Leveling kit or lift kit?
Most pickups and many SUVs leave the factory sitting lower in the front than the rear, so the truck can carry weight or tow without the back end sagging. That nose-down stance is called rake. A leveling kit raises the front, usually 1 to 3 inches, so the truck sits level. It's the simplest way to change the look and make room for a slightly larger tire.
A lift kit raises the whole vehicle. The range runs from simple spacer lifts to full suspension lifts with new coils or leaf springs, shocks, control arms and steering parts. More lift means more clearance for bigger tires and rough ground, and also more parts and more changes to how the truck drives. We'll help you pick the smallest lift that does what you actually want, because that's usually the one you'll be happiest living with every day.
- Leveling kit: front only, removes the factory rake, room for a modest tire upsize
- Spacer or budget lift: raises ride height on the factory springs and shocks
- Suspension lift: new springs, shocks and supporting parts for more height and better control
- Body lift: raises the body on the frame for tire clearance without changing suspension travel, offered for some vehicles
Trucks and Jeeps we lift
We install kits on the trucks and SUVs Richmond drives most: Ford F-150, Ranger and Bronco, Chevrolet Silverado and Colorado, GMC Sierra and Canyon, Ram 1500 and 2500, Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, Toyota Tacoma, Tundra and 4Runner, and Nissan Frontier and Titan. If yours isn't on that list, ask. If there's a quality kit for it, we can usually source it.
We fit Rough Country lift and leveling kits, along with truck and Jeep parts from AmericanTrucks. We supply the parts we install, so the kit, the installation and the fitment all come from one shop with one point of accountability. We don't install customer-supplied parts, but if you've found a kit you like, tell us and we'll quote it.
The tires are usually the point
For most owners a lift is really about the tires. The kit makes room, and the tire size decides how the truck looks, rides and drives. Because we're a tire shop first, we plan the lift and the tire package together instead of guessing and finding out about rubbing later.
- Size: how big you can go depends on the lift height, the wheel width and offset, and how much trimming you'll accept. We'll tell you what fits cleanly at full steering lock and full compression.
- Load range: a heavier LT tire in load range C, D or E suits towing and hauling. A lighter tire rides better on a truck that's mostly a daily driver.
- Tread: all-terrain tires are the best fit for most Richmond trucks: quiet enough on I-95 and capable off the pavement. More aggressive off-road tread is louder and wears faster on the road.
- Brands: we fit all-terrain and light-truck tires from Nitto, Toyo, Falken, Cooper, Goodyear and Ironman, and can source most other sizes and brands.
Big off-road tires are heavy and harder to balance than passenger tires, so we mount and balance them carefully in-house. See our new tires page for more on load ranges and choosing a set.
What changes after a lift
A lift changes more than ride height. We'll walk through all of it before you commit, so nothing comes as a surprise.
- Alignment: any lift or leveling kit changes the suspension geometry, so the truck needs a wheel alignment afterward. We'll cover that when we quote the job.
- Speedometer and shifting: larger tires make the speedometer read low and can change how the transmission shifts. Many trucks can have the new tire size programmed in, and we'll tell you what yours needs.
- CV axles and ball joints: leveling an independent-front-suspension truck steepens the CV axle angles and loads the ball joints harder. Modest leveling is fine; aggressive spacer lifts on these trucks wear front-end parts faster.
- Steering on solid-axle Jeeps and Rams: lifting changes the track bar and drag link angles. Correcting them is part of doing the lift properly and helps keep death wobble away. Our Ram, Jeep and Dodge page explains death wobble in more detail.
- Brakes and fuel economy: bigger, heavier tires take longer to stop and use more fuel. On larger tire upgrades it's worth talking about brakes too.
- Headlights: a raised front end aims the headlights higher, so they should be re-aimed after the install.
How we install it
Every job starts with a quote: the kit, the tires and wheels if you want them, and the labor, all before anything is ordered. Before installing, we inspect the front end. A lift puts more load on ball joints, tie rod ends and wheel bearings, and it's better to replace a worn part during the install than to find it a month later.
Everything is installed and torqued to the kit maker's spec. Many kit instructions call for re-checking torque after the first few hundred miles, so bring it back and we'll check it over. We're on Richmond Hwy in South Richmond, minutes from I-95, serving Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico. Larger builds can be spread out with Affirm, Klarna, Koalafi, Snap and Sunbit financing, and you can book online with your plate or VIN.
For everything else on domestic trucks, from brakes to transmission service, see American car and truck repair.
Ready when you are. Call or text (804) 297-6350, or book online and we'll come back with a quote and a time.