Installing A Leveling Kit On A Pickup Truck | Pros and Cons
Pros
Looks better. Everybody knows that a lifted pickup truck has a more aggressive stance to it – the same can be expected once you apply a leveling kit to it (though it still won’t match the same results an actual suspension lift can achieve).
Will be able to handle larger tires. Lifting the front of the truck even by just 1.5 inches will allow you to install bigger tires, and that’ll in turn make the vehicle look even better, not to mention the improved off-road handling.
Increased ground clearance. Again, that goes hand in hand with the off-roading capabilities; matter of fact, it’s not uncommon for owners to level out their pickups simply because they like sitting higher when driving the thing.
A lot less expensive than an actual lift kit. A lift kit, that is a suspension kit, consists of a lot more parts. For the mod to last, the truck’s stock parts may also end up needing to be replaced, costing thousands of dollars in total. The whole package of a leveling kit might just be over a 100 dollars, and that’s because it’s really just a couple of spacers, that’s all.
Easy to install. Many truck owners like to tinker with their vehicles by themselves, so if you wanted to install a leveling kit on your own, it certainly wouldn’t be too hard of a job, you just have to have the right tools.
Cons
Will reduce MPG. Expect to lose about 1-2 miles of range per gallon, although the effect will be even worse depending on what kind of tires you’re going to run.
Can decrease the towing capacity. It’s not going to be as major like a big all-around suspension lift, but you can still prepare to tow less than what you could do at stock, even if a level only raises the front by a couple of inches.
May potentially void warranty. The reason why i say it’s only a possibility is because it really does depend on what kind of people you’re working with – in reality, it’s illegal to automatically void warranty just because you got an aftermarket part installed on the pickup, though we all know how difficult can those situations be to deal with when put on the spot, right?
Should you get it done?
The only way i could tell you that a leveling kit could be a potentially bad idea is if you have an older truck.
A modification of this nature can make issues, that wouldn’t arise so quick before, happen very soon – once installed, you might notice the other components related to steering or so starting to fail.
Other than that, a leveling kit is one of those things that can make your pickup look so much better, without that much investment, so if you really feel the need to get one, i don’t see any problem in that personally.