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Guide to Lifting the Chevy Silverado 2500

Updated on Sep 30, 2024

Lift kits are one of the most popular modifications for pickups. Whether you’re piloting a mid-size, half-ton, or heavy-duty ¾ or 1-ton, giving your ride an altitude adjustment is the ideal way to improve overall styling and off-road performance; however, one pickup class–over the others–has some special considerations when settling on a lift kit.

Heavy-duty pickups, like the Chevy Silverado 2500, are engineered not just as family haulers or weekend warriors but as unbridled workhorses, geared towards towing, hauling, and long hours on the job site; but what does that have to do with a lift kit? Let’s find out.

In this article, our experts tackle everything there is to know about lifting the Chevy Silverado 2500, including the various lift kit styles offered for the ¾-ton, unique considerations associated with lifting a heavy-duty pickup, and our expert-recommended kits for the Silverado 2500.

Things to Consider When Lifting a Silverado 2500 (Or Any Heavy-Duty Pickup)

Heavy-duty pickups are, as aforementioned, workhorses, and your Silverado 2500 is no exception. Though it’s become commonplace to see ¾ and 1-ton pickups operating as daily drivers and family vehicles, there’s likely still reasoning behind that decision, whether tasked with towing a 5th-wheel trailer, a boat, or hauling heavy payloads for work.

Most individuals opt for a Silverado 2500–over a 1500 or Colorado–intending to work it; just for reference, the 2023 Silverado 2500 with the 6.6L L5P Duramax Diesel has a max towing capacity of 18,500 pounds, while a DRW 3500 maxes out at 30,000 with a gooseneck/5th wheel!

With such massive numbers, it’s critical to select parts, like lift kits, that won’t degrade your Silverado 2500’s towing capacity; what’s the point of owning a ¾-ton that can’t tow? Maintaining towing and hauling characteristics are the primary considerations when lifting a heavy-duty pickup truck, striking a balance between aesthetics and functionality so as not to settle in either category.

The Silverado 2500 comes with several unique considerations aside from other heavy-duty pickups. When referencing the big three automakers–Chevrolet, Ford, and RAM–it’s important to note that the Silverado 2500 is the only pickup that utilizes true independent front suspension in 2wd and 4wd configurations. The front suspension also features torsion bars instead of traditional coil springs or struts, making a lift kit with proper geometry crucial, ensuring the front end is planted, controlled, and stable at high speeds, especially when towing a heavy load.

Silverado 2500 Lift Kit Types

When selecting a lift kit for your Silverado 2500, it’s crucial to understand the differences between the various lift kit types on the market. Each style offers unique benefits over the others, whether that be value, off-road performance, or maintaining towing and hauling characteristics.

Body Lift Kits

Body lift kits are budget-friendly lifts that, unlike other styles, don't alter your Silverado's suspension. These kits feature several composite pucks installed between the frame mounts and the body, along with the factory body mount bushings. As a result, these kits increase the overall height of your vehicle by raising the body over the chassis; however, ground clearance and handling characteristics remain essentially unchanged.

Note: Installing a body lift alters the relation of the bed to the frame, requiring modifications to pre-installed aftermarket bed supports for 5th-wheel and gooseneck hitches.

Pros:

Cost-effective
Maintains factory ride quality
Retains payload and towing capacities
Increases tire clearances

Cons:

May result in noticeable gaps between the body and frame
May require modifications to frame horns for bumper relocation brackets
Minimal lift; approximately 1–3 inches

Leveling Kits

Leveling Kits provide minimal lift while maintaining factory handling characteristics, making them a popular option for daily drivers and work trucks. These kits increase your Silverado 2500’s front ride height using lift spindles or lift torsion keys, resulting in a 2–3-inch increase in ride height up front for a balanced, uniform stance.

While more visually pleasing, raising only the front ride height and ridding your truck of the factory rake may have a few negative side effects while towing and hauling. The factory rake does serve a purpose, namely improving towing and hauling characteristics; for example, the factory rake increases rear up-travel, preventing your truck from bottoming out over heavy bumps. It also prevents your Silverado from sitting nose-high with weight in the rear, which would create an unstable, boat-like feeling in the front end.

However, it’s important to note that these symptoms are correctable with towing-centric suspension upgrades, like airbags and helper springs.

Pros:

Levels stance
Improves front ground and tire clearances
Retains factory towing characteristics
Cost-effective
May improve off and on-road performance
Bolt-on installation

Cons:

Retains rear ride height
May cause a reverse rake while towing/hauling
Minimal lift; approximately 1–3 inches

Suspension Lift Kits

Suspension lift kits offer comprehensive ride height increases, raising both the front and rear suspension for an all-around more aggressive stance. These kits typically offer more significant ride height increases than other options on this list, with conventional suspension lifts ranging from 3–8 inches!

Suspension lifts are ideal for those looking for solid ride quality on and off-road and significant ride height increases; however, they may degrade towing performance, especially at higher speeds. These kits often result in slight driveability qualms, due partially to the taller, more compliant sidewalls of larger-diameter tires.

Pros:

Offers substantial ride height increases
Typically bolt-on
Improves aesthetics
Improved ground and tire clearances

Cons:

May hinder towing performance
Typically costly

Basic Vs. Coilover Suspension Lifts

Suspension lifts come in two primary types: basic and coilover. While relatively similar, as both utilize the same hard components, like drop brackets, leaf springs, and lift blocks, they feature different damper technology. Whereas basic kits use traditional struts/shocks accompanied by the factory torsion bars and drop brackets, coilover kits feature performance coilovers, traditionally with adjustable ride height and external reservoirs.

Coilover kits traditionally offer better on and off-road performance; however, they’re also far more expensive than comparable basic lifts kits, often doubling or even tripling the price.

Top Silverado 2500 Lift Kits

Our experts consider various factors when selecting the top Silverado 2500 lift kits, including on and off-road driveability, towing performance, value, and overall quality.

Top Body Lift: Performance Accessories 3” Body Lift

Performance Accessories is a popular name in the body lift market, specializing in high-quality, USA-designed, and manufactured composite body lifts for numerous trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs.

If you’re set on the budget-friendly price and uniform lift provided by body lifts, it’s tough to beat the Performance Accessories 3-inch kit. This kit includes everything necessary to lift your Silverado 2500 without impacting ride quality or towing performance, featuring vehicle-specific 3-inch lift spacers, bumper relocation brackets, hardware, and thorough instructions.

Features:

Maintains factory ride quality
Allows clearance for oversized wheels and tires
Retains OEM suspension geometry
Fiberglass-reinforced nylon body blocks
Laser-cut steel fittings and brackets
High-strength hardware included
USA-made
Limited lifetime warranty

Top Leveling Kit: ReadyLift SST Leveling Kit

ReadyLift SST Leveling Kits are the premier leveling solution for your Silverado 2500, offering exceptional durability and a uniform ride height without negatively impacting ride quality on and off-road. Silverado 2500 kits include heavy-duty forged torsion keys, reaching a 100 rating on the Rockwell(B) index scale–a value 25% stronger than OEM torsion keys.

Features:

Lifts the front of your truck without sacrificing ride quality
Allows you to add up to 37-inch tires on select applications
Fast and simple installation process takes about 1/3 the time of other kits
Steel kits have a durable powder coat finish
Aluminum kits are resistant to corrosion
Coil spring spacers, torsion bar keys and strut spacers are available
All mounting hardware is included
USA-made

Top Suspension Lift Kit: Superlift 6” Basic Lift Kit

The Superlift 6” Basic Lift Kit offers the ultimate balance of ride height, value, and driveability, featuring the tried and tested recipe of lift spindles, drop brackets, and lift blocks to correct your Silverado 2500’s front suspension geometry after lifting.

This kit provides your pickup with a uniform 6-inch lift, increasing ground and fender clearances for maximum off-road capabilities and an aggressive stance. Superlift also includes its proprietary “No Drop” torsion bar brackets, which maintain the torsion bar cross member’s factory position for maximum ground clearance and improved aesthetics.

Features:

Complete front and rear lift kit
Vehicle-specific fitment
Includes all required installation hardware
Most kits are available with Superlift or Bilstein shocks
USA-made
Backed by a limited lifetime warranty

Selecting the Ideal Lift Kit

So which kit is right for your heavy-duty Silverado? The truth is, every lift style can conform to you and your pickup’s needs, though some may require additional modifications to maintain proper handling characteristics while towing and hauling.

Body lift kits are arguably the most cost-effective of the bunch, offering minimal lifts (2–3 inches) without impacting the suspension. Since these kits retain your Silverado’s factory rake, they also maintain towing and hauling characteristics.

Leveling kits, while also cost-effective and non-invasive to the rear suspension, eliminate your Silverado’s factory rake, which may pose problems when towing or hauling heavy loads. With a heavy trailer on the hitch or oversized cargo in the bed, you’ll likely experience a reverse rake, in which the rear end sits inches below the front, impacting overall driveability and, in some cases, visibility. However, you can easily alleviate these issues with towing-centric suspension upgrades, like airbags and helper springs.

Suspension lifts often suffer from the same issues as leveling kits, as they typically offer taller lifts up front than in the rear, simultaneously lifting and leveling your Silverado’s stance. Additionally, suspension lifts may result in a slight decrease in driveability due to the taller center of gravity and larger sidewalls of oversized tires. Once again, these issues are no match for towing-centric suspension upgrades, stiffer sway bar bushings, and adjustable ball mounts, like the GEN-Y Rubber Torsion Flex Hitch.

Whichever lift style you decide on, we carry all the top lift kits, leveling kits, towing suspension upgrades, and wheels and tires to fill out your Silverado’s fenders. And as always, for any questions, concerns, or product inquiries, contact the experts.