Stay stock or upgrade suspension

[dzrtdzl]

gsea and Evil I can agree with. Spreading out the initial costs to years and then type of use makes it a lot easier to justify. Spot on! And I'm with Evil on just getting new shocks because my truck is mostly just a tow pig and does great because zero mods have been done. No drama and no extra maintenance.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

37s alone are quite enough lift for me.

I'm thinking about the Carli sway bar. She is a bit more to handle now if I'm honest

Stock shocks aren't happy about the heavy rt tires. I don't see them lasting much longer, but i think the sway bar is first on the list.

That should be an easy driveway upgrade.

 

[sarj]

Welp, I'm at 51k on the ODO, and I'm staring at a whole pile of Carli parts in boxes in my garage, so obviously I think it is worth it. ....

Honestly, you just need to decide how long you plan to have the truck, divide the the cost of the suspension mods by that timeframe, and then decide on your use case. ...

Is it $10k for 2 years of hwy commuting comfort? Then ask yourself... "would I pay a $415/mo subscription to have a smoother ride on the way to work every day?" For me, that's an easy no.

Or is it $10k for 10 years of frequent backcountry exploration and adventuring with others. That becomes... "would I pay for an $83/month subscription to be able to take my wife and kids on impromptu adventures and experience trails we otherwise would opt out of doing because the stock suspension makes it unbearable?" For me, that's an obvious yes.

All solid thinking with a slight modification;

Instead of 10 years, I amortize it over 20 because that's how long I kept my last truck. Will I run it 20? Maybe. Maybe not. I stay out of the drivetrain and trans because that, and electrical are where the warranty matters. Tires/rims, suspension, and upfitter mods are not likely warranty problems. The 60 gallon tank is my one concern on that account.

Here's where I look at it differently; I bought the truck to use and enjoy as much as possible. The sooner you create the truck that works for you, the more time you have to enjoy it, so putting 25K into a truck I plan to use 20 years pencils out better if I use all 20 years to amortize the upgrades instead of waiting for an oem warranty to run out, particularly if my mods are unlikely to affect the warranty. The argument gets stronger when dealers are selling the new trucks with the same mods as add-ons off the lot. I like getting everything done within the first 6-18 months to enjoy it for the longest possible time.

life is too short not to enjoy the truck you want, and can afford. Just use a little discernment between wants and needs. My only real caveat to this is that you need to be able to not carry any debt to do any of this (or have a serious business-expense write off vehicle). Carrying debt for vehicle bling not a good policy.