lift ???

**Chevy Newby** · 03-01-2009, 04:40 PM

what are the differences between a body lift & leveling kit. which one do you get the most lift out of?

**bry2500** · 03-01-2009, 04:50 PM

A body lift will lift the body off the frame and they vary in sizes from 1-5" is the range I've seen. The leveling kit works by changing the Torsion keys to ones with a different index so they can be cranked on and lift the front end higher. Or for some vehicles use coil spring spacers. Usually the max adjustment is around 2.5". Some leveling kits claim 3". The body lift will still leave your truck with the front end rake look.

**tlperry68** · 03-01-2009, 04:52 PM

A body lift seperates the body from the frame.
A level kit lits the front only 2 to 2-1/2" to level out the truck. I just leveled mine today and installed 33" tires. I chose not to do a suspsnion lift because I tow a trailer and don't want to have to lift that too just to keep a good ride.
I recommend either a suspension lift or a level kit.

**dwill3015** · 03-01-2009, 08:06 PM

I would recommend the leveling kit or a suspension lift over a body lift.

**mjalstad** · 03-01-2009, 09:14 PM

A leveling is a type of suspension lift that will lift everything except the axles. A body lift will only lift the body of the truck, so the frame, engine, etc will not be lifted. The body lift will usually show off the frame of the truck which I think looks stupid, I had a body lift on my Suburban and I had to spray paint my frame flat black every spring because showing a big rusty frame off didn't look too cool. Also, you will see a big gap in the wheel well and some trucks require cutting and welding to lift the rear bumper so if you don't do that it will look dumb and if you do lift the rear bumper, then there will be a big gap between your bumper and your trailer hitch which looks dumb. However, it is a very cheap way to go to lift your truck up and get some bigger tires in there so I was happy with the body lift I had on my Suburban. I remember it being not too bad of an install, I think it took me about 8 hours in my parent's driveway (I was 17 at the time and did not have too much mechanical experience). I have a leveling kit with AALs in the mail arriving tomorrow for my Silverado that I am going to try to at least get the add-a-leafs on tomorrow. The leveling keys will lift the front up about 2 inches and the add-a-leafs are an extra leaf that you put into your leaf spring pack which lifts the rear about 2 inches and also increases the payload capacity. The kit cost me right about $200 shipped from suspensionconnection.com and will be a lot easier than installing a body lift. A body llift will give you more lift, you can choose 2 or 3 inches, where a leveling kit will only give you around 2".

**mjalstad** · 03-01-2009, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by tlperry68

I chose not to do a suspsnion lift because I tow a trailer and don't want to have to lift that too just to keep a good ride.

Lift the trailer? Wouldn't you just get a trailer ball with a larger drop so that your trailer would still sit at the same height?

**mjalstad** · 03-02-2009, 12:27 PM

Also, I guess something to add would be that a body lift will keep the geometry of your suspension the same which a leveling kit will not do, so you are going to be putting more stress on parts like ball joints and CV's and you will increase the chance of them wearing out when installing a leveling kit.