Rough Country 3.5 Installed

[Volunteer1589]

Hey y’all,

Installed the Rough Country 3.5 lift today with the lifted struts and upper control arms. I went with the N3 shocks as opposed to the upgraded V2. RC N3 are supposed to be close to stock and so far I have no complaints. The ride is excellent. I had a RC 3.5 on an older Silverado and compared to that kit RC has seriously stepped up their game in terms of quality. I’m very impressed so far.

Just wanted to throw this out there for anyone considering the RC 3.5. The lifted struts are the way to go for a mild lift that doesn’t break the bank.

 

[Whoa_Ram]

Looks good. Have any side pictures?

 

[djevox]

Did you lift the rear also, or just do the fronts?

 

[Volunteer1589]

Looks good. Have any side pictures?

I’ll take some side pics tomorrow.

 

[Volunteer1589]

Did you lift the rear also, or just do the fronts?

Front is lifted 3.5 inches, rear is lifted 1 inch.

 

[Ramkofsky]

Front is lifted 3.5 inches, rear is lifted 1 inch.

Any idea what your tire/wheel set up is going to be? I have the same RC 3.5” kit sitting boxed up until I get tires. Still not sure what tires I’m going with. Keeping the stock rims, same as what you have there.

 

[Volunteer1589]

Any idea what your tire/wheel set up is going to be? I have the same RC 3.5” kit sitting boxed up until I get tires. Still not sure what tires I’m going with. Keeping the stock rims, same as what you have there.

I like the look of the stock 20s so I don’t plan on changing the wheels at the moment. Possibly in the future.
As for tires, I’m currently running 275/65/20 Firestone Destination XT. They are roughly 34x11. I put them on before the lift and want to wear these out before going bigger. When it’s time to upgrade I’ll probably go for 295/65/20 or 35x12. Hope this helps.

 

[Volunteer1589]

Here is a side pic along with fender measurements from the ground to center of wheel well. The front springs should settle in a bit after a few hundred miles to make the truck perfectly level. It has a slight lean but hard to tell in person.
Before: 37.5 front, 40 rear
After: 41.5 front, 41 rear

 

[Dookie]

I was going to say, it looks a little nose high, hope it settles that much for you, unless you like that look. Any weight back there and you will be even more nose high. May want to go another 1/2-1 inch up in the rear.

 

[Volunteer1589]

I was going to say, it looks a little nose high, hope it settles that much for you, unless you like that look. Any weight back there and you will be even more nose high. May want to go another 1/2-1 inch up in the rear.

I’m definitely not a fan of the squatted truck look. In hindsight I wish I went with a 2 inch spacer in the back. I’ll run it this way for a while and see if the front settles down.

 

[Pertzbro]

How do you like those tires? Doesnt look like you live in a place that snows ... but what are your thoughts?

 

[Volunteer1589]

How do you like those tires? Doesnt look like you live in a place that snows ... but what are your thoughts?

I’m in coastal South Carolina so no snow around here. Tires have been on for about 10k miles. So far I love them. They seem to be wearing evenly. Tread pattern provides plenty of traction in rain, dry pavement, dirt, and mud. The tread pattern is comparable to a BF Goodrich KO2. I always ran a mud terrain tire in the past but the Firestone guy recommended these over the MT. It’s supposed to be their new product. E rated but did not kill the ride quality or gas mileage, quiet, 50k warranty, and super grippy. I would buy them again.