What is a Leveling Kit?

Have you ever noticed that the front of your vehicle sits a little bit lower than the rear of your vehicle? It’s a subtle difference that’s a purposeful feature manufacturers often put on trucks and SUVs. The reason for the imbalance, known as “rake,” is based on the idea that when you add a heavy load into your truck bed or the trunk of your vehicle, it may cause sagging, or even cause you to bottom out, which can prematurely wear out your suspension parts. By lifting the rear of your vehicle, the distance between the rear axle and the frame is increased, reducing sag and thus preventing potential damage to your suspension from extra stress caused by bottoming out.

While it’s a practical feature, it’s not a necessary one to have on your vehicle, and that’s where a leveling kit comes in. Like the name suggests, these kits are different from a lift kit in that a leveling kit only lifts the front of the vehicle rather than the entire body. Adding a leveling kit will reduce or eliminate the rake and even allow you to fit larger tires. You’ll also get an added bonus of more ground clearance, and because it will only impact the front of your vehicle, your payload capacity will remain the same. The overall result is a subtle change that will make your vehicle look more aggressive and stand a little taller, but without requiring you to replace numerous parts.