Level and larger tires

[kkholiday]

Hey guys, I’m piecing together a level and tire upgrade and I’m wondering if I’m missing anything. Any input would be great.

2021 Laramie Sport non ORG no air.

- Swapping to big horn night edition wheels with 295/60R-20 Falken Wildpeaks. 34” tall.

- ORG springs for all 4 corners.

- Mopar upper control arms.

- Bilstein 5100’s all the way around.

The goal is to get the truck close to level with a bit of rake. At the same time I wanted the extra 1” that the off road group springs have in an attempt to limit adjusting the 5100’s to the higher setting.

Am I missing anything?


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[kkholiday]

Also if anyone has done something similar and had input on install pricing that would be great. Just got quoted $1600 and that doesn’t include an alignment. Plus $300 for mount and balance of the tires.


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[cskindt]

Hey guys, I’m piecing together a level and tire upgrade and I’m wondering if I’m missing anything. Any input would be great.

2021 Laramie Sport non ORG no air.

- Swapping to big horn night edition wheels with 295/60R-20 Falken Wildpeaks. 34” tall.

- ORG springs for all 4 corners.

- Mopar upper control arms.

- Bilstein 5100’s all the way around.

The goal is to get the truck close to level with a bit of rake. At the same time I wanted the extra 1” that the off road group springs have in an attempt to limit adjusting the 5100’s to the higher setting.

Am I missing anything?


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I'm doing almost the same exact thing right now. Only instead of ORP springs in the back, I'm using Icons for their additional half-inch and progressive rate. I want to raise the front at least 2.5" and still keep some rake.

I have all four Bilstein 5100s and the Icons. I am still waiting for the Mopar UCAs and front ORP springs to show up.

For now, I'm just keeping my OEM tires until they wear out enough to justify the cost of replacing tires. I have the 275/55/20 Duelers on the OEM 20" Night Edition BH wheels. They're good enough for me.

On the front, I was thinking of setting the clip on 4 for 1.5" of lift or maybe 3 with a 1/2" top-hat spacer to reduce the preload. The springs will add another 1" and produce 2.5" total lift. With the rear springs providing 1.5" of lift, I'll be +1 in the front which will bring my rake to about +1" in the rear. Now I'm at +2" in the rear.

190 - Rear Icon springs
460 - Two struts, Two shocks, 5100s
136 - Mopar UCAs
057 - Two front ORP springs
843 - Parts total, including shipping for some of the parts.

I'm having my local 4x4 truck shop do the install and alignment. I'm not sure his labor cost yet. Maybe 350/400?
I could do it myself, but my garage isn't heated and I'm getting old and just don't feel like it.

There's some interesting discussions in this thread about ORP springs.

ORP Springs + Leveling Kit on 2019 Ram 1500

So I've been reading the forums alot on the ORP vs Non ORP rams. So i decided to create this thread to cover my trials with it. I want to lift my truck to aroun the 3-3.5" Range ( was looking at the Ready lift and Rough country) However i've never been a fan of preload spacers. And enough...

5thgenrams.com

 

[kkholiday]

I'm doing almost the same exact thing right now. Only instead of ORP springs in the back, I'm using Icons for their additional half-inch and progressive rate. I want to raise the front at least 2.5" and still keep some rake.

I have all four Bilstein 5100s and the Icons. I am still waiting for the Mopar UCAs and front ORP springs to show up.

For now, I'm just keeping my OEM tires until they wear out enough to justify the cost of replacing tires. I have the 275/55/20 Duelers on the OEM 20" Night Edition BH wheels. They're good enough for me.

On the front, I was thinking of setting the clip on 4 for 1.5" of lift or maybe 3 with a 1/2" top-hat spacer to reduce the preload. The springs will add another 1" and produce 2.5" total lift. With the rear springs providing 1.5" of lift, I'll be +1 in the front which will bring my rake to about +1" in the rear. Now I'm at +2" in the rear.

190 - Rear Icon springs
460 - Two struts, Two shocks, 5100s
136 - Mopar UCAs
057 - Two front ORP springs
843 - Parts total, including shipping for some of the parts.

I'm having my local 4x4 truck shop do the install and alignment. I'm not sure his labor cost yet. Maybe 350/400?
I could do it myself, but my garage isn't heated and I'm getting old and just don't feel like it.

There's some interesting discussions in this thread about ORP springs.

ORP Springs + Leveling Kit on 2019 Ram 1500

So I've been reading the forums alot on the ORP vs Non ORP rams. So i decided to create this thread to cover my trials with it. I want to lift my truck to aroun the 3-3.5" Range ( was looking at the Ready lift and Rough country) However i've never been a fan of preload spacers. And enough...

5thgenrams.com

That sounds almost identical. Let me know what he comes up for labor. I just can’t believe the shop I got a quote from wants $1600 pure labor to install the components.

Do you think we need any larger bump stops anywhere? I know the 2” Mopar lift kit comes with a bracket to extend the rear bump stop at least.


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[HSKR R/T]

I'm doing almost the same exact thing right now. Only instead of ORP springs in the back, I'm using Icons for their additional half-inch and progressive rate. I want to raise the front at least 2.5" and still keep some rake.

I have all four Bilstein 5100s and the Icons. I am still waiting for the Mopar UCAs and front ORP springs to show up.

For now, I'm just keeping my OEM tires until they wear out enough to justify the cost of replacing tires. I have the 275/55/20 Duelers on the OEM 20" Night Edition BH wheels. They're good enough for me.

On the front, I was thinking of setting the clip on 4 for 1.5" of lift or maybe 3 with a 1/2" top-hat spacer to reduce the preload. The springs will add another 1" and produce 2.5" total lift. With the rear springs providing 1.5" of lift, I'll be +1 in the front which will bring my rake to about +1" in the rear. Now I'm at +2" in the rear.

190 - Rear Icon springs
460 - Two struts, Two shocks, 5100s
136 - Mopar UCAs
057 - Two front ORP springs
843 - Parts total, including shipping for some of the parts.

I'm having my local 4x4 truck shop do the install and alignment. I'm not sure his labor cost yet. Maybe 350/400?
I could do it myself, but my garage isn't heated and I'm getting old and just don't feel like it.

There's some interesting discussions in this thread about ORP springs.

ORP Springs + Leveling Kit on 2019 Ram 1500

So I've been reading the forums alot on the ORP vs Non ORP rams. So i decided to create this thread to cover my trials with it. I want to lift my truck to aroun the 3-3.5" Range ( was looking at the Ready lift and Rough country) However i've never been a fan of preload spacers. And enough...

5thgenrams.com

I think you will find your own estimate for the labor cost will be quite low. Especially when having a custom 4x4 shop do the work

 

[cskindt]

I think you will find your own estimate for the labor cost will be quite low. Especially when having a custom 4x4 shop do the work

It could be low. I just loosely based that on a prior verbal quote if they sourced the parts to level and installed them. They were at ~1000 with leveling struts and matching rear shocks, fully installed. I don't know which parts they were quoting. They didn't care much for spacers.

I'm waiting for all the parts to arrive before I go back and negotiate an install/alignment cost.

 

[cskindt]

That sounds almost identical. Let me know what he comes up for labor. I just can’t believe the shop I got a quote from wants $1600 pure labor to install the components.

Do you think we need any larger bump stops anywhere? I know the 2” Mopar lift kit comes with a bracket to extend the rear bump stop at least.


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I think if you are at risk of bottoming out, you should compensate the bump-stop height by the same difference of your rear lift. It's a good idea to do it anyway, just in case.

I'll probably just add them myself. It's not necessary to do it at the time of installation.

 

[cskindt]

I think you will find your own estimate for the labor cost will be quite low. Especially when having a custom 4x4 shop do the work

That sounds almost identical. Let me know what he comes up for labor. I just can’t believe the shop I got a quote from wants $1600 pure labor to install the components.

Do you think we need any larger bump stops anywhere? I know the 2” Mopar lift kit comes with a bracket to extend the rear bump stop at least.

My cost was $428 for installation of the parts I provided, alignment and a follow-up re-torque and alignment after 500 - 1000 miles. I think that is very hard to beat!
This was at an up and coming 4x4 and custom performance shop in SW IA.

I provided these parts.
- ORP front springs
- Icon rear springs
- Bilstein 5100 front struts
- Bilstein 5100 rear shocks
- Mopar lift-kit UCAs.

Total all-in is 1271.
I gained 3.5" in the front and 2" in the rear without any spacers.
I'm left with 0.5" of rake.
The ride feels more planted, yet supple compared to the OEM non-ORP suspension (only 3,500 miles on it).
OEM felt a little unsettled at times. I kept the OEM wheels and tires on for now, until they wear more.

 

[HSKR R/T]

My cost was $428 for installation of the parts I provided, alignment and a follow-up re-torque and alignment after 500 - 1000 miles. I think that is very hard to beat!
This was at an up and coming 4x4 and custom performance shop in SW IA.

I provided these parts.
- ORP front springs
- Icon rear springs
- Bilstein 5100 front struts
- Bilstein 5100 rear shocks
- Mopar lift-kit UCAs.

Total all-in is 1271.
I gained 3.5" in the front and 2" in the rear without any spacers.
I'm left with 0.5" of rake.
The ride feels more planted, yet supple compared to the OEM non-ORP suspension (only 3,500 miles on it).
OEM felt a little unsettled at times. I kept the OEM wheels and tires on for now, until the wear more.

Where at in SW Iowa? Shenandoah, Red Oak, Glenwood?

 

[cskindt]

Where at in SW Iowa? Shenandoah, Red Oak, Glenwood?

Shen

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[SKT Customs]

Also if anyone has done something similar and had input on install pricing that would be great. Just got quoted $1600 and that doesn’t include an alignment. Plus $300 for mount and balance of the tires.


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$1600 for suspension upgrades and install?
I mean tons of guys sell their used but practically brand new ORG coils and Bilsteins all the time. I feel like you could find all that for like $500-600 used on this forum? The mopar control arms are like $150 aren’t they?
$300 for mount and balance is an absolute rip off. Most places will charge around $150. Same with alignment, typically $100-150. Install I would expect around $500 for front and rear. The rear end is insanely simple so I’d recommend saving yourself some money and doing it yourself if you can though.
So I’d say on the low end if you’re savvy: $1350 with alignment and mount and balance.
Highest end: $1750 with alignment and mount and balance.
Or brand new w/ high install costs: $2000 with everything.
All that’s to say, I feel like that shop is charging a bit too much honestly. I based my prices off of SoCal (San Diego) prices which are probably some of the highest in the country for this kind of work too. I’d try to see if they’ll do everything with new parts & mount and balance and alignment for $1800 if I were you. Any more and I’d shop around unless you think this particular shop is worth the extra money

 

[cskindt]

Here is a before/after picture.
Yes, they are OEM tires and wheels, 275/55 r20. I can't force myself to replace them yet. They roll smoothly and have less than 4k miles.
Eventually, I'll get some 33 or 34s.



And the numbers. +/- 0.125"

	Old	Left	Right	Difference
Front​	Hub to Fender	21.75	21.75	0
	Ground to Fender	36.13	36.50	0.375
Rear​	Hub to Fender	23.50	23.75	0.25
	Ground to Fender	38.50	38.88	0.375
	Hub Rake	1.75	2.00
	Ground Rake	2.38	2.38
	New	Left	Right	Difference
Front​	Hub to Fender	25.25	25.25	0
	Ground to Fender	39.25	40.13	0.875
Rear​	Hub to Fender	25.50	25.88	0.375
​	Ground to Fender	40.25	40.75	0.5
	Hub Rake	0.25	0.63
	Ground Rake	1.00	0.63
	Lift gained (new - old)	Left	Right
Front​	Hub to Fender	3.50	3.50
	Ground to Fender	3.13	3.63
Rear​	Hub to Fender	2.00	2.13
	Ground to Fender	1.75	1.88

 

[LaxDfns15]

$1600 for just labor is high if you're providing all parts. They have to swap rear coils and shocks, less than an hour of work. Then they have to swap front coils, shocks, and UCA's. If you're super slow that's 3 hours of work. Ask them for an itemized list for the labor to see what they're charging per hour and why it's taking so many hours.

I have done both of those at separate times in my garage with a jack/jack stands at 1 hour for the rear and 2 hours for the front. By myself. Only reason the front took that long was the UCA was stuck on the spindle and I had to run to the shop to get a pickle fork.

 

[HSKR R/T]

$1600 for just labor is high if you're providing all parts. They have to swap rear coils and shocks, less than an hour of work. Then they have to swap front coils, shocks, and UCA's. If you're super slow that's 3 hours of work. Ask them for an itemized list for the labor to see what they're charging per hour and why it's taking so many hours.

I have done both of those at separate times in my garage with a jack/jack stands at 1 hour for the rear and 2 hours for the front. By myself. Only reason the front took that long was the UCA was stuck on the spindle and I had to run to the shop to get a pickle fork.

Labor should include a front end alignment, or at least that should be factored in for your total cost. Which can range anywhere from $80-$150 depending on shop

 

[HSKR R/T]

Here is a before/after picture.
Yes, they are OEM tires and wheels, 275/55 r20. I can't force myself to replace them yet. They roll smoothly and have less than 4k miles.
Eventually, I'll get some 33 or 34s.

View attachment 146625

And the numbers. +/- 0.125"

	Old	Left	Right	Difference
Front​	Hub to Fender	21.75	21.75	0
	Ground to Fender	36.13	36.50	0.375
Rear​	Hub to Fender	23.50	23.75	0.25
	Ground to Fender	38.50	38.88	0.375
	Hub Rake	1.75	2.00
	Ground Rake	2.38	2.38
	New	Left	Right	Difference
Front​	Hub to Fender	25.25	25.25	0
	Ground to Fender	39.25	40.13	0.875
Rear​	Hub to Fender	25.50	25.88	0.375
​	Ground to Fender	40.25	40.75	0.5
	Hub Rake	0.25	0.63
	Ground Rake	1.00	0.63
	Lift gained (new - old)	Left	Right
Front​	Hub to Fender	3.50	3.50
	Ground to Fender	3.13	3.63
Rear​	Hub to Fender	2.00	2.13
	Ground to Fender	1.75	1.88

Wondering why your hub to fender was the same on the front, but ground to fender was different. That tells me the front tires aren't aired up properly. As looks like drivers side is squatting more.

 

[cskindt]

Wondering why your hub to fender was the same on the front, but ground to fender was different. That tells me the front tires aren't aired up properly. As looks like drivers side is squatting more.

I run the front and rear at the same pressure. With the bed empty, I attribute the difference to the front weight bias.
That's what I tell myself anyway.

Edit: The difference you're talking about is almost within my measurement tolerance of 0.25". I didn't spend a lot of time calibrating my eyeball's sight line angle to the radius of the fender's edge.

Edit: @HSKR R/T I re-measured, again. The hub to fender distance is definitely more repeatable and accurate than ground to fender . I get no more than an eighth of an inch difference between each side. I suspect the ground to fender measurement inconsistencies are mostly attributable to varying degrees of tire deformity as the truck sits. The first measurements, before and after, were taken where the truck is in the pictures. I re-measured in my garage. Same numbers, same inconsistencies. I'm done with it.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Labor should include a front end alignment, or at least that should be factored in for your total cost. Which can range anywhere from $80-$150 depending on shop

He said previously that 1600 doesn't include alignment. So purely for installing the components.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I run the front and rear at the same pressure. With the bed empty, I attribute the difference to the front weight bias.
That's what I tell myself anyway.

Edit: The difference you're talking about is almost within my measurement tolerance of 0.25". I didn't spend a lot of time calibrating my eyeball's sight line angle to the radius of the fender's edge.

If it didn't stay about the same from before to after, I'd agree with being within tolerance. But the hub to fender measurement was consistent, when leads me to believe your eyes aren't that bad.

 

[cskindt]

If it didn't stay about the same from before to after, I'd agree with being within tolerance. But the hub to fender measurement was consistent, when leads me to believe your eyes aren't that bad.

Maybe I was paying more attention to that detail because it's more significant than the ground-to-fender dimension.

 

[SKT Customs]

He said previously that 1600 doesn't include alignment. So purely for installing the components.

Wait $1600 ONLY for install??? Oh hellll no that’s a rip off!