Okay i want to be a 2.5" leveling kit on my truck, already bought it and everything..it's just not getting installed yet

my dad is fighting me about it.
Wich it's not even his truck, i pay for it(i paid for everything, down payment and all) and i paid for the leveling kit and anything else i have put into it.
but he's a control freak!

he's telling me i'm going to mess up my truck by putting on a leveling kit and that it will seriously wear down my joints and what not..

is this true? i know with a 3" there is fairly severe wear but i didnt think a 2.5" would mess anything up....?

also told him i want to put 33" tires and he said that would mess up my spedometer and what not..is this true? i didnt think 33" tires was that big of a deal and if it will mess up my spedometer what do i have to do to make it all work properly?

sorry for the questions, i dont know alot about trucks but i want to tell him he's wrong if he is...and if he's not then i'll probably just stick with the stock look

 

Don't ya hate that?

There is truth behind what he's telling you also.

Yes a leveling kit will wear your balljoints more. As long as you don't take your truck and beat the heck out of it off-road, they shouldn't wear much faster than normal.

Putting smaller or larger tires on your truck will affect the speedo and odo. A tuner will fix that issue.

 

I've been having a leveling kit on 3 yrs. with no problem's.

 

leveling kit for looks vs. function

for looks, you'll see maybe a slight increase in wear...for function (aka big freaking tires), then you will see the ball joints degrade faster

you'll also see the same results from driving down crappy pothole ridden rodes all the time. 33" tires are just fine with a leveling kit, and it's only 1" taller than the stock 4x4 tires (31.8")

 

The more you raise your truck the less fuel mileage you'll get, bigger tires will make it twice as bad too. Just have to decide if you can afford more $$ for gas versus the look that you want! I've had a leveling kit on mine for 3 years with no problem, sure didn't help my mileage though.

 

Wind resistance, sure...twice as bad?...come on. So you get 8 mpg now instead of 16 mpg when stock? I did not see any changes in my mileage before and after.

One thing is for sure, the AS 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 spacer do give very different results in the wear catagory. The larger the spacer, the more change from stock geometry, the more wear on ball joints. I went with a 2.0 spacer with zero problems after 35K.

 

Regardless of what's right or wrong...

You should just listen to your dad and always do what he says.

He is not a control freak... he birthed you, raised you, taught you to throw a baseball...

He has your best interest at heart.

Your father knows best.


Sh**... sorry... having a senior moment... jack it up dude!

 

I didn't know men could give birth. I guess they do things just a tad differently in Canada.

 

[QUOTE=KSpencer;3274577]Wind resistance, sure...twice as bad?...come on. So you get 8 mpg now instead of 16 mpg when stock? I did not see any changes in my mileage before and after.

One thing is for sure, the AS 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 spacer do give very different results in the wear catagory. The larger the spacer, the more change from stock geometry, the more wear on ball joints. I went with a 2.0 spacer with zero problems after 35K.

Gee Spence, thought you had some common sense, it was not implied as literally twice as bad. I guess if I give my opinion on a question I really have to take in account that some people take it as fact instead of a gray area. Time for a midol bud.

The fact still remains that if you raise the truck with a lift and/or you use much larger tires the fuel mileage will suffer!

 

All I have to say is that a father's advice is great, but it is your truck and you should be able to do what you want. Yes, putting a leveling kit will increase wear and tear on the ball joints, but not to a severe extent unless you beat the hell out of the truck.

 

Blue-eyes words... not good... understanding I have... disgraced am I.

Look, if I'd been on the all-Canadian forum I woulda said (in the language of our people, of course) "He was there at your birth, to wash you with the fresh snow, so that the polar bears could not follow your scent to the family igloo"... but... you know... I was trying to broaden the whole "cultural relevance" of the thing.

Damn, now they will probably set me adrift on the ice pack...

 

My mother was saying something along the same lines. I hadnt had my truck a month when I put my 2.5 on. I was at home for the weekend and my brother and I were heading out the door with her saying "your not going to do something to that new truck are you?" I just said "Yep!" Thing is, some parents will always be that way, mine will and I love them for it. Doesnt mean I always listen though!

 

[QUOTE=mkinttrim;3274713]Easy, buddy. I'm was just taking a jab at ya...in good fun. Your points are valid, but this is much different than adding a real 6 inch lift at about 1000lbs (wheels, tires, etc...). All I am saying is that my difference in mileage was almost non-existent.

 

Do you still live at home? If so I would listen to your dad. The "I paid for it, so..." excuse doesn't get you far when he's probably financed just about your entire life up to now.

On a side note, the bigger the spacer, the more problems you'll have. Same thing when adding larger tires with the spacer.
I have a 1.5" spacer and 295/70/17s and no problems so far.

But listen to your dad, at least until you move out.

 

YUP! Tardman91 is right. It doesn't matter if you paid for your truck. You live in his house, you live by his rules. If you don't like it, get your own place. I moved out at 17. Best way to have a great relationship with your folks is to get out of their house.

Your dad is correct, BTW. Previous posts covered it pretty well.

And I too have a 1.5" spacer and 295/70/17's. I put on that setup for a little more clearance when tooling down dirt roads. But, gas prices have put a damper on "Sunday drives" so when it's time for new skins, I'm pulling off the spacers and going back to stock size tires. The tires are cheaper and I should get a back a couple MPG's.