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Decided To Not Lift My Truck

Whoa_Ram

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I went with the Wulf Suspension 1.5'' Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit. Even though it was for 2013-2018 Ram, it still fit my 2021. Rides just as good as stock, in my opinion.

I like the ever so slight rake that it leaves in the front. I have 33'' tires, but, I think you could run 34'' without a problem. Depends on the wheel offset, I guess.

How was the ride quality been now that you've had this on a few months?
 

Mister 4x4

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I'm glad you went with the leveling kit, blue - it looks awesome! (y)

I'm also one of those guys who believes that a proper 4x4 truck needs to be at least taller than me - and I'm 6'5". So, every 4x4 I've ever owned has been lifted in some form or fashion, with my Jeep getting ready to go up from 4" lift & 33s to a little bit taller with 35s. My 2nd Ram, the 2012 LoneStar RWD I traded in for my '21 I left alone - I loved it pretty much exactly how it was (even more, once I got rid of those lousy Goodyears from the factory).

My '21 will be the next lift & bigger tires victim, although I'm only looking to match the same formula I had on my '97 1500 SLT Laramie Club Cab 4x4: 2.5" leveling kit, 34-35" all-terrain tires. The seat height right now is just under the perfect height for me to slide right in, and I don't want to push that too much (the leveling kit and slightly bigger tires should get it right into the sweet spot, actually). 3.92 gearing won't care about off-the-line powerband, and might even help it feel a little more sure-footed, since it always feels like it wants to break loose (a lot of that being those factory Goodyear Eagles, I'm sure).

To echo what some of the others have been saying, I'm 53 now and carrying a bit more than I used to (and always have had bad knees), so getting crazy with the lift and big tires these days is one of those 'eyes are bigger than the brain' kind of deals. My whole 5thGen journey started with falling for a BigHorn Black Widow that found its way to the local stealership, and when I climbed up into it, my knees were like, "Really?! You want to do this every day?!" That, and my wife's only 5'2", so even my RWD LoneStar was a struggle sometimes for her (the power retractable rails on the '21 actually swing out lower than the nerf bars/steps on my 2012, so that's already a bonus for her). I also prefer not having to 'climb up into' anything because I really don't know where to put my feet and it just feels awkward to me, being so tall and a new concept. So, a leveling kit and slightly bigger tires will be good enough for me. I also don't need this to be an off-road basher - that's what my Jeep's for.

I do think it's weird how much bigger full size trucks have gotten over time. I remember when 35" tires used to look 'oversized' on them, and made mini-trucks look like mini monster trucks (my first 4x4 was an '85 Nissan that I lifted and stuffed big tires under... of course). 35" tires these days look right at home and pretty much just seem to fill-in the wheel wells, any more. Bizarre.
 

Vol4Life

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I went with the Wulf Suspension 1.5'' Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit. Even though it was for 2013-2018 Ram, it still fit my 2021. Rides just as good as stock, in my opinion.

I like the ever so slight rake that it leaves in the front. I have 33'' tires, but, I think you could run 34'' without a problem. Depends on the wheel offset, I guess.

Did you install yourself or have someone else do it? If you did it, how difficult?
 

Whoa_Ram

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Did you install yourself or have someone else do it? If you did it, how difficult?
He installed it himself. He mentions it in a post above that a member helped him out. There are some good YouTube videos that have step by step instruction you can follow. I plan on doing this myself in a few weeks. Let us know if you have any other questions 😀
 
U

User_63152

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Did you install yourself or have someone else do it? If you did it, how difficult?
I had a local mechanic, who specializes in 4x4 off-road vehicles, do it for me. He only charged me $200 (price included the alignment). He told me it wasn't that difficult.
 
U

User_63152

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He installed it himself. He mentions it in a post above that a member helped him out. There are some good YouTube videos that have step by step instruction you can follow. I plan on doing this myself in a few weeks. Let us know if you have any other questions 😀
I mentioned another member (JerryBsizzle) as a joke. He kept razzing me about changing my mind, back and forth. So, I put in a post that he got "special thanks". :ROFLMAO:
 

Rlaf75

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The only thing I did to my 11 Bighorn besides the bed cover and window tint was lower the back to level it out. I love the looks of both lowered and raised Rams but as my daily driver I didnt want to mess with it. In my opinion, when you start making extreme changes to the suspension whether up or down you start chasing gremlins. Not always but the potential is definitely there. My new 21 BTS will stay stock as well as I dont want to risk my warranty
 

Whoa_Ram

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I mentioned another member (JerryBsizzle) as a joke. He kept razzing me about changing my mind, back and forth. So, I put in a post that he got "special thanks". :ROFLMAO:
Haha well darn. I’ll be doing it soon on my truck. I’ve worked on many trucks and cars so I know it will be a breeze.
 

Redfour5

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Hello friend. I don’t know how old you are but I’ve been just like you for the last 40 years. I’m 58. It’s a sickness I wish I didn’t have! I have left my 2019 Rebel stock except for running boards and bed cover. I’ve been down this road so many times but you are exactly right. No matter how sanitary the lift and large tires are there will be positives and negatives.
Positives speak for themselves.
Negatives I have pondered...
Rough ride, decreased turning radius, mud on the side of your truck (possibly a positive also), lower mpg and always possible unforeseen geometry issues. No the less, I see lifted Rams everywhere and I think hmm... then I get it out of my system. As is my wife and dogs are happy with it and that’s enough for me right now.
Cheers and peace
I don't do the lifts or big tires, but I will and have done winch bumpers and things like Ranchhand rear heavy duty bumpers. The lines on my new one are so nice I don't want to mess them up and the ride is better than my 15 which already was pretty nice. The wife, yes, I said that, the wife asked about putting a winch on and I actually hesitated as I didn't want to go down that path. I'm hoping the LED light package addresses the deer issue to a great degree. But then I found this https://www.vicedesign.ca/products/ram-1500-dt-2019-2020-hidden-winch-moun and will be "forced" to get it.

And if I hit a deer, well, I may reconsider. I do like the off road package with the HD shocks and one inch lift. And my second set of tires will likely be KO2's. But we will see with the Falkens.
 

Whoa_Ram

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I mentioned another member (JerryBsizzle) as a joke. He kept razzing me about changing my mind, back and forth. So, I put in a post that he got "special thanks". :ROFLMAO:
What was your final lift with those 1.5" spacers? do you happen to have any measurements? Just curious. I ordered a 2" spacer and have been weary that my ride quality is going to tank.
 
U

User_63152

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What was your final lift with those 1.5" spacers? do you happen to have any measurements? Just curious. I ordered a 2" spacer and have been weary that my ride quality is going to tank.
Honestly, I didn't measure it. But, it looks good and rides very nice.
 

Nsleone

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Finally got around to installing the Maxtrac 2” lowering springs I got from @bluearcade71 . I also added airlift 1000HD springs which took away some of the drop. You can’t really notice a difference but it did drop the rear a measured 1.5 inches. The only way I could tell by looking was how much more of my dads 2500 you can see 🤣 Top photo is stock. I might cut the springs a little more in the future but I’m pretty happy with it right now and since I tow every once in a while it’s probably best at this height. Rides a little bit stiffer now but still pretty smooth. Question for anyone knowledgeable on suspension… is it okay that the top springs in the coils are all bunched up like that? I followed the instructions and the bags are in there correct but it just seems odd to me. ( the springs are dual rate and the top springs were pretty close together but not all bunched up ) 25C6B862-35E3-42FC-BA6F-0BE47DA9A074.jpeg 380D58F8-A72C-4336-9C64-DF1B738E34D4.jpeg
A35004FA-C267-4B22-9C2D-58F6ADA41809.jpeg
 
U

User_63152

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Finally got around to installing the Maxtrac 2” lowering springs I got from @bluearcade71 . I also added airlift 1000HD springs which took away some of the drop. You can’t really notice a difference but it did drop the rear a measured 1.5 inches. The only way I could tell by looking was how much more of my dads 2500 you can see 🤣 Top photo is stock. I might cut the springs a little more in the future but I’m pretty happy with it right now and since I tow every once in a while it’s probably best at this height. Rides a little bit stiffer now but still pretty smooth. Question for anyone knowledgeable on suspension… is it okay that the top springs in the coils are all bunched up like that? I followed the instructions and the bags are in there correct but it just seems odd to me. ( the springs are dual rate and the top springs were pretty close together but not all bunched up ) View attachment 105669 View attachment 105670
View attachment 105673
Looks good. (y)
 

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