Jeep Gladiator Leveling Kit Vs Lift Kit

Why Should I Lift or Level My Jeep?

It depends on what you want to do. The most common reason for this is to fit bigger tires and wheels to your Jeep. Since you’ll need more clearance to accommodate these, a lift or leveling kit is one way to go about it. Another reason is that you may want to stick with the stock or existing wheels and tires but gain more ground clearance.

What Is a Leveling Kit?

Typically, the rear of a vehicle will sit higher than the front. This is particularly true for trucks and some SUVs. Automakers do this because they anticipate that users will load their vehicle to varying levels during their time with it. Hence, as the vehicle is loaded, the rear suspension will start to bear the added weight. So, it will be compressed, and the rear of the vehicle will be lower. Hence, the vehicle will approach a more level stance.

Using a leveling kit, you ensure that your vehicle is level by increasing the height of the portion that sits lower (typically the front). This ensures that you gain some ground clearance, albeit this is usually most beneficial if you don’t load your vehicle too much. Because as you start to load your vehicle, the rear suspension will compress, and you’ll end up with the front end sitting higher than the rear. This might offer you a better approach angle, but your breakover and departure angles will suffer as a result. Check out our range of Jeep Gladiator Leveling Kits. We’ve got 1.5-inch and 2.5-inch choices.

What Is a Lift Kit?

A lift kit will lift your entire vehicle by an equal amount (although it is also possible to have varying amounts at the front rear, for that characteristic squatting or face-down stance, albeit this isn’t very useful when off-roading). Lift kits can provide as little as 2 inches of lift, or more than 6 inches.

If you want a mild lift, here’s our range of Jeep Gladiator 1-inch to 2-inch lift kits. These are ideal for vehicles with tires up to 33 inches.

If you need more clearance, here’s our range of Jeep Gladiator 3-inch to 5-inch lift kits. These can accommodate up to 35-inch tires.

Still not enough? Break out the big guns; our Jeep Gladiator 6-inch to 8-inch lift kits range. Here, you can run up to 37-inch tires if desired.

Which Is Better?

A leveling kit is easier and cheaper to install. You can install it only for the front (or rear), or for the entire vehicle. Furthermore, leveling kits don’t affect your vehicle’s handling characteristics too much. So, you can use a leveling kit on your daily driver to gain some off-road ability without compromising your on-road comfort and handling. Your vehicle will still ride and handle largely the same with a leveling kit. Your on-road stability, crosswind performance and fuel efficiency shouldn’t be affected too much either.

However, a leveling kit won’t give you more than a couple of inches of ground clearance. You’ve also got to account for the fact that if you regularly load your vehicle, a leveling kit may not be the best option. However, a leveling kit is much easier to install if you’re an enthusiastic home mechanic. That being said, be aware that you’ll still need items such as a spring compressor, and bear in mind that compressed springs are extremely dangerous. So, it’s always best to have the installation done by a professional.

This is where a lift kit comes in. Provided you upgrade other components of your vehicle (such as the suspension, drive shafts, steering rod, brake hoses, etc..), you can easily gain several inches of ride height. Lift kits are more expensive and labor-intensive to install. They also need to be installed by a professional, as there are several other vehicle-specific factors that must be taken into account.

Another side effect of a lift kit is that your vehicle’s ride height increase will be noticeable, so its daily drivability will be affected. Since it will sit taller on the road, it will be more top-heavy and less aerodynamic, so less fuel efficient. You’ll have to take appropriate care when driving at higher speeds on highways, particularly in crosswind conditions.

But all that won’t matter if you primarily use your Jeep Gladiator for moderate to extreme off-roading. Here, only a lift kit will provide the breathing space that you require for enhanced approach, breakover and departure angles, as well as fitting bigger tires and beefier suspension.

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