I keep going back and forth between a 3" body lift or a 2.5" level on my '03 2wd Ext Cab. Definitely sticking with 33" tires with no room to move up to 35's which leads me down the level path, but wanted to ask here for opinions/pictures. What did you do with your '03? If I went with the 2.5" level, will I have to raise the back 1" to get it truly "level"?
Will 33" tires look stupid with a 3" body lift?

Going with 33" BFG AT KO's with American Racing ATX Crawl 17 or 18" rims.

 

How wide are the wheels going to be? And what backspacing/offset are you going to go with? What width 33?

All of those things will determine what size you'll need or if it's even possible with your height constraint of 3".

As for truly level, it's dependent on the truck with almost all of them varying slightly. Best bet would be to measure the difference and see how much it is. But fwiw I'm currently running 305/70r16 nitto mud graps on a 16x8 wheel with about 6" of lift now that it's sagged and I think it looks fine, but it's all personal opinion. But if your going for level, the leveling kit whether it be spacers, or coils, or spindles would be the way to go with possibly a small block in the rear. If your just going for all around lift and not worried about level, then body lift may be the way to go. Also depending on if your installing yourself the body lift would be the cheapest route due to the fact that over 2" on lift coils or spacers require aftermarket control arms and longer shocks up front. Spindles don't need the aftermarket arms or longer shocks but will push the front track width out about 1.5" per side. All of them have their pros and cons.

 

I am in a similar predicament. I have 33x12.5s currently on the truck. Was going to install a 3" rough country suspension lift. Have not had a chance to drive it enough to see if they rub... Any insight would be appreciated.