Question for those with Carli system

soulezoo

Tremor Junkie
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Location
Somewhere between the Rockies and the Sierras
Military
USAF Retired
Current Ride
21 F250 7.3l Platinum Tremor, Lithium Gray
Current Ride #2
04 Ram 3500, 1150 rwhp, almost stock
Specifically for those that got the Carli leveling kit up front and kept the stock rear springs.

How much front to back rake is left after lifting the front? I absolutely do not want front end high like a lot of kits leave you with.

I've gone round and round on exactly what I want to do, and settled with the idea of the Backcountry kit and leaving the rear springs alone. I have air bags from my old truck that I will transfer over with the cradle system. I know I can add their "add a pack" and will give 1" rake. I prefer not to do that if possible.

In anycase I wish to have a slight to 1" rake left. Just not nose high!

Thanks in advance for the responses.
 
I’m deciding which to use myself. Rear block is 3” so a 2.5” or 3” level will leave you nose high if towing or hauling. Icon and pmf have lower spring spacers from 1” to 2.5” that you won’t see after install. I’m trying to find a 2” spring to keep at least an inch rake.
 
I did exactly what you are thinking. Specs in the sig, just my experience, yours may vary.
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E3E9DA0F-A90A-439A-94F5-6BE65C0A5D69.webp
97C6513A-238E-407D-A756-5A74F5467378.webp
4829989F-8AC8-42BA-A6E5-B1D4A5D00773.webp
 
Just to add to your choices, I went with the Carli Backcountry 2.5" with Deaver Add-a-Packs to maintain the full amount of carrying capacity. I had the installer remove one of the shims to bring it down to 3/4" of rake and then, he added a PMF 1" block under the leafs for a total of 1 3/4" of rake. This setup makes my truck sit perfectly level when I am pulling my 7100 lb TT that has a 1000 lb TW, plus 400 lbs of gear in my bed and a Blue Ox WDH.

The Add-a-Packs make the truck drive very nicely on the highway and they are especially smooth when towing. I like the fact that I was able to remove the giant factory 3.5" block to greatly reduce axle wrap when towing with 1050 lb/ft of torque. Since CJC sent the longer u-bolts, my installer was also able to leave the upper overload spring in place. Overall, the rear leafs look and perform beautifully and were well worth the $865 price tag. (The picture was before they added the bump stop extension brackets)

Tremor Add-a-Packs.jpg


Here is what it looks like with the 1 3/4" rake.

Tremor-RF.jpg


I may add air bags to get me back to 1" of rake when towing, but I am still debating on that one.
 
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Just to add to your choices, I went with the Carli Backcountry 2.5" with Deaver Add-a-Packs to maintain the full amount of carrying capacity. I had the installer remove one of the shims to bring it down to 3/4" of rake and then, he added a PMF 1" block under the leafs for a total of 1 3/4" of rake. This setup makes my truck sit perfectly level when I am pulling my 7100 lb TT that has a 1000 lb TW, plus 400 lbs of gear in my bed and a Blue Ox WDH.

The Add-a-Packs make the truck drive very nicely on the highway and they are especially smooth when towing. I like the fact that I was able to remove the giant factory 3.5" block to greatly reduce axle wrap when towing with 1050 lb/ft of torque. Since CJC sent the longer u-bolts, my installer was also able to leave the upper overload spring in place. Over it looks and performs beautifully and was well worth the $865 price tag. (The picture was before they added the bump stop extension brackets)

View attachment 20059

Here is what it looks like with the 1 3/4" rake.

View attachment 20065

I may add air bags to get me back to 1" of rake when towing, but I am still debating on that one.
Don't overfill those airbags, the ride can get pretty harsh.
 
Don't overfill those airbags, the ride can get pretty harsh.
Yes, I have heard that I may need to “tune” the amount in the airbags to get a comfortable ride, so I am still on the fence about them...
 
Yes, I have heard that I may need to “tune” the amount in the airbags to get a comfortable ride, so I am still on the fence about them...
I like the Air lift 5000 ultimates. You don't have to keep any air in them until you need them. Most others require 5 psi all the time to keep them viable over time. Yes, you'll have to experiment with them to find what you like. I was around the 12 psi range for me. Many others are around 30+
 
I like the Air lift 5000 ultimates. You don't have to keep any air in them until you need them. Most others require 5 psi all the time to keep them viable over time. Yes, you'll have to experiment with them to find what you like. I was around the 12 psi range for me. Many others are around 30+
Excellent! I am considering the 88391 Air Lift 5000 Ultimates, the 25980EZ Air Lift Wireless Controller and the KU09140BK Daystar Cradles for the bottom. As you said, the AL Ultimates have an internal jounce bumper which acts as a soft progressive bump stop, so no air is required when you are driving around empty.

The AL wireless controller works from the supplied remote or you can pair it with your smartphone to air up/down the bags. The 25980EZ is an all in one compressor and controller for faster installation and it has a single path to the two airbags. I prefer the single path vs the 74000EZ dual path setup. I do not plan to load one side heavier than the other, so the single path is the simpler option.

How have the AL Ultimates airbags held up for you? I am going back and forth between the Firestone and the Air Lift airbags, since they both will work with the AL wireless controllers.
 
Excellent! I am considering the 88391 Air Lift 5000 Ultimates, the 25980EZ Air Lift Wireless Controller and the KU09140BK Daystar Cradles for the bottom. As you said, the AL Ultimates have an internal jounce bumper which acts as a soft progressive bump stop, so no air is required when you are driving around empty.

The AL wireless controller works from the supplied remote or you can pair it with your smartphone to air up/down the bags. The 25980EZ is an all in one compressor and controller for faster installation and it has a single path to the two airbags. I prefer the single path vs the 74000EZ dual path setup. I do not plan to load one side heavier than the other, so the single path is the simpler option.

How have the AL Ultimates airbags held up for you? I am going back and forth between the Firestone and the Air Lift airbags, since they both will work with the AL wireless controllers.
I have had the bags for 9 years now. I've had no problems with them. They are starting to show some cracks where the rubber is drying out, but they still are working fine.
 
I have had the bags for 9 years now. I've had no problems with them. They are starting to show some cracks where the rubber is drying out, but they still are working fine.
Thanks for the update on the longevity. I doubt I will keep my truck for that long, so I should be good!
 
Just to add to your choices, I went with the Carli Backcountry 2.5" with Deaver Add-a-Packs to maintain the full amount of carrying capacity. I had the installer remove one of the shims to bring it down to 3/4" of rake and then, he added a PMF 1" block under the leafs for a total of 1 3/4" of rake. This setup makes my truck sit perfectly level when I am pulling my 7100 lb TT that has a 1000 lb TW, plus 400 lbs of gear in my bed and a Blue Ox WDH.

The Add-a-Packs make the truck drive very nicely on the highway and they are especially smooth when towing. I like the fact that I was able to remove the giant factory 3.5" block to greatly reduce axle wrap when towing with 1050 lb/ft of torque. Since CJC sent the longer u-bolts, my installer was also able to leave the upper overload spring in place. Overall, the rear leafs look and perform beautifully and were well worth the $865 price tag. (The picture was before they added the bump stop extension brackets)

View attachment 20059

Here is what it looks like with the 1 3/4" rake.

View attachment 20065

I may add air bags to get me back to 1" of rake when towing, but I am still debating on that one.
TX If I read this your combo of rear block and add-a-pack lowered the rear of your truck .25"? So we where to remove the second shim and use a 1.5'' block we would keep the factory height if my math works.
 
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TX If I read this your combo of rear block and add-a-pack lowered the rear of your truck .25"? So we where to remove the second shim and use a 1.5'' block we would keep the factory height if my math works.

My Initial setup put my rear height almost exactly where it was from the factory. If you remove the factory block and replace it with the 1.5” block with no shims under the add-a-packs, I think you will be 1/4” higher in the rear. Each shim adds 1/4” of height.

Stock Height Empty:
Rear: 45 1/4”
Front: 41 3/4”
F/B Diff: 3 1/2”

Carli Height Empty w/ 1 shim, 1” PMF and 37s: (37s add 1“ of overall height)
Rear: 46 1/4”
Front: 44 1/2”
F/B Diff: 1 3/4”

The Carli front coil and Deaver Add-a-packs minus one shim left me with 3/4” of rake. I added a non-tapered 1” PMF block under the Add-a-packs for a total of 1 3/4” rake when empty. A couple of weeks later, I moved up to a heavier TT, so I installed Airlift 5000 lb air bags and an on-board wireless controller to adjust the rear height and reduce the bounce on the fly when towing.

With my new TT loaded, Blue Ox WDH with 1500 lb spring bars and 400-500 lbs of gear in my bed, my truck sits almost perfectly level. When I add 25 psi to the airbags, my truck goes back to 3/4” of rake and rides beautifully when traveling down the road at 65-70 MPH.
 
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THAT is a sharp looking rig with that RSI bed cap. How do you like it so far and have you thought about color matching?
Thanks! Love the RSI. I have owned many caps over the years, best by far. Dogs love it too. Powder coated stainless, I doubt I will color match. I like the different look of the cap. Matches the color scheme of the truck. Maybe if I had a light color and no black out.....
 
My Initial setup put my rear height almost exactly where it was from the factory. If you remove the factory block and replace it with the 1.5” block with no shims under the add-a-packs, I think you will be 1/4” higher in the rear. Each shim adds 1/4” of height.

Stock Height Empty:
Rear: 45 1/4”
Front: 41 3/4”
F/B Diff: 3 1/2”

Carli Height Empty w/ 1 shim, 1” PMF and 37s: (37s add 1“ of overall height)
Rear: 46 1/4”
Front: 44 1/2”
F/B Diff: 1 3/4”

The Carli front coil and Deaver Add-a-packs minus one shim left me with 3/4” of rake. I added a non-tapered 1” PMF block under the Add-a-packs for a total of 1 3/4” rake when empty. A couple of weeks later, I moved up to a heavier TT, so I installed Airlift 5000 lb air bags and an on-board wireless controller to adjust the rear height and reduce the bounce on the fly when towing.

With my new TT loaded, Blue Ox WDH with 1500 lb spring bars and 400-500 lbs of gear in my bed, my truck sits almost perfectly level. When I add 25 psi to the airbags, my truck goes back to 3/4” of rake and rides beautifully when traveling down the road at 65-70 MPH.
TX Thanks for the clarification. I am plaining on duplicate what you have done but I will go with the 1.5'' block and remove both shims and replace the bump stop with Timbren springs.
 

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