Guide to Leveling & Wheel and Tire Sizing for 06+ 4wd Ram 1500's

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bubbasneed

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Hi guys, finally got the alignment, and wheels and tires done. I did the 2.1 setting that leveled the truck real nice and the rims are 20 X 10 -19 offset with a 33X12.50X20 Toyo Open Country R/T. I am real happy with the way it turned out. Oh and I added the red caliper covers. Thanks for the info in this post.

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brandonjansen

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Hey Brandon, can I run a 35 x 12.5 x 20 Kumho Road Venture MT KL71 tire on my factory 20" chrome clads??? They have a overall diameter of 34.8". I have my Bilsteins set at 2.8" in the front and plan on adding a 1" spacer in the rear if needed once everything settles. Thanks!!!

You'll need 10mm hub centric spacers from Motorsport Tech to clear that wide of a tire on the stock rims. The spacer gives you the clearance between the tire and the upper A-arm that you'll need. Other than that what you've stated will work no problem.

Hi guys, finally got the alignment, and wheels and tires done. I did the 2.1 setting that leveled the truck real nice and the rims are 20 X 10 -19 offset with a 33X12.50X20 Toyo Open Country R/T. I am real happy with the way it turned out. Oh and I added the red caliper covers. Thanks for the info in this post.

Looks great!! :waytogo:
 

Ferro

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I have a 2016 1500 4 x 4 sport. It has a zone 4 inch full suspension lift. I have a 2 inch rake I would like to raise the front end up another inch and a half. My question is would I be able to use the 5100s to gain that inch and a half. According to what I just read in the beginning of this post you cannot use a spacer on top of the strut with the 5100s . Or am I reading it wrong. I was told I would be fine I just want to make sure that this is the right way to go. Thanks in advance.
 
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brandonjansen

brandonjansen

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I have a 2016 1500 4 x 4 sport. It has a zone 4 inch full suspension lift. I have a 2 inch rake I would like to raise the front end up another inch and a half. My question is would I be able to use the 5100s to gain that inch and a half. According to what I just read in the beginning of this post you cannot use a spacer on top of the strut with the 5100s . Or am I reading it wrong. I was told I would be fine I just want to make sure that this is the right way to go. Thanks in advance.

With a full lift kit, yes you can do that. As this post refers to leveling only it states not to stack Bilsteins as spacers as that's too much height without doing the full lift kit.

The 4" lift essentially puts your suspension geometry back to stock just 4" higher. So adding Bilsteins on top of that is no problem at all. You can certainly set them at 1.4" to level your truck out with no issues.
 

Ferro

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Thanks. That puts my mind at ease. Having OCD is not fun. LOL
 

belle64

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Hey guys, u have a 2013 dodge ram with the air suspension, im looking at running -24 offset rims with 35 inch AT tires,, i'm guessing ill need to level the truck with the 2.5 level kit, is they anything that needs to be done different since i have the air suspension??? is the a leveling kit for air suspension?
 
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brandonjansen

brandonjansen

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Hey guys, u have a 2013 dodge ram with the air suspension, im looking at running -24 offset rims with 35 inch AT tires,, i'm guessing ill need to level the truck with the 2.5 level kit, is they anything that needs to be done different since i have the air suspension??? is the a leveling kit for air suspension?

Leveling an air suspension truck is a completely different ball game than a regular suspension truck. The best leveling option for you are adjustable air links from Revel Performance - https://www.revelperformance.com/lifts/two-inch-levelling/adjustable-air-suspension-links/.

If you want to fit 10" wide -24 offset wheels and 35's you'll need a body lift on top of the adjustable links or need to full step up to a 4" air ride lift from BDS.
 

nickauto

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Yo- so I have read this entire post- I have a 16' 4x4 sport - I might have missed a couple of points. I just ordered 18x9 Method NV wheels with 35x12.5 BFG Ko2 tires as well as all 4 bilsteins from 4wheel parts. With the proper height adjustment from the bils will I need hub centric spacers? Or will everything fit...


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brandonjansen

brandonjansen

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Yo- so I have read this entire post- I have a 16' 4x4 sport - I might have missed a couple of points. I just ordered 18x9 Method NV wheels with 35x12.5 BFG Ko2 tires as well as all 4 bilsteins from 4wheel parts. With the proper height adjustment from the bils will I need hub centric spacers? Or will everything fit...


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What offset did you order on your wheels? When ordering aftermarket wheels the key thing is to get the correct offset so that spacers aren't needed.
 

nickauto

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What offset did you order on your wheels? When ordering aftermarket wheels the key thing is to get the correct offset so that spacers aren't needed.



+18.

Apparently Method doesn't have negative offset for the ram bolt pattern.


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brandonjansen

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+18.

Apparently Method doesn't have negative offset for the ram bolt pattern.


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Then yes, you will need at least 10mm hub centric spacers from Motorsport Tech. You could go with a larger adapter type spacer if you want to mimic a negative offset and get a wider stance.
 

nickauto

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Then yes, you will need at least 10mm hub centric spacers from Motorsport Tech. You could go with a larger adapter type spacer if you want to mimic a negative offset and get a wider stance.



So with out the spacer- wheels will rub on the inner wall..?

Will spacers have any negative long term affects?

Thanks again for the great info.


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brandonjansen

brandonjansen

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So with out the spacer- wheels will rub on the inner wall..?

Will spacers have any negative long term affects?

Thanks again for the great info.


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They'll rub on the upper A-arm. You won't even be driving the truck without spacers as you'd chew up the tire immediately.

If you stick with smaller spacers (10mm) then no, there won't be any long term effects at all. If you go with a larger spacer (say 1.5) then wheel bearings or ball joints might wear out slightly faster than they would on a stock truck. But no more than they would on a truck with aftermarket wheels with a negative offset.
The key in either situation is to buy a good quality set of hub centric spacers. Yes they're going to cost you more up front than the "eBay special" but in the long run they'll be worth your money as they'll lead to less problems.
 

nickauto

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They'll rub on the upper A-arm. You won't even be driving the truck without spacers as you'd chew up the tire immediately.



If you stick with smaller spacers (10mm) then no, there won't be any long term effects at all. If you go with a larger spacer (say 1.5) then wheel bearings or ball joints might wear out slightly faster than they would on a stock truck. But no more than they would on a truck with aftermarket wheels with a negative offset.

The key in either situation is to buy a good quality set of hub centric spacers. Yes they're going to cost you more up front than the "eBay special" but in the long run they'll be worth your money as they'll lead to less problems.



Great thanks! I will send pics after the install.


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brandonjansen

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Could I run a 295/65/20 on stock wheels ?

You likely can but your Bilsteins will need to be at 2.8" to provide the clearance as those tires are about 35.1" tall.
Plus, as stated above, some trucks (I'd say 5% or less) do need spacers to clear 295 wide tires. So have that in mind just in case you happen to fall into that category.
 

arsenault408

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You likely can but your Bilsteins will need to be at 2.8" to provide the clearance as those tires are about 35.1" tall.
Plus, as stated above, some trucks (I'd say 5% or less) do need spacers to clear 295 wide tires. So have that in mind just in case you happen to fall into that category.

Better off to go with a 35x12.50 ?
 
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brandonjansen

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No the 12.5 wide tire has even more chance of rubbing on stock wheels.

That depends on where we're talking about rubbing...

Better off to go with a 35x12.50 ?

You could run 35x12.5's but on stock wheels those will likely require spacers as most 12.5's are too wide to run on stock offset; they'd rub the UCA. But 35x12.5's typically measure around 34.5" tall which is shorter than a 295/65/20 so there is less chance of rubbing on the inner fender.
 
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