Leveling Kit Concerns

[zogg]

I just bought a nice 2013 Ram Bighorn crewcab truck....really like it.

I just realized it has a leveling kit which makes it look great, but I have read about ball joint and cv joint premature wear.

It has 28,000 miles, and I no idea when it was installed.....am I in trouble? Should I have it removed?

I feel dumb because I was so excited about the truck that I just didnt notice it had the kit...

 

[AustinB]

Spacers? Id swap them out with bilstiens.

Bilstiens? I wouldnt worry about it.

If you're truly worried, and like the look.. Get some aftermarket UCAs.

In any case, pictures are always nice...

IMO

 

[DILLIGAF]

Leveling kits are junk, in my case they busted both upper strut mounts and both ball joints after just 60000km.

I installed Rancho quick lift and Mevotech UCA's couple weeks ago, I regret not doing it sooner.

 

[Drummin4jc]

Spacers? Id swap them out with bilstiens.

Bilstiens? I wouldnt worry about it.

If you're truly worried, and like the look.. Get some aftermarket UCAs.

In any case, pictures are always nice...

IMO

Exactly what Autsin said.... Swap out the level kit with Bilstein's and some new UCA's.

Adam

 

[zogg]

Actually, I am thinking about having the leveling kit removed. I have read a lot about balljoint failure and cv joint stress.
I do like the look, but I really dont need the worry of mechanical failure.

I am not an off-roader....at 68 years old, I just wanted a daily driver. Ugh

where could i take it to have the kit removed??

 

[michaelrc51]

Just put on some Bilsteins and Mevotechs. The Bils ride better than stock and the Mevotechs take care of the UCA issue. The cool thing about the Bils is also that you can adjust the amount of lift from .7" to 2.8".

Actually I am upgrading my suspension and will be selling my Bils which have maybe 4k miles on them.

 

[zogg]

While doing research, the mevotechs do fail same as oem.....one guy didnt get home from the shop before the balljoint popped out of the brand new mevotech uca...

 

[zogg]

Anyone use the moog uca units?

 

[michaelrc51]

Anyone use the moog uca units?

I'm picking up a set of the Zone UCAs, they look beefy enough

 

[AustinB]

Anyone use the moog uca units?

Im using moog sway bar end links. No complaints about the quality of those.

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[rtm03862iq]

I just did the Bilstein kit (set to 2.1) and the Mevotechs UCAs last week and couldn't be happier with it. The truck rides nice (not harsh at all) and everything went together easy. I went with the Bilstein/Mevotech combo after reading about spacer and upper ball joint issues and figured doing it right the first time was worth the $500-$600 investment (did Bilsteins front and rear). I too have heard about ball joints popping on the Mevotechs, but it seems like a rare thing, but I'll keep my eye on mine for a bit. Just something to periodically check.

 

[zogg]

Re-thinking the situation...

From reading many forum threads, it seem like the folks having the ball joint issues are also running oversize tires. My truck had Nitto 295x55x20 M T tires on it when i bought it. Loved the truck but hated the tires....hum, drag, mpg, etc. They looked cool as heck, and my son begged me for them. So i immediately replaced them with 275x60x20 street tread tires. Again, from further research, this should lessen the chance of balljoint failure. Aslo, i do not "4wheel" the truck, just a daily street ride.

can anyone verify this opinion???

 

[michaelrc51]

It's not the tires, get a set of UCAs if you are keeping the lift on.


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[ernbrdn]

Why does everyone swear by mevotech front end suspension pieces? Working in shops all of my life, handling lots and lots of aftermarket parts. Mevotech brand is one brand I refuse to use on any customers vehicle. From ball joints that last 20,000 miles to tie rods that last 12. I for the life of me cannot understand why anyone would willingly install that "junk" on their vehicle, then brag about it. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe they have a "bulletproof" line or something. For $50 however I doubt it.


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[Csanders1992]

Why does everyone swear by mevotech front end suspension pieces? Working in shops all of my life, handling lots and lots of aftermarket parts. Mevotech brand is one brand I refuse to use on any customers vehicle. From ball joints that last 20,000 miles to tie rods that last 12. I for the life of me cannot understand why anyone would willingly install that "junk" on their vehicle, then brag about it. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe they have a "bulletproof" line or something. For $50 however I doubt it.


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I'm not defending mevotech by any means, but I have yet to hear anything but good things about their ucas for these trucks, I also have them on my truck with 0 issues. Are they the best out there? Absolutely not. Are they better than the oem junk ram put on there? Absolutely yes. They are much, much beefier than the stamped steel oem junk. So spending 50 dollars each seems like a perfectly reasonable alternative to spending hundreds on a name brand set.


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[jdwaynes1980]

For what it's worth I have a 2013 RAM, and have about 20,000 miles on a 2" leveling kit. I run 33x12.50r20 on stock 2012 wheels with 1.75" bora spacers, and I've had zero problems.

 

[zogg]

For what it's worth I have a 2013 RAM, and have about 20,000 miles on a 2" leveling kit. I run 33x12.50r20 on stock 2012 wheels with 1.75" bora spacers, and I've had zero problems.

Thanks for the response.....sort of makes me feel safer....

 

[blue_bandit]

Thanks for the response.....sort of makes me feel safer....

I have 30k on my '14 with 2.5" spacers with no issues!

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[Royals]

Everybody has a different experience/opinion on this subject... take the spacers out and while your at it spend 200 bucks on some bilstein's for the same look and a better piece of mind is my opinion.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Ive had 275x65x20 on my truck since day one and the factory balls joints failed. Nothing to do with Tires. Just the crappy leveling kits.

Why does everyone swear by mevotech front end suspension pieces?

because its cheaper and better then the factory crap. for the price if they last just 5 years Ill be happy...lol...