Want to know if leveling kits can be installed on a truck with airbags? We did some research and here’s what we found out.

Let’s dive right into it.

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Can You Put A Leveling Kit On A Truck With Airbags?

Yes you can. The air bag kit will still work just the same. It’s not a matter of if it works but how much you’re willing to give up in the way of comfort and ride quality.

The airbags are like a shock absorber that is attached to the frame of the truck and another point on the axle. So, when the truck is sitting at normal ride height, that is where the airbag is at its minimum length. When you drive over bumps in the road or hit pot holes, the truck will bounce up and down as your airbags compress and decompress.

Now, if you add a leveling kit to your truck and lift it up 2 inches, then when you go over a bump in the road, your front end will have 2 inches more distance to travel than before. Your airbags will compress twice as much as before because instead of compressing 2 inches, they are now compressing 4 inches worth of space.

This isn’t an issue for most people because their stock suspension is pretty good at dealing with normal driving conditions without bottoming out all of the sudden. But if you plan on doing some serious off-roading then this can be an issue because it increases your chances of bottoming.

Can You Get A Lift Kit With Air Suspension?

Air Lift’s air suspension kits for trucks come with adjustable air springs that offer extra stability and weight distribution. No matter how much you’re hauling, when you use one of these air suspension kits, you can drive assured you’ll still have full control over your steering and braking.

When it comes to suspension, there are a few different types of systems. Types of suspension include coil springs, leaf springs, torsion bars, control arms, and airbags. Originally, all vehicles used one of the first three types of suspension systems listed.

Today, however, it’s not uncommon to see some vehicles with air suspension systems.

Will A Leveling Kit Mess With The Way My Truck Drives?

The short answer is no, it shouldn’t.

The long answer is that your truck has a lot of moving parts and a lot of weight and power. If you have an issue with the way your truck handles, it’s important to look at what could be causing the issue rather than blaming it on the leveling kit.

A truck leveling kit will not impact the static weight balance of the vehicle. When you take the action to level your truck, then you will not affect the static weight balance of the vehicle. You may find that the ride feels different if you have significantly raised or lowered your vehicle, but this does not mean that there is a problem with how your truck drives.

If you feel like your truck is pulling one way or another when driving on flat ground, then this could indicate a problem with an alignment. This can be caused by many things including hitting curbs, large potholes, or even just driving over regular bumps in the road at high speeds.

If you notice this pulling, then you should take your truck to a shop for an alignment check to make sure that everything is aligned properly and there are no problems with your suspension system.

Do Leveling Kits Wear Out Ball Joints?

There are a couple of things that can damage ball joints under a lifted truck but the lift kit itself is not one of them.

There are two types of ball joints, upper and lower. The upper ball joint is usually the first to wear out. The main reason for this is the angle the upper ball joint is at when the truck is at ride height. With a 2wd truck, when you lift it with a leveling kit or suspension lift, you are creating more negative camber on your front wheels. This will increase tire wear on the outer edges. It also increases the angle of your upper ball joints which will make them wear out faster.

The second type of ball joint is a lower control arm (LCA) ball joint, this ball joint will not be affected by changing your ride height but they do tend to wear out prematurely depending on how you drive and where you drive. If you spend most of your time on washboard roads they will wear out faster. If you have lots of torque from your engine, that too can cause premature wear and tear on LCA’s.

When either type of ball joint goes bad, it will cause your tires to have uneven tire wear, popping or clunking noises especially when turning or driving over bumps in the road.

Do Leveling Kits Ruin Your Ride?

The least expensive leveling kits usually don’t alter the wheel travel. They simply set the ride height of the 4×4 a little higher. Rear blocks are added, or components are adjusted, to raise the rear end up to match.

Other leveling kits include coilover spacers that raise the front suspension by just enough to level out your rig. These are inexpensive and simple to install, but they can reduce the amount of travel your 4×4 has available for off-road driving.

The spacers can also change the angle of the shocks, which can make a difference in how well your shocks control suspension movement. A shock’s effectiveness is determined by its location in relation to the axle during motion. When you change this angle, you affect how well it works.

If you have an independent front suspension (IFS) on your 4×4, these types of kits will also reduce your caster angle. Caster is important for steering stability, so changing it can cause handling problems at highway speeds and make it more difficult to keep your vehicle driving straight ahead when you let go of the steering wheel.

You’ll need to pay special attention to which brands and models compensate for this problem when shopping around for a kit so that you end up with a safe setup that handles well

Does A Leveling Kit Void Warranty?

A leveling kit is a type of suspension modification that raises the ride height at the front of a vehicle so that it is level with, or higher than, the rear. The kits are available as complete assemblies or as just the components necessary to lift one end.

It is common practice for dealerships and manufacturers to deny warranty coverage on vehicles they believe have been modified from their stock configuration. This is why many people assume that a leveling kit will void their warranty, but this isn’t necessarily true.

In most cases, a dealer cannot legally void the entire warranty because of an aftermarket part unless they can prove it directly caused the failure. Even then, only that specific component is void — not the entire vehicle’s warranty.

Is Installing A Leveling Kit Hard?

You’re probably wondering if installing a leveling kit is hard. Every vehicle is different, but typically the answer to this question is “yes and no.” An expert, Gary, explains why:

“It’s pretty simple, it’s basically just a couple of spacers that go in place of your factory coil spring. The key thing is that you have to remove your front wheels and remove the factory shocks because you can’t get the spring out with the shock still on there.

“But it’s not hard. It’s just mechanical in nature; it’s not rocket science. You take some stuff off and put some stuff back on. But you want to make sure you read through all your instructions before you get started and check to make sure you have all the tools necessary for the job.”

If you’re not mechanically inclined, Gary suggests taking your truck to a local shop or dealership to have them install your leveling kit for you.