How Does Lifting or Leveling a Truck Affect Towing Capacity?

By: Brendan Soriano / April 11, 2023 in Guides

Lifting and leveling your ride is a surefire way to improve its aesthetics and off-road prowess; however, not every pickup owner invests in a full-size truck for looks and trekking through the dirt! For many pickup owners, their truck is a dedicated workhorse, intended to tow and haul heavy loads from point A to B. But what about those who want both?

Towing with a lifted truck is a topic that comes up frequently, typically followed by a series of follow-up questions like, “can my lifted truck tow as much?” “Will towing performance be hindered?” and “what can I do to improve a lifted truck’s towing performance?” In this article, the experts at RealTruck tackle the age-old, answering once-and-for-all how different lift and leveling kits affect your ride’s towing performance.

Body Lifts and Towing

Body lifts are a popular style of lift kit that takes a unique approach to increase ride height. Instead of modifying your vehicle’s suspension, body lifts elevate your pickup’s body over the frame using several composite or aluminum spacers that replace the factory body mount bushings. As a result, your vehicle gains more tire clearance and the aesthetics of a lifted vehicle, all for a budget-friendly price that doesn’t affect ride quality.

Considering body lifts don't modify your truck's suspension, they won't affect towing performance either. The suspension geometry remains the same, as do the factory leaf/coil springs and dampers, ensuring a factory-like, controlled ride while towing a trailer or hauling a heavy load in the bed. Body lift kits also retain the height of the factory hitch (not counting what's added from oversized tires), negating the need for a drop-style hitch.

Leveling Kits and Towing

Leveling kits are a suspension system engineered to increase your vehicle’s front ride height between 1.5–3.0 inches. Doing so levels your pickup’s front suspension with the rear, thus creating a balanced and uniform stance.

Unlike body lift kits, leveling kits can minimally affect towing performance, even though the rear suspension remains the same. Leveling out your vehicle’s suspension eliminates the factory rake (i.e. the rear sitting substantially taller than the front). Contrary to popular belief, your truck’s factory rake serves a purpose; in stock form when loaded with heavy cargo or hitched to a trailer, the rear suspension compresses, thus leveling out the stance of your pickup. With a leveling kit, your pickup is already level; any additional weight over the rear axle gives your truck a reverse rake, pointing the nose of your truck upwards, reducing visibility, and creating a loose, floaty sensation in the front end.

However, there are plenty of solutions to counteract these handling characteristics, including heavy-duty towing airbags, oversized bump stops, and weight-distributing (load-leveling) hitches.

Suspension Lifts and Towing

Suspension lifts are a popular means of lifting your vehicle’s ride height. These kits modify your pickup’s suspension geometry using drop brackets, taller coil springs, coil spacers, lift spindles, lift blocks, custom leaf spring packs, extended-length dampers, and more. While suspension lifts typically provide the best ride off-road, they also significantly affect towing performance.

Suspension lifts increase your truck’s ride height front and rear, repositioning the receiver hitch inches above its previous location. In most cases, lift kits require a drop-style hitch at a minimum. Other factors include the suspension's modified geometry affecting your ride’s handling characteristics and stability and softer rear leaf/coil springs increasing sag with a load in the bed or trailer on the hitch.

However, there are plenty of solutions to improve your pickup’s handling characteristics while towing. As with a leveling kit, solutions may include towing airbags, oversized bump stops, and weight-distributing hitches.

Does Lifting a Truck Affect the Maximum Payload?

Your truck’s maximum payload (how much weight it can haul in the bed) isn’t necessarily affected by a lift or leveling kit; however, that’s not to say that a lift kit won’t affect hauling performance. Like towing performance, your vehicle’s handling characteristics with a load in the bed may be affected, resulting in reduced stability and increased suspension sag.

As with towing, body lifts likely won’t hinder hauling performance since the suspension isn't modified. Leveling kits may minimally reduce hauling performance, while suspension lifts result in the most significant reduction. However, in each case, the maximum payload doesn't increase or decrease.

When Do You Need a Leveling or Lift Kit?

Pickup owners install leveling and lift kits for two primary purposes: increasing off-road prowess and improving aesthetics. For those that frequently trek off-road or live in a remote location, lift kits can improve your ability to navigate rough terrain. They allow room for grippy oversized tires, improve ground clearance, and increase articulation, allowing your truck to crawl over challenging terrain.

Alternatively, several truck owners install lift kits purely for aesthetic purposes. Lift kits make for a tough, aggressive stance while increasing fender clearances to fit oversized wheels and tires without rubbing. However, some instances may not warranty a lift kit.

For example, a vehicle used primarily for work–hauling or towing–likely won’t benefit from a lift kit; in fact, a lift kit may even hinder performance and practicality! In these instances, we’d recommend either forgoing a lift kit or installing one with minimal effect on your truck’s towing performance, such as a leveling or body lift.

As always, you can find any of the products mentioned in the article on RealTruck, from lift kits to wheels and tires and towing accessories. For additional product information or order assistance, contact the experts at RealTruck