The Best 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 Leveling Kit

Build Summary 

Here is the next installment of 2024 GMC SoCo Mastery! This beautiful 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 came to us because although this truck comes lifted from the factory, the stance wasn’t quite right in the owner’s eyes. We sent this truck up on the 1” Leveling kit from Cognito Motorsports. 

I wanted to highlight just how much you are getting with this leveling kit as opposed to the $60 set of spacers that you can find on the web. Consider the high-end pre-runners that you see racing across the desert. They talk about “30 inches of suspension travel on this truck.” That measurement also considers down travel or droop travel. They probably have 10" that the wheel can travel up, and close to 20" that the wheel can travel down. Adequate droop/down travel keeps the tires planted at all phases of the cycle.

Where lesser kits will just provide lift by taking from the down travel and use that measurement to bring the truck up, this kit has upper control arms to allow similar, if not better suspension cycling capabilities than factory. When you are hitting a highway expansion joint at speed for example, the tires and suspension will be able to absorb and track the bump; rather than just deflecting. 

This kit also comes with the Fox Monotube shocks and struts. We consistently receive the question “This is already upgraded from the factory, why would you rip all of those parts out?” I always say this; cars and trucks are built by accountants. The upgraded shocks are nicer than standard, but they are still twin tubes. Monotube shocks, like in this kit, will give you a great performance feel. You can hit those high speed expansion joints and bumps and the truck will absorb the bump without a lot of extra movement or bouncing.

I consistently bring up expansion joints on highways rather than off-roading because it is a great testament to the quality of these kits. You are often hitting them at 75 miles per hour and concrete is far less forgiving on components than dirt. Off-road, you are generally traveling slower, and more alert so these heavy hits don't sneak up on you. 

Fuel Wheels absolutely killed it on the design of The Flame. If you are looking for a great wheel that does not have a huge lip, and you like the look of a lot of spokes, this wheel should be at the top of your list. These wheels are the 20x10, and we went with a -18 offset to get a little bit of stance out of them. The customer opted to go with the milled accents instead of an all black design. The milled accents help the all black wheels to not totally disappear underneath the truck.

As for the tires, they are on the short list of everybody that is building a truck in a snowy climate. These Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires are a great tire for 365 days a year of commuting even in snow. They are also great for us weekend warriors to get off-road. The size is a 295/60R20. This converts to a 34x11.6” size for those of us on this side of the pond. 

To make sure that this new stance does not wash the side of this truck with grime and stones, we used the EGR Pocket Style Riveted Fender Flares. We had these painted to match the Summit White that this truck came from the factory with. We also used the black rivets rather than standard silver. 

You may take a look at this kit and get sticker shock at the price vs. a standard $60 spacer level. We hope that this blog clears this up and tells you just how much you are getting in improved ride quality. If you have any questions for us about this kit or which kit will be right for your build, call us at 719-574-1700 or you can fill out our contact form below!