Last Updated: October 30, 2026
Quick Summary
Yes, a leveling kit can affect gas mileage, but usually by a small amount. Most owners see only a small change in MPG from the kit itself, since the effect comes mainly from slightly increased frontal area and drag at highway speeds. The bigger losses almost always come from tires and wheels added at the same time.
- Around town the effect is close to zero, since low-speed driving is dominated by weight and rolling resistance, not air.
- A full lift kit with oversized tires hits fuel economy harder than a leveling kit alone on stock tires.
- Bigger tires cost more MPG than the kit through rotating mass, gearing changes, and rolling resistance.
- Get an alignment check after installation, because poor alignment adds rolling resistance and wastes fuel.
- Measure over at least three tanks before and after, keeping routes, tire pressure, load, and weather steady.
Table of Contents
- Does a Leveling Kit Affect Gas Mileage? The Short Answer
- Leveling Kit MPG Loss: What the Change in Ride Height Actually Does
- Leveling Kit and Larger Tires Gas Mileage: Separating the Two
- Truck Leveling Kit Alignment and Other Checks That Protect Fuel Economy
- How to Measure Truck MPG Before and After a Leveling Kit
- Picking the Right Leveling Kit for Your Truck
- Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Leveling Kit Affect Gas Mileage? The Short Answer
Yes, a leveling kit can affect gas mileage, but usually by a small amount. Most owners see only a small change in MPG from the kit itself.
A leveling kit is a front suspension upgrade that lifts the nose of a truck to match the rear, removing the factory rake.
That change matters, but it's smaller than the internet makes it sound.
Leveling Kit MPG Loss: What the Change in Ride Height Actually Does
Most of the fuel penalty from a leveling kit comes from aerodynamics, not weight. A spacer or strut extension adds very little mass. What it does change is the angle of the truck as it moves through the air.
Frontal Area, Wind Resistance, and Aerodynamic Drag
Raising the front end exposes more of the truck's underside and pushes the nose higher into the airflow.
At 70 MPH, air resistance is the biggest force your engine fights, so a small increase in frontal area means the engine works harder to hold speed.
Around town, the effect is close to zero. Low-speed driving is dominated by weight and rolling resistance, not air.
How Leveling Kits Compare to Full Lift Kits
A full lift kit raises the whole truck, often 4 inches or more, and usually comes with bigger tires. That combination hits fuel economy harder than a leveling kit alone.
A leveling kit corrects the stance without lifting the rear, and many owners find the MPG change is barely noticeable on stock tires.
If you're weighing the two routes, our comparison of leveling kit vs suspension lift ride quality covers how each one changes the way the truck drives day to day.
Leveling Kit and Larger Tires Gas Mileage: Separating the Two
Larger tires usually cost more MPG than the leveling kit does. Owners often blame the kit when the tires are doing the damage.
A leveling kit changes how air flows over the truck. Tires change rotating mass and rolling resistance, different problems that hit fuel economy in different ways.
Tire Size, Tire Weight, and Rotating Mass
Bigger tires are heavier, and heavier tires take more energy to spin. That's rotating mass.
Larger tires add weight and can change the effective gear ratio, so the engine may turn at a different RPM for the same road speed.
A larger tire's taller sidewall and more aggressive tread also increase rolling resistance.
Heavier wheels compound the problem.
Stock vs. Kit Only vs. Kit Plus Tires: A Side-by-Side Look
The clearest way to understand where your MPG went is to compare three setups. The exact numbers vary by truck, engine, drivetrain, and driving mix, but the pattern holds.
| Setup | What Changed | Typical MPG Effect | Main Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | Nothing | Baseline | , |
| Leveling kit only, stock tires and wheels | Front ride height and stance | Little to no measurable change; a small highway penalty is possible | Slightly increased frontal area and drag |
| Leveling kit plus larger or heavier tires | Ride height plus rotating mass and rolling resistance | Noticeably larger drop, especially in city driving | Tire weight, gearing change, and tread rolling resistance |
| Leveling kit plus larger tires plus heavier wheels | All of the above | Largest drop of the three | Compounded rotating mass |
Read that table as a pattern, not a promise. A half-ton V8 with tall highway gears may barely notice a 1.5-inch kit on stock tires, while a mid-size truck with a smaller engine and aggressive tires may feel every change.
How to Isolate the Kit's Effect
If the number matters to you, change one variable at a time:
- Kit only, stock tires: drive a few tanks before and after. This tells you what the kit alone did.
- Kit plus bigger tires: if you install both at once, you can't separate them. That's fine if you only care about the total, but it won't answer the kit question.
- Heavier wheels too: treat this as a third change, not part of the tire swap.
Careful testing often shows the kit alone lands within normal measurement variation, with tires and wheels accounting for most of any drop.
Truck Leveling Kit Alignment and Other Checks That Protect Fuel Economy
An alignment check after installation is the single best way to protect your fuel economy.
Poor alignment adds rolling resistance.
Other checks that keep MPG honest:
- Tire pressure: low pressure increases rolling resistance. Check it monthly.
- Tire balance: unbalanced tires add vibration and drag.
- Brake drag: a sticking caliper costs fuel and needs fixing.
Watch out: skipping the alignment after a leveling kit can wear the front tires unevenly and quietly cost you fuel.
For the full picture on whether it's required, read our guide on whether you need alignment after a leveling kit.
TrailFX F15LL2 1.5-Inch Leveling Kit for 2015-2024 Ford F-150 →
How to Measure Truck MPG Before and After a Leveling Kit
Measure MPG the same way before and after, or the numbers mean nothing. A controlled test is the only way to know what your kit actually did.
Most owners who report a big MPG loss after a leveling kit never actually measured it. Here's how to run a test that holds up.
Step 1: Establish a Baseline Before You Touch the Truck
Don't install the kit and then try to remember what your mileage used to be. Build the baseline first.
- Fill the tank at the same pump, on the same side, until the nozzle clicks off. Don't top off past the click. Note the odometer reading.
- Reset your trip meter.
- Drive your normal mix for at least three full tanks. Same routes, same driving style, same loads.
- Record miles and gallons at each fill-up. Divide miles by gallons for each tank, then average the three.
- Keep the receipts or a log. A phone note with date, odometer, and gallons is enough.
Three tanks matters. One tank is noise, two is a hint, three is a trend. Station shutoff behavior, temperature, and driving mix all add variation a single tank can't smooth out.
Step 2: Hold the Variables Steady
The kit is the only thing you want to change. Everything else needs to stay fixed between your baseline and your post-install test:
- Same routes and driving mix. If your baseline was 60% highway and your post-install test was 80% city, you measured your commute, not your kit.
- Same tire pressure. Check it at every fill-up. A few PSI low adds rolling resistance and skews the result.
- Same load. Don't haul a trailer during one test and commute empty during the other.
Step 3: Install, Align, Then Retest
Install the kit, get the alignment checked, set tire pressure to spec, and then repeat the exact same routine for another three tanks. Same pump, same click-off method, same routes.
Compare the two three-tank averages. That difference is your answer, within the noise of real-world driving.
Step 4: Translate the Change Into Fuel Use
A small MPG change is easier to judge when you put it in annual terms. Use your own numbers:
- Take your baseline average MPG and your post-install average MPG.
- Estimate your annual miles.
- Divide annual miles by each MPG figure to get gallons per year.
For example, if you drive 15,000 miles a year and your average drops from 18 MPG to 17 MPG, that's roughly 833 gallons versus 882 gallons, or about 49 extra gallons a year. Run the math with your own numbers, because the result swings a lot with annual mileage and fuel price.
What Counts as a Real Change
A difference of a few tenths of an MPG between two three-tank averages is within normal variation from weather, traffic, and fuel blend. A change of a full MPG or more, measured the same way on both sides, is worth taking seriously. If you see a big drop after a kit-only install, check alignment, tire pressure, and brake drag before you blame the kit.
Planning the job first? Our leveling kit installation guide walks through the process so you can schedule the test around it.
Picking the Right Leveling Kit for Your Truck
Match the kit to your truck's year, make, model, and trim before you buy anything.
Truck Army carries kits for specific applications. The TrailFX F15LL2 1.5-Inch Leveling Kit for 2015-2024 Ford F-150 uses black aluminum strut assembly extensions and, per the listing, supports tires up to 33 x 12.00 inches with a compatible wheel and suspension setup.
For late-model Tundra owners, the TrailFX T15LL1 1.5-Inch Front Leveling Kit for 2022-2024 Toyota Tundra provides a 1.5-inch front lift using black steel strut extensions.
Silverado and Sierra owners can look at the TrailFX G20LL5 2-Inch Suspension Leveling Kit, and Tacoma, 4Runner, and FJ Cruiser drivers have the Skyjacker TT20MS 2-Inch Front Suspension Leveling Spacers.
In general, a smaller lift changes frontal area less than a larger one.
Still deciding if it's worth it? Our rundown of the benefits of installing a leveling kit covers stance, clearance, and tire room. And if budget is the deciding factor, these budget-friendly leveling kit options are worth a look.
Truck Army Tech Tip
Measure your fender-to-ground height at all four corners before and after the install. Write the numbers down and keep them with your receipts. If a corner sits noticeably off later, you'll know it changed and can check the suspension and alignment instead of guessing.
The real question isn't whether a leveling kit costs you MPG. It's whether you can tell the kit's effect apart from your tires, wheels, and alignment.
Check the listing for your year, make, model, and trim before you order.
Get started with Truck Army and level your truck with a kit built for your exact application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 2-inch leveling kit affect fuel economy?
A 2-inch leveling kit changes the front ride height, which can slightly increase aerodynamic drag and wind resistance. The effect on its own is usually small, often within the range of normal tank-to-tank variation. Most of the larger MPG drops owners report after a leveling kit come from bigger, heavier tires and wheels added at the same time. Measure your MPG over several tanks before and after the install so you can see the real change on your truck.
Do larger tires affect gas mileage more than a leveling kit?
Usually yes. A leveling kit changes ride height and airflow, but larger tires change the wheel and tire package, tire weight, rotating mass, and rolling resistance all at once. Moving to heavier wheels and bigger tires like a set of 33-inch tires can add vehicle weight and engine load, which tends to show up as a bigger MPG drop than the spacer itself. If you level and upsize tires together, separate the two changes when you measure so you know which one cost you fuel.
Can an alignment improve gas mileage after installing a leveling kit?
A proper truck leveling kit alignment brings the front end back into spec after the ride height changes, which helps tire wear and handling. Misaligned tires can drag and wear unevenly, and that drag can work against fuel economy over time. Get an alignment after the kit settles, keep tire pressure at the factory recommendation for your load, and check for binding in the steering and suspension. Those maintenance checks protect both your tires and your MPG.
How do I measure truck MPG before and after a leveling kit?
Fill the tank the same way each time, reset the trip meter, and drive your normal mix of highway driving and city driving. Record the miles and gallons at each fill-up, then divide miles by gallons to get MPG. Do this for at least three tanks before the install and three after, keeping driving conditions and tire pressure consistent. That controlled before-and-after MPG method separates the kit's effect from tire and wheel changes and from normal driving variation.
