Leveling Kit Question

Apologies ahead of time, as I don't have a ton of knowledge here, but it has been my understanding that a leveling kit "levels" out the front or back with the higher end of the vehicle. However, the specs for our 3rd gen Tundras show it is an equal 10.2 on both ends. I primarily wanted to put the leveling kit on for some ride height, since they are cheaper than lift kits, but I guess that really won't accomplish anything here unless I wanted to buy two sets of leveling kits, in which case I may as well buy 1 regular lift kit, right?

 

I used one kit to lower the rear so that it matches the stock height front end.

 

Our trucks come butt high. To level them you need to bring the front end up just shy of 2"

You could go the spacer route. Just like running boards, most are sold in pairs.
You can buy a pair of 2" spacers for just the front.

A lot of people want to level it and raise it a bit and do whats called a 3/1 - lifts the front 3" and back 1" (front gains the 2" needed for level, with the added 1" to both front and back) But the way I think of it, if you are going to be spending over three hundred just to have it installed/aligned, save up for a bit and actually improve the ride with better front shocks that provide greater performance AND the height you want. After all, it's a 40k+ truck to begin with.

Bilstein 5100s in the front can do the job. $170 on Amazon for the pair, or all four corners for around $350. Still need to pay to install and align unless you are handy.

 

So I think what you mean by 10.2 on both ends is that the truck clearance in the back and front is the same(clearance is the distance from the ground to the lowest point on your truck frame or differential). This is different from “leveling”. Clearance is not the same as “rake”. Rake is when the ass end is higher to account for when the truck is loaded and the back end squats. Leveling reduces the rake so that the truck looks....level.

 

James, just curious, how will adding the 5100's affect CV angle, meaning, is a diff drop bracket still recommended to avoid having to replace CV boots every few months? I'm thinking of adding 2" leveling kit/spacer to the front only, as I'm eventually going to get 285/70 (after the stock 275/65's wear out). After reading several threads, I anticipate without the leveling kit, there will be rubbing. However, with the leveling kit, I may get lucky and/or only need very minor mods.

I previously came from a 2000 Land Cruiser, and that required the diff drop bracket for a 2.5" lift, to avoid wearing out CV boots too quickly, thus, the reason for my inquiry on the diff drop bracket. And I will be doing the install of all of it myself, like I did with my LC. Alignment, however, I'll leave to the pros.