maybe the truck will be fine, who knows, but I know that will most trucks I have experience with a leveling kit like the rough country one installed on, the upper control arms is too short, and cv angles are a joke. They sell kits that correct leveling kits bad cv angles, and tie rod angles. Theres a reason why this stuff gets dropped when you buy a lift kit.

2" extra "Articulation" or displacement of the strut is alot for the stock cvs and balljoints.

But then again, like I said post up a picture, maybe the 09 ram is special.

But i know for a fact that the problems I mentioned happen to any wishbone suspension front end truck.

I am running a leveling kit, I am not anti-leveling kit boy, just wanted to let him know that there are trade-offs.

When i installed my kit, which is an over the strut kit like the rough country, the control arm touches the strut spring at full droop (like if I have the truck off the ground), making the control arm the limiter, not the struts full extended length the limiter. This puts stress on the upper ball joint, because its fully cocked at max angle. This exact problem also occurs with a 2.5" leveling kit on a ford f-150, which I have helped someone install.

For a 4x4 guy your CV angles are greater, no way around it. Sure it will work on the ground, but under suspension flex and articulation while wheeling?

And then finally the tie rod ends. Everyone who knows how rack and pinion works knows that the racks ends need to be as parrallel as possible with the ground, or the rack body, the more angle the more stress on the rack. This is why alot of guys do tie-rod flips or get angled tie rod ends with there lift kits.

All of this is not the end of the world of course, I just figured I would let him be informed.

Companies like Cognito make leveling kits that take care of alot of these issues, look them up. Those are the leveling kits worth investing in.

Below is a picture of a dakota with a 2" leveling kit installed, which is a 1.5" spacer. The truck is at full articulation or droop. Notice the angles of the Cvs, and the tie rods, the lower and upper ball joints, and the upper control arm, notice how that is resting on the coil spring.



These are the negative geometry changes that just a small 1.5" spacer creates. When you put the truck back on the ground, and the truck weight compresses the suspension a bit, it actually has the suspension sitting as if it was off the ground WITHOUT the kit, if that makes sense.

Like I said, this is not the end of the world, but it is well know that it defiantely decreases the life of many front end components.

Now I dont know the whole deal with the TRX factory spacers so I can't comment on that anymore then I did. I only know what Ive seen.

I would just recommend checking all this if you have a kit in, or are going to install a kit.

 

Monkey Wrench,
There is a spacer. I cannot take a picture of it since it is up in the coil spring cup/perch.

I don't understand why you are showing pictures of the suspension at full droop. We do not drive with them like that. I don't care what the angle of anything is when the tires are off the ground because 99% of my driving will never see that.

If it is so poorly done by the factory you should go get a job as a Chrysler engineer.

 

Sarguy, your truck will OFTEN see these conditions, suspensions move when you drive you know.

But listen, you sound like you aren't to happy about anything I have had to say, and thats fine.

Enjoy your truck, and do what you want because it is a free country after all. The trucks look great with the kit in. I know I enjoy mine and its been trouble free.

No hard feelings, I was just trying to show you guys what these kits do. You have the right to know right?

Enjoy!

 

My truck will often have the front tire come completely off the ground? No, it does not. That is why I asked you why it is important. It does cycle up and down, but the suspension is designed to cycle up and down.

The factory put my spacer in, not me. I trust them.

If you don't mind me asking, what are your credentials to say that the factory putting in a spacer is a bad idea?

Here is a pic of the suspension.