As a Silverado lover or a Chevrolet truck driver, you need knowledge of Silverado leveling kit problems and methods to rectify it.
In this guide, I will help you in becoming the king of your street. Bear with me to know everything about the Silverado Leveling kit problems, how to install a leveling kit, and more!
Brakes:
When you install the lift, one of the first Silverado leveling kit problems to creep in would be the stock braking systems. The reasons could be vertical lift, more massive tires, effort, and mass rotations. This inevitably leads to overheating of the vehicle, prolonged stopping distance, and other premature unhealthy issues.
Be on the look-out for companies who offer big-brake upgrading kits. These complement the wheel with larger diameters, thicker drills, and brake pads. Then again, these will also lead to better-feel pedals, upgraded braking systems, and refrains from over-heating. You can check out Brembo, Stillen, Stainless Steel Brakes, or Baer for these renowned services.
Warranty:
Another truck leveling kit problem lies within the warranty. It’s safe to say that there’s a void in there that you may be able to fill in.
The wisest decision would be to wait out the warranty period. Usually, manufacturers are reluctant in the continuation of the warranty when the vehicle goes through significant changes as such. However, the scenario might differ if you avoid damaging the truck while installing the kit. A warranty may or may not be voided depending on the amount of wear and tear it possesses. To know if your warranty is valid or not, read through the user manual.
Driveline:
Quickly after installing the kit, the chevy leveling kit problems could turn deadlier. Essentially, your truck will absorb differentiation in terms of height, body, and frame. This shift in posture and level may cause binding, vigorous vibrations, and premature defects. Evidently, your driveshaft angles will go haywire too.
Install pinion wedges in between the axle and the spring pack to compensate for the driveshaft angles. You can achieve it by rotating the housing up. It could be tougher to accomplish through the transmission case side.
Try custom-length CV axles that perform great with lift kits, especially when dealing with greater wheel travel overstock. Lastly, blow a joint amid nowhere, especially if your vehicle is new.
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Shocks:
It matters heavily on which side you’ve installed the Silverado leveling kit. Generally, the shocks installed by the factory are less efficient with the added height. These aftermaths will present to you the nastiest performance and degraded ride quality.
The remedy to this chevy truck leveling kit problem is installing larger shocks that won’t budge or break off. Be assured that this replacement will not be as top-notch as the parts installed in the factory; thus, the ride quality might fall back a bit too.
Another step in avoiding such degrading is by refraining from lifting the vehicle too out of proportion. If you keep the height difference to a minimum, the factory-installed parts will still be resilient.
Gearing:
Chevy Silverado suspension problems will exceed by upping the size of the tires. There will be drawbacks with receiving power from the engine to the ground. Due to the installation, the gear ratio changes too. Bigger tires perform great on the highway but drastically shoot down in lower end grunts, power passing and acceleration off-the-line.
You must re-gear your vehicle in order to bring it back to the norm. It involves a few calculations, but it will lead you to the truck's demand. Divide your new tire's diameter by the old ones. Multiply it with the older axle ratio, and voila! You will end up with the new axle ratio. However, you will also need further calculations and affirmations based on towing and performance factors.
Handling:
You will notice a change in the Silverado leveling kit before and after the process, with the on-street handling. Due to the rise in the air and precocious off-road lug, the deterioration is generic but fixable.
The truck could interpret the driver's indication with a delay, may wander off on its own, or enhance bump steering. These are an unwanted inclination of irregular tires, steering geometry, or the wheels overburdening the steering systems.
Such steering abnormalities can often be cured via custom steering wheels, which must have an equal length setup. Make sure the tie rod is parallel to your axle. The track bar must be parallel to the Panhard bar. Utilize a hydraulic ram for bigger tires. In addition to these, there’s the factor of maintenance and steering stabilizers. Tailor your needs according to your driving style, and you should be good to go.
Gas Mileage:
Needless to say that, with such heavy installation, your gas mileage will be reduced immeasurably. Naturally, if you raise your car's height, it will endure more wind while traveling. Thus, more power will be needed to keep the vehicle moving forward, as resistance from the wind increases.
This issue is quite hard to toss out. As the height increases, your car’s gas mileage will inevitably decrease. There’s no way around it. Usually, people who like fast cars keep the height between their vehicle and the earth as minimal as possible. But that’s a moot point. If you want to recover your gas mileage, try to increase the height as frugally as possible.
Improper Installation:
Does a mechanic do the installation of a DIY project or? Well, if your installation is done poorly, your vehicle will be suffering for an indefinite amount of time. Rather than ‘fixing’ the post-issues, you will be consistently held back by derogatory performance.
Utilize high-quality Silverado leveling kits if you're doing this on your own. Remember – you must pay extra attention to the suspension. Your car literally depends upon these now after the height change. You could also appoint the best mechanic for the job or watch adequate YouTube videos if you’re opting on your own.
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Suspension:
Drivers often overlook if their ride penalty is shooting up. Rough ridings add up to greater fatigue during longer rides, which leads to the vehicles getting exhausted. This is due to the fluctuations in the Silverado leveling kits themselves; hence a top-notch kit is always recommended. On the other hand, standard tunings of the suspension and shocks can also lead to such mishaps, if not greater. Often drivers even opt for torsion bar twisting, which is an alternative for leveling, but doesn't pose the actual lift. Frankly, it's somewhat viable because it's faster and cheaper. But it leads to even bigger issues, and more bucks get wasted on fixing them.
The alternative to these Silverado leveling kit problems involves shock, spring technologies, coilover shocks, and reservoir shocks. You can tune them at your ease and adjust the height. You can also opt for custom leaf springs and traction bars which eradicate unwanted maneuver and helps in taming wild suspension behavior.
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Last Words:
The grass seems greener until you encounter such Silverado leveling kit problems. But wait – now you know better, right?
These minor issues are inevitable, but so are the solutions. I've tried to pinpoint the generic problems with leveling a vehicle, but there could be so much more to this. The bigger you’d want to go, the more you’d need to know.
But don’t stop there, always aim to go bigger and cooler.
James is a certified auto technician specializing in commercial vehicles. With 30 years of experience under his belt, James has encountered almost every type of automotive issue there is! Besides his day job at the repair shop, he is also an amateur race car driver.