RAM 1500 Suspension Lift vs Body Lift: Key Differences Every Truck Owner Should Know

Performance Dodge · RAM 1500 Lift Guide

RAM 1500 Suspension Lift vs Body Lift: Key Differences Every Truck Owner Should Know

How each type of lift actually raises your truck, what it does to ride and warranty, and which option makes sense for a RAM 1500 that lives in South Jersey.

Key Takeaways

Suspension Lift or Body Lift: Which Is Right for a RAM 1500?

Both kinds of lift make a RAM 1500 look taller. That’s about where the similarity ends. One raises the body off the frame and leaves everything underneath alone. The other raises the truck from the wheels up. They cost different amounts, they fix different problems, and on a modern RAM they’re not equally common. A third option, the leveling kit, is what most owners actually end up buying.

We see plenty of lifted trucks come through our service lanes in Woodbury. Below, we cover how each lift works on the current (2019 and newer) RAM 1500, what New Jersey requires, and the factory-built options that can save you the trouble.

What Is a Body Lift?

A RAM 1500 is a body-on-frame truck. The cab and bed bolt to the frame through a set of body mounts. A body lift unbolts those mounts and adds spacer blocks (often called pucks) between the body and frame, usually about two inches tall. The cab and bed sit higher. The frame, axles, springs and shocks don’t move at all.

That has two consequences. First, you get more room in the wheel wells for a bigger tire, because the fenders went up. Second, you get no added clearance under the frame, the differentials or the axles, apart from whatever the bigger tires add. Your suspension geometry stays exactly as RAM set it, which is the main appeal.

Are Body Lifts Common on the Current RAM 1500?

Not very. They were far more popular on older trucks and Jeeps. For the 2019 and newer RAM 1500, only a handful of kits exist, and the best known is a two-inch kit from Performance Accessories that fits 2019 to 2026 trucks, excluding the TRX. It includes steering shaft extension and relocation brackets and is rated for tires up to 33 inches. That last number surprises people. A body lift on this truck doesn’t open the door to huge tires on its own. Owners on RAM forums also report tricky installs, since the body mount bolts on this generation go up through the frame from below.

What Is a Suspension Lift?

A suspension lift raises the truck by changing the parts between the wheels and the frame, so the whole truck, frame included, sits higher. That’s what gives you real ground clearance. The term covers a wide range of hardware.

At the simple end are spacer lifts, which add a spacer on top of the coil or strut. A step up are kits with longer coils or complete replacement struts and shocks. At the top are full kits with new steering knuckles or drop brackets, control arms and sometimes differential drop hardware, typically for four inches of lift and more. Mopar itself sells a two-inch suspension lift kit for certain RAM 1500 crew cabs with the 5.7L HEMI, which includes front and rear shocks, upper control arms, spring and jounce spacers and a track bar bracket. It’s cataloged as not fitting the Rebel or trucks with air suspension.

Where Does a Leveling Kit Fit In?

A leveling kit is really a small front suspension lift, usually one to two and a half inches. Like most pickups, the RAM 1500 sits a little lower in front so it doesn’t point its nose at the sky when there’s a load in the bed or a trailer on the hitch. Leveling takes out that rake. It’s inexpensive, it makes room for a slightly larger tire, and it’s by far the most common “lift” we see on current RAM 1500s. The trade-off is less rake when you tow or haul, so the front can sit a bit high with a heavy trailer on the ball.

Suspension Lift vs Body Lift vs Leveling Kit at a Glance

Costs below are broad typical ranges for parts plus professional installation. Prices vary widely by brand, lift height and shop, so treat these as a starting point and get a written quote.

What If Your RAM 1500 Has Air Suspension?

Many RAM 1500s, including crew cab Rebels that have the option, come with RAM’s Active-Level Four-Corner Air Suspension. It’s a clever system. It lowers the truck at highway speed for better aerodynamics, drops it for easier entry and loading, and raises it in the Off-Road 1 and Off-Road 2 modes when you need clearance. It also levels the truck under load. In other words, an air-ride RAM already adjusts its own height.

Coil-spring lift and body lift kits generally aren’t built for these trucks, and Mopar’s two-inch lift excludes air suspension. The common aftermarket fix is a set of adjustable ride height sensor links. They trick the height sensors into holding the truck higher. It’s cheap, but it isn’t free of side effects. One major kit maker states its two-inch air ride leveling kit means you won’t be able to use Off-Road 1 and 2 anymore, because the truck is already sitting at or near those heights. Larger air suspension lift kits exist too, and they cost considerably more.

How Does a Lift Affect Ride, Handling and Daily Driving?

Every lift trades something. The bigger the lift and the tires, the bigger the trade. These are the areas our technicians check first when a lifted RAM comes in:

• CV joints and alignment. Suspension lifts and leveling kits steepen the front CV axle angles on a 4×4, which can shorten boot and joint life. Any front height change needs an alignment. Body lifts leave these angles alone.
• Braking. Larger, heavier tires take more effort to stop. The brakes are sized for factory tires, so expect a softer feel and more heat on long downhill runs or when towing.
• Handling and wind. Raising the body or the whole truck raises the center of gravity. You’ll notice more body roll in the Route 42 ramps and more push from crosswinds on the Walt Whitman or Commodore Barry bridges.
• Fuel economy. More frontal area and heavier tires both cost mpg. A leveling kit on stock-size tires has a small effect. A tall lift on big mud tires has a large one.
• Speedometer. Bigger tires make the speedometer read low, so the tire size should be reprogrammed after the swap.
• Driver assistance sensors. Cameras and radar are aimed for factory height. SEMA has reported that a two-inch lift can shift a radar sensor by about half a degree, so a calibration check belongs on the to-do list after any lift or tire change.

What About the Bumper and Frame Gap?

This is the classic body lift giveaway. The bumpers bolt to the frame, and the frame didn’t move, so the body rises while the bumpers stay low. Kits typically use relocation brackets to bring the bumpers back in line with the body. Even then, you’ll usually see a gap between the cab and the frame rails from the side. Some owners don’t mind it.

Does a Lift Void the RAM Factory Warranty?

No, not automatically. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act means a manufacturer can’t deny a warranty claim simply because aftermarket parts are installed. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the manufacturer or dealer has to show the aftermarket part caused the need for repair before denying coverage.

What isn’t covered is damage the lift causes. If a front CV joint fails because the angle is too steep, or an air suspension issue traces back to modified sensor links, expect to pay for that repair. The lift parts themselves are covered only by their maker’s warranty. Mopar’s parts warranty says the same thing in its own words: added performance parts don’t by themselves void the vehicle warranty, but those parts and any failures they cause aren’t covered by it. Keep receipts, use a reputable installer, and hang on to the alignment printout.

What Do New Jersey Lift Laws Require?

New Jersey is stricter than many states. Under the elevated vehicle rules in N.J.A.C. 13:20-37, raising a vehicle’s original height by modifying the suspension, body or chassis, including with spacers, blocks or coil spring lift kits, requires an elevated vehicle approval certificate from the Motor Vehicle Commission. The inspection is due within 30 days of the modification, and the MVC says lifted vehicles must pass a high-rise stability test every two years at its specialty facility in Winslow Township, along with an emissions test. A height increase that comes only from larger tires, up to four inches in diameter over the factory specification, is exempt.

The rules name body lifts and suspension lifts alike, so neither one is a loophole. They also cap tire diameter at 38 inches (or six inches over the largest factory tire, whichever is less) for vehicles at or under 10,000 pounds GVWR, set headlight height limits, limit total lift by vehicle weight class, and say the suspension should keep the basic elements the manufacturer provided, arranged to the manufacturer’s specifications. That last point is worth raising with any installer quoting a big knuckle-replacement kit. How a small leveling kit is treated can depend on the details, so check current requirements with the MVC and work with a shop that knows New Jersey inspections.

Can You Buy a RAM 1500 That’s Already Lifted From the Factory?

Yes, and for a lot of buyers this is the smarter move. The RAM 1500 Rebel comes with a one-inch raised ride height, off-road-tuned Bilstein shocks, 33-inch all-terrain tires and an electronic locking rear differential, and it can be ordered with the Active-Level air suspension on crew cabs. The standard engine is the 3.0L Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six with 420 horsepower. Cars.com lists the 2027 Rebel at $68,440 including the $2,795 destination charge.

The RAM 1500 RHO goes further. It uses the high-output Hurricane inline-six with 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque, Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shocks, 35-inch tires, 11.8 inches of ground clearance and 13 inches of front and 14 inches of rear suspension travel. It carries into 2027, and Cars.com lists it at $77,790 with destination. Pricing changes and incentives vary, so check our current RAM 1500 inventory and offers and incentives for real numbers. Both trucks keep their factory warranty intact on the suspension, and neither needs an elevated vehicle inspection. You can also compare trims on our RAM model lineup page, or place a factory order to get the exact equipment you want.

Our Recommendation for South Jersey RAM 1500 Owners

Most RAM 1500s around here live on pavement. They commute up Route 55, tow a boat to a Delaware River ramp, haul mulch from a Gloucester County nursery and deal with road salt all winter. For that kind of use, skip the big lift. If the rake bothers you, a quality leveling kit (with sensor links designed for air ride if you have it) and a modest tire upgrade gets you the look with the fewest side effects. Just budget for an alignment and a calibration check.

Between the two lifts in the title, we’d take a suspension lift over a body lift for anyone who actually needs clearance, and neither for anyone who doesn’t. A body lift on this generation adds cost and a visible frame gap without adding clearance, and the current kits top out around 33-inch tires anyway. If you’re shopping new and want a taller, more capable truck, a Rebel or RHO does the job with factory engineering behind it.

One local note. Island Beach State Park’s mobile sport fishing vehicle permit is for surf fishing only, and the state requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle plus gear like a tire gauge, shovel, tow strap and jack with a support board. It doesn’t call for a lift. A stock 4×4 RAM with the right tires and pressures is what gets you onto the sand. When you’re ready, our service department can inspect your front end, alignment and CV boots before or after any modification, with a quote up front.

Thinking About Lifting Your RAM 1500?

Talk to our team before you buy parts. We can compare a factory Rebel or RHO against building up your current truck, and our Mopar-certified technicians can check alignment and suspension on any RAM that’s already been lifted.

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