Lift vs leveling

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J Carroccia

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I have a 17 4x4 Laramie with the Eco in it and 49k for miles right now. Looking at lifting or leveling for looks alone. I spend most of my time driving the So Cal I15 between the desert and San Diego.I asked the dealer about lift and after a lot of tooth sucking and "we never done one" he came up with a price of 2900 for the lift, 3000 for labor and warned that I would need new rims and tires so total would be around 8K. I have lifted a few jeeps in my past with varying degrees of success and was concerned over the complexity of a IFS over solid jeep axle if I did the work myself. Currently running stock 20" rims and Hercules 275x60x20 AT. On a side note MPG the first 20K was really good at 28MPG but this past year it has slipped to around 24 average, driving habits remained the same I believe. Anyway, if you have experience or lessons learned kindly post them.
 

Graygoose

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Bilsteins, and level. You can do 35's wit just a level.
Here is my 2015, leveled, with 285/65/20...basically 34.5" tall.

20160926_185651.jpg
 

Shawn226

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I had a Ram I lifted previously, 6” rough country, and did it in the driveway with some buddies and a case of beer. The wheel issue is really if the wheels will clear the spindles. Most recommend a 4.5” of back spacing, which usually is a 20x9 -12mm/20x10 -24mm/20x12 -44mm wheel. You can also achieve that with 2” hub centric wheel spacers.

only benefits of having the dealer install is if they will warranty it and keep the OEM warranty intact
 

blahargoue

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Can't help you much with the lift. I will say the rear suspension is quite simple to work on. I had to remove and reinstall my rear coils when I added air bags and it was simpler than installing a lift on my old CJ5.

As for your fuel mileage, mine remains steady at 26 to 27mpg on highway trips in my '17 Ecodiesel. (59k miles) Did your fuel mileage change after you installed you Hercules AT tires? The stock Goodyear have a very low rolling resistance compared to your current tire. That will effect fuel mileage. That same thing has happened to me before on other trucks. I did a lot of research and went with Michelin LTX in mine because of their rolling resistance rating. I noticed no change in my fuel mileage eventhough my grip in snow greatly improved.

Also, these newer truck rely a lot on aerodynamics for fuel mileage. I damaged my front air dam and removed it for a while while waiting for a replacement. I lost nearly 2 mpg on the highway until I replaced it. Things then returned to normal. Your lift kit may also similarly effect your fuel mileage by allowing more air under your truck. Any increase in tire size will also effect fuel mileage.
 

Ricks Ram

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I started off with the Bill's and liked the look of the truck. Got used to it and wanted it higher. Went with a 6" BDS lift and 35's. Truck has been lifted for around 3 or 4 yrs now with no issues at all. Me and some buddies did it in the driveway because I wasn't sure I could get the truck out of the garage once it was lifted. It's not a job I would recommend tackling yourself if you don't do a lot of DIY automotive type work. The instructions were terrible. As far as having the dealer lift your truck goes I wouldn't recommend it. Many techs are clueless about these trucks in the first place. They are the last people I would want messing with my truck. I would take it to a shop that does these all the time and ask questions and go by word of mouth and reviews to make sure they know what they are doing. There are pros and cons to lifting your truck. You will lose some MPG and my truck has a little stiffer ride. I also can no longer use a lot of parking garages which is actually a pain sometimes. If your truck is stock height now maybe try the bills to get it leveled and see how you like it. You will be surprised how much it changes the look and your MPG and ride won't suffer as much. This might satisfy you for a while and is much cheaper. You can also use the Bill's if you decide to lift the truck later and it's a quality piece. Don't get me wrong I love my truck lifted but it might be a good idea to start with the Bill's that can give you 2.8" and go from there. Remember when you lift it you need to cut the front differential mount off of the truck in order to move the differential down. You would have to save it and have it welded back on the frame if you wanted to put the truck back to stock it the future so make sure you really want the lift before you pull the trigger.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
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J Carroccia

J Carroccia

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Can't help you much with the lift. I will say the rear suspension is quite simple to work on. I had to remove and reinstall my rear coils when I added air bags and it was simpler than installing a lift on my old CJ5.

As for your fuel mileage, mine remains steady at 26 to 27mpg on highway trips in my '17 Ecodiesel. (59k miles) Did your fuel mileage change after you installed you Hercules AT tires? The stock Goodyear have a very low rolling resistance compared to your current tire. That will effect fuel mileage. That same thing has happened to me before on other trucks. I did a lot of research and went with Michelin LTX in mine because of their rolling resistance rating. I noticed no change in my fuel mileage eventhough my grip in snow greatly improved.

Also, these newer truck rely a lot on aerodynamics for fuel mileage. I damaged my front air dam and removed it for a while while waiting for a replacement. I lost nearly 2 mpg on the highway until I replaced it. Things then returned to normal. Your lift kit may also similarly effect your fuel mileage by allowing more air under your truck. Any increase in tire size will also effect fuel mileage.


The MPG changed before the tire change, I had Toyos after the stock tires kept blowing out sidewalls on dirt roads, the Toyos did not fair much better so I went with 8 ply Hercules. MPG to San Diego Monday was 24. I think I am going to pursue the leveling of front mentioned by GrayGoose
 

Graygoose

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Bilstein 5100s
 

Iceclimber

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+1 on the bilsteins. Level and huge improvement to the ride. Pain the ass to install on the front.
 
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