foresteronw

I've read a lot of different website as far as the pros and cons when it comes to lifting a truck as well as the reviews on different lift kits, but I'm still a little lost. I figured I'd come here and see what you guys can give me as far as advice.

I have a 2011 Silverado crew cab, 4wd, LTZ. I'm not crazy with how it looks in the stock stance and have been considering lifting it but I have some concerns.
First - What I want.

First - What I want - I want the truck to sit a little higher, nothing insane so nothing bigger than a 6" lift. I want to put some bigger tires on it to fit the look but also don't want them to rub when turning. I would love it if the ride remained similar to stock as far as being smooth, I don't want to be able to feel a penny in the road if I run it over. I want everything on the truck to still work. This lift will be 90% for looks as I don't really go off road at all.

Second -My questions and concerns -

1. Can I put a modest lift kit on my truck and maintain the ride quality?
2. What is the best kit to accomplish what I'm looking for? Also why is it the best kit, I'm not looking for an answer that is driven by brand loyalty just looking to see actual reasons why you feel it's the best kit.
3. There is a huge difference in price between kits, what am I paying for?
4. I used to be an aircraft mechanic for ten years, is this something I can do at home?
5. Where is the best place to order a lift kit from?
6. Besides a lift kit and tires is there anything else I'd want to get that I'm not thinking about (remember this is for looks only).
7. If I'm only after looks would it be better to do a smaller suspension lift and add a body lift?
8. I currently have OEM 20" wheels, can I used these until I decide to upgrade later?
9. Is there any other information you can add that I should know but I'm not asking about?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm just trying to make sure I make a well educated decision. I'm still not dead set on this so I may end up deciding not to do it depending on the answers I get.

country_09

Look into the rough country 5" kit. Should be perfect. You can order it and run bilstein 5100 shocks to help with ride quality. It won't ride like it does now just due to the difference in tires and shocks, but you can help a lot of it. Don't run an E rated tire, keep the lift angles flat as possible, and the bilstein shocks will do the rest. The 5" kit is a true 5", so your angles will be completely flat, basically how they are now just lifted 5" up. You can easily do it at home, I've done a few. They're pretty simple to install, may take two people just for movin the front differential around and that's it. You can order online and have shipped to your house or at any lift shop. With this kit you can run your stock 20" wheels on 295/60(34") tires no problem. If you run wider wheels (20x9, 20x10, 20x12), you'll need to adjust tire size accordingly. You have a few options for more lift if you decide to. A 1" leveling kit and a 1.25" rough country or 1.5" zone body lift will be perfect. They're not noticeable at all and really easy to install. Don't forget to order rear spacers to match the front track width that the lift will push it out. 1.5" spacers is what you'll be lookin for. Other than that, it's pretty easy!