4 Wheel Drive/SUVs: 1997 Dodge ram 4x4 longbed lift kit, 17 inch rims, dodge ram truck

Question
I want to level out my dodge ram truck. I believe this means raising the front about 1.5 to 2 inches. I also want to go from 16 to 17 inch rims on the tires. I don't want the truck to be a huge off-road style truck, just a little bigger like a 2500. Here's my question. I have seen leveling kits that use coil spring spacers, but my mechanic told me he could do the same thing by tightening up the torsion bars. I don't really understand how. What are the pros and cons of each method? And will this be enough room for 17 inch tires to fit ok?  It looks like it would be plenty of room to me.

Answer
Lewis,

The amount of lift you want is determined by the size of the tires (IE 31", 33", or 35"), not the size of the rim.  You can put low profile, or hard core large tires on any of the rims, so you need to decide what size tire you want to run.  You can get some lift by tightening the torsion bars, but this will also limit your travel to a certain extent.  I lifted my Grand Cherokee 2" with an inexpensive lift kit, but I only do minor to medium trails with it.

You can try adjusting the torsion bars and see if it does what you want.  If not, you may need to go to a true lift kit.  Remember, 1.5" to 2.0" is not much of a lift.

Carl