Updated July 2026 · Written by the NTW wheel & tire specialists</em >
Quick version: suspension is the decision that unlocks (or limits) everything else on your build — how big a tire you can clear, what wheel backspacing you need, and how the truck rides every day afterward. Start with Lift System Basics if you're planning your first lift, or Lift Kit Facts & Fictions if you're deciding between a lift kit and a leveling kit.
Most trucks and SUVs live a double life: daily driver during the week, work mule or trail rig on the weekend. The right suspension setup respects both jobs. The wrong one clears the tires you wanted but rides like a hay wagon — or looks the part and falls apart off the pavement. These guides walk through the real trade-offs, in plain language, so you know what you're buying before you're under the truck.
Suspension guides in this section
Lift System Basics
The complete primer: how to think about suspension changes on a multi-use truck, the balance between on-road drivability and off-road flex, and what each type of system actually changes. Read this before you buy anything.
Lift Kit Facts & Fictions
Lift kit or leveling kit? The honest pros and cons of each — cost, ride quality, tire clearance, and the myths that sell kits people don't need.
Vehicle Configurator
Planning wheels and tires around your lift? Enter your year, make, model, and trim and browse only what fits.
Know your options: from leveling kit to long-arm
"Lift kit" covers everything from a $100 spacer to a complete replacement suspension. The broad tiers, from mildest to wildest:
- Leveling kit — raises the front an inch or two to erase the factory nose-down rake. Cheapest way to clear a modestly larger tire; ride stays close to stock. Where most daily drivers should start — Facts & Fictions covers when it's enough.
- Spacer / budget boost — small lift using spacers on the factory springs and shocks. Inexpensive height, but factory damping now works at a height it wasn't designed for.
- Full suspension lift — new springs (and usually shocks) front and rear, typically 2″–6″. Real clearance for real tires, with correction components appearing as height goes up.
- Long-arm / performance systems — replaces control arms and relocates geometry for serious height or serious off-road travel. The right answer for dedicated builds; overkill for a commuter.
- Body lift — raises the body off the frame without touching the suspension. Adds tire clearance on a budget but no ground clearance under the axles and no off-road performance.
The full breakdown — including what happens to driveline angles, steering geometry, and warranty questions — is in Lift System Basics.
Lift height drives tire size drives wheel spec
Suspension is step one of a three-part decision. The lift height sets the tire diameter you can clear; the tire size sets the wheel width and backspacing that keep it from rubbing. That's why we recommend choosing all three together rather than piecemeal: use the tire size calculator to compare your target size against stock, check the wheel side of the equation in Wheel Shop Talk, and consider a wheel & tire package spec'd for the lifted height — mounted, balanced, and shipped free. Or head back to the main Shop Talk library.
Suspension FAQ
A leveling kit only raises the front of the truck (usually 1″–2.5″) to remove the factory rake, keeping ride quality close to stock. A lift kit raises the whole truck — typically 2″–6″ — with new springs and shocks, clearing much larger tires but changing geometry, cost, and ride. If your goal is a level stance and one tire size up, level it; if the goal is 35s and real trail clearance, lift it. Lift Kit Facts & Fictions walks through the pros and cons.
A suspension lift raises the frame and everything attached to it, adding real ground clearance and (done right) off-road travel. A body lift only raises the cab and bed off the frame — the axles, frame, and bumpers stay at stock height. A body lift is a budget way to clear bigger tires for looks; it adds nothing off-road. Some big builds combine both.
It depends entirely on the vehicle. Some late-model trucks clear 35s with a leveling kit and minor trimming; solid-axle Jeeps typically want 2.5″–3.5″; many full-size trucks need 3″–6″ depending on wheel backspacing and how much rubbing you'll tolerate at full lock and full flex. Wheel offset matters as much as lift height here — the same tire can clear or rub depending on where the wheel puts it. Our specialists spec this combination daily; the vehicle configurator</a > is the fastest starting point.
Yes — how much depends on the kit. A quality system with matched springs and shocks can ride nearly as well as stock; a cheap spacer setup on worn factory shocks usually rides worse. Any lift raises the, center of gravity, so expect more body roll in corners and more attention at highway speed. Taller lifts add correction parts (track bars, control arms, driveshaft work) specifically to keep geometry — and therefore handling — in check. Lift System Basics explains the drivability trade-off in depth.
Often, yes — not because the old wheels stop fitting, but because bigger tires usually need a wider wheel with less backspacing to clear suspension and steering components at full lock. Factory wheels tuck the tire inward; off-road wheels with more aggressive offset push it out where the fender, not the control arm, is the limit. See Wheel Shop Talk for how offset and backspacing work, or let a package spec the matched set for your lift.