Leveling kit info?

[Armyman14]

all u need is 2 shocks for now if your just wanting to have it leveled and not top out the shock. i would suggest replacing the rear shocks as well before long. having all shocks replaced will vastly improve the ride.

Yes I definitely will but I'm stretching the dollar now as much as possible already haha

 

[moparman33]

i hear ya. yeah the front shocks will get you by for now. i had to do the samething cause money was tight. replaced front shocks and still had factory replacement rears. i understand completely

 

[Armyman14]

Actually, before I buy the shocks I might buy all the ball joints that I need, I have a neighbor who can help us replace those and I'm pretty sure they are the ones making the horrible noise

 

[Armyman14]

So now I have a choice, between pro comps, ranchos, and Monroes.. The guys at my local auto parts say that the Monroe, sends track I believe will have the smoothest ride and this is what I'm going for, what will give me the best ride for going over those speed bumps?

 

[moparman33]

So now I have a choice, between pro comps, ranchos, and Monroes.. The guys at my local auto parts say that the Monroe, sends track I believe will have the smoothest ride and this is what I'm going for, what will give me the best ride for going over those speed bumps?

i cant personally speak for the pro-comps since i have the rancho's. i know the rancho's are a big improvement over factory replacements. and take bumps and even small pot holes like a champ. i would assume that the pro-comps would give about the same ride as the rancho's. if that is the case it basically comes down to brand.

 

[Armyman14]

Well the pro comps were about 40 and they said those would probably be the stiffest with the ranchos being the middle and the Monroe sensa-tracks being the smoothest

 

[moparman33]

Well the pro comps were about 40 and they said those would probably be the stiffest with the ranchos being the middle and the Monroe sensa-tracks being the smoothest

then i would suggest something in the middle then. especially if you go over a bunch of speed bumps daily. if not then i would go with a smooth riding shock.

 

[Armyman14]

Okay, so the stiffer the shocks the better It will be over speed bumps?

 

[moparman33]

Okay, so the stiffer the shocks the better It will be over speed bumps?

too hard of a shock you feel every bump in the road. too soft of one and it rides like older cars do. with how they "float" at speeds in excess of 45 and bumps as well. best bet is a happy medium. dont have to be rancho's or any other specific brand. that happy medium will also be better for daily driving as well as the occasional offroading

 

[Armyman14]

Okay and do shocks effect performance at all? I dat think they do but can't hurt to ask haha. Have any recommendations for the happy medium?

 

[03MopaRamman]

Just to add another point. With the ready lift kit you can run stock shocks. I have the Gas Magnums just because they where new shortly before I put in the keys. Truck is very smooth, Period. If you wanna Crank your Keys good Luck with the Ride and longjevity of all your Front end Parts is all I will say on that. Its been 3 years no Problems here, Agree with the Alignement however I did not get one but also took the time to adjust, drive, re-adjust the keys until all corners where the same. My Tires have even wear. I do plan on adding Rancho 5000's to the front to match my 0-2 Lift rears. When I change the shocks up front I will get an alignement before I throw on my new 35's for the summer.

Part number for Rancho I recommend is the R5373 which is a brand new Line designed for Torsion Leveling up to 2 1/2 " and 35 Inch Tires Combo.

For 1/2 shafts you should get 2 of the Good Mopar Ones for about 500 no core and change them yourself. Well worth it. If you never done it before just follow the Haynes as a guide. After going thru 4 Cardone Rebuilds in 3 years I learned fast and can swap a 1/2 shaft now in less than a half hour in the driveway. Finally the Mopar ones have the Hard Rubber Boots that will not rip or leak grease from a badly crimped Band.

 

[NWRQC]

Just to add another point. With the ready lift kit you can run stock shocks. I have the Gas Magnums just because they where new shortly before I put in the keys. Truck is very smooth, Period. If you wanna Crank your Keys good Luck with the Ride and longjevity of all your Front end Parts is all I will say on that. Its been 3 years no Problems here, Agree with the Alignement however I did not get one but also took the time to adjust, drive, re-adjust the keys until all corners where the same. My Tires have even wear. I do plan on adding Rancho 5000's to the front to match my 0-2 Lift rears..

You do realize that replacing the stock keys with aftermarket ones that are indexed, lifts the truck the exact same as if you just crank the stock keys. The only difference is that you can now crank the stock torsion bar further than the stock torsion keys will allow. Which unless you want to ride around in a brick, it's not recommended.
The ride quality comes from the torsion bar, the more it's pre-loaded the stiffer the ride will be. There is no way around that, it's physics. Increase pre-load = truck rides higher which = a stiffer ride. A stationary "lever" will not change how that torsion bar responds once it's pre-loaded.
Stock keys or aftermarket keys, you will put the same strain/wear on the front end.
I have cranked several stock torsion bars, including the ones on my friends Ram back in 2004 to level the truck. Well over 120K miles later the only suspension parts that have been replaced were the shocks.
Just something to ponder for those that are contemplating between cranking the stock keys and spending money on aftermarket ones.

 

[moparman33]

Okay and do shocks effect performance at all? I dat think they do but can't hurt to ask haha. Have any recommendations for the happy medium?

they do effect performance, not engine performance though. mainly traction, your absorbtion of impacts (pot holes, speed bumps,etc). as i have said before i have the rancho rs5000's. i am happy with them and would buy them again.

 

[Armyman14]

Okay so overall, is it recommended to crank the stock torsion keys or will the cause too many problems by the suspension? I would like a smooth ride, easy to maneuver and control.

 

[moparman33]

its pretty much up to you, the results are gonna be the same. you just spend money with buyin keys(* i know, ive done it twice). as long as the torsion bars arent cranked too much you'll be good. same thing as if you went with aftermarket keys, you crank those too much is bad news as well. the factory keys are less likely to be in that danger area of cranking them too much. varying from truck to truck should be around 2- 2 1/2 inches to be level. that is just a rough estimate though

 

[Armyman14]

Alright so with a 2 inch crank I won't have to worry about driving around a brick. For this specific mod if rather have performance and handling over looks

 

[NWRQC]

It will be a little stiffer, but not too bad.
IMO it will drive more like a truck than a car. I would recommend cranking the stock ones about 2" then drive it around a bit to see how you like it. If it's too rough of a ride then you can uncrank them a bit.
If you are happy with them cranked then order shocks to compliment the new ride height.
New shocks will change the ride quality a bit, esp if your old ones are worn out. They will take some of the jarring out of the bumps and the truck will handle better when driving. Cranking the torsion bars will also help in how the truck handles...better.

 

[Armyman14]

It will be a little stiffer, but not too bad.
IMO it will drive more like a truck than a car. I would recommend cranking the stock ones about 2" then drive it around a bit to see how you like it. If it's too rough of a ride then you can uncrank them a bit.
If you are happy with them cranked then order shocks to compliment the new ride height.
New shocks will change the ride quality a bit, esp if your old ones are worn out. They will take some of the jarring out of the bumps and the truck will handle better when driving. Cranking the torsion bars will also help in how the truck handles...better.

Okay, so just temporarily, I can crank it up without new shocks and without an alignment just to see how I like It and then back down if it doesn't suit me then I can go back to normal right?

 

[NWRQC]

Okay, so just temporarily, I can crank it up without new shocks and without an alignment just to see how I like It and then back down if it doesn't suit me then I can go back to normal right?

That is correct sir. Just count the turns on the adjuster bolt when making the adjustment incase you decide to put it back.
It should only take you about 30 min to adjust them.

 

[Armyman14]

That is correct sir. Just count the turns on the adjuster bolt when making the adjustment incase you decide to put it back.
It should only take you about 30 min to adjust them.

Good idea! Never thought about that! So what I gonna do, maybe tomorrow is crank it up try it out see how I like it and whether or not I like it I'm going to put it back down to normal. Messing with this stuff isn't going to hurt my alignment will it?