Choosing a lift: leveling to long arm

Start with the goal

Most Ram HD owners are after one or more of these. Rank them before you shop, because they pull in different directions:

• Level stance. Get rid of the factory nose-down rake. This is the mildest change.
• Tire clearance. Make room for a bigger tire without rubbing at full lock and full compression.
• Ride and control. A better-damped ride on rough roads, often with no added height at all.
• Off-road travel. More articulation, flatter arm angles and better shocks.
• Towing and hauling. Keep the truck stable and level with a trailer or a loaded bed. See the towing and payload page.

Front options

Leveling spacers

A spacer on top of the factory coil raises the front without changing the spring. It's the cheapest way to level a truck. The drawbacks: the factory springs and shocks now work at a different point in their travel, and the bump stops should be extended by the same amount. On the radius-arm trucks (2013-on 3500, 2014-on 2500), at least one suspension builder warns that spacers put extra stress on the factory coils, and bigger-bodied aftermarket shocks may not fit alongside a spacer. A spacer also does nothing to correct axle position or caster.

Lift or leveling coils

Swapping in taller springs lets you choose the height and the spring rate together, so you can account for a diesel engine, a heavy bumper or a winch. Pair the springs with shocks of the right length for the new ride height. Stock shocks aren't designed for the extra droop.

Short-arm systems (1994-2012/2013 link fronts)

On a five-link front, a modest lift usually means coils plus adjustable control arms and an adjustable track bar. Together those put the axle back where it belongs front to back and side to side, and you can dial caster back in. Short arms work well at mild heights. The taller you go, the steeper the arms sit and the more the axle swings fore and aft as it travels.

Long-arm systems

A long-arm system replaces the short factory arms with much longer arms that mount further back on the frame. Longer arms sit flatter and swing through a gentler arc, so the axle moves less fore and aft as it cycles and caster stays steadier. The cost is more parts, more install work and more money. Some designs add brackets or crossmembers under the truck, so check clearance and what the install involves. Long-arm kits are also available for the 2013/2014-on radius-arm trucks, replacing the radius arms with separate upper and lower links. The arms page explains the geometry.

Radius-arm drop brackets (2013-on 3500 / 2014-on 2500)

A drop bracket bolts into the frame pocket and lowers the radius arm's pivot, which brings the arm back toward its original angle and puts caster back. They bolt on and keep the factory arms. The downsides: the bracket hangs lower than the stock pivot, so you lose some ground clearance there, and it adds another bolted joint. Some builders skip drop brackets entirely and use replacement radius arms or a link conversion instead.

Aftermarket radius arms

Heavier replacement radius arms mount in the factory location, keep the ground clearance under the pivot, and are typically built with extra caster or more adjustment range for a lifted truck. They're still radius arms, though, so caster still changes as the axle moves through its travel.

Coilovers

A coilover combines spring and shock in one unit, so you can tune ride height and damping. It's a bigger project: mounting, shock towers, travel limits and the price all climb, so it suits trucks that see real off-road use more than ones that just need to look level.

Rear options

Leaf rear (all 3500s, 2500s through 2013)

• Add-a-leaf or a modified pack: adds height and changes how the spring loads up. Ask how it'll behave with your trailer weights.
• Lift shackles: a small height change at the shackle end. Mostly used for rake, the stance from front to back.
• Lift blocks: a block between spring and axle. It's simple, but it gives the axle more leverage to wrap up the spring under torque, which is where traction bars come in.
• New leaf packs: the most complete fix. You choose the rate and the height together.
• Shackle flip (1994-2002): moves the shackle end to raise the rear without a block. It's a 2nd-gen-specific approach.

Coil rear (2014-on 2500)

Height comes from taller rear coils or spacers. Once the rear axle sits at a new height, the rear track bar's angle changes too, and the axle can shift sideways. That's why adjustable rear track bars and rear control arms exist for these trucks.

Air rear

Factory air trucks set their own height. Work with the leveling system, not against it, and ask a specialist before you change anything back there.

Tradeoffs side by side

These are general tendencies, not test results. How a truck actually turns out depends on the parts, the spring rates, the shocks and the install.

No suspension part raises the truck's GVWR or payload rating. The towing page explains why.

Tire size vs lift

A lift buys clearance at ride height. But tires usually rub at full compression and full steering lock, not while the truck is sitting still. Check these:

• Body and bumper: the fender liners, the front of the cab and the bumper corners at full lock with the suspension compressed.
• Suspension and steering parts: the inside of a bigger tire can reach radius arms, control arms, the track bar or the steering linkage. Wheel backspacing and offset decide how far in or out the tire sits.
• Bump stops: they set how far up the tire can go. Extending them limits uptravel but can prevent rubbing.
• Kit guidance: lift kit makers publish their own tire and wheel recommendations for each kit. Follow those for your parts and test-fit before your first highway run.

What bigger tires change

• Speedometer and odometer: a taller tire covers more ground per turn, so the speedometer reads low until it's recalibrated.
• Effective gearing: a taller tire lowers the effective final drive, which you'll feel most when towing. Some owners regear to compensate.
• Weight and leverage: heavier, wider tires load the brakes, ball joints and steering harder. The steering side of that is covered on our sister site's lifted-truck steering notes, linked from the arms page.
• Load rating: if you tow or haul, the replacement tire's load rating still has to suit your axle ratings and the pressures you run. A tire shop can check it against your door placard.

Lift parts at Dodge Off Road

Last reviewed 2026-10-19. General information for planning. Follow your service information and parts maker's instructions.