Best &/or difference Between Level Keys

[Chubbs]

maybe I will have better luck with this thread than my brake pad questions.

I am looking at leveling keys, prices range from $50 up to $250, for basically the same thing.

I say "basically" as they all look the same but the higher end duck head aka proRYDE is sold & installed by garages & shops specializing in suspension & installs. Duck heads come with new hardware, claim to be completely adjustable: their rear spring spacers are stackable but torsion keys look identical to the $50 makes except the bolt & retainer included.

ProComp claims it's keys are superior to $50 makes because they are designed with less stresses applied to the bolt & tighter clearances to the torsion bar and location.

Can those of you already experimenting with these keys provide some insight and your personal experience? If you have gone with a cheaper setup can you discuss your results and confidence that you may or may not have in your installation? If some of these design variations and the inclusion of new/longer bolts really makes a difference then we should all be made aware.

I would rather have a solid 1" of lift than a sketchy, maxed OUT 2-1/2" that is going to make my truck ride rougher than hell and a nightmare of a would-be routine front end alignment.

 

[CamReynolds]

I have 100$ rough country keys and they are cranked level, no coil spacers. I told the shop to level my truck when in got wheels and thats what they put on. leveling keys will make your truck level and should add a little bit of height all around (mine is about 2 inches higher). you can get a full leveling kit with coil spacers and stuff (supreme suspensions has a good one) and it will add more lift than keys. some people on here have ebay keys and they say they work fine, and some people even have keys from older Ford trucks. Like i said, keys will bring up the front, a full leveling kit raises ride height more. I like the rough country keys, highly suggest them. they are a good price and i cant tell a ride difference from stock

 

[Chubbs]

I have 100$ rough country keys and they are cranked level, no coil spacers. I told the shop to level my truck when in got wheels and thats what they put on. leveling keys will make your truck level and should add a little bit of height all around (mine is about 2 inches higher). you can get a full leveling kit with coil spacers and stuff (supreme suspensions has a good one) and it will add more lift than keys. some people on here have ebay keys and they say they work fine, and some people even have keys from older Ford trucks. Like i said, keys will bring up the front, a full leveling kit raises ride height more. I like the rough country keys, highly suggest them. they are a good price and i cant tell a ride difference from stock

hey, thanks a million for your response.
my take-away from the leveling keys is that some are designed to give lift at their minimum threshold, while others you have to crank-on in order to start getting any lift out of it; some say their leveling kits made the truck ride rougher than hell, which leads me to believe that there are subtle differences between the manufacturing specs.

some makes clearly state their leveling keys will not alter the suspension, nor change the feel of the suspension in any way.

Thanks for your input. There is a RC level kit, NIB for sale on Clist over here so I am going to look into that & then have EBay options as well; maybe get the rear spacers too.

 

[Countryboy07]

My personal opinion... Leveling keys are leveling keys. They are all indexed slightly different than stock to provide the "lift".

Anytime you raise the front end of an IFS truck with torsion keys, you alter the firmness of the ride due to the "torsion" put on the bars.

With that said, quality shocks go a long way in making the ride better once leveled. I ran stock shocks with extenders in the front for a couple months after I put the new keys in and it rode okay... But once I put on correct length Bilstine 5100's the ride was greatly improved.

Also, the guys that are complaining about a harsh ride, probably have the keys maxed out and have stock shocks that are extended past their useable range.

Ultimately its your choice if you spend $50 or $300 to get the same results. I'm running eBay keys and eBay coil spacers on mine, cost me less than $100 in total.

 

[Chubbs]

My personal opinion... Leveling keys are leveling keys. They are all indexed slightly different than stock to provide the "lift".

Anytime you raise the front end of an IFS truck with torsion keys, you alter the firmness of the ride due to the "torsion" put on the bars.

With that said, quality shocks go a long way in making the ride better once leveled. I ran stock shocks with extenders in the front for a couple months after I put the new keys in and it rode okay... But once I put on correct length Bilstine 5100's the ride was greatly improved.

Also, the guys that are complaining about a harsh ride, probably have the keys maxed out and have stock shocks that are extended past their useable range.

Ultimately its your choice if you spend $50 or $300 to get the same results. I'm running eBay keys and eBay coil spacers on mine, cost me less than $100 in total.

That's a good tip. My front end is pretty harsh at the moment so the lift key is really going to make it ride much rougher, I already know. I have those Nivomat self-leveling shocks in the rear. I can put new Bilstein in the front and install extenders in the back. I sent some emails to eBay sellers past few days asking if the extenders work with the stock Nivomat-type; will need to check for responses.

Do you happen to know anything about this? It was another concern that I had. I read where some folks could not use the extenders sent with the kit so that led me to believe they had a suspension like mine or especially the higher end factory setups.

Appreciate if you tell me what you can about that.

 

[Chubbs]

I went ahead & ordered a cheap eBay kit complete with shock extenders.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/271816730105?_mwBanner=1

I really just chose 1 that had the fastest shipping so that it will be here by Friday when I get paid; get some new front brakes, replace the torsion keys, maybe fix my wheels up and mount the bigger tires all in 1 go.
I will replace the back brakes and install a set of spring spacers (pending shock extender fitment) next week & proceed to roll hard.

 

[CamReynolds]

I went ahead & ordered a cheap eBay kit complete with shock extenders.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/271816730105?_mwBanner=1

I really just chose 1 that had the fastest shipping so that it will be here by Friday when I get paid; get some new front brakes, replace the torsion keys, maybe fix my wheels up and mount the bigger tires all in 1 go.
I will replace the back brakes and install a set of spring spacers (pending shock extender fitment) next week & proceed to roll hard.

good idea. you could always wait on new shocks for the front depending how the ride is. you could even wait on the rear spacers if you like the look/ suspension comfort. good choice though it should work well

 

[Chubbs]

good idea. you could always wait on new shocks for the front depending how the ride is. you could even wait on the rear spacers if you like the look/ suspension comfort. good choice though it should work well

i wish I could wait. I'm even trying to get some different wheels for the new Coopers but the front tires are completely gone. I have to make some moves but @ least it won't be totally half-a$$ed.

 

[Chubbs]

Do you know if the cheap eBay kit shock extenders will fit those factory Nivomat shocks in the back??

Rpo ZW7 premium smooth ride

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Rear-Shock-Extender-Kit-For-2-4-Lift-SUV-GMC-Chevy-Cadillac-2000-2006-/322591237575?hash=item4b1befa5c7:g:ro8AAOSwqVBZZ7GI&_trkparms=pageci%3A9798e79c-7c8e-11e7-9c32-74dbd180a2d9%7Cparentrq%3Ac41bf4f015d0a888ac765d30fffff8af%7Ciid%3A17


"This will not work with rear airbag suspension or rear auto leveling suspension."

I think they are auto-level or self-level but weren't they standard on several year models? Has to be a way to get around that.

 

[Countryboy07]

@owl_93 went through this with his Yukon. I'll see if I can find his thread.