Leveling kits.

[MaxinRelaxin]

So it seems like the ReadyLift leveling kit is the GO TO leveling kit. But does anyone know if the cheaper ones are any good? Amazon has the ReadyLift kit for $260. Anyone know of cheaper ones? Wanted a 2”rear and 3”front.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

I had ordered a 3.5/2.5, but after reading here, seeing a few people post that the brake hoses would be too tight I canceled that order and went with the readylift 3/2 inch setup.

The other kit I ordered and canceled was a lot cheaper. Cheap shit...is cheap shit. Beware.

 

[HushAnAlibi]

I want to add a leveling kit to my 2000 xlt so are you saying the ready lift 3"-2" is the way to go for a more aggressive look ?

 

[Vancouver Bob]

So it seems like the ReadyLift leveling kit is the GO TO leveling kit. But does anyone know if the cheaper ones are any good? Amazon has the ReadyLift kit for $260. Anyone know of cheaper ones? Wanted a 2”rear and 3”front.

I got my 3.5/2.5 off of eBay. I think I paid $100 for them. Had them on for almost 4 years now with no issue.

 

[07navi]

I got my 3.5/2.5 off of eBay. I think I paid $100 for them. Had them on for almost 4 years now with no issue.

That sounds more like it. It pays to shop around.

 

[Kjhawkeye1]

I went with just a 2.5/1.5 kit off ebay and the hardware was heavy duty and we'll made. No issues after a year. Paid $95 total.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

I want to add a leveling kit to my 2000 xlt so are you saying the ready lift 3"-2" is the way to go for a more aggressive look ?

Any leveling kit for our years of expeditions all do the same thing, mechanically. It boils down to what brand and what amount of "lift" you want. I went with readylift as I felt that 3.5/2.5 was a tad much. There are cheaper kits and some that are more, do your diligence, look at pics if nothing else, check weld points, etc.

These spacers do become a weight bearing structural element of your suspension once installed. I suppose one could nitpick this to death, what if the guy fabbing them was in a hurry and didn't get a good bead, etc...

Likely not gonna happen, but I would at least look at the welds in the pics of the products sold before buying. I was checking some out a few days ago for my explorer, some of those looked like some middle schoolers got dad's stick welder out and made. Blindfolded.

Your mileage may vary..

 

[HushAnAlibi]

Thank you for the great advice. I think the 3"-2" kit is right for me as I dont off road mine but it looks so off tilt. Thanks again

 

[longbeachjw]

new to expeditions and am finding that most people have a front and rear spacer preference
i want to do just a 2in front spacer
but can't find any
seems most people don't do it.

 

[arbetrader]

Does anyone know if you can use the exact same 2" spacers in the front as in the back? I want the back to be higher than the front as I will be having weight in there quite often.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

Does anyone know if you can use the exact same 2" spacers in the front as in the back? I want the back to be higher than the front as I will be having weight in there quite often.

No, fronts and rears are different. You CAN buy either end separately, try amazon.

And if you're going to put more weight in back, a lift spacer won't really do what you want it to. Sure, it'll raise the rear, but the gain there is more cosmetic than mechanical....ie; when loaded, the rear susp. will still be compressed and while the static ride height will still be "alright" in terms of appearance, it's a band-aid...

You'd be better off putting in some heavier duty coils. Now, is there such a thing? Beats the hell out of me.

My point is...unloaded, your truck will sit ass high....don't know about you, but these things look goofy....with that '70s muscle car street machine look

To each their own, though.

 

[arbetrader]

Mine looks pretty level already. Not sure why. The previous owner told me he put in new shocks, but didn't specify front or back, but they all don't look that old. There are no spacers at all, but the back/front sits fairly level. I'd love a bit stiffer coil in the back to help for weight loading etc

 

[Mikezr]

I tried to use 3 inch in the front but upper control arms become an issue. I cut them down and went with 2 inch and that's about the max and still maintain suspension travel and no concerns with the control arm getting caught in the strut. Backs are identical to the fronts as far as size and bolt holes go.

 

[Mark Buckner]

I tried to use 3 inch in the front but upper control arms become an issue. I cut them down and went with 2 inch and that's about the max and still maintain suspension travel and no concerns with the control arm getting caught in the strut. Backs are identical to the fronts as far as size and bolt holes go.

Mike Ross - could you elaborate a bit about the problems you encountered with the 3” front lift ? I put the 3/2 Ready-Lift on my 2012 so I’d like to know what to look out for. Thanks!!


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[Mikezr]

The control arms were touching the springs when I had it jacked up. They would've cleared a bit better once I let it down but if I were to hit a few good bumps I'm not sure what would've happened. From what I can tell that yes it would give you the height for the looks but you would lose any decent suspension travel and wasnt worth the trade off. I now have ones I made myself and their just over 2in if I remember correctly their 2 1/4 in with 35s and it's perfect. Looks good kept my suspension and still need a milk crate to stand on to check the oil

 

[Mark Buckner]

The control arms were touching the springs when I had it jacked up. They would've cleared a bit better once I let it down but if I were to hit a few good bumps I'm not sure what would've happened. From what I can tell that yes it would give you the height for the looks but you would lose any decent suspension travel and wasnt worth the trade off. I now have ones I made myself and their just over 2in if I remember correctly their 2 1/4 in with 35s and it's perfect. Looks good kept my suspension and still need a milk crate to stand on to check the oil

Thank you sir! I had to replace both control arms a few months back but that was because the kids at Valvoline were not greasing the ball joints. Valvoline did step up and pay for the repairs after a bit of wrangling. Ultimately good customer service once I got to the right guy. I don’t think the ReadyLift kit is supposed to cause problems. I talked to them before purchasing and they said it was fine with OEM suspension components. Time will tell. Thanks for the information, Mike.


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