Having the right amount of clearance is essential for off-road driving. When you’re headed onto the trail or off the path entirely into terrain that includes anything from rocks to ditches to sand, giving your vehicle some additional height with all terrain wheels and a lift kit or leveling kit will prevent snags.
Keeping the suspension on your truck or Jeep in good working order is a must for taking on varying types of driving conditions. Before you start looking for truck parts online, you might be wondering what the difference is between a lift kit and a leveling kit.
Lift Kits Add Height
Rocky roads, rough conditions and rolling landscapes require ground clearance. A lift kit adds additional height to a truck or Jeep to keep the undercarriage of the vehicle from scraping the ground when you’re driving off the road.
Lift kits come with a number of parts, including shocks, leaf springs, coil springs, control arms and other components. Choosing the right lift kit gives your truck the right amount of clearance for tough trails. Kits can boost a vehicle’s height from an inch up to 10 inches, depending on the model.
A lift kit also gives the truck the height that’s needed to accommodate larger allterrain wheels. If you’ll be driving over rocks or heading up mountains, a lift kit with larger wheels can help absorb shock and prevent getting stuck.
Leveling Kits Even Things Out
Many pickup trucks are slightly taller in the back of the vehicle. That’s because pickup trucks are intended to haul heavy items in the truck bed. The taller rear allows for extra weight to sink both ends of the truck to a level height.
If you’re not adding much weight to a truck by filling up the bed, things will look a little off-center, as the front of the truck sits below the back. That’s where leveling kits come in. Installed on the front end of the truck, a leveling kit will make up the few inches of difference in height.
The little bit of additional height a leveling kit provides can also allow for slightly larger tires, making it possible to choose tires with more traction for driving in mud or snow. For vehicles with a towing winch attached to the front end, a leveling kit can make up for the height lost by the extra weight from the winch setup.
Leveling kits have fewer parts. Because of that, they tend to come at a lower price and are more straightforward to install than lift kits.
Lift Kit vs. Leveling Kit
So, which kit is the right choice for you? It depends on where you’ll be driving. For those who like to head out into mountainous terrain, a lift kit keeps your truck off the ground, away from dirt and obstacles that could cause damage. For those looking to even out a height difference between the front and back of a truck, a leveling kit makes up the difference.
Seek out a trusted truck parts vendor to find a wide selection of off-road essentials like all terrain wheels, lift kits and leveling kits.
