I am trying to sort through all the leveling questions and wanted to put them ALL in 1 email.

Please correct the following if I am wrong
1-Leving kit raises the front 2 inshes so the truck sits level not nose down
2-it allows for larger tires
3-you need to get an allignement after the change
4-its just spacers that go over the top of the coils
5-outside larger tires its an apperance thing.

Questions
1- If you raise the front the rear must go down some? like a teeter toteron the back wheel?
2 - Do head lights need adjusting?
3 - does it cause you to squat more during towing?
4- If dodge does it it does not void the warranty

Am I missing ANY vaild points or questions?

 

the headlights do need adjusting, dodge did my level kit and did not adjust them so ive been getting flashed a lot and dodge doesnt cover warranty of the level kit parts but factory warranty is still in place un affected, the back does not go down and it wont sag any more then if it was stock

 

your statements are fairly accurate.

answers
1) Sort of... however the fulcrum is the center of the rear tire, so there is no change in height at the rear tire. The rear bumper will move down at the rate ((a/b)*c)=D where
a=change in height at front tire,
b=wheel base
c=length from centerline of rear tire to bumper
d=distance moved down by rear bumper
2) Yes
3) No, but as the front is relatively higher than the rear when unloaded (as compared to stock) it will probably be actually higher when loaded... the amount of droop in the rear is completly unnaffected.
4) "Dodge" is a division of Chrysler. Dodge builds cars they do not put consemer level modifications on them. Your local dodge dealer is not part of dodge (that would be illegal) they are just a franchisee... this means that dodge is only partially bound by their decisions and statements. So long story short; if your dodge dealer says they will cover repairs resulting from the installation, THAT dealership is on the hook for the repairs, and no other dodge dealer or dodge corporate is responsible. The only exception is if it is a Mopar kit. In this case the Mopar warranty comes into effect, which may or may not be the same as the factory warranty and is spelled out with the kit.

 

I'm new to this forum and found this thread which partially answers my question, but want to throw another one out there. I have a 2010 Ram 2500 ST. Do I need to get a leveling kit to run larger tires (eg. 285/75R517) since it is an ST? From what I've found out so far, the SLTs are already "level" and will run the larger tire, but the STs for some bizarre reason dip in the front. Is this correct?

 

I am almost positive that other than the TRX4s there is no difference in suspension between the Rams... You can run a 33-35 on a stock 2500 with no problems (depending on actual vs stated diameter of the tire). It looks better with a level though.

 

does a level look dumb on a stock tire? Anyone have GOOD pics or side by side photos with a level kit befoer they put tires on?

 

To add to this,

What isn't covered is generally the control arms, there associated ball joints, the rack and pinion steering, the tie rods(inner failure), there tie rod ends, cv joints, strut housing, spring, struts shock, sway bar end links.

itaintachev,

Having experience with installing 3 different leveling kits, you should know that you do increase your chances of having to replaced the above mentioned parts due to failure related to a leveling kit. Whether people on the forum have had a good experience so far or not when using a leveling kit, the facts are, you simply cannot lengthen a strut in an IFS suspension and call it a day. Inner tie rods, ball joints, the rack and pinion steering and the cv joints all experience out of spec angles and stress. Since these parts do not operate at there static ride position with a leveling kit installed, most all dealerships will deny any warranty claims on these parts if a leveling kit is installed. And rightfully so. Any mechanic worth his weight can educate you on why leveling kits are a poor way to achieve lift on an IFS truck.

On two dakotas and one F150, i ran into all the familiar problems that come with lengthening a strut in an IFS, but not addressing anything else, including: upper control arm runs out of play, causing contact with the strut coil, making the UCA's balljoint the suspension limiter instead of the shock. Static and extended Cv angles that would be considered unacceptable for operation by any intelligent mechanic. Increased static and extended angle on the inner tie rod ends, resulting in rack separation and wear on the tie rods. And more. These problems can cause instant and apparent problems, or subtle and slow developing problems. Some may get 50k from a cv joint with there leveling kit installed and consider that reliable, when the joint would have got 3x as long. Others may not be so lucky.

Despite all that though, people have to do what they can to achieve the lift they desire.

I recommend talking to a trusted mechanic about the kit before you purchase it. The fact that a dealership will install it, or even if they sell a "mopar" version, does not make it ok, reliable, or worth your while.