Lifted Truck Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some common questions we receive from customers looking to lift their Trucks, SUV's, or Jeeps.
What is included with your build packages?
We want our customers to drive away knowing every detail has been covered. All of our build packages start with a 15-30 minute consultation, although there is no time limit. We will answer all your questions, address your concerns, and educate you on the pros and cons of the setup your a re looking for as well as make sound recommendations. We'll have questions ourselves for you that we'll need answered to put together the best possible build package. Consultation is unlimited before during, and after your build. We will typically quote you two to three options to start and narrow down to the package that works for you. We include all parts, installation, and all supplies required to complete the job. All suspension systems include a 4 wheel laser alignment and all wheel and tire packages come with new locking lug nuts, new TPMS sensors programmed to the vehicle ('08 and newer vehicles), and free mounting and balancing. We offer ALL INCLUSIVE packages. All builds from leveling systems to big suspension lifts include our signature 500 mile checkup and re-torqueing of all hardware and components to ensure your new build is broken in properly and is safe for operation after the break in period. We challenge you to find a competitor with a more thorough or complete process from start to finish.
What size wheels and tires will fit with what lift?
This is probably our most common question. We do not believe in stuffing the biggest tire possible into a lift at the expense of wheel travel, turning radius, and ride quality. The industry standard and most common on 1/2 ton trucks is a 4" lift, 33" tires; 6" lift 35" tires. We do not recommend 35" tires on a 4" lift, or larger than 35" tires on a 6" lift on 1/2 ton trucks; those combinations may "fit" but you'll likely require trimming the fender wells; Do you want to cut up your truck to fit a tire? For 3/4 and 1 ton trucks a 4.5" lift will fit 35" tires and a 6" will typically fit 37s. Bigger tire combinations require increased suspension lifts or the addition of a body lift, and we will work with you to lay out the best combination for your truck. Just because a suspension manufacturer says they will fit, doesn't mean it will drive well. We focus on functionality, handling, drive-ability, and aesthetics, not about fitting the biggest tire into a lift possible at the expense of actually driving the vehicle. If you're looking to stuff a set of tires into a lift beyond the parameters we've laid out above, we're probably not for you.
Do I need Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) for my wheel and tire combination?
Yes on all '08 and newer vehicles. The Firestone recall in the late 1990s (which was linked to more than 100 deaths from rollovers following tire tread-separation), pushed the United States Congress to legislate the TREAD Act. The Act mandated the use of a suitable TPMS technology in all light motor vehicles (under 10,000 pounds), to help alert drivers of under-inflation events. This act affects all light motor vehicles sold after September 1, 2007. Phase-in started in October 2005 at 20%, and reached 100% for models produced after September 2007. In the United States, as of 2008, all new passenger car models (M1) released must be equipped with a TPMS. We include TPMS in all our wheel and tire combinations for '08 and newer vehicles.
Will the new TPMS sensors integrate to my truck's system? Is there programming required?
This varies by truck manufacturer. We've annotated the most common requirements below:
Ford: Reprogramming for the F-150 is not required. Ford Super Duty's do require the air pressure for the rear tires to be re-programmed in the truck's computer. The computer is looking for 80 psi while most aftermarket tires have a max pressure of 65 psi. This setting must be reduced or the low pressure warning will trigger for the rear tires. This must be done at the dealer or we can have it done or an additional charge.
Chevy: Chevy's require their sensor's to be activated with a special tool. This can be done at a Chevy dealer or we can do it in house, we have the activation tool. Without the activation the low pressure warning will trigger.
Dodge/ Ram: Dodge's/ Ram's do not require special programming for any of their trucks, however they've proved to be the most problematic when recognizing sensors in aftermarket wheels. We've seen them intermittently lose connectivity with the new sensors then regain the connection without intervention; this is true especially on Ram 1500s. On Ram 2500 or 3500s you must ensure the truck is in the light load mode or a low pressure warning will be triggered.
Do I need to re-gear my truck if I put bigger tires on?
Typically No, however this depends on a few things. What size gears are in your truck now? What size tire are you going to run? What motor is in your truck? What kind of driving do you do? These all play a key role in determining if you should re-gear. Typically a truck going up to 35s or even 37s in some cases are OK without re-gearing. You will lose bottom end pickup and fuel mileage, but will actually gain mileage on the highway. Conversely, if you do gears in the truck after a lift and bigger tires you will have more power down low and will get better mileage around town but will lose mileage on the highway. Its really a system of checks and balances. Again we will talk you through what works best for you and your budget.
I want to level my truck, can you install the $50 spacers to do so?
We prefer not to. In our professional and personal opinion, the best method of leveling a truck is replacing the strut assembly on an IFS truck, or replacing the coils, springs, and trac bar on a straight axle truck. Stuffing spacers in the front reduces travel and often creates a rigid ride. Replacing the front struts or coils and shocks will level the vehicle and will offer the look you want, with a ride quality that is far superior to the factory ride. A set of Bilstein 5100, Fox, or King shocks will have you wondering why you drove on factory components for so long.
How will a lift affect my ride?
If done properly, today's lifts will have minimal effect on your ride quality. In many cases, with the right shock selection and tire size your ride will actually improve. We choose to only sell and install lifts by companies that build complete kits and offer nitrogen charged shocks. For those with the means we offer premium suspension lifts from The Carli Suspension and King Racing Shocks upgrades on many common kits. King also offers factory replacement shocks from their OEM Performance Series. We also offer Fox Racing and Bilstein shocks. Most budget lift company's leave out key components that will degrade your handling or cause vibrations at speed in order to save a few dollars. We do not sell nor do we install these incomplete lifts as they will only cause you problems down the road and cost you more money than if your lift were done complete the first time. If we wouldn't install it on our own personal trucks, we will not sell it to you or install it on your truck. Remember, when it comes to suspension lifts and shocks, you always get what you pay for.
Why do you insist on a post installation 500 mile checkup of all hardware?
That's simple. SAFETY. Modifying your vehicle is in many cases and in depth process and involves a lot of new hardware. During the first 500 miles, this hardware experiences tremendous load changes and will stretch and settle. New springs will settle as well, and may affect the vehicle's 4 wheel alignment. In order to ensure all hardware is tightened to specification and proper alignment it is imperative that all hardware is checked at the 500 mile mark. New wheels require re-torquing of the lug nuts at the 100 mile mark as the aluminum will heat, cool, and settle. In many cases other load bearing accessories such as power steps or racks may also require adjustment. Failure to meet these requirements will result in forfeiture of all warranties and could result in catastrophic failure of your lift, wheels, tires, or a combination of the aforementioned. It is the customer's responsibility to schedule and keep their checkup appointment.
What does it cost to lift my Truck, Jeep, or SUV?
This is a wide open question with many variables. It is best to call us to consult on your truck, and the lift, tire& wheel combination you want. From there we will put together a formal quote for your specific application. Typically we give our customers three or four quotes with a variety of combinations and narrow down the build specs from there.
Will you sell or install wheel spacers if my current tire and wheel combination does not clear my lift?
NO! We believe in doing things the right way or not at all. If you're looking to save a few dollars to get by, we are not the shop for you. Wheel spacers are illegal in the state of NJ and are not safe to put on any vehicle, especially on 1/2 ton trucks and up. While they may offer a "cheap" way to clear wheels and tires, they cause a variety of safety concerns that we will not assume risk on. For starters, they will, in many cases cause vibration at cruise speed. Your wheels and tires are balanced to spin at high velocity as a "system". Adding a foreign object to that system throws off the balance and vibration occurs. Secondly, adding spacers changes the center of gravity, and puts a tremendous load on your factory studs, hubs, ball joints, and axles/ half shafts. These components will wear exponentially faster, and will eventually fail on trucks 1/2 ton and larger. Utilizing wheel spacers will void all warranties on your hub assemblies, ball joints, axles, half shafts, wheels, and all other related components. While we guarantee all our work, we will not warranty ANY failed components where wheel spacers have been installed. We do not recommend them and the are not approved for street use by the NJDMV.
Do you install parts supplied by the customer?
At this time we are no longer installing customer supplied parts for a variety of reasons, namely liability. We feel it most important to consult our customers through the process of selecting a suspension for their vehicle from the initial "what should I get?" to installation. We also find it valuable to our customers to be able to offer assist in the event a warranty issue arises (it happens). We can't do either bringing parts off the street, and in our experience it degrades the value in the service and expertise we offer.
But I can get the product online for REALLY CHEAP. Can you compete?
While we appreciate that you feel you've found a great deal online, we've had many customers feel the same way. What they've found is many websites hide fees until you checkout, specific items required for a complete job are not included, and that our prices are equal to or better than anything found online anyway! We have a deep network of distributors to give you the best pricing available, we offer wheel and tire packages mounted and balanced, and we are guaranteeing proper fitment, function, and performance of your products.
I got a great deal on wheels tires, will you install them when my lift is done?
Yes we will, but again we feel there's no need to purchase elsewhere! We offer free mounting and balancing on all wheel and tire packages equal to or better than anything found online and we'll handle the fitment, receiving, and inspecting of the products.
If you must purchase your wheel and tire package elsewhere, unfortunately we cannot guarantee proper fitment, nor can we do anything to help in the event your product is received damaged. Additional alterations may be required to the vehicle to fit the wheels and tires you purchased which will incur additional costs. The same rules apply to wheels and tires as for customer supplied parts as described above.
What is your warranty?
We guarantee our labor for 1 year or 12,000 miles on all suspension work; 90 days on any electrical work. We also proudly support every manufacturer's factory warranty on their products; if you purchased a part from us and it is deemed defective within the manufacturer's warranty, we will gladly work to get it replaced for you. If you purchased a part from an outside vendor, you must resolve all warranty claims with the vendor. Please note, most manufacturers will not cover the labor costs incurred to replace defective parts. We will warranty labor on defective parts up to 30 days so long as the customer operated the vehicle within its limitations, followed all recommendations by our team, and adhered to our 100 and 500 mile re-torquing regimen. This includes but is not limited to: Checking lug nuts for tightness on new wheels at 100 miles and re-tightening as needed, scheduling and attending an appointment with GennUSA Built Trucks, LLC to have all modified components and hardware inspected and re-torqued as necessary after 500 miles from modifications. This does NOT include customers who make modifications on their own after work is complete or customers whom fail to adhere to the 100 and 500 mile checks. Any work performed on the vehicle after GennUSA Built Trucks, LLC by anyone other than GennUSA Built Trucks, LLC voids all parts and labor warranties. Parts and Labor Warranties offered by GennUSA Built Trucks, LLC are non-transferable and are only valid for the original owner of the vehicle when the work was performed. If the vehicle changes ownership, all warranties are void. IT IS ULTIMATELY THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE PROPER MAINTENANCE AND PERIODIC CHECKS OF THE AFTERMARKET WORK ARE PERFORMED. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN THE IMMEDIATE FORFEITURE OF ANY AND ALL WARRANTY'S ON PARTS OR LABOR FROM Gennusa Built Trucks, LLC OR THE ASSOCIATED AFTERMARKET PART.
Will modifying my truck void my Manufacturer's Warranty?
Legally, a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the warranty on a vehicle due to an aftermarket part unless they can prove that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to the failure in the vehicle (per the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)) . For best results, consider working with performance-oriented dealerships with a proven history of working with customers. If your vehicle manufacturer fails to honor emission/warranty claims, contact EPA at (202) 260-2080 or www.epa.gov. If federal warranty protection is denied, contact the FTC at (202) 326-3128 or www.ftc.gov.