ok i started looking around. i can get 3.5 inch lift block for the rear of my truck for about 90-100 bucks. now i am thingking of getting green keys. but my question is is how far will the stock ones go before its either unsafe(if it even is) or they max out. my truck sits a little lower in the front with my bars turned 5 turns. how much can i get with fully turned stocks and how much can i get with green keys?

also will lift blocks afftect my towin ability other than the rear end beig higher? the most i tow is 13,000. also should i get the 2 inch lift blocks and get the add a leafs? they say you gain 2" from just them.

the reason i am doing this is i just bought my tires and i want the truck to clear them and i want it to sit higher than my uncles dodge. we got a little compitition goign on hear.

IMO green keys s__k! I put them on my last truck and they ruined the ride. I had put on 33's and sold my stock wheels. I hated the ride so much that I just sold the truck. Go with a true suspension lift. My truck rides better than stock w/ the RCD lift.

I added 2" REAR BLOCKS AND ADDED THE GREEN KEYS. I agree with Diesel Bob about the ride did change. You can get different shocks and then the ride returns. My truck now sits up and now LOOKS like a truck, IMO. Would I do it again? YES.
What size of tires? I have 315/70/17 and now they clear. Adding chains to the front may be a bit tight though.
Ben

blnagel, I'm just curious, what did you put on for shocks after the green keys? I put on the most expensive monroes and it did not help. My truck was a gasser, so it gave me a good reason to buy a Duramax.

I had Bilsteins before add ons. I built extensions for front and rears and that did improve my ride alot. I know some have bought longer Ranchos and Bilsteins as well. It seems the general concensus here is either Ranchos or Bisteins.
Ben

IMO green keys s__k! I put them on my last truck and they ruined the ride. I had put on 33's and sold my stock wheels. I hated the ride so much that I just sold the truck. Go with a true suspension lift. My truck rides better than stock w/ the RCD lift.
I had a 2002, 8.1 with 6" fabtech lift and the ride on it sucked. It was fine everyware except concrete freeways, it would osillate so bad you could not see. Now I have the green keys, rancho rsx90000's, 1.5" rear blocks and the ride in very nice. I did have to tune things and I am very glad I have adjustible shocks. The problem is the rebound you get from the tighter springs. If the shocks are mushing the rebound is excessive. You want the shocks just stiff enough so you don't get alot of compression going over dip's. Adding the 1.5" blocks also helped by putting the rake back to stock. It is a cheap mans lift and the RCD lift is very cool and probable a better way to go if you like being that high. I did the keys because I just wanted to clear 285's nothing more.

No offense meant to you guys running green keys, I guess I just had a bad experience. I did not even lift the rear, I just used them to level the truck. I put on a 3" body lift and ran 33's on H2's. However, I can't say enough about how much I like the ride w/ the RCD. Maybe the extra weight of the diesel helps give a better ride w/ green keys. Merry Christmas all.

I agree with Diesel Bob. Put on a true suspension lift. With the stock Tbars cranked or green keys, you are going to kill the front end of your truck. I almost learned that the hard way and am still replacing parts with abnormal wear from my prior cranked Tbars.

Well some people want a taller stance without a lift. I know personally I pull a trailer and will be pulling a 45 ft trailer pretty soon and I still want to be able to back under it. I have had just about every lift kit on the market (minus that so-called Cognito thing) and RCD makes a nice kit, as do many other manufacturers. However you can run green keys and Rancho's or Bilstein's and have a nice ride... It all depends on what you are going to do with your truck and how functional you want it to be.

...If the shocks are mushing the rebound is excessive. You want the shocks just stiff enough so you don't get alot of compression going over dip's. Adding the 1.5" blocks also helped by putting the rake back to stock...Shocks are the key to making green keys working. I have recently found a Bilstein shock that is stiff enough to work w/ the green keys. The shock is slightly longer compressed but a couple inches longer extended which will eliminate the need for shock spacers. I have searched long and hard and NOBODY ON THIS FORUM has tried this particular shock. From all the information I have gathers the shocks should work hand in hand with the green keys. I'm sure the ride will be slightly rougher but the truck rides too soft up front IMO.

...I almost learned that the hard way and am still replacing parts with abnormal wear from my prior cranked Tbars.Fact is running 35" tires will put just as much abnormal wear and tear on parts as a set of green keys. Other thing to consider is for many of us that tow a lift is not an option espically if you have a fifth wheel. I have seen many people pull w/ lifted trucks but it's not nearly as safe. Last but no least mileage goes down the crapper the bigger you go...while I didn't purchase my truck soley for the mileage I do drive 100 miles round trip to work and it's just not pratical. Lifts are great if practical but after having my last truck lifted I learned "the hard way".

I have messed around with this quite a bit. Each truck will be a bit different. However, as a guide you can count on 1.5" of t-bar lift--regardless of the key used--and virtually no change in the ride. When you get close to 2", the ride can start to change and at 2" and above the ride will get progressively worse the more you crank the bars.

My combo was 1.75" of t-bar crank, aftermarket keys (that I didn't need), Bilstein shocks, and a 1" spacer in the rear. This allowed me to run 285s on 8" rims, but I ocassionally got rubbing. Most of the rubbing problem was due to the backspacing--4.375" is not enough.

There is absolutely ZERO problem running with 1-2" of T-bar lift. The HD CVs are very stout. I currently have the Rancho 4" lift and my CVs are at stock angles. A couple weeks ago I broke a suspension component (a t-bar relocator that was made from bad steel) and the suspension settled all the way down on the yellow bump stop/aux spring on the right side. I had to drive it 170 miles that way. The CV was at a horrendous angle, but it was turning freely and I was out in the middle of nowhere and had to get back.

The bottom line is that CV is still as tight as it ever was. The CVs are NOT the weak point in this truck. The weak points are the front wheel bearings and the tie rods. You can get a set of sleeves that fix the tie rods, but there is currently no fix for the front wheel bearings, other than a front straight axle out of a '99 or earlier F-350. And, like was mentioned earlier, it's the offset wheels and larger tires that put wear and tear on the front wheel bearings, not cranked t-bars of lift kits.

If I were doing it again, I'd go with BFG 285s or 295s, 1.5 to 2" of t-bar crank (green keys if necessary), a 1 to 1.5" rear block, Bilstein shocks (2" longer would be perfect) and wheels with 5" of backspacing. I may even flip the tie-rods. If I wanted to run 315s, then I'd get the Bushwacker cut-out flares.

Make no mistake, my Rancho lift is great, my RS 9000xs are great, and the t-bar relocators made from the right steel (the manufacturer dumped the old supplier who admittedly supplied him with sub-standard steel) are great. However, I don't think the lift is necessary for 33 inch tires if you run the right backspacing and 1.5 - 2" of t-bar crank.

running green keys and ranchos, no shock spacers and all is well. I have less than 2" of cranking and the ride is better than stock. The one other mod I am looking at is a spacer from the jounce bumpers so they can pick up the load again. My truck is not a street queen, it sees its share of off road (not abused but not babied). I have 35s and have towed 10K lbs for hundreds of miles at a time with no problems. your mileage may vary, but if you dont want to lift it like myself because of towing a fifth wheel, the green keys are money well spent IMO


marc

3500dmax: What model shocks are you looking at? When I put different keys on my 1/2 ton we just measured the stock shocks and called rancho and asked for some that were 2 inchs longer with the right mounts. Probably gonna do that again unless someone has found some already.

...I may even flip the tie-rods...Flipping the tie rods is not an option. I've looked into it an the tie rod is tapered. Your able to flip them on the Rancho kit because the new steering knuckle is tapered differently.

3500dmax: What model shocks are you looking at?nar the shocks I am looking at are a set of Bilsteins. I already installed some 5150 shocks out back but am having a hard time getting the specific shock I need for the front. I am told it's on back order so I am looking around to see if I can dig up a set. You could easily just order a shock with the correct length which would solve 1/2 your problem...the other half is valving. The shocks I am looking at have a stiffer valving which should eliminate most of the bounce up front.

3500,

The Rancho comes with knuckles built to take them from the top side. The tie-rod flip kits for stock knuckles come with a reamer to taper the hole form the other side. I have no experience with the tie-rod flip, but I haven't heard of any problems with them.

I have my t bars cranked with green keys and H2-315 tires and wheels. For the most part the ride is nice until you hit a big bump. Then the front end hops up and down because of the shocks.

I think I will get a set of 2" blocks for the rear and either get a set of Bilsteins and make some spacers or try and find a 2" longer Bilsteins. What is the part number on the one thats 2" longer? I don't think I've seen anyone use them.

I do sometimes miss the stock ride. I'm hoping by adding the Bilsteins that I'll get some of it back. But even thou my truck rides a little rough sometimes it still rides light years better than my old '99 Dodge.

BTW, What are you guys using for rear blocks? Everyone I've seen that makes a kit uses round U bolts. I have found square U bolts and 2" blocks at Advance Auto Parts. The whole set up should cost less than $40. The same thing in a kit form cost around $75 from Superlift.

That what I'd get then if they are quality u-bolts. On my 1/2 ton I had used some from tsliftkits.com and they were allright but the blocks were narrower than the springs. They worked but they bothered me. So you might measure those blocks before you buy them...