I have been researching the best way to level out the front end of my 2005 2500HD 4x4. This site has provided some great infromation. I still can not get a consensus on the best way to level the front end.

I speak from experience with the torsion bar crank up method.
I had a 2003 2500HD 4x4. I had the torsion bars cranked up 1.5 inches, and then had the front end re-aligned. I ran BFG 285R16's with 16x8 in. weld wheels. It looked great, but rode terrible. At 30K miles I started having front end problems. Wheel bearings and idler/pitman arms going out. (2 times!!) I was covered under the extended warranty, but it is still a pain the the rear! Besides that the ride was terrible and frustrating.

So here is my question. I have seen numerous leveling kits with the "green key" concept. From what I have gathered, this is similiar to cranking up the stock keys as far as quality of the ride and stress on frontg end parts. Then there is the Cognito leveling kit. This seems to be a good option. It looks like it takes the stock suspension and relocates it to lift the front end, without putting the added stress of cranking the torsion bars on the front supsension parts.

Does anyone know if once ithe Cognito kit is nstalled, do you still have to crank the torsion bars? I only want about 2 inches max to the front end.

Finally, the only other option I have seen is the Rancho 4 in lift. I still want to get my truck in the garage which is 7ft. I saw someone on this site that installed the 4" Rancho kit and can still get it in his garage.

Ultimately, I would like to add only a couple of inches to the front and not mess with the rear. This would also the the most cost effective way as well.

Any opionions or advice fdor my long winded thread? Anything would be helpful, thanks!!!!

From what I have read alot of people here seem to like the cognito leveling kit. Somebody with experience will chime in. I have a 6" lift check sig and I fit in my 7' garage.

As MaxxedOut stated in the other thread and Roreedmx stated here, I too am interested in just leveling the truck with minimum lift and have been thinking of the 2-3” Cognito. I am opposed to cranking on the torsion bar. I have been doing some reading and notice that most of the guys on this sight have access to the proper tools and the ability to install the kit/lifts themselves. I, however, have neither and am not about to beat my chest and act as if I could do it. The reality is this is my dream truck, and I have owned it for 2 weeks and don’t want to screw anything up. I would like to run 285’s or 33’s to give it a little more aggressive stance without razing it too much (the wife still has to get in and out with out too much difficulty). My questions in addition to Roreedmx are as follows:

Can I buy the kit and have someone install it and about how much extra would that be?

Will a dealer do this and/or how might it affect the warranty?

To get the tire size that I am looking for, am I still going to have to trim or crank on the TB’s or do I need to do the combo Green Key/Cognito?

Will this affect in anyway the towing ability of the truck?

What would be the big difference in height and appearance between doing the Cognito and the 4” lifts?

Thanks....and I must say I am quickly becoming an addict to this sight!

GeoAg;
I have BFG 285r16's as we speak. Just put them on. I have the stock rims right now. Makes a difference, I have not leveled the truck yet. It only rubbed in one place under the fenderwell, and a little trim fixed it. Just a little off the bottom of the plastic fenderwell. Can't even tell.

There seems to be a common misconception when it comes to the Cognito leveling kit. Per their website the kit DOES utilize the torsion bars to achieve the desired amount of lift. There is no difference between the Cognito kit or cranking the torsion bars except Cognito claims their upper control arms allow for more downward travel and allows you to get the front end into alignment. Downward travel I can buy, how much….who knows but my front end is aligned and all I did was crank the torsion bars. Bottom line is the Cognito kit still uses the torsion bars, they even offer the ‘green key’ for additional $$$. The only advantage I can see in using their kit is if the UCA ball joints are larger.

I am glad you posted this, I am in the market for the same thing. I just want a few inches in the front, but I don't want to get too crazy. I just ordered Helo Maxx 8 18 x 9" wheels and Nitto Terra Grappler 325 60 18's and want just a little bit more clearance.

Here is my question, what exactly are green keys? Are they a dealer item or aftermarket?

I think I understand the concept that green keys relocate where the torsion bars mount the the frame for more range of motion, but I have no idea where to get them, anybody have a website link that shows them?

Thanks,
Gibby

I added the Cognito leveling kit and still had to crank the bars almost all the way up to get it level. I also had to use a bottle jack to spread the upper control arms out to fit the stock frame brackets as the Cognito upper control arms were almost 1/4" narrower than stock. I do like how it looks and rides.

So, what you guys are saying is that you still have to crank the torsion bars. Then, what is the point or the real benifet?

I think I understand the concept that green keys relocate where the torsion bars mount the the frame for more range of motion, but I have no idea where to get them, anybody have a website link that shows them?

Thanks,
Gibby


right here
http://www.gmdieseltech.com/store2/cart.php?target=category&action=view&category_id=281

The green keys are just "indexed" higher to twist the bars to lift the front end. Just reading alot of posts about this lift, it appears to be the same as any other IFS torsion bar adjustment. Every trucks torsion bars are different so some you crank more than the other. The stock purple keys on my truck were sufficient to get the lift I like, but I know when my torsion bars start to lose their memory, I'll install the green keys. The same amount of height should yield the same ride whether it's the green or purple keys. Eventually, you'll want to purchase the green keys if you want to retain the ride height "you" like.
This is the simplest and cheapest way to lift the front end mildly. I can understand why the idler arms and tie rod ends might wear sooner with the increased angles, but the wheel bearings may have just been a manufacture defect.
If you want a lift with more functional wheel travel, you'll need to spend more and get quality kits from the vendors from this forum.
Just my .02

I was in the same boat as the rest of you guys trying to decide if I just wanted to crank the bars and run a little bigger tire. I tried this before on my 2002 and didn't like the ride, plus it ruined the uppper ball joints so I lifted it. I then looked into the Cognito lift option for my 05, but thought it was a little expensive for what you get. I then decided if I was going to run a bigger tire I was going to need a quality kit that would clear without cutting alot of plastic and cranking the bars. I decided on the RCD 6in kit with 315x70x17 bfg with 17x9 wheels. I have never heard of any bad issues with this kit, plus you get the kickass shocks. This is just my opinion, so don't take it to seriously.

Gibby, I think you are going to have to put on a lift kit in order to fit those wheels and tires without excessive rubbing. Your wheels are going to push the tire out more than stock and catch the front and rear of the fender.

Truck rides nice and smooth with the torsion bars cranked and Bilstein shocks...better than factory IMO. Ball joints along with pitman/idler arms may be a problem down the road but you'll experience the same problems running a lift kit. Just the nature of the beast! If the Cognito UCA's have larger ball joints this would be a major advantage.

Does anyone know if you would be able to achive the same results (lift) by using the Fabtech 3" or the CST 4" spindles without sacrificing the ride quality as with cranking the bars or aftermaket a-arms??? By using a lift spindle, would it pre-maturely wear down the ball joints and pitman/idler arms like cranking the bars too much??? also, would you need to add an add-a-leaf or 2" block to go with the spindles???:confused:

Gibby, I think you are going to have to put on a lift kit in order to fit those wheels and tires without excessive rubbing. Your wheels are going to push the tire out more than stock and catch the front and rear of the fender.

azhuntnut - I am thinking that you are correct. I am now looking for info on a 4" Rancho lift. I would to find some pics oh what it would look like with the same size wheelz n tirez.

Wow! Great responses!! Yesterday, I was sold on the Cognito kit.
If I have read correctly, the Cognito kit is basically the same as the "green key" concept with new shocks, but you get a tougher ball joint.
Interesting. So it seems to be more cost effective route to get 1.5-2 inches is the green key method. 3500dmax-you mentioned that your ride was better than stock. How high did you crank your t-bars?
Finallly, does anyone with the Cogntio kit have anything negative to say about it, like not recommending it?

I have the green keys/cranked bars on my truck (03), my brother put the Cognito kit on. There is no comparision.........the Cognito rides much better. What you guys need to understand is that the Cognito kit may require you to crank the torsion bars to get the height, but you gain clearance between the lower control arm and the droop stop, which IMO is what gains you a better ride. Mine are constantly hitting the droop stops on my truck.

3500dmax-you mentioned that your ride was better than stock. How high did you crank your t-bars?

I used the green key and Bilstein shocks.

What you guys need to understand is that the Cognito kit may require you to crank the torsion bars to get the height,...

No what you need to understand is Cognito requires you to crank the torsion bars to the the height. I personally have never felt my UCA hit the stop. I would consider the Cognito kit only if the ball joints are larger and even they I would probably wait for mine to go out before instead of wasting the money.

No what you need to understand is Cognito requires you to crank the torsion bars to the the height.

Go re-read my post...........Isn't that what I said???

03BlueHD-Thanks for the comparison. That is what I am looking for. The ride is my main concern. Sounds like as far as the ride goes, the cognito is the way to go. Can you tell a big difference?

Go to offroadunlimited.com They have a kit with keys and Bilstein 5100 series shocks..Heard it works great...I used the keys and have 33X12.50X17 PJ's. Waiting on the shocks to see if there is a ride difference.

03BlueHD just clarifying that you are required to crank the bars, it's not an option.

roreedmx I would have a hard time spending $500-700 for something you could get for $250-300.

03BlueHD just clarifying that you are required to crank the bars, it's not an option.

roreedmx I would have a hard time spending $500-700 for something you could get for $250-300.

AGREED! You do need to crank just as much, what your gaining is ride quality. The difference is worth the $200 more it would cost.

3500 How much clearance do you have between the lower control arm and the droop stop? Mine is virtually touching, and that is where the kit makes the most difference.

Has anyone had much experience with or heard anything about the offroad unlimited Leveling cog and shock kit?

im running the oru kit with out the shocks, third truck ive run this set up on no complaints or problems!

Has anyone had much experience with or heard anything about the offroad unlimited Leveling cog and shock kit?

It's overpriced. You can get green keys for about $45, and order a set of Bilsteins through Autozone for about $250, IIRC.

Lots of good info here. Just got my '05 2500HD Tuesday. Being 2WD its not going to see much dirt, just a daily driver and something to pull our TT with.

More than likely gonna do the GREEN KEYS and Goodyear 285's. Any thoughts on how the Bilsteins stack up to the RSX9000's?

Being that the GREEN KEYS are an OE GM component how would they influence a service managers opinion on warranty related problems down the road?

Here is another kit I found.
http://www.truxxx.com/chevrolet_products/chev_k1500_level_kit.htm
This is similiar to the green key set up, but this one comes with new shck mounting brackets and claims to actually just raise the factor setting 1.5-2 inches. I called and talked to them and they claim they have a money back guarantee. Kit runs $349. No tightening of the t-bars needed. I think I might try this route first.

Sorry, that was the 1500 link.
Here is the 2500HD link.
http://www.truxxx.com/chevrolet_products/chev_k2500_level_kit.htm

Picture of that bracket.

http://www.truxxx.com/chevrolet_products/chevrolet_images/1999_23.jpg

im running the oru kit with out the shocks, third truck ive run this set up on no complaints or problems!

Any Pics?

AGREED! You do need to crank just as much, what your gaining is ride quality. The difference is worth the $200 more it would cost.

3500 How much clearance do you have between the lower control arm and the droop stop? Mine is virtually touching, and that is where the kit makes the most difference.
I paid $25 for the green keys and $150 for my Bilsteins. Compare that to the Cognito kit at $500 not including shocks.

03BlueHD I have about an 1.25" between the upper control arm and the metal bumpstop and the lower control arm is just barely touching the yellow jounce stopper but not resting on it.

why is it that my 01 duallie sets so much lower in the front end than my friends 01 2500hd, both have the duramax and both 4x4

Has anyone had much experience with or heard anything about the offroad unlimited Leveling cog and shock kit?

I installed this kit on my truck about a month ago. I think it rides better that the stock version. The shocks are good too. This kit cost 275.00. It makes the truck look much better. The only problem I had is this kit stays back ordered. It takes about 3 weeks to get. 2004 GMC 2500 Crewcab.

Isn't that kit just green keys and shocks?

Does anybody have the EXACT part number for the Bilsteins that are used with the green keys?

I installed this kit on my truck about a month ago. I think it rides better that the stock version. The shocks are good too. This kit cost 275.00. It makes the truck look much better. The only problem I had is this kit stays back ordered. It takes about 3 weeks to get. 2004 GMC 2500 Crewcab.

JLWRANCH,

Any Pics?

03BlueHD I have about an 1.5" between the upper control arm and the metal bumpstop and the lower control arm is just barely touching the yellow jounce stopper but not resting on it.

Sorry, my bad, I meant to write upper control on my last post.

Anyhow, maybe its b/c you have a 3500, I know my 2500 has barely 1/2" clearance, it definately affect the ride.

Juscruzn, Check with Kennedy Diesel on this site he has them.
http://www.kennedydiesel.com/

I installed the Truxxx kit (http://www.truxxx.com/chevrolet_products/chev_k2500_level_kit.htm) which is basically new indexed torsion bar keys and new lower shock mounts. It raised the truck up just shy of two inches. Once this is installed you can still crank the torsion bars, but I stayed with the stock setting to give me a better ride. So far I am happy with the ride. I am not sure if it is worth the $345 I spent on it, but so far it rides much better than my 03 did when I had the t-bars cranked up 2 in.
As far as install, it took about 2.5 hours. Not bad.

Roreedmx,

When are you going to post some pics?

03BlueHD there is no difference between a 2500HD or 3500 up front, it's all in the leaf springs. I'll take a tape measure to the UCA when I get home tomorrow.

Turbobruce is correct all these leveling kits are the same. The Truxxxx kits is just another rebranded set of green keys and yes roreedmx your torsion bars are cranked some. juscruzn the front shocks that I purchased for my truck are the same Bilstein shocks Offroad Unlimited sells in their $400 leveling kit...PN BE5-6140- T5

03BlueHD there is no difference between a 2500HD or 3500 up front, it's all in the leaf springs. I'll take a tape measure to the UCA when I get home tomorrow.

Turbobruce is correct all these leveling kits are the same. The Truxxxx kits is just another rebranded set of green keys and yes roreedmx your torsion bars are cranked some. juscruzn the front shocks that I purchased for my truck are the same Bilstein shocks Offroad Unlimited sells in their $400 leveling kit...PN BE5-6140-H5

Is the part number you listed for the bilstein 5100 series shock for a truck lifted 2" with the green keys or are they the stock height shocks. How did you get the part number? I called bilstein to get a part number for a 5100 series with a front that is lifted 2" and they wouldn't give me a part number and told me to call off road unlimited to get them.

thank you
jeremy

You mean like these?

http://www.dpsdirect.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=345&category=12

From a good supporting vendor....

The shock number on DPS is BE5-6140-T5,,Not H5...I ordered mine through Summitracing.com and paid no tax. Just a couple bucks cheaper. Has anyone heard or seen the Sway Away Big Truck Torsion bars for these trucks. I saw them in a magazine but according to everyone I talk to they are not out yet. They use a splined key and they are a heat treated alloy for consistancy....Supposed to be the S#!t.

Is the part number you listed for the bilstein 5100 series shock for a truck lifted 2" with the green keys or are they the stock height shocks. How did you get the part number?...
Yes that PN is for those using green keys and/or cranked torsion bars. To make a long story short I called John@DPS and he wasn't aware of any shocks so I started looking at different shock specs from Bilstein until I came across that PN. The valving was different but I soon realized Offroad Unlimited was using these exact shocks in their kit. I did a little more research to make sure the valving would work and then let John know these would work for everyone. Thats when he ordered a couple sets and is now advertising them. Again there was some confusion as to whether the PN ended in H0, H5 or T5. John has the correct shocks, PN ends in T5. I always prefer to buy thru a Preferred Vendor such as John even if it costs me a few bucks more.

I will get pics up as soon as possible. I should have them up by Friday.

[quote=Turbobruce;630614]Isn't that kit just green keys and shocks?[/quote
Yes you are correct.

I will get some for you. Give me a few days

I will get you the ones that was sent with my kit.

"...yeah me and me and me are three..."

Just got my 05 crew cab long bed July 2 :bounce: . Ordered the green keys after reading countless post :Insane: . Now when ordering shocks, correct me if am wrong :help: . Bilstein 5100 series shock for a truck lifted 2" & for stock height for rear also 5100 series? It seems like all the venders are down south, being that I live in Cailf. I will be charged tax & maybe shipping :eek2:

3500dmax - Thanks, for the shock info!

:offtopic: Does using green keys and Bilstiens void warrenty?

Also will the front end wear out faster because of the incresed angle on the front end components with the green keys?

Does using green keys and Bilstiens void warrenty?
I'm sure the dealer could hassle you but they would have to prove the green keys (a GM product) caused your GM truck to have a problem...LOL I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that argument!

Also will the front end wear out faster because of the incresed angle on the front end components with the green keys?
Yes

I only cranked my TBars up about 1.5" to clear my 285/70/17BFGs - is there any downside to mounting the "2 inch lifted" Bilsteins? I don't want to bottom out the shocks on a set of railroad tracks and ruin 'em. Will Bilstein honor their warranty since these shocks aren't made specifically for our application (or are they now listed for this application by Bilstein?)?

I dont seem to recall anybody answering my question awhile back....

Will the Green keys provide the same effect on a 2WD 2500?

I dont seem to recall anybody answering my question awhile back....

Will the Green keys provide the same effect on a 2WD 2500?

Lots of good info here. Just got my '05 2500HD Tuesday. Being 2WD its not going to see much dirt, just a daily driver and something to pull our TT with.

More than likely gonna do the GREEN KEYS and Goodyear 285's. Any thoughts on how the Bilsteins stack up to the RSX9000's?

Being that the GREEN KEYS are an OE GM component how would they influence a service managers opinion on warranty related problems down the road?
Not the same question but nevertheless...

Yes green keys will provide the same effect on a 2wd. The other option you have would be to utilize a 3" spindle lift. A spindle lift will allow you to keep your stock torsion bar settings and still give you enough lift needed to clear 33" tires, downfall is they cost more than green keys and widen the front track width. You can do a search and find more info on spindles. I've run both the Rancho 9000s and now Bilsteins and would recommend Bilstein. While the green keys are OE equipment the majority of service managers wouldn't know. It all depends on their mood that day. If he/she woke up on the wrong side on the bed the morning you decide to take your truck in for service you may want to find another dealership. I know that doesn't really answer your question but service writers/managers are hit and miss.

mountainstoner Bilstein claims they will honor the warranty as long as the shocks are being used on the proper application. I'm not sure if Bistein requires proof of what type of vehicle you have and no they are not listed for GM trucks.

As Bakatare asked earier, do they make a 5100 series with +2" for the front and a stock height for the rear? It would pretty goofy to have two different set of shocks.

Coyzter - I agree, wondering the same thing. Look under my "which Bilsteins" thread. Kennedy recommends running the OEM Bilsteins with the shock extensions up front. An reasonable alternative would seem to be what you stated, stock 5100 length in the back, extended up front. Do they make 'em?

I guess the other option would be to go with a 2" block in the rear and use the +2 shock on all fours. That would probably work well especially if you tow (so your butt doesn't drag).

Yea, that would work. Im looking to level my truck as much as I can so dont want the back raised. I just put air bags on the back and seems to work pretty well for raising the rear back up and improving the ride when towing. Looking to improve it even more with some Bilsteins if I can figure which ones to buy!!!

Did you get your front end alined after truxxx leveling kit install ?

Yes I did. It was not off too bad, but it was off.

If I get a suspension lift, is there any need to install green keys or crank the TB's ?

3500DMAX

Thanks again for all the info. In another thread you said you were using
Bilstein 5150 BF5-A196-H1 in the rear. Is that with blocks or just stock? Did you notice a ride difference by doing the rear?