Perfect Gifts for Car Enthusiasts

Budget Boost Options for Your New Truck

22 November 2016 by Ben Fuller

Buying that first-stock, four-wheel-drive truck can be like opening up a lot of potential opportunities. Whether you're just looking for cosmetic improvement or actually want to increase your ground clearance and take your truck out on the trail, you'll find a wide variety of options for lifting the suspension. If you're on a budget, you might think that suspension lifts are out of the question. The good news is that there are many options to give your truck a little bit of height without breaking the bank. Here are a few popular budget-boost options you can consider.

Torsion Keys

If your truck was built with a torsion-bar suspension, you can often get an inch or two of extra height by investing in new torsion keys. Torsion keys are installed to maintain the torsion bars at the stock ride height. If you replace those stock keys with aftermarket ones designed to boost the suspension, you'll usually get enough space to add a tire that's an inch taller than the factory size. Don't try to adjust the factory keys, though, because that will put unnecessary load on the suspension. Aftermarket torsion keys are crafted to maintain the preload, preserve the shock's range of travel, and keep the suspension ride smooth.

Body Leveling

If your four-wheel-drive is a pickup, you might want to consider investing in a body-leveling kit. Most pickup trucks actually feature a body that sits slightly higher at the truck bed than in the front. This is partially due to the added weight in the front of the truck. If you park your truck on level ground and step back, chances are good that the truck looks like it's on a downward angle toward the engine. If so, a leveling kit will help.

The most affordable leveling kits come with body spacers to simply raise the body a bit in the front to balance it out. Sometimes, however, you can find leveling kits crafted with coil-spring spacers or strut extensions. If your truck has a leaf-spring suspension in the front, you'll want to look for a leveling kit that features lengthened U-bolts and blocks.

When you add a leveling kit, you can typically gain enough space to add a tire that's an inch or two larger than the stock one, depending on how much height you get. Most leveling kits are easy to install on your own as well, but if you're dealing with a coil-spring suspension, you'll need a spring compressor.

Body Lifting

For trucks that don't have independent front suspension or coil-over suspensions, a body lift is a great way to add a couple of inches of height for larger tires. This won't gain you a whole lot in the way of ground clearance because you'll only lift your ride height by the amount of the tire-size increase, but body lifting can make a marked difference in the stance of the truck. Body lifts are typically among the most affordable lifts out there, and they're easy to install. You just place the spacers on the body mounts and replace the mounting hardware with the longer bolts provided with the kit.

No matter which type of budget boost you choose, there are options available for everyone. Talk with a local mechanic such as Godfrey Brake Service & Supply today about which option would be the best for what you're trying to accomplish. You'll need to consider both your ultimate goal as well as the structure of your truck. With the help of your mechanic and some installation support, you can give your truck the look or functionality that you hope for without stressing your accessory budget.

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