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2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Daystar Leveling Kit - Invisible Lift

Daystar's Camouflage Dodge
From the January, 2010 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road
By Fred Williams
Photography by Fred Williams
2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Side View Before
The '09 Dodge half-ton is one of the best riding trucks ever built. With an independent front and coil-spring rear suspension, this truck glides down the road, but with this carlike ride comes a carlike stance that needs some serious upward assistance.

2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Rear Side View
Daystar comes to the rescue with its 2 1/2-inch polyurethane spacer lift kit that quickly allows clearance for bigger rubber. The kit can be used to level out the forward rake of the half-ton Dodge by installing front shock spacers. By adding the rear coil spacers, the entire truck gains a more aggressive stance. In fact Daystar's lift kit in new woodland camo pattern is actually invisible in more ways than one. First, it gives the truck a height we feel the Dodge should come with from the factory. Second, it leaves the truck with near-factory ride quality.

2009 Dodge Ram Daystar
1. Dodge 1500s were redesigned... 
   
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2009 Dodge Ram Daystar
1. Dodge 1500s were redesigned for 2009 with coil-spring rear suspensions that resulted in a smoother ride quality. Unfortunately they also come with a wimpy ride height, so we headed to Off Road Unlimited for a quick and simple Daystar remedy.
2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Remove Rear Coil Springs
2. With the truck in the air... 
   
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2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Remove Rear Coil Springs
2. With the truck in the air we attacked the rear suspension first. A quality coil-spring compressor makes rear spring removal easy. Without this tool you simply need to remove the lower shock, sway bar, and track bar bolts (arrows) and lower the axle until the coil and factory coil spacer can be removed.
2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Daystar Coil Spacers
3. The Daystar polyurethane... 
   
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2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Daystar Coil Spacers
3. The Daystar polyurethane coil spacer replaces the factory version and raises the rear of the Ram 2 inches. Plus, for the outdoorsman, this kit is now available in woodland camo.
2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Front Suspension
4. The front suspension needs... 
   
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2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Front Suspension
4. The front suspension needs some serious help to keep the bumper from dragging over rocks, logs, and curbs. With the truck suspended and tires removed, we pulled the front shock. First remove the upper shock mount hardware and lower shock bolt. We then disconnected the steering and pulled the two upper A-arm bolts, but you can also remove the upper knuckle ball joint to get the coilover shock out.
2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Mounting Studs
5. On top of the coilover... 
   
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2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Mounting Studs
5. On top of the coilover are three mounting studs. The Daystar kit supplies three stud extensions, new hardware, and a matching camouflage poly spacer. Simply reassemble the front end with the spacer in place and you have 2 inches of added clearance.
2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Clearance After
6. The Dodge half-ton now... 
   
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2009 Dodge Ram Daystar Clearance After
6. The Dodge half-ton now clears a Toyo M/T 295/70R17 Open Country (roughly 33x11.50R17) and has a stance more deserving of the Ram name. The Daystar spacers are all but invisible, being camo (and hidden within the upper coil mounts both front and rear).
Toyo Tires USA
6261 Katella Avenue
Suite 2B
Cypress
CA  90630
800-442-8696

www.toyotires.com
Off Road Unlimited (Burbank)
300 N. Victory Boulevard
Burbank
CA  92504
818-848-2020

www.offroadunlimited.com
Daystar
841 S. 71st Avenue
Phoenix
AZ  85043
800-595-7659

www.daystarweb.com

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