I cannot understand the purpose of a leveling kit??

[MTB-BRUH]

I bet the rake is mostly for aero...after leveling, I lost a lot of MPGs...then adding weight and stance didn't help...

I lost maybe 1 mpg with a level. I go back and forth from stock tires and wheels to aftermarket with mud terrains. I get about 21mpg with 31” mud terrains and 23-24mpg with stock tires and wheels

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[port43]

I cannot get my MPG over 17 for a tank of gas so rake or no rake, it doesn't matter. I believe the issue lies at the end of my right leg.

 

[THLONE]

Add in yelling at the tv screen also.

 

[Chris M]

It's a fashion thing. Some people think it looks cool, some people don't.

No, it isn't always that...or not JUST that. I had my pavement princess leveled with a Ford/Fox kit in order to stiffen the ride as much as anything else. Stock ride in my 2WD was too mushy by far and very annoying. Post-kit installation made things much more stable front to back and side to side, and greatly increased my enjoyment of my truck.

 

[spartan0078]

The trucks design is packed with oem function capability and features. Trusting in that, my intent is to fully use it and minimize any modification. My thought is the overall engineeered design is symbiotic so leave it alone.

I dunno, man. That Ford performance tune is pretty damn tempting. And it still fits inside your "OEM function" preference ?

I just wish it wasn't twice the price and half the power of the livernois tune. But I'd imagine that has something to do with still keeping the truck's warranty intact.

 

[VAMike]

No, it isn't always that...or not JUST that. I had my pavement princess leveled with a Ford/Fox kit in order to stiffen the ride as much as anything else. Stock ride in my 2WD was too mushy by far and very annoying. Post-kit installation made things much more stable front to back and side to side, and greatly increased my enjoyment of my truck.

lots of people adjust the suspension without changing the height ?‍
these are separate things

 

[jsphlynch]

Pickup rear spring/springs settle in a short time...if you level it, and load the truck with designed weight, the tail will sag. I have never seen a 2 year old pickup with the rear bumper height as if it were new...they settle. Designed to do so; yet still will take its designed load without dragging its tail. I have owned many pickups over many decades and none have had the new truck rear box rise last longer than a year or two. Throw some decent weight in the rear of a new truck for a few months...it will settle. Measure bumper to ground with an almost empty fuel tank, fill the tank and remeasure.

Simply observe 2-3 year old pickups of any manufacturer! The harder you work them, the more natural the level becomes.

I think you're leaving out the fact that for many people these trucks are as much a fashion statement as they are a utilitarian vehicle. Thus, many folks will never work them hard enough to settle out the rear (though I'm not sure any amount of work will truly settle this one down to level), since that's not why they bought them, AND they will mod them in ways that make stylistic sense to them, not you.

Have I leveled mine? Nope. Not my jam. But to each their own.

 

[Chris M]

lots of people adjust the suspension without changing the height ?‍
these are separate things

They weren't for me. I'll never claim to have the mechanical insights many of you guys seem to have, and relied on information from my dealer as to what would work "right now" while still under warranty that would not compromise any of my warranty. So yeah, I got some of the rake taken out while stiffening my ride at the same time.

If I WERE more mechanically inclined and with more know-how, I might have not cared about the warranty issue and done some of the work like you guys do..

 

[1911tex]

As mentioned early on this thread...lower the rear (as debatable as that is), you must readjust your headlights or you will never pass annual inspection...and in the interim...blind oncoming traffic and restrict your night road visibility.

 

[dtech]

As mentioned early on this thread...lower the rear (as debatable as that is), you must readjust your headlights or you will never pass annual inspection...and in the interim...blind oncoming traffic and restrict your night road visibility.

I'm surprised to learn that Texas still has annual vehicle inspections - less than 20 states still do. I know some autos - mostly imports I believe have auto leveling headlights - they may be required in Europe, my Saab has level sensors on the axles for the HID.

 

[DrewKD88]

I think you're leaving out the fact that for many people these trucks are as much a fashion statement as they are a utilitarian vehicle. Thus, many folks will never work them hard enough to settle out the rear (though I'm not sure any amount of work will truly settle this one down to level), since that's not why they bought them, AND they will mod them in ways that make stylistic sense to them, not you.

Have I leveled mine? Nope. Not my jam. But to each their own.

My rear sat slightly lower than the front when I had it fully loaded for Overlanding. There was a slight Cali Lean to it. Under normal street conditions this would not have been the case however, I am in dirt a lot of the time. Nothing breaks in your rear leaf pack like offroading. The ride quality was crap. After I upgraded to OME leafs the ride got much better when offroad. The stance still has a good amount of rake so I know that I could add more weight if needed while maintaining a comfortable ride. Street driving with no weight in the back is definitely stiffer. It actually drives like a truck instead of a boat. The Fox 2.5's help a lot too. For most drivers I would recommend the Deaver or ICON leafs that maintain stock height and weight capacity.

 

[Sheepdog]

It's a fashion thing. Some people think it looks cool, some people don't.

I don't have enough money to waste any of it trying to impress other people- I barely have enough money to impress myself...

 

[Robisten8]

I don't understand people that use multiple question marks (?) and they're not even asking a question.

I can't speak for everyone that has leveled their Ranger, but performance and aesthetics is the reason I leveled mine. And it's literally night and day difference in both areas.

 

[Robisten8]

As mentioned early on this thread...lower the rear (as debatable as that is), you must readjust your headlights or you will never pass annual inspection...and in the interim...blind oncoming traffic and restrict your night road visibility.

Wrong!

 

[AutobotXJ]

I bought my truck to do more than one thing. If I were constantly hauling or towing heavy loads, I would have probably kept the stock height, but because I also use it as a daily driver, hunting/camping/fishing mobile, AND a garbage truck and moving truck, I wanted it to look good, have better clearance, and still be able to haul some load in the bed. I have the fox 2.0 level kit and I haven’t gone nose up yet.

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