Leveling question with rear spacers
2003 H2 with rear springs.
I've seen thousands of posts regarding front end leveling but no one seems to mention those rear spacers that come from 1" all the way to 3" tall. As I remember, there is a safe limit for leveling the front end so the angle isn't too aggresive on the front CV joints. What would be the point of leveling the vehicle, then adding spacers to the rear? You end up with the same nose-down, "unleveled" look to the truck. Just curious if anyone has used spacers AND leveled the front end.
I've seen thousands of posts regarding front end leveling but no one seems to mention those rear spacers that come from 1" all the way to 3" tall. As I remember, there is a safe limit for leveling the front end so the angle isn't too aggresive on the front CV joints. What would be the point of leveling the vehicle, then adding spacers to the rear? You end up with the same nose-down, "unleveled" look to the truck. Just curious if anyone has used spacers AND leveled the front end.
I installed true 37" tires so needed to raise the front of my truck to accept the larger tires, for this reason I installed a "leveling kit" on the front and installed spacers in the rear.
To compensate for the angles of the upper ball joints I added Cognito upper control arms. I wanted the truck level front to back, no rake so I raised the front until I noticed negative results in the front end (bottoming out) when going over large pot holes or RR tracks then lowered it a little then figured out what size rear spacers I needed to level the truck.
Right now I have the front raised around 2.75" and the rear has 1.5" spacers, if I remember correctly. My truck rides and drives great without any ill effects caused by being leveled/raised.
I didn't want to have to cut the front frame or diff to install a suspension lift so I settled for the leveling kit.
Neal
To compensate for the angles of the upper ball joints I added Cognito upper control arms. I wanted the truck level front to back, no rake so I raised the front until I noticed negative results in the front end (bottoming out) when going over large pot holes or RR tracks then lowered it a little then figured out what size rear spacers I needed to level the truck.
Right now I have the front raised around 2.75" and the rear has 1.5" spacers, if I remember correctly. My truck rides and drives great without any ill effects caused by being leveled/raised.
I didn't want to have to cut the front frame or diff to install a suspension lift so I settled for the leveling kit.
Neal
I had blocks in the rear of mine and leveled up front. I think I was leveled about 2? in front. I wasn?t a fan of the way it drove. Control arms would bounce off the droop stop when hitting pot holes, had terrible bump steer off-road and ate front end parts for breakfast. But at least it looked cool.
I?ve actually been running a similar setup and honestly it?s been a great experience so far.
I?m on 2? rear metal blocks and leveled the front with new keys (around ~3?). The stance came out exactly how I wanted, looks aggressive but still balanced, not nose-high or awkward.
More importantly, I didn?t just crank the keys and call it a day. I added supporting components to keep everything in check:
So from my experience, if you do it right and support the geometry, this setup works really well both visually and mechanically.
I?m on 2? rear metal blocks and leveled the front with new keys (around ~3?). The stance came out exactly how I wanted, looks aggressive but still balanced, not nose-high or awkward.
More importantly, I didn?t just crank the keys and call it a day. I added supporting components to keep everything in check:
- Upgraded upper control arms
- Shock extensions
- Other supporting suspension pieces to help maintain proper geometry
So from my experience, if you do it right and support the geometry, this setup works really well both visually and mechanically.
Last edited by BerthaSUT; Mar 20, 2026 at 09:33 AM.
I appreciate the responses. I ordered the Cognito arms last week and we'll see how this goes. I already run the Bilstein 5100 shocks that are 2.5" longer in the front and 1" longer in the rear so they should extend just fine. I'll be working on it all week so I'll follow up after it's completed.
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