After the leveling kit: alignment, rubbing, and the first 500 miles
Post-install week for a leveling kit: alignment printout, full-lock rub checks, 50-mile re-torque, headlight aim, and when harsh ride means matched damping.
Editor Nicole
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The kit is on and the stance looks right. The first 500 miles decide whether it stays that way. A leveling kit changes strut angle and steering geometry, so the suspension needs a short proving period.
Alignment comes first, the same week, with a printout. A front lift moves caster and camber, and the printout proves the shop set both back inside spec. Keep the sheet and compare it at the first tire rotation, when the wear pattern will confirm or contradict the numbers.
Rubbing needs a check before the road finds it. Roll to full lock in both directions at parking speed; with the wheel cranked over, the fender liner and sway-bar bracket are easy to inspect. Some contact only shows up under load or at full compression, so repeat the check after the first loaded trip. Tire size and load rating should still match what the kit maker approves; confirm that before any bigger tire order.
Hardware settles. The lug nuts need a re-torque after 50 to 100 miles, and the wheel torque guide covers the figure and the bolt pattern. Moving wheels corner to corner or adding a sensor forces a TPMS relearn on many trucks. Headlight aim rises with the nose, so check it against a wall at night and have the shop put a wrench on the kit's own fasteners at the alignment visit.
A harsh ride after a spacer install is a signal, not a sentence. Spacers preload the factory strut, and a truck that lost its manners may want damping matched to the height. Loaded struts such as the Rough Country 501148 exist for that trade; verify the listed application, seller stock, and price first.
The step-up is a strut-style kit sized for the platform and trim, and the ReadyLIFT SST leveling kit family page keeps heights, hardware, and applications together. A month in, the hub-to-fender numbers from the measuring factory rake guide are worth a re-check. The leveling kits department can wait; more shopping only makes sense if the height itself proved wrong.
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