# Leveling kit/floor liner



## goosefreak

I figured I'd get on here for some recommendations in regards of a truck I bought recently. What i got is a 2016 Chevy Silverado crew cab 1500 and I'm going to put a leveling kit and wheels and tires on it. My cousin works at discount tire so I have that area covered but, I'm looking for a few places who do leveling kits. Any recommendations? 
Also, I want to put in some nice custom rubber floor liners. I don't know where to look, can someone point me in the right direction?
Thank you!


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## sawsman

SLV GMC Dealership did mine.

Heads up, you'll most likely need to adjust your headlights after. I was shining too high after getting mine done..

.


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## Packout

Good question-- I'd like to put a leveling kit on my 2014 GMC, but worry about losing mpg. 

Saws- did you put on your leveling kit after owning it for a while to notice a change in MPG?


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## DallanC

Packout said:


> Good question-- I'd like to put a leveling kit on my 2014 GMC, but worry about losing mpg.
> 
> Saws- did you put on your leveling kit after owning it for a while to notice a change in MPG?


Leveling kit is usually air bags installed between the axle and truck frame that inflate to raise the rear of a loaded truck w/ trailer. When running empty the bags are at minimum air pressure... so when empty there should be no difference in MPG. When towing, you are just trying to restore the ride height more out of safety than anything else, but its lifting it back to the mfgs ride height so I dont think that would matter either.

Goosenecks work well with bags... if its bumper tow, equalizer hitches work fine. Dont try to level a load in the bed only... you cant try to overcome the truck weight limits with the load firmly on the bags.

-DallanC


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## DallanC

sawsman said:


> SLV GMC Dealership did mine.
> 
> Heads up, you'll most likely need to adjust your headlights after. I was shining too high after getting mine done..
> 
> .


Woah wait, you are using a leveling kit on the front??? On a GMC? There's just 2 bolts that adjust the torsion bars... take you all of 10 minutes to reset the front ride height (unless the truck has been wrecked and something dimensionally got bent or changed in the frame, at most, a truck should only need an inch or maybe two to level from the factory. We aren't talking trying to do a poor mans lift kit or something. Turn or two per torsion bar adjustment bolt should be GTG.

Most leveling kits are for the rear of a vehicle, when you load it up with a trailer and make the truck squat.

-DallanC


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## sawsman

Packout said:


> Good question-- I'd like to put a leveling kit on my 2014 GMC, but worry about losing mpg.
> 
> Saws- did you put on your leveling kit after owning it for a while to notice a change in MPG?


Had it installed right off the bat, so no way to tell. Seriously doubt it will noticeably affect the MPG. I would have preferred a bit more lift, but it would have required some wire harness mod's etc.

I'm happy with it as is.


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## goosefreak

So, that's a no on shop reccomedations?


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## Critter

Are you doing a "leveling kit" or a "lift kit" two different things.

As was mentioned a leveling kit can be something as simple as a set of air bags that you fill with a compressor and is used mostly if you are hauling a heavy load in the bed of the truck. Lift kits on the other hand raise the whole truck from the axles up. With a leveling kit you shouldn't have to do anything with the headlights since you are staying at the stock height. But a lift kit you will be shooting your headlights right into the back window of the vehicle in front of you.

As for floor mats check out WeatherTech. They are a little bit costly but are nice.


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## goosefreak

I'm doing a leveling kit. I don't want airbags. Had them on my last truck and I had nothing but problems with them. My brother put a leveling kit on his 2014. He said it was a set of spacers for the front and back and the kit came with new bolts. He did it at in my uncles shop in AZ.


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## sawsman

All I know is the dealer "squared my truck up". Paperwork says "leveling kit" and that's what they told me. They said this was the max I could go without installing a true "lift kit" and then having to extend harnesses and stuff. Got the biggest tire I could without rubbing or the need to trim. Had to adjust my headlights because I was hitting everyone square in the eyes. I have a 2015 GMC 1500 Sierra.

Gee wiz… now I need to go out and crawl under the truck and see what's going on! :grin:

Don't have a shop recommendation nor a suggestion on mats. Good luck.

.


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## goosefreak

Critter said:


> Are you doing a "leveling kit" or a "lift kit" two different things.
> 
> As was mentioned a leveling kit can be something as simple as a set of air bags that you fill with a compressor and is used mostly if you are hauling a heavy load in the bed of the truck. Lift kits on the other hand raise the whole truck from the axles up. With a leveling kit you shouldn't have to do anything with the headlights since you are staying at the stock height. But a lift kit you will be shooting your headlights right into the back window of the vehicle in front of you.
> 
> As for floor mats check out WeatherTech. They are a little bit costly but are nice.


Yeah, I looked a little bit at those. They look nick


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## Packout

Goose- my friend had his done at Big O in South Jordan and recommended them to me. So there is a 2nd hand recommendation. Sorry I don't have firsthand, small shop advice on this, but look forward to hearing others' advice. 

Dallan-- what I am talking about has nothing to do with the rear-end of the truck, just raising the front end a couple inches "leveling" the truck. Many people and shops call them leveling kits. Even the parts are called "leveling" kits. Lots of interchangeable terms I guess.


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## goosefreak

Packout said:


> Goose- my friend had his done at Big O in South Jordan and recommended them to me. So there is a 2nd hand recommendation. Sorry I don't have firsthand, small shop advice on this, but look forward to hearing others' advice.
> 
> Dallan-- what I am talking about has nothing to do with the rear-end of the truck, just raising the front end a couple inches "leveling" the truck. Many people and shops call them leveling kits. Even the parts are called "leveling" kits. Lots of interchangeable terms I guess.


Thanks! I'll make a call to them and find out some pricing


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## CPAjeff

I have no experience on the leveling/squaring/lift kit, but I highly recommend the weathertech floor mats. My wife has them in her 2015 GMC Acadia and with two small children, they have sure kept everything nice and clean!


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## jeff70

Les schwab put the leveling kit on my F250, did a great job


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## DallanC

Packout said:


> Dallan-- what I am talking about has nothing to do with the rear-end of the truck, just raising the front end a couple inches "leveling" the truck. Many people and shops call them leveling kits. Even the parts are called "leveling" kits. Lots of interchangeable terms I guess.


GMC's are designed to sit a little low in the nose when unloaded. As you apply weight to the rear and it compresses the rear springs, it "flattens" out the more curved ones until they impact the heavier load carrying ones. This maintains both a nice ride when unloaded yet still have the capability to pack a load when desired.

But back to the original question, there is a torsion adjustment bolt on each side you can just turn to raise up the front of the truck a bit. Don't go overboard with it as it will throw the suspension geometry out of wack quickly (hence with a lift kit, it relocates all of the a-arm mounting points to get back to the proper camber / castor), but you can raise it up an inch or 1.5" without much difficulty for free.

I've messed with my front end ride height a little in my GMC, but if I raise it up to look level when unloaded it gets worse when loaded (making it nose up / squat in the rear).

I just stick with normal factory adjustment so when loaded, my rear sits level with the front end.

-DallanC


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## TPrawitt91

Sawsman, how much did the dealer charge of you don't mind me asking?


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## sawsman

TPrawitt91 said:


> Sawsman, how much did the dealer charge of you don't mind me asking?


I dont recall for sure, but think it was around $300 to $400 for the kit, alignment and install. It was part of everything else I had done when I bought the truck so the exact cost I don't remember.


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## RandomElk16

Never heard air bags called a leveling kit. The front of most trucks sit about 2" lower than the rear, so when you have a load the rear sags and truck sits level. 

There are a number of ways to level the front end, most common is a spacer puck. Should be no more than $500 installed but hopefully less. Les Schuab, or most anyway, can do it and are pretty solid. Same with Big O. 

For mats, I have always loved the fitted weather tech. Had a few sets and they do dang good. 

Congrats on the truck. Leveled half tons look clean!


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## goosefreak

RandomElk16 said:


> Never heard air bags called a leveling kit. The front of most trucks sit about 2" lower than the rear, so when you have a load the rear sags and truck sits level.
> 
> There are a number of ways to level the front end, most common is a spacer puck. Should be no more than $500 installed but hopefully less. Les Schuab, or most anyway, can do it and are pretty solid. Same with Big O.
> 
> For mats, I have always loved the fitted weather tech. Had a few sets and they do dang good.
> 
> Congrats on the truck. Leveled half tons look clean!


Awesome, now I have some locations to call! My Red 2001 chevy was costing me A LOT of money. I was hoping to wait until after hunting season to get into a new truck but, things changed real quick. At some point I need to take my wallet and burry it in the back yard and pour a pad of concrete over the top of it! sheesh.

so this is what I'm leveling! I'm doing a spray in bed liner next week and the leveling kit after that. I'm still deciding on wheels and tires but, I'll probably do a custom matte black wheel with a 285 cooper discovery tire.

I'v decided to go with the weather tech matt, I'v been looking at them and I really like the design


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## BigT

I would double check to make sure that nothing jeopardizes your factory warranty. I recently put one of the new truck I purchased in June and had to go through a specific place to put it on so it fit into the specifics of the warranty. In this case, I had the dealer (Performance) just take care of it because it was reasonable anyways. 

As far as mpg's, I haven't really noticed much of a difference in my mileage towing or just driving. Good luck!


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## Critter

If you are just doing a leveling kit then there really shouldn't be any difference in the gas mileage of the truck. The gas mileage drops when you jack up the whole truck where you really change the air dynamics.


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## bekins24

I have a friend with that exact truck who just put a leveling kit on his truck just a couple months ago. He said he noticed a slight decrease in mpg but not too much. He got his done at Les Schwab and he said they had the best prices he found.


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## goosefreak

bekins24 said:


> I have a friend with that exact truck who just put a leveling kit on his truck just a couple months ago. He said he noticed a slight decrease in mpg but not too much. He got his done at Les Schwab and he said they had the best prices he found.


 What did he end up doing to his truck? 2 inches in the front and 1 inch in the back? What did he decide to do. What kind of tires is he running?


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## Huge29

BigT said:


> I would double check to make sure that nothing jeopardizes your factory warranty. I recently put one of the new truck I purchased in June and had to go through a specific place to put it on so it fit into the specifics of the warranty. In this case, I had the dealer (Performance) just take care of it because it was reasonable anyways.
> 
> As far as mpg's, I haven't really noticed much of a difference in my mileage towing or just driving. Good luck!


Read a good article recently where it shows how these threats of disclosures by manufacturers is actually totally illegal and has been for nearly 40 years. Magnuson-Moss Warranty ACt co sponsored by our utah senator moss makes such things illegal, but theyll never tell you that. Just like all of the electronics that say warranty void if seal is broken, implying that you must send off your electronic to be fixed at the original factory. Anywho, lots of companies will not comply with this law, so something to be aware of.....

Jared is the owner of Big O 7th East and 89th South great guy I woudl talk to. Never heard of airbags referred to as leveling kits, always been the spacers others have mentioned.

Weather tech are good, but ridiculously expensive. Id look into our own local manufacturer right there on 9th south in Salt Lake, not just imported, but fabricated right here by Wade Automotive, here is their site http://www.autopartsguy.com/sure-fit-floor-mats.html $160 for front and back of my truck. Another option would be some from the dealer, mine came with some that I like a lot.


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## bekins24

Goosefreak. I believe he did the 2 inches on front and 1 inch on back. He said he basically maxed out what the leveling kit would allow him to do. I don't remember the tires that he put on them but he got some new XD rims and I think probably the biggest tires he could manage on them.


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## RandomElk16

bekins24 said:


> Goosefreak. I believe he did the 2 inches on front and 1 inch on back. He said he basically maxed out what the leveling kit would allow him to do. I don't remember the tires that he put on them but he got some new XD rims and I think probably the biggest tires he could manage on them.


On Chevy you do a rear lift also?

Only truck I have had to do that on was my tundra. Had a 2/1 option and a 3/1 option. The 3/1 is what I did and it actually made it level.

All my "American Trucks" have just needed a 2" on the front. Then I add another 4" to 8"


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## bekins24

I honestly am not sure. It might be just the bigger tires but the rear looked like it had been bumped up a little bit. Made his truck look a lot better.


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## Hoopermat

Dallon is correct most Chevy levelimg kits are just torsion bar adjustment. The BIG problem with this is I creates a high angle on the front cv joints and they will have a shorter life. 
It can be done in your driveway. 
Also a trick is on a 1/2 ton 1500 put 3/4 torsion bars. They seem to ride a little better because they are not wound up so tight.

Floor liners. Weather tech are hard to beat. I have them in all my work and personal vehicles


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## goosefreak

thanks guys! I ordered some weather techs 1 piece for the front and the back.

I called the dealer today and they said I wont void a warranty as long as I install a speed sensor calibrater. They want $1200 for the front leveling kit and the sensor!!

I called Big O, les schwab, master muffler etc. NONE of them had much to say about the rear spacer. 
What I want to do is the leveling kit for the better look and bigger tires. I still want a slight slope from back to front. thats why i want to do a 2 inch kit in the front and a 1 inch spacer in the back, but no body has much to say about that. 

what is it called? what I'm trying to accomplish, how can I explain it better to the people I talk to? say, " a inch kit in the front and a 1" spacer in the back"?

my brother ordered a kit on line. he did a 2 inch in the front and a 1 inch in the back. a few other people have mentioned to do a 2 inch in the front and 1 inch in the back, so thats what I'm trying to do but all these shops I call dang near go silent when I tell them what I want.

do I need to explain it a different way? ALL I want is a leveling kit, 2 inches in the front, and 1 inch in the back. and custom 17" wheels and 285 AT tires


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## goosefreak

So I'm thinking I'll have the dealer put in the sensor, then I'll go find a better deal for my kit! $700, yeah right


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## Hoopermat

The sensor is only required to correct the speedometer with the larger tires. 
In the past you could change this in the computer. But Now days you cannot. 
I tried to govern my work trucks to 75mph and was denied


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## DallanC

You want a Lift Kit. Thats the only way to safely increase the right height while maintaining the correct steering geometry (camber / caster). This is done by relocating / replacing a-arms and other steering components. As stated by others, you are going to get increased wear on ujoints and CVJoints.

Years back in Highschool I had a lifted shortbed truck, I'd chew up ujoints sometimes within a month if I has really off roading hard. Lost a joint one night an hour from home, had to yank the entire drive shaft and drive home with just the front, locked in FWD

-DallanC


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## RandomElk16

The rear of trucks have a factory block and Springs sitting on it. The two ways to lift the rear are: 1. Put a bigger block in. 2. Add a leaf to your springs. Oh and 3. Airbags.

The add a leaf will make your ride stiff and add 2 plus inches. The bags can be inflated and almost deflated but you don't need them if you arent gonna pull a lot and often. 

It is far from you, but call All-Pro in Ogden and see what they say. Had to replace the block and do an add a leaf on my old f350 and it was less than $200.

The warranty thing is bull. Dealers sell trucks with big tires and no sensor all the time. It is a Chevy so you probably will have to do a front end eventually anyways lol


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## Critter

The deal with lifted trucks from the dealer is that the dealer that sold you the truck will warranty the truck, good luck getting a different dealer to warranty it.

Anymore the manufactures are looking for any way that they can to void a warranty on a vehicle.....less cost to them.


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## KineKilla

A well designed leveling kit is not going to cause you to chew through u-joints or ball joints any faster than normal. Many shops around the state can install a leveling kit easily...anyone from Jack-It to Les Schwab can put the coil spring spacers in the front to level the truck out.

http://www.tuffcountry.com/leveling-kits/chevy/

The "Rake" (rear higher than the front) that trucks come with is so they sit level when towing. Once you level it out, the pre-set rake is gone so your truck will look to be squatted whenever you haul a load. If you lift both the front and rear, you are installing a LIFT kit...the truck may come out level if you raise them in different amounts but you have still lifted the entire chassis. If you only raise the front to actually get it "Level" then you have a true leveling kit in place.

These won't give you any noticeable ground clearance but will allow you to run oversize tires (to an extent) without rubbing when you turn.

If you have the dealer install it, they typically warranty it against damages so that is a definite benefit...however, they also have to prove that the leveling and bigger tires were the direct cause of the failure in order to deny you warranty work, so consider that as well. I'd say bring the front up so it's even with the rear, forget about the rake and have it aligned afterwards, you'll be in good shape. If you crank up the torsion bars to accomplish this, you will increase the tension on those bars and can negatively affect ride quality.

As for the MPG, I'd guess you won't see much difference from the changed aerodynamics but stuffing bigger (heavier) tires on it will have a negative affect. IF they can properly calibrate your speedometer for the tire size then that helps but Ford cannot adjust mine and the only way to get it done is to buy an aftermarket programmer.

As for mats, I have Weathertec liners in my F150 and they are absolutely perfect but are also expensive. I put a set of Rugged Ridge liners in the wife's Jeep and the fitment is also quite good and the quality is acceptable. Hers were significantly cheaper than mine.

** All this talk about trucks makes me want to see the forum member's rigs! Where's the pics at?**


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## Packout

I just had a leveling kit put on my 2014 Sierra. I got a quote from Les Schwab and BigO and the dealership- AutoFarm in AmFork. The dealership was within $10 of both so I decided to have it done there. Looks good and they were great to deal with. 

.


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## goosefreak

Thanks for everyone opinions and comments! I had Burt Bros do my lift kit. The dealer wanted $750 for the kit and that was just for the front. They also said it wouldn't void warranty either. Burt Bros was just over $500.
I did a 2" in front and a 1" in the back. These trucks come with a factory 1" in the back so with the new one its actually a 2" block. The truck still has a slight rake, which is what I wanted also. So thats what I did. 2 and 1 with 17" wheels and cooper AT3's 275/70/R17 tires. had it all done a few weeks ago. Now i need to get it in for a bed liner. I'm going with lineX if I can find some time to take it in. 

NOW, I need to start thinking about a bed cover. Roll out or tri fold?

Oh, I went with the 1 piece weather tech floor mats for the front and the back


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## Packout

Looks great. I wish I had 17" wheels, the 20"s have less choices for tires. The 2" front level kit from my dealer, AutoFarm, was $380, including the alignment-- in case others are thinking about it.

.


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## bekins24

goosefreak said:


> NOW, I need to start thinking about a bed cover. Roll out or tri fold?


I don't know a ton about the roll out ones, the only one I have seen on a truck lost about 6 inches of space at the front of the bed to house the mechanism for rolling it up and unrolling it. If that is the case I would go with tri fold so you can maximize the usage of your bed.


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