Anybody running level kits??

gSwift · March 10, 2021

On 3/7/2021 at 5:06 PM, Alpha7 said:

Don’t bother with leaving kit.

every shop I went to said that everyone that put a leveling kit on there 2500 hates it to either leave it as is and just put bigger tires if you want that can fit or put an actual suspension lift kit. One of the shops straight up just said they wouldn’t even do leveling kit on 2500s that it was just a waste of time and money.

This is 100% false! The shops that say " oh i'd never run a leveling kit" most likely only deal with people that want to spend $300-$500 on a kit and then expect it to ride the same or better. I was that guy a few years ago. I had a 2" leveling kit on my last truck that cost like $150 bucks and it rode like garbage.

But, I can tell you that my Cognito set up rides like a freakin dream and i'd put the ride quality of this kit up against any "proper" lift kit on the market. After my leveling kit nightmare, I spent 5k on my last truck suspension and it had Fox coilovers with the external resi's and that kit rode way better than the leveling kit, but it rode like a log wagon compared to the leveling kit on my 2500.

There's a reason why a Cognito leveling kit runs north of 2k with the Fox upgrade vs all the other's, and its because of the amount of R&D they put into their kits. You get what you pay for. If someone is cheap enough to skimp on the suspension of their 60-80k truck, then they will get exactly what they deserve when it comes to the ride quality.

Edited March 10, 2021 by gSwift

gSwift · March 10, 2021

On 3/8/2021 at 7:22 AM, CobraEatr said:

Swift, your truck is the reason why I want the Cognito premier kit. I saw it on this board last week while searching leveling kits. It looks awesome. That’s the exact look I’m going for.

Will you be running your stock wheels as well? And 37's or 35's? I had 37x12.50's but keep in mind that I had to run a 1" hubcentric spacer in order for the inside of my tires to clear my Cognito UCA's when at full lock. If you plan on aftermarket wheels then you'll want to do your research on an offset that will clear everything.

Good luck and post pics when its done.

CobraEatr · March 10, 2021

25 minutes ago, gSwift said:

Will you be running your stock wheels as well? And 37's or 35's? I had 37x12.50's but keep in mind that I had to run a 1" hubcentric spacer in order for the inside of my tires to clear my Cognito UCA's when at full lock. If you plan on aftermarket wheels then you'll want to do your research on an offset that will clear everything.

Good luck and post pics when its done.

I’m going to run stock wheels. I saw today in the “how have you modded your truck” thread that you used spacers. I was disappointed when I read that because I would prefer not to use spacers. I like the tires tucked in as much as possible. I wanted to go with 37x12.50x20 Nitto Trail or Ridge Grapplers.

If you have any more pics of your truck I would love to see them. Any and all angles. I may end up just using the spacers. How bad was the tire/UCA rub at full lock before you added the spacers?

motorsswin · March 11, 2021

Just pulled the trigger on the cognito performance level kit with method 305s and toyo MT 35/12.5/20. Getting installed next week.

gSwift · March 12, 2021

On 3/9/2021 at 9:02 PM, CobraEatr said:

I’m going to run stock wheels. I saw today in the “how have you modded your truck” thread that you used spacers. I was disappointed when I read that because I would prefer not to use spacers. I like the tires tucked in as much as possible. I wanted to go with 37x12.50x20 Nitto Trail or Ridge Grapplers.

If you have any more pics of your truck I would love to see them. Any and all angles. I may end up just using the spacers. How bad was the tire/UCA rub at full lock before you added the spacers?

It still stayed pretty tucked. Honestly I think it made the stock wheel and 37" tire combo look even better. I've always been anti spacer too, but with this one being hubcentric I didn't have a single vibration or anything. There was another user here that tried to use a cheaper spacer and it vibrated, he then swapped to the one I use and his vibrations stopped. I did have to trim about a 1/4" off my factory wheel stud, but the last 1/4" isn't threaded anyways so you're not losing any useable thread.

CobraEatr · March 12, 2021

4 hours ago, gSwift said:

It still stayed pretty tucked. Honestly I think it made the stock wheel and 37" tire combo look even better. I've always been anti spacer too, but with this one being hubcentric I didn't have a single vibration or anything. There was another user here that tried to use a cheaper spacer and it vibrated, he then swapped to the one I use and his vibrations stopped. I did have to trim about a 1/4" off my factory wheel stud, but the last 1/4" isn't threaded anyways so you're not losing any useable thread.

Wow, that looks really good. Before you added the spacer, how bad was the rubbing? Was it something you could have lived with?

gSwift · March 13, 2021

16 hours ago, CobraEatr said:

Wow, that looks really good. Before you added the spacer, how bad was the rubbing? Was it something you could have lived with?

The inside of the tire rubs the Cognito control arm at full lock real bad, the rubbing on the liner was minor and easily fixed with very little trimming. But the tire/control arm rub was so bad that the inside of the Ridgegrappler would grab the metal control arm and almost bring you to a full stop. Theres no way around running 37x12.50's on the factory offset wheels and the Cognito UCA's unless you run the spacer.

Cognito told me from the beginning that it wouldn't work but I figured i'd risk it and find a solution. If i had it all to do over again I wouldn't change a single thing. The ride quality is truly unbelievable and everyone that rode in it couldn't believe how well it rode.

gSwift · March 13, 2021

Actually, Nitto makes a 37x11.50 which actually may give you all the room you may need. I didn't know they had a 11.50 until I had already bought my 12.50's. But I still think the spacer bringing the wheel out some completed the look

CobraEatr · March 14, 2021

On 3/12/2021 at 7:11 PM, gSwift said:

Actually, Nitto makes a 37x11.50 which actually may give you all the room you may need. I didn't know they had a 11.50 until I had already bought my 12.50's. But I still think the spacer bringing the wheel out some completed the look

That’s a great idea. Thanks swift! Maybe the 1” difference in width will keep the tires from touching the UCA.

Cnelson · November 14

Hi, thanks for all the detail in this thread. I wanted to ask your opinion on shocks. I’m pulling the trigger on a congnito level kit for a 2024 2500. My question is do you think the ride is as good as factory with the Fox 2.0s or are the Elka or Fox 2.5s worth the upgrade? This is only for aesthetics. Very limited off roading. I do tow often. Thanks!

revrnd · November 16

My 2 cents on levelling kits/reindexed keys...

On my 2004 2500HD I had installed them, only to realize when I bought & towed a travel trailer (5000#) that it made the rear squat. Even though the tongue weight was 500#, I got a WD hitch to level that truck & my 2011 truck. When I got my 2017, It appeared that the WD hitch wasn't req'd. The truck didn't squat w/ the load (I still use a sway control).

Edited November 16 by revrnd

bruceb58 · November 16

Never understood why people level trucks that tow or actually use their truck as a truck. There is a rake for a reason.

I use a WDH with my 6500# trailer that has 800# of tongue weight.

Edited November 16 by bruceb58

Epsilon Plus · November 17

Shocks will do nothing to soften the ride of such a heavily sprung truck unless you are fully loaded or towing heavy. Those monster springs need to compress before the shock can dampen the compression and rebound. These trucks have payloads of 3,000+lbs. Those springs aren't easily compressed by potholes and speed bumps.

As far as a factory driving level kit, the king of kings is the ZR2 suspension swap. Pros are factory suspension geometry, fit 37s, and low cost parts. Cons are it's not for wrench novices and consists of the same amount of work as doing a full 4"+ lift kit for a mere 1.5".