Second thoughts on Rebel 2" level

[TheWaterman83]

I'm at a crossroads with my 2019 Ram Rebel. Stock DuraTracs have 40k on them. Being I need new tires, I figured why not upgrade the size/brand? Currently the winner is MT Baja Boss 295/70/18's. They are about 34" and 11" wide. With a 2" level would be perfect.

But now, I am questioning myself on whether or not this is a good idea?

My plan was 2" MotoFab spacer, upgrade the UCA's to ReadyLift. I am hearing mixed reviews:

"It will void your warranty" (sort of a concern being I just bought the MOPAR factory extended warranty)
"The spacers cause damage to the bushings on the top of the strut"
"It will put your CV's are a steep angle."

I've done a ton of reading on this. I'm not afraid of doing the work myself or anything like that. I have 30 years mechanical experience with a garage and lift.

Am I overly worrying here? I keep telling myself it's not like I'm doing a 3-6" lift.

 

[Idahoktm]

The lift may affect the warranty on your front drivetrain components. I've never heard of a top hat spacer causing damage to a strut. They just bolt on to the top of the strut, so that doesn't make sense to me. The CV angle will be steep(er), but it I can't remember reading about anyone having problems with premature CV wear.

There are all kinds of things that can go wrong whenever you modify your truck, some of which might affect your warranty. Only you can decide if those modifications are worth risking a denied warranty claim. Personally, I don't care. I wanted my truck to have a certain look, so it's worth it to me.

 

[Jake103]

The only thing is the rebel and ORG come with a 1" lift already, so adding a spacer to that puts you about 3". Which Its usually not recommend going over 2.5" without changing things. You may be able to fix the upper ball joint angle but you still have a steeper lower ball joint angle and steeper CV axles. It's up to you though, I worked on cars for about 10 years and trucks that I seen that had 3" or more lift on stock components didn't last too long, I seen a lot come in with ripped CV axles and Usually going through front end parts faster, such as ball joints, tie rods, cv axles. It's up to you though. It's a trade off when you modify vehicles, like I told customers, it just depends on if you want to or are willing to deal with it or not.

 

[TheWaterman83]

I appreciate the input. Yesterday I ended up getting a very good deal on BFG KO2's in 275/70/18 which is the stock size. Too good to pass up. $1275 mounted, balanced, aligned and old tires disposed. With that being said, no need for a 2" level/lift. I guess I'll wait until down the road when the warranty is up and it's time to replace suspension components anyway.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Unless whatever you add to the truck causes the problem they cannot deny warranty service on your truck. You put the lift on, and your rear suspension breaks? They can't deny it. Manifold cracks? They have to prove that the lift caused the issue (they won't be able to). Your front strut breaks? Possibly the lift so that'd be on you.

For what it's worth, my CV's look fine with my 2" spacers up front.

 

[TheWaterman83]

Unless whatever you add to the truck causes the problem they cannot deny warranty service on your truck. You put the lift on, and your rear suspension breaks? They can't deny it. Manifold cracks? They have to prove that the lift caused the issue (they won't be able to). Your front strut breaks? Possibly the lift so that'd be on you.

For what it's worth, my CV's look fine with my 2" spacers up front.

My logic is I'll wait down the road until the struts start to wear out. Being the truck already has Bilsteins, the towers will directly accept The B8 5100's. I'll use them, replace the UCA's, etc.

Bigger tires + 2" level necessitates:

- New UCA's
- Spacers (not really expensive, though)
- AlfaOBD, cables, etc to reprogram for bigger tires, etc.

Just too much of a headache at this point for me with a baby on the way.