Ready Lift - 2" leveling kit with Ready Lift control arms

[mikemcfarland]

Just an update. My buddy and I were able to tear into this tonight and see if we could figure out what is causing the "chirp" sounds I keep hearing. For starters, I was 100% convinced that the chirps were coming from the bushings in the upper control arms. The reason I was convinced was because I improperly greased them when we did the install. Call it a rookie mistake. Not to mention, I've been packing the bushings with grease to see if it would solve the chirps. I've since learned, grease is not a friend to bushings, there is a proper way to grease a bushing sleeve and then there was the way I did it, grease all over everything. Wrong!

We took out the upper controls and bushings, degreased everything including the mounts, applied grease correctly to the bushing sleeve and put it all back together. I even remembered to bring the castle nut spacers ReadyLift forgot to include in my original kit. Went for a test ride, same result. As disappointed as I was, we eliminated a possible source.

With my buddy hanging his head out the window, he notice that the chirps weren't coming from just the front, they were coming from the rear as well. We did not do any work on the rear. My buddy thought it could be the wheel caps so we went back to his place and removed them and went for another ride but had the same result. If I hit a good bump, we would hear a chirp. We then picked up on a pattern. After I hit a bump, the next time I applied the brakes, it would chirp again. We did this over and over and it was consistent and we both thought it could be the brakes. To test our theory, we went over the same bumps but with the brakes lightly applied and it was silent. We did this several times and it continued to be silent. Take the foot off the brake and hit a bump, the chirp is back.

In conclusion, it is the brakes. I believe the pads have some wobble to them or possibly the calipers or pistons??? Are my new heavier rims and tires a contributing factor? Hard to say and the only way to prove it would to be to put the old ones on to which I already sold the tires. I'll have to see what my dealer has to say when I take it in for it's first service. I can however say with 100% confidence, it is not the level.

greatly appreciated the time and write up @troutspinner, i think you might be on a correct path now.
i had the ready left level with upper control arms done(see signiture-updated). i drove home 350 km's and was listening for your issue- heard nothing at all. the ride was great. work done by the dealer.

 

[Laramie_2019]

Just an update. My buddy and I were able to tear into this tonight and see if we could figure out what is causing the "chirp" sounds I keep hearing. For starters, I was 100% convinced that the chirps were coming from the bushings in the upper control arms. The reason I was convinced was because I improperly greased them when we did the install. Call it a rookie mistake. Not to mention, I've been packing the bushings with grease to see if it would solve the chirps. I've since learned, grease is not a friend to bushings, there is a proper way to grease a bushing sleeve and then there was the way I did it, grease all over everything. Wrong!

We took out the upper controls and bushings, degreased everything including the mounts, applied grease correctly to the bushing sleeve and put it all back together. I even remembered to bring the castle nut spacers ReadyLift forgot to include in my original kit. Went for a test ride, same result. As disappointed as I was, we eliminated a possible source.

With my buddy hanging his head out the window, he notice that the chirps weren't coming from just the front, they were coming from the rear as well. We did not do any work on the rear. My buddy thought it could be the wheel caps so we went back to his place and removed them and went for another ride but had the same result. If I hit a good bump, we would hear a chirp. We then picked up on a pattern. After I hit a bump, the next time I applied the brakes, it would chirp again. We did this over and over and it was consistent and we both thought it could be the brakes. To test our theory, we went over the same bumps but with the brakes lightly applied and it was silent. We did this several times and it continued to be silent. Take the foot off the brake and hit a bump, the chirp is back.

In conclusion, it is the brakes. I believe the pads have some wobble to them or possibly the calipers or pistons??? Are my new heavier rims and tires a contributing factor? Hard to say and the only way to prove it would to be to put the old ones on to which I already sold the tires. I'll have to see what my dealer has to say when I take it in for it's first service. I can however say with 100% confidence, it is not the level.

I did the readylift install and i put grease inside the UCA holes where the poly bushings get pressed in, then i put grease inside the poly bushings where the crush sleave is inserted. No squeecs for me. I do have break squeaks when i apply the break sometime.

 

[Laramie_2019]

So i got this level kit installed on the weekend, and got an alignment done at dealer Monday, only the toe was out a bit .01 i think.
I thought this kit shouldn't change ride quality and now i feel the truck a tad bit more bouncy/sensitive in the front end. Every little crack in the street i feel. Maybe it needs time to wear in a bit? or maybe i'm just over aware now and paying attention since i installed the kit? Any thoughts? I still have stock wheels and tires.

 

[troutspinner]

So i got this level kit installed on the weekend, and got an alignment done at dealer Monday, only the toe was out a bit .01 i think.
I thought this kit shouldn't change ride quality and now i feel the truck a tad bit more bouncy/sensitive in the front end. Every little crack in the street i feel. Maybe it needs time to wear in a bit? or maybe i'm just over aware now and paying attention since i installed the kit? Any thoughts? I still have stock wheels and tires.

I replied to your PM.

 

[Billet1500 4x4]

This kits on sale at summit right now for 317 use code summit50 and get it for 292

 

[troutspinner]

This kits on sale at summit right now for 317 use code summit50 and get it for 292

Thats a great price

 

[XDBrad]

No ride issues here, seems to be just as smooth as ever. With a strut spacer, there should be zero ride difference as the strut/spring set up remains the same compression ratio, it’s just been extended. With a spring spacer, the ride shouldn’t change enough for one to notice but if you have a super sensitive butt, I maybe one could tell.

 

[VaderRebel]

I'd say there is a slight difference in ride comfort... there has to be. We've changed the compression of the front strut which would make it a bit more noticeable on the tiny cracks and small bumps. BUT, not to the point where its annoying or "rough".

I'm still very pleased with the whole kit and for anyone considering it, the ride is comparable to an air ride truck in OR2 on the street, but better. Just wanted to give the comparison in case anyone wanted to do a test drive prior to install.

 

[Twoamen]

No ride issues here, seems to be just as smooth as before the level kit.

 

[Laramie_2019]

its now been around 500 miles since the install, i had my tires re-balance to make sure its not that and the ride still feels wierd at 75mph. the car feels bouncy not sure if its because suspension geometery changes or because the aerodynamics of the car have changed and now there is less down force on the front end... Anything under 60mph is fine feels the same but at 75+ its noticeable, especially on concrete sections of highway.

So im still unsure if i will take it off.

I have a roadtrip in a couple of weeks to California, so ill see how she handles when its loaded up with 3 adults, 2 kids and alot of cargo, if that will be smooth enough for long trips, then ill leave it.

 

[Billet1500 4x4]

its now been around 500 miles since the install, i had my tires re-balance to make sure its not that and the ride still feels wierd at 75mph. the car feels bouncy not sure if its because suspension geometery changes or because the aerodynamics of the car have changed and now there is less down force on the front end... Anything under 60mph is fine feels the same but at 75+ its noticeable, especially on concrete sections of highway.

So im still unsure if i will take it off.

I have a roadtrip in a couple of weeks to California, so ill see how she handles when its loaded up with 3 adults, 2 kids and alot of cargo, if that will be smooth enough for long trips, then ill leave it.

Still running the factory tires? i put a leveling kit on my last truck 2.5". And it was noticeably more bouncy, I ended up replacing the entire strut assembly because I hated the rake and wanted it level. The new strut put the ride back to factory while keeping the truck level. I have the 2" readylift kit just haven't put it on yet, if I notice a significant ride hit I'll just order the fox struts used on the 2" Mopar kit and replace the front strut and ditch the spacer. What you're paying for on the ready lift is the arms the spacer is cheap.

 

[MopaRAMan]

its now been around 500 miles since the install, i had my tires re-balance to make sure its not that and the ride still feels wierd at 75mph. the car feels bouncy not sure if its because suspension geometery changes or because the aerodynamics of the car have changed and now there is less down force on the front end... Anything under 60mph is fine feels the same but at 75+ its noticeable, especially on concrete sections of highway.

So im still unsure if i will take it off.

I have a roadtrip in a couple of weeks to California, so ill see how she handles when its loaded up with 3 adults, 2 kids and alot of cargo, if that will be smooth enough for long trips, then ill leave it.

I installed the readylift kit on my truck and the ride didn't change. It's possible you had a strut that was damaged during the installation. If you bounce the truck using your hands does it stop moving immediately when you stop?

 

[cordsen51]

Hey guys, the ball joint angle that everyone should be concerned about is not at ride height. The issue with the ball joint angle is only at full droop. At full droop the angle is much more pronounced. There are two basic methods to achieve lift on the front. Adding a spacer above the strut increases the down travel of the UCAs when at full droop. Effectively the same as adding a longer stut minus increased up travel. Adding a preload spacer within the strut itself does not increase down travel of the UCA since the strut’s max extended length stays the exact same. The up travel is reduced due to the spacer.

If you add a spacer on the top of the strut, do yourself a favor and add UCAs that correct the ball joint angle at full droop. However, if you don’t mind a bit stiffer ride, go with the preload spacer and save some money. A strut compressor will be required if you go this route. Take pictures and compare the ballpoint at full droop. The reason to add UCAs will become clear.

NeW here, I have 2019 Ram Bighorn and want to get the preload spacer from ready lift instead of the spacer above the strut and UCA. So I will have a little stiffer ride but can get the pre load spacer and save alot of money??? Joe

 

[ksn240]

NeW here, I have 2019 Ram Bighorn and want to get the preload spacer from ready lift instead of the spacer above the strut and UCA. So I will have a little stiffer ride but can get the pre load spacer and save alot of money??? Joe

Yes, the preload spacer will work fine, as well as the factory control arms if that is all you are going to do. It is all a matter of preference. The ride will be slightly stiffer but that is it.

 

[Laramie_2019]

possible you had a st

 

[Laramie_2019]

I installed the readylift kit on my truck and the ride didn't change. It's possible you had a strut that was damaged during the installation. If you bounce the truck using your hands does it stop moving immediately when you stop?

Yes the truck recoil is very controled i dont even get 1 full bounce when i let go, only like half height if that makes sense.

So now i have put about 3000k miles with the spacer kit installed. Ride has softened up quite abit once everything has settled in. For now i think im happy with the ride quality. There is occasional wierd poping but i dont know if thats cause the lift kit or just the suspension itself. It only does it when the wheel is turned and falls into a hole, but for 95% of the time its quiet.

 

[DC98402]

2” RL with UCA went on today, drives great! I noticed a gray sleeve towards the top of the coils, was this thing on the back side and I’m only noticing it now since the coils were spun?

 

[VaderRebel]

I noticed a gray sleeve towards the top of the coils, was this thing on the back side and I’m only noticing it now since the coils were spun?

Yes.

 

[Whiskey_tango]

Just an update. My buddy and I were able to tear into this tonight and see if we could figure out what is causing the "chirp" sounds I keep hearing. For starters, I was 100% convinced that the chirps were coming from the bushings in the upper control arms. The reason I was convinced was because I improperly greased them when we did the install. Call it a rookie mistake. Not to mention, I've been packing the bushings with grease to see if it would solve the chirps. I've since learned, grease is not a friend to bushings, there is a proper way to grease a bushing sleeve and then there was the way I did it, grease all over everything. Wrong!

We took out the upper controls and bushings, degreased everything including the mounts, applied grease correctly to the bushing sleeve and put it all back together. I even remembered to bring the castle nut spacers ReadyLift forgot to include in my original kit. Went for a test ride, same result. As disappointed as I was, we eliminated a possible source.

With my buddy hanging his head out the window, he notice that the chirps weren't coming from just the front, they were coming from the rear as well. We did not do any work on the rear. My buddy thought it could be the wheel caps so we went back to his place and removed them and went for another ride but had the same result. If I hit a good bump, we would hear a chirp. We then picked up on a pattern. After I hit a bump, the next time I applied the brakes, it would chirp again. We did this over and over and it was consistent and we both thought it could be the brakes. To test our theory, we went over the same bumps but with the brakes lightly applied and it was silent. We did this several times and it continued to be silent. Take the foot off the brake and hit a bump, the chirp is back.

In conclusion, it is the brakes. I believe the pads have some wobble to them or possibly the calipers or pistons??? Are my new heavier rims and tires a contributing factor? Hard to say and the only way to prove it would to be to put the old ones on to which I already sold the tires. I'll have to see what my dealer has to say when I take it in for it's first service. I can however say with 100% confidence, it is not the level.

What is the proper application for the grease? Inside/outside bushings and sleeve? Going to install tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[troutspinner]

What is the proper application for the grease? Inside/outside bushings and sleeve? Going to install tomorrow.

Thanks

Inside the bushing and the crush sleeve. Do not grease the outside of the bushing.