Will a 2" Leveling Kit affect towing?

[tlowery33]

I have a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 V8 5.3L. I am looking into putting a zone offroad 2" leveling kit on it but i am worried it may affect the towing performance. I dont pull a boat that often but usually a few times a year for different trips and tournaments. It is a 1997 Champion bass boat so it isn't anything crazy heavy, i just get worried with a leveling kit that the nose of the truck will look higher than the back when pulling the boat. I also feel like if that is the case, it will affect the performance and handling as well. I am no pro here so I am hoping someone can help me out! 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Ted 

[Logan Lanfear]

If you tow say, twice a year, dont worry.  It may squat a bit but that depends more on your trailer.  I would say it weighs less than a couple thousand pounds.  The way the truck handles depends more on the brand and quality of the kit you get.  

[Blue2500CC]

With a leveling kit, the front of your truck will be pointed somewhat to the sky when towing, or hauling a fair amount of weight in the bed. That is one downside to a leveling kit.

 

As for handling, the ever so slightly higher center of gravity could be an issue depending on driving habits. Not like a 4” or 6” lift would, but just something to keep in mind.

 

Performance wise, it depends on if you install larger tires or not. Larger tires will decrease the overall gear ratio, decreasing acceleration some. The bigger the tire, the less performance. On my ‘10 1500, i went from the stock P 265/65/18 to a set of LT 275/65/18’s and to the seat of the pants feel, didn’t notice any change. But that wasn’t much of a change at all, but lost a little mileage between the slightly larger tire, and being a heavier LT C also.

 

I guess the big question would be the terrain you tow in, and just how much change you’re willing to live with.

[TRG]

Couldn't you also just put a 1/2" or even a 1/4" block in the back to raise the rear slightly?  You'd be close to level and would have less of a worry about trailering nose up...

[BigBadSierra]

I have no issues.  I'm able to get the front end back down with the  weight distribution hit once the trailer is hooked up.

 

With out any type of weight distribution the nose will be up more than you will like.

[Donstar]

On 3/15/2018 at 2:15 PM, tlowery33 said:

I have a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 V8 5.3L. I am looking into putting a zone offroad 2" leveling kit on it but i am worried it may affect the towing performance. I dont pull a boat that often but usually a few times a year for different trips and tournaments. It is a 1997 Champion bass boat so it isn't anything crazy heavy, i just get worried with a leveling kit that the nose of the truck will look higher than the back when pulling the boat. I also feel like if that is the case, it will affect the performance and handling as well. I am no pro here so I am hoping someone can help me out! 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Ted 

Go with a 1.5" level or levelling shocks like Bilstien's.  These will give you the improved "leveled" look you are after and leave you a little more rake to absorb a load.

[tlowery33]

Thanks, would you be able to provide a link for the shocks you are talking about? 

[michigan2500hd]

Go with a 1.5" level or levelling shocks like Bilstien's.  These will give you the improved "leveled" look you are after and leave you a little more rake to absorb a load.

This is a good option although pricier. The Bilsteins will ride stiffer but you will lose the bobblehead effect of the stock front shocks. I have them on my truck along with a 3" block for the rear that replaced the stock 1- 1/4" block. You could use a 2" block so you'll be able to use your stock rear shocks and not have to buy new ones or shock extensions. That's the route I would go if I did it again.
I tow heavy at times so I thought 3" would be better.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[michigan2500hd]

Double post

[Tdotsfinest]

I installed a 2.25” levelling kit on the front and 3” rear blocks to lift the back 1.75” last weekend.  Haven’t had any issues with towing my enclosed trailer yet, as long as there’s some rake left on your truck and the tongue weight is kept in check you should be fine. Airbags would probably help if you want to keep the truck level instead of having rake when unloaded. 

[Donstar]

36 minutes ago, tlowery33 said:

Thanks, would you be able to provide a link for the shocks you are talking about? 

There is a considerably large thread on this particular topic and several leveling topics as well.  There are other brands of shocks that will raise the front of your truck.  The most cost effective option is a bottom of the shock spacer.  Look up MotoFab on ebay and you'll find all that you need for <$40.   Installation and a required wheel alignment are extra!   

 

[aseibel]

On 3/15/2018 at 4:15 PM, tlowery33 said:

I have a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 V8 5.3L. I am looking into putting a zone offroad 2" leveling kit on it but i am worried it may affect the towing performance. It is a 1997 Champion bass boat, i just get worried with a leveling kit that the nose of the truck will look higher than the back when pulling the boat. I also feel like if that is the case, it will affect the performance and handling as well.

Your truck will tow the bass boat without flinching- with or without a leveling kit. The biggest thing you will notice as you identified is the now nose-high stance when you put any weight on the hitch. That's why I don't have any interest in doing this myself. But if you like the way it looks when not towing, then you can live with your couple trips to the lake every year.

 

The biggest thing I would like to remind you- make sure you re-aim your headlights after installing a lift kit. don't be that guy who drives around with his low beams on and can't figure out why he's getting flashed. For drivers who's eyes & mirrors are below the cut-off line, low beam headlights are equivalent to the high beams.

[tlowery33]

On 3/16/2018 at 6:42 PM, Blue2500CC said:

With a leveling kit, the front of your truck will be pointed somewhat to the sky when towing, or hauling a fair amount of weight in the bed. That is one downside to a leveling kit.

 

As for handling, the ever so slightly higher center of gravity could be an issue depending on driving habits. Not like a 4” or 6” lift would, but just something to keep in mind.

 

Performance wise, it depends on if you install larger tires or not. Larger tires will decrease the overall gear ratio, decreasing acceleration some. The bigger the tire, the less performance. On my ‘10 1500, i went from the stock P 265/65/18 to a set of LT 275/65/18’s and to the seat of the pants feel, didn’t notice any change. But that wasn’t much of a change at all, but lost a little mileage between the slightly larger tire, and being a heavier LT C also.

 

I guess the big question would be the terrain you tow in, and just how much change you’re willing to live with.

I mostly tow in the summer and only a couple times a year. The boat is probably around 3,000 lbs. Other than that, the only tow i would do in the future is an enclosed trailer with a four wheeler but i would guess that is lighter than the boat but the terrain would be various times throughout the year. When you made that slight tire change, did you change you spare too? That is something i was thinking about doing as well but I dont want to have to buy another spare, but i also dont want to ruin anything else in the truck if i were to need to use the spare (since it will be slightly smaller than the other tires). 

[Blue2500CC]

On 3/21/2018 at 3:40 PM, tlowery33 said:

I mostly tow in the summer and only a couple times a year. The boat is probably around 3,000 lbs. Other than that, the only tow i would do in the future is an enclosed trailer with a four wheeler but i would guess that is lighter than the boat but the terrain would be various times throughout the year. When you made that slight tire change, did you change you spare too? That is something i was thinking about doing as well but I dont want to have to buy another spare, but i also dont want to ruin anything else in the truck if i were to need to use the spare (since it will be slightly smaller than the other tires). 

 

I did not buy a new spare that was the same size as the new tires.

 

Luckily I never had an issue that the spare was needed, but it could cause a problem. Probably the best thing to do would be to put the stock size spare on the front, and make sure the rear tires are the same size IF you have a locking rear end. I don’t believe this would cause an issue unless you ran in 4wd, but otherwise may have more knowledge of this than I do. 

[silveradosid]

1.5 lift and lower your headlights, i pull a 20 foot lund pro bass boat  just about every weekend in the summer and have no problems