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Pro Comp Nitro Lift review 2014 Ram Sport

7K views 27 replies 10 participants last post by  TigerRob 
#1 ·
I just installed the Pro Comp Nitro Lift kit part number 61180K on my 2014 Ram Sport Crew Cab. i chose this kit over the 6 inch kit for one reason only...i did not want to have to cut any of the undercarriage to install the 6" lift.

we had the advantage of working at my friend's shop so had access to all pneumatic tools, impact wrench and a hoist. with the issues we ran into, install was 5 hours.

The kit offers a lift of 2.5 inch front and 1 - 1.5 inch lift at the rear depending on which website you read the part number description on. Procomp claims 1 inch rear.

overall, I'm satisfied with the quality of the kit, but there are a few things I feel i need to let everyone know who is considering this kit for their application. one thing that drove me crazy was the threads on the pro comp parts didn't match the threads on the OEM parts...not a big deal, but what the hell is my first question?

To start, the instruction manual is a little out of date. it reads that the part number is for a 2009-2011 ram 1500 4WD. now that really doesn't bother me, but some of the installation instruction I believe have changed on the 14 model (ill address these later). additionally, the bump stop included with the kit was not the same as the piece pictured in the instruction manual. no big deal, except in the manual, the bumper looks to be 1/4 thick red rubber, the one in my kit was an inch and a half tall black rubber.

The instructions are clear and usually precise, and are followed by pictures...always a good thing in my mind.

to start, i took the measurements from the ground as our work area was pretty level. front measured 37" to fender lip and rear 39". all disassembly was easy of the front lower control arm and removal of the strut assembly.

reassembly was also easy, and the instructions were accurate. we used a floor jack to raise the lower control arm back into place as per the instructions, and this is where we ran into our biggest issue. Once the lower control arm was back in place, i noticed this...





this is the upper ball joint on the upper control arm. we did not touch anything on the upper control arm, but I think the tension on the control arm from the added spacer on top of the strut assembly caused the ball joint to pop out. no big deal right? just reseat the ball joint? not a chance. we reseated the ball joint, but the tension from just the control arm hanging caused the joint to pop every time.

not only did it pop the ball joint, it looks like it rounded the hole in the stamped upper control arm. even if we removed the spacer, there was no way the ball joint was going to stay in. now I'm panicking...my biddy even said, shoulda got the 6 inch kit and cut the factory brackets! even after the bump stop was installed, every time the control arm was left to hang with the wheels off, it popped the ball joint. so we began to think what could it be? is it the wrong spacer for 2014, is it the thicker bump stop causing the joint to pop out, is it a newly designed upper control arm, is it because the upper control arm is a stamped control arm?

anyhow, none of those questions could be answered, and of course Procomp is closed on saturday so we couldn't make a call. We had to tack weld the ball joint in in order to get the truck fixed. definitely not what i expected when i ordered the kit, and definitely not what pro comp set out to think when they marketed this kit for the 2014 models. I'm assuming that from 2009 to 2014, something must have changed in the front end to cause this kit to unseat the upper balls on both sides! ill be following up with pro comp tomorrow, but this really stumped us.

Now for the rears...

The rear assembly went pretty much as described, however, we found that we had to remove the rear callipers to lower the axle enough to remove the springs...something that was missing from the installation guide. other than that, all good.

as advertised, the kit did not seem to affect the factory ride at all. the truck is noticeably higher, but handles just as well as it did before. it does need an alignment as recommended in the installation guide, and after settling the truck looks near level front to rear on level pavement.

after settled installation measurements are 39 1/4 " front and 40 3/4" rear.

before






after







I can't wait to speak with Procomp tomorrow to see what they think happened in this kit for the 2014 CC sport. I'm very concerned now about any future warranty issues with the upper ball joints/control arm. i know there is a bit of a risk with warranty claims with aftermarket mods, but having to tack weld the ball joints in really disappointed me. like i said to the point where i now regret the kit, and wish i had event with the 6" kit and made the cuts.

anyhow, thanks for looking, and ill update when i speak to Procomp.

Jeff
 
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#2 ·
Wow. It looks great. Need to fill in those wheel wells now.
 
#4 ·
Jeff...

That looks awesome buddy.....Nicely done....Let me know if you are still thinking about those Nittos.....
thanks guys!

will do Ed. i think I'm going with a whole new wheel now, and looking to do 35x12.5x20! :LOL:
 
#5 ·
I can't wait to speak with Procomp tomorrow to see what they think happened in this kit for the 2014 CC sport. I'm very concerned now about any future warranty issues with the upper ball joints/control arm. i know there is a bit of a risk with warranty claims with aftermarket mods, but having to tack weld the ball joints in really disappointed me. like i said to the point where i now regret the kit, and wish i had event with the 6" kit and made the cuts.

anyhow, thanks for looking, and ill update when i speak to Procomp.
Let us know what you find out, I am curious also…Truck does look good though!
 
#7 ·
thanks Boomer.

i love the look too...very pleased with that aspect...but that is about it.
 
#6 ·
for anyone interested in buying from ProComp, be aware, their customer service was not all that great.

i called them with my issues today and spoke with their "head tech" rep.

he basically said unless i can prove the kit is defective, then there is nothing they will do for me.

I tried to explain to them that i don't think that the kit is actually for the 2014 as they described it (because of the adverse pressure its putting on the ball joints in my upper control arm), (i actually think the 2014 has a design change in the suspension somewhere due to the lack of many lift kits of all sizes being available for 2014) and he said there have only been 3 complaints out of 700 kits sold with my same issue. i call BS on that. he knew exactly what i was talking about as soon as i called.

Anyhow, we bantered back and forth and he told me that the issue is with Chrysler, not ProComp.

Im going in tomorrow to Chrysler to see what they can do for my ball joints, but i suspect they will tell me to hit the bricks because of the aftermarket addition of the spacers.

I'm very disappointed with the way this turned out, and the lack of care from the lead tech at pro comp. oh, and I'm not done with ProComp yet...
 
#13 ·
with 3 other complaints besides yours, there is a problem!

I would be curious if the other 3 were installed buy a shop or consumer. I hate to say it but I could see them (pro comp) passing the buck, saying its a faulty install.

Although, with that much pressure on the BJ, I am sure that in the near future with stress, or flexing of the suspension, this will cause early failure of the BJ with their kit.
 
#9 ·
exactly my thoughts bordin.

i drop the truck off at the dealer in the morning...ill update as soon as i hear.

I'm still convinced that there is a kit specific issues with the 2014...
 
#11 ·
Sorry to hear about the problems.... but the stance does look great!

Do you have any more photos of the installed arms/spacers/etc.??
 
#14 ·
Can you put a tapered shim between the ball joint and the arm?

As Boomer said, if you tacked it down tight it's going fail pretty soon.
 
#17 ·
looks great Bordin! was the body lift an easy option to install? for whatever reason my mechanic friend has no interest in doing one!
 
#18 ·
well day 2 of dealing with the ball joint issue, and of course, chrysler will not warranty the parts. $1100.00 dollars damage to replace the upper control arms and upper balls.

to my surprise, there is a STAR case about this issue and spacers...attached below for your reference.



I'm still in talks with ProComp. their "beat it" attitude they had yesterday is decidedly more accommodating today. My supplier is meeting with ProComp brass tomorrow and mine is one issue being discussed. They were shocked to see the STAR case when i sent it to them when they told me they have only had 3 in 700 kits with issues.
 
#19 ·
At least the balls rolling now, hopefully procomp takes some responsibility. Keep us posted, sucks your in this situation though.

As for my body lift, took 6 hours total. Only using a floor jack
Hardest part was relocating my bumpers, that took the most time. to get it lined up right.
 
#20 ·
yeah true story...fingers crossed for sure.

wow...sounds like a big job...maybe thats why he doesn't want to do it! lol.

so in the front, when you relocate your bumper, are you talking about the bumper behind the sport bumper cover, or behind the bumper cover?

did you have to add new brake lines/linkages anywhere?
 
#22 ·
yes I'm just looking at those now...thanks.

now i wonder if anyone has any experience with them. they look awesome and claim to fix the issues with the ball joints by relocating them a little and being obviously beefier.
 
#23 ·
sucks man, ever since I saw your first post i am keeping an eye on the Upper control arms. I run 5100's @ 2.8 and Zone 1.5BL.

You will have no problem installing the body lift in. Its easy but a little time consuming.

Installing larger body lifts take more steps, but you only have to disconnect the grounding strap with the 1.5, plus the front and rear bumpers.
 
#25 ·
I just went with an 1.25" body lift. Didn't have to extend anything at all.
As for the bumpers if you did not relocate it in the front you would have the 1.25" gap between your headlight and your sport bumper or chrome bumper. and in the rear your bumper would be sitting 1.25" lower than your bed/tailgate Not a hard process, but make sure you have some good *ss drill bits to make new mounting holes.

It comes with the brackets and templates, a monkey could do it. Its just the time.
 
#28 ·
Sorry to hear you're having trouble! I am in the process now of requesting pricing from my dealer on the Mopar 2" lift for this reason and that I would like to upgradge to Bilsteins (included with kit) if doing a small lift. Before that I was planning on a set of 4 Bilsteins with Movotech UCAs and a 1" rear spacer to achieve this. In between I noticed Pro Comp's 2.5"/1.5" kit and this thread. I am assuming going with the Pro Comp kit and Movotech UCAs will be cheap and worry free, but this is definitely cause for concern. The price is very tempting though. My local shop just quoted me $450 for the Pro Comp 2.5"/1.5" kit installed and little to no cost for the install of the UCAs with me supplying them. With that I can get a set of 20"X9" XD Monsters and 35X12.5 Mickey Thompson Baja ATZs installed with alignment for $3585 plus tax. I may go back to the 4 Bilsteins, UCAs, and rear spacer instead but I have a sneaking suspicion the Mopar lift with be 2-3 times these costs installed...
 
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