Are you looking for a way to boost your truck’s suspension so that it has an easier time going over rough terrain? A lift kit is a great way to do that. Rough Country is well-known as a producer of lift kits, but are they any good? 

 

Rough Country lift kits provide great value for money. Although their quality is not as great as some other brands, they are extremely affordable and last a long time. They have a wide range of options available for all kinds of vehicles, including body/ suspension lift and leveling kits. 

Pros of Rough Country Lift Kits

• There are lift kits available for a wide range of vehicles.
• The lifts last for a decent amount of time for most people. 
• The lifts are affordable and stand out in the industry for their low-prices and value for money. 
• It is easy to install the lifts as they come with detailed installation instruction sheets. Installation time usually only takes a few hours, so you won’t have to spend the whole day installing your lift.
• The lifts include quality shocks.
• Shipping is free from Rough Country, allowing you to save a little money. 
• Most of the production is in Tennessee, although various aftermarket parts are shipped from China. 
• While Rough Country is not a BBB Accredited Business, they have an A+ rating with the BBB. 

Cons of Rough Country

• It has a bad rep in the trucker community and online forums. 
• Its quality is much lower than that of various other well-known lift kit brands. 
• Rough Country lift kits last for a decent amount of time, but they can still be quicker to wear out compared to other well-known brands. 
• Customer service is sometimes lacking. 
• Some people report that the lifts ride a little rough or that they rust too easily. 

Should You Get a Rough Country Lift Kit? 

Before buying any lift kit in general and a Rough Country lift kit in particular, it is important to understand what a lift kit is, what it does, and how it will affect your on-road and off-road driving experience. 

A lift kit contains various aftermarket vehicle parts designed to lift a truck or SUV higher off the ground. These vehicle parts are not produced by the vehicle manufacturer, but they are produced by reliable third-party companies (for the most part) that design lifts to work with specific vehicles and brands. There are also low-quality lift kits sold on eBay that are very cheap but less reliable and not made with quality material. 

Benefits

There are several reasons why you may want to get a lift kit. Here are some of the benefits of getting a lift kit: 

 

• An improved suspension (in the case of a suspension lift kit). A lift kit will give your truck more ground clearance and a better suspension, allowing you to drive on rough terrain easier. You won’t feel the bumps in your body as much if your suspension is better. Since you will have more ground clearance, you also won’t have to worry as much about your truck getting snagged on a rock. 
• A lift kit allows you to install larger tires. This allows for wider and deeper tread and grooves in the tires. If the tire is smaller, the grooves will be more shallow. With bigger tires, you will be less likely to get stuck in the mud. 
• Some people don’t care a lot about the suspension but rather like to install lift kits for fun or aesthetic purposes (in which case a body lift kit is just as good as a suspension lift kit; more on that later). 
• A truck that is tall and lifted off the ground is a statement for many people. Some people mostly ride their truck on-road but still prefer to have their truck lifted off the ground, as it allows them to sit higher up and get a better view of the road and other vehicles around them. 

Disadvantages

However, not everything about a lift kit is all good and dandy. There are several disadvantages to getting a lift kit. Here are some of them:

 

• You may void the warranty on your vehicle as you are tampering with and changing the mechanical structure of the vehicle. This means that if you install a Rough Country lift kit or any lift kit, you may lose your warranty. 
• If you are going to be using your truck for on-road purposes and not only off-road purposes, you need to be aware of local laws and regulations that concern how high your vehicle is allowed to be, according to Check Engine.
• If your wheels are bigger and your truck is lifted, you will have a higher center of gravity. This means that you will be at an increased risk of tipping over. However, if you drive carefully, you will generally be okay. 
• Lift kits are often expensive, which is why you are probably wondering whether cheap Rough Country lift kits are any good. However, it is not just the original lift kit that will cost you money. 
• It will also cost you more in terms of gas money if you install a lift kit, as if you have bigger wheels, you will need more engine power to spin them and move your vehicle. This will use up more gas, decreasing your gas mileage. You will have to refill your gas tank more often, which will eat into your budget a little bit. 
• Lift kits can also make it a pain in the neck to get inside your vehicle as you will have to climb up. If you regularly take your kids around in your truck, they may have some difficulty getting in. On the flip side, a truck that has been lifted is often easier to tow due to squatting, so if you do ever get stuck somewhere or have your truck break down, it will be easier to tow it. 

 

Two of the top disadvantages of regular lift kits are cost and time to install. That is why you may have been considering getting a Rough Country lift kit instead. There is no doubt about it: Rough Country lift kits are a lot cheaper than most other lift kits. If you want to have a cool, lifted truck but simply can not afford it, a Rough Country lift kit might be for you. 

 

Rough Country lift kits are also fairly easy to install, so if you have some experience working on your truck, you will be able to follow the instructions and install the lift kit in as few as two or three hours. 

 

On the other hand, you will be sacrificing quality a little bit if you get a Rough Country lift kit. Nevertheless, they will still work pretty well and will last for a decent amount of time. They are certainly not like the low-quality lift kits that you get on eBay, which are pretty much garbage.

 

So, should you buy a Rough Country lift kit? If you are aware of the cons of installing a lift kit and want to install one anyways but do not have the money to get an expensive one, getting a Rough Country lift kit is a great option as you will be able to lift your truck but still not break the bank. 

 

Rough Country lift kits actually provide you with a great value for money, considering the price, so there is no reason not to get them if you can not afford a more expensive lift kit. 

Why Rough Country Lift Kits Are Worth It

Overall, Rough Country lift kits are great value for money. Here are a few reasons why it is worth it to get a Rough Country lift kit. 

They Are Affordable

Most lift kits from bigger brands are just out of the reach of many people. If you have a small budget and do not think that you can afford a lift kit, consider getting a Rough Country lift kit. 

Monthly Payments

Since Rough Country is partnered with Affirm, if you still can not afford to pay for a Rough Country lift upfront, you may be able to get a loan and pay monthly instead, with zero dollars upfront and a 0% APR. Affirm is available to most US citizens in all 50 states over the age of 18. You can get an instant credit decision and be able to choose a payment period of between 3 and 24 months. 

 

Whether you just need a few extra months to pay off your lift kit or you want to make small monthly payments for two years, you can do so. 

Shipping Is Free

In addition to their affordable prices and flexible payment options, Rough Country also offers free shipping for all orders over $20. Theoretically, if you qualify for a loan due to your good credit score, you can get a Rough Country lift kit shipped to you with no upfront costs at all. 

There Is a Lot of Variety

Rough Country lift kits are available for a wide range of vehicles. For a full list of vehicles for which Rough Country provides lift kits, check out the Rough Country suspension lift kits page. Body lift kits, leveling kits, and lowering kits are also available. 

Installation Is Easy

It’s fairly easy to install Rough Country lift kits. There are instruction sheets that come with every lift kit. The estimated installation time is only around a few hours, though that depends on the type of lift kit and truck you have. 

You Can Get Help Easily

If you ever need help, just go to the Rough Country website, where you can find their phone numbers or talk to a customer support rep via live chat or text. Although there have been some complaints about their customer service, it is great that you can contact someone so easily. 

It Has an A+ Rating by the BBB

Rough Country is NOT a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business, which probably means they have not applied for BBB Accreditation. Nevertheless, the BBB has given them an A+ rating. 

 

The BBB gives their ratings carefully and takes a wide range of factors into account, including how the business they are rating responds to complaints. Although there are 35 complaints (currently) with the Better Business Bureau against them, they have answered those complaints and given refunds when appropriate. 

The Downsides of Rough Country

However, like all companies, Rough Country is not without its downsides. In this section, we will go over some of the downsides of buying Rough Country lift kits. 

The Quality Is Not As Good as Others

If you are looking for the best lift kits out there, Rough Country is certainly not the place to go. There is no doubt that the quality of Rough Country lift kits just does not match up with some other well-known names. However, given that they are cheaper, it is a good deal. 

 

Here is a quick video explaining the history of Rough Country and whether it deserves the bad rep it gets: 

 

[embedyt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqFhZtvlQ7E[/embedyt]

There Have Been Issues With Delivery and Refunds

As you can tell from the complaints lodged with the BBB against them, Rough Country customers do experience delivery delays at times. From one response, it is evident that Rough Country dropships certain products (as they say, “We dropped shipped from a vendor and they pulled the incorrect tires”) and that some customers have not been getting the products they ordered. 

 

In addition, it seems that some customers have experienced difficulties getting refunds as promised. It is only after they lodged a complaint with the BBB that their refunds came in. In one of the responses, Rough Country mentions that “It appears we had an issue with refunds batching correctly.” This shows that they could be a bit more competent with how they issue and process refunds. 

 

In another response, they mention that “Your refund was not credited due to an error. It was fixed on 05/21 and should now be showing in your account.” Of course, every company can experience errors and glitches, and it is impossible to say how often this occurs with Rough Country, but it may happen to you. 

They Are Not As Cool

In the trucker community, Rough Country lift kits are sometimes looked down upon. They are not considered as cool as some other brands, so if you are getting a lift kit to show off to your friends and neighbors, Rough Country might not be the most optimal choice. 

You Will Decrease Your Gas Mileage

You will need to use more gas if you install a suspension lift kit. This is because your vehicle will have the added weight of the kit on it (as well as the added weight of larger tires if you install larger tires). In addition, since your vehicle will be higher up, it will have more wind resistance, requiring more energy to drive it. 

RC Suspension vs. Body vs. Leveling Kits

Rough Country sells a few different types of kits, including body lift kits, suspension lift kits, leveling kits, and lowering kits. Let’s go through the different types of kits available from Rough Country and the pros and cons of each one. 

Leveling Kits

A leveling kit is NOT the same thing as a lift kit. A leveling kit only lifts the front of your truck, while a lift kit lifts both sides of your truck. You may be wondering why you would only want to lift the front part of your truck. This is because the front part is actually a bit lower than the back part of most trucks. 

 

Manufacturers make the back part a little higher to account for weight sag. When you load up the back of your truck with supplies, it will sag; keeping it raised a little gives the back part extra space and ground clearance for when it is sagging under the weight of supplies. 

 

However, you may not be using your truck that way, or you may simply want your truck to look a little more even for aesthetic purposes. If you only want to level your truck, you can get a Rough Country leveling kit. 

 

Leveling kits only lift one side, so they are usually cheaper. In addition, since you only need to install them on one side, they are also easier to install. 

 

It’s important to note that unlike body lift kits, leveling kits raise the suspension of your truck, but only in the front. This means that you will get a little bit of extra ground clearance, but only as much as the back part of the truck has without any sag. 

Suspension Lift Kits

A suspension lift kit does a lot more than just level out your truck and make it look nicer. It lifts the entire truck and suspension, so you have more ground clearance. This allows you to drive over rougher terrain with ease. Since your suspension is higher, you will be able to clear obstacles easier as well. 

 

On the flip side, suspension kits are usually more expensive than leveling kits, since they need to lift both sides of your truck. In addition, they are also more difficult to install and you will need to set aside more time to install one. 

 

However, if you are looking for a kit that will help you explore the outdoors, a suspension lift kit is the right choice. 

Body Lift Kits

In addition, Rough Country sells body lift kits, which are slightly different from suspension lift kits. The main difference is that body lift kits only lift the body of the truck and not the suspension. This means that you will not get any extra ground clearance from using a body lift kit. 

 

However, your truck will look taller, so if you are only installing a lift kit for aesthetic purposes to make your truck look cool, a body lift kit might be for you. 

 

In other words, a body lift kit lifts the body from the frame, but it does not add additional ground clearance between the ground and the frame. Body lift kits also have a limit as to how high you can raise your truck since the suspension will not be raised. 

Lowering Kits

There are also lowering kits available from Rough Country. In the trucker community, these are sometimes known as drop kits. As its name suggests, a lowering kit is designed to lower your truck instead of lifting it. 

 

There are several reasons you might want to do this. One benefit of using a lowering kit is that your truck will have a lower center of gravity. We mentioned that using a lift kit will raise your truck’s center of gravity and that a higher center of gravity can lead to an increased risk of tipping over when you are making sharp turns, especially on rough terrain. 

 

The benefit of lowering your truck and giving it a lower center of gravity is that you lower the risk of tipping over on sharp turns. You may want a lowering kit if you drive quickly on mountain roads and make a lot of sharp turns while carrying a lot of cargo. Lowering your truck can keep you safer and give your tires a greater contact patch with the road, increasing traction. 

Other Tools

Finally, if you do not want to buy complete kits, you can buy individuals tools to improve your truck’s suspension and driving performance. For example, if your shocks are worn out, you can buy new ones from Rough Country to improve your drive quality and increase braking power. You can get new struts or buy various new suspension components, like shackles, brake lines, track bars, traction bars, etc. 

Supported Models

So, which types of trucks does Rough Country sell lift kits for? Let’s take a look at the various kinds of lift kits available.

Suspension Lift Kits

If you are looking for suspension lift kits, these are the types of kits available: 

 

• Chevy Lift Kits
• Ford Lift Kits
• Dodge Lift Kits
• GMC Lift Kits
• Hummer Lift Kits
• Jeep Lift Kits
• Nissan Lift Kits
• Toyota Lift Kits
• Cadillac Lift Kits
• International Lift Kits

 

These lifts kits are available for a variety of models. For example, if you have the Chevy 99-06 Silverado 1500 4WD or the 99-06 Sierra 1500 4WD, you can get the 1.5 – 2.5IN GM LEVELING LIFT KIT.

 

This particular lift kit costs only $149.99 and has great reviews from over 1,000 reviewers. It is designed for the 99-06 Chevy/GMC 1500 and allows you to install tires that are up to 32 inches (0.81 meters) tall. It has a one-inch adjustment range, which allows you to lift your truck between 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) and 2.5 inches (6.35 cm). 

 

Since it has a bolt-on installation process, it is fairly easy to install. 

 

You can get it without any shocks or add Premium N3 shocks for only $60. You can also add V2 Monotube shocks, but this will cost you quite a bit of money as it costs an extra $450. 

 

This is just one model; there are tons of lift kits available for all kinds of models. The best way to find a lift kit that will fit your truck is to use the “Select Your Vehicle” or “Shop By Vehicle” tool. After entering your Year, Make, Model, and Drive, you will see whether a specific lift kit will fit your vehicle or not. 

Leveling Kits

If you are looking for leveling kits, here are the types available:

 

• Chevy Leveling Kits
• Ford Leveling Kits
• Dodge Leveling Kits
• GMC Leveling Kits
• Nissan Leveling Kits
• Toyota Leveling Kits

Body Lift Kits

If you only want to raise the body of your vehicle and not the frame, these options are available: 

 

• Dodge Lift Kits
• Jeep Lift Kits
• GMC Lift Kits
• Other Lift Kits (use the tool to check fitment)

Lowering Kits

If you want to lower your truck, here is what is currently available: 

 

• GMC Lowering Kits
• Ford Lowering Kits
• Dodge Lowering Shackles
• Other Kits and Tools (check for fitment)

Conclusion

So, is Rough Country legit? Is it worth it? The answer depends on several factors, including: 

 

• Your budget
• How tough you need your lift kits to be (depending on your usage)
• How “cool” you want to look
• Whether you have a truck that can fit with one of Rough Country’s kits
• Whether you need to lift your truck’s suspension or body, lower it, or level it

 

All in all, for the price, Rough Country lift kits are pretty good. If you are looking for the best lift kit you can possibly get, Rough Country is not the place to go, but if your budget is tight, it is probably the best budget option available. 

 

Rough Country is also a good option if you don’t have any money to pay for a lift upfront but would qualify for a payment plan due to having good credit. 

Sources

• Superlift: Body Lift vs. Suspension Lift: Which Is Best for Your Ride?
• Rough Country
• Suspension: Body Lift vs Suspension Lift
• SD Truck Springs: Lift Kit vs Leveling Kit
• CJ Off Road: Leveling Kits vs Lift Kits | What Is a Leveling Kit?
• Reddit: What are your thoughts on Rough Country lifts? Do you have any experience using them, and are you satisfied with your results?