I am going to be upgrading the tires on my 2000 Silverado 1500 4x4 from 245/75-16 to 265/75-16 and that does not look at all like it's going to be a problem (plenty of clearance all around). However, I am not liking the stance on the truck. The front sits at least 3-inches (if not more) lower than the rear... I am wondering what would be the best way to get about getting the front up 3-inches or so to level it out.

 

The best way would be a 3" spindle lift. But you can just cranku pthe bars and you'll be good to go.

 

how much will that effect the ride? will it make it really stiff, or not be that bad?

 

If you crank the bars.......it will be firmer.

Sorry about saying you can get a spindle lift. I though you had a 2wd.

You could crank the bars some and take out the 2" block in the rear. That would level it out.

You could also, go get some 3/4 ton torsion bars.

 

what about a ford torsion bar key? good/bad?

 

They will give you the lift you need. And ride pretty good. But you CV angle will suffer. Other than that, they are a great way to gain lift.

 

How bad would the CV angle be? Noticible ginding or binding? Or would it still be within the range of tolerance?

 

They will be OK. But they will wear faster due to the angle. You could go years without having to swap a cv out. Or months. Depends if you wheel it hard or not.

 

I have a 2001 4x4 non Z-71 truck that came with those 245/75 R16's. I run 305/70 R16's in the winter without any clearance issues after I adjusted the torsion bars. You'll be fine with those 265/75 R16's and a slight torsion bar adjustment.