After the leveling kit: alignment, rubbing, and the first 500 miles

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. The owner should keep the sheet and compare it at the first tire rotation, when wear patterns start to talk.

Rubbing needs a check before the road finds it. Full lock in both directions at parking speed can reveal contact at the fender liner or a sway-bar bracket, with the wheel turned for a clear view. Contact may only appear under load or at full compression, so the check should repeat after the first loaded trip. The tire size and load rating should still match what the kit maker approves; confirm it before a 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. A rotation or a new sensor can also force a TPMS relearn on many trucks. Headlight aim moves with the nose, and the kit's own hardware deserves a look 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.