What Is Rake? How Leveling Your Truck Improves Appearance

What is Rake?

In the simplest possible terms, rake is the angle of the truck’s stance made by the difference between the height of the front of the truck and the height of the back of the truck. Although its most notable effect is on appearance, it affects performance and handling as well.

Truck manufacturers intentionally include rake in their trucks to improve handling and stability when the trucks are hauling heavier loads. When the truck bed is full, or there’s a heavy trailer attached to the truck, the weight pushes down on the truck’s rear end, leveling out rake. In case the trucks came with a level stance from the factory, the first time a heavier load is attached would show significantly decreased stability and handling issues.

Options for Leveling Your Truck

There are two essential options for eliminating rake and leveling your truck’s stance. These options include leveling kits and lift kits.

Leveling kits are specifically made for eliminating factory rake. A leveling kit consists of two spacers that are used to slightly raise the front end of the truck, usually about two inches. It’s a much more affordable alternative but offers fewer advantages compared to a lift kit. Installing a leveling kit is also much simpler because the spacers are simply added to the truck’s existing suspension components.

The second, and more expensive option includes replacing your suspension with a lift kit made specifically for your truck. This option requires significantly more work, but it offers a wider range of advantages compared to a simple leveling kit. If you’re not experienced in mechanical work on suspension, it’s best to leave it to a professional.

Although a lift kit’s primary function is to lift the truck higher from the ground compared to a stock suspension, many lift kits provide a level stance and eliminate rake.

Advantages of Leveling Your Truck

Leveling your truck, no matter which option you choose, includes a couple of advantages. The most notable advantage when leveling your truck is improved ground clearance. Depending on the option you choose, you’ll have at least two or more inches of additional ground clearance. This also means that you’ll be able to fit larger wheels and tires.

The advantages you won’t be able to see but are equally important are improved ride quality and handling, but also off-road performance.

Leveling kits don’t have much effect on ride quality, but they do improve handling and stability. The fact that the truck has a level stance improves weight distribution, improving stability, especially when braking on slippery roads. Hard braking on a slippery road without a leveling kit dips the front down, reducing the traction on the back wheels significantly. Pair this with turning the steering wheel even a little bit, and your truck will start sliding uncontrollably.

Better off-road performance comes naturally due to the ability to fit larger tires made specifically for off-road terrain, but also because of the better ground clearance.

How a Level Stance Improves Appearance

Including a leveling kit or a lift kit to level out your truck’s stance improves the appearance, but not as much as you’d expect. Factory rake isn’t that obvious to the untrained eye, so leveling out any truck isn’t as obvious either. What a leveling kit provides in terms of possibilities is where its biggest effect lies.

With a leveling kit, you’ll have the possibility to include larger wheels and tires that instantly change a truck’s appearance. Other parts and accessories such as aftermarket bumpers can be fitted when either leveling or lift kits are installed on any truck. With modifications like this, your truck will look powerful and aggressive.

Final Thoughts

Rake is something almost every truck has that rolls off the factory floor, and it’s something that’s included to improve a truck’s functionality. On the other hand, it reduces a truck’s visual appeal, and there are a couple of limitations that go along with it.

When rake is eliminated and a truck has a level stance, there are significantly more options to modify and customize the truck.

If you’re interested in leveling your truck, check out our selection of parts and kits that will allow you to gain a level stance and improve your truck’s overall appeal.