Factory rake gone, ride quality intact
A leveling kit does one thing: it raises the front of the truck to match the rear so the factory rake disappears. Ford, Ram, GM, Toyota and Nissan all ship with the nose sitting low so the truck squats level under load. Most owners never load it. A 1.5" to 2.5" front lift closes that gap and usually clears a 33 inch tire on a half-ton.
There are three ways to get there and they are not equal. Strut spacers sit on top of the factory strut and keep the original ride. Replacement coils or a complete strut assembly from Fox, ICON, Eibach or Westcott buys lift and better valving at the same time. Torsion keys apply only to older GM and Ford independent front ends, and they carry the most compromise of the three.
We install levels on 2WD and 4WD alike, and on cars and SUVs, not just four-wheel-drive pickups. A 2WD half-ton takes a level the same way and deserves the same care in setup. It is the highest-volume job on our board in Argyle, and every one of them leaves here on the alignment rack, because raising the front changes camber and caster whether you can see it or not. Our door rate is $150 per hour and we quote parts and labor in writing before anything is ordered.
The simplest level. A machined spacer stacks on the factory strut mount for 1.5" to 2.5" of front lift, keeps the stock ride, and bolts on in a few hours.
Fox, ICON, Eibach and Westcott coilovers add the lift and a better damper in one part. Costs more, rides better, and holds up to Denton County farm roads and gravel.
On older GM and Ford IFS trucks we install proper forged keys rather than cranking the factory bars. Cranking gains height by using up droop travel and beating the ride to death.
A 2" level on a half-ton usually clears a 33 on a stock-offset wheel. Wider offsets and 35s change the answer. We measure and check clearance at full lock before ordering.
Two-wheel-drive trucks are not an afterthought here. A 2WD F-150, Silverado or Ram levels the same way, clears the same tire, and needs the same alignment afterward.
Every level we install goes on the rack afterward. Toe, camber and caster get set to spec for the new ride height, not handed back at whatever the lift left behind.
Cranked torsion bars. On a 2001–2013 GM half-ton or an older F-250, it is free to run the adjuster bolts in and gain two inches. What you actually did was preload the bar, eat most of the down travel, and move the ride into the bump stops. The truck rides harsh, the front end crashes over expansion joints, and the lower ball joints wear early. Forged keys fix the geometry instead of borrowing from it.
CV angle on independent front ends. Push a 4WD half-ton past about 2.5 inches on spacers alone and the CV axles run at an angle they were never shimmed for. You get a shudder under acceleration, boots that split at the outer joint, and axles that click on turns within a year. Differential drop brackets exist for this reason, and on some platforms they are not optional.
Skipping the alignment. Lifting the front pulls camber positive and drags caster out of spec at the same time. The truck tramlines in the ruts on FM 407, wanders at highway speed, and scrubs the outer shoulder off a new set of Nittos in eight thousand miles. A level is a two-hour job. The tires you ruin skipping the rack cost more than the kit did.
Worn parts hiding under a new kit. A level does not fix a bad upper strut mount, a dry ball joint or a loose tie rod end, it just changes the angle they work at. We pull the wheels and check the front end before we quote. If the sway bar links are shot or the outer tie rods have play, that goes on the estimate up front, not as a surprise call from the bay.
Front lift, typically 1.5" to 2.5" depending on the platform and kit. Rear lift is usually zero, or a small half-inch block on some trucks. The number on the box is measured at the strut, not at the fender, so real-world gain at the wheel well is often a quarter inch less. We measure your truck before and after and tell you what you actually got.
A spacer level on stock struts rides close to stock, sometimes a touch firmer over sharp hits because you have shortened the available compression travel. A replacement coilover from Fox or ICON usually rides better than factory. Cranked torsion bars ride worse, every time. If ride quality matters to you, say so when you call and we will steer you to the right kit.
Not always. A 33 on a stock-offset wheel usually fits a leveled half-ton with minor or no trimming. Going to a 35, or to an aggressive negative-offset wheel from Hostile, Fuel or American Force, pushes the tire out and forward into the fender liner and lower control arm. We check clearance at full lock and full compression before you buy anything.
It depends on the truck and which of the three approaches you want, so we will not put a number on a web page and pretend it fits every vehicle. Spacer kits are the low end, replacement coilovers the high end, and alignment is part of the job either way. Our door labor rate is $150 per hour, and you get parts and labor in writing before anything is ordered.
Our shop is at 4020 Trey Ln, Unit B in Argyle, and we work on trucks from Argyle, Flower Mound, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Justin and Northlake, plus Denton, Roanoke, Trophy Club, Keller, Haslet, Highland Village and the wider Metroplex within about fifty miles.
Open Monday to Saturday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Closed Sunday. (940) 240-1958
More of what we do: Lowering Kits · Truck Bumpers · Wheel Alignment · Winches & Recovery · Off-Road Lighting · Running Boards & Steps · Tonneau Covers · Brakes · Vehicles we service · Fleet service
Authorized dealer for all 42 brands below.
Authorized dealer for every brand listed above. Running something that is not on this list? We can source and install almost any major aftermarket suspension, wheel, tire or accessory line — give us a call and we will price it out.