So I have been really liking my Durango, but with winter approaching, I am planning on lifting it. I am thinking 3 inches, but I am not totally sure. I don't want it to look ridiculous. The reason for the lift is for going through deep snow. I looked around but couldn't find any answers to my questions:

-What brands of lift kits should I be looking at?

-What size tire, and what brands?

-How will a 3 inch lift affect the high speed handling dynamics? I already find it a little tippy, so will this make it way worse?

-I understand that putting on bigger tires has the same effect as taller gearing. How much of a performance decrease is to be expected? Should I be upgrading the engine to make up for this? Any upgrades? Are there any supercharger kits that can be installed on the 4.7?

-And finally, what will happen with my mpgs?

Thanks

 

ok lets see what i can help with,

1) with a 3 inch lift the biggest tire you can go (iirc) is 32"(might be 33 but still not much gain there) which is only one inch bigger than the max size at stock height (not wort it for an extra inch of rubber IMO)

2) the 3 inch lift will make that tippy feeling you are talking about 10000000 times worse (ok maybe not that bad, but it will be ALOT more top heavy than it is now, which will make it handle ALOT worse under all conditions)

3) yes you will loose performance by doing this, however upgrading the engine to balance this out is very expensive, most people just swap from 3.55 or 3.92 (stock gearing) to a more friendly gear such as 4.10 or 4.56 depending on what they have done.

4) if you are worried about gas mileage a lift is NOT for you, it WILL hurt you mpgs ALOT, and there is no way around it, a higher vehicle will increase resistance (more surface area to get in the winds way) and bigger tires are harder for the engine to move, the engine does more work therefore uses more gas.

IMO your best bet for handling is to leave it stock and just know how to drive in the less than ideal conditions, the only gain you get on ground clearance (even with the lift) is from the larger tires, is that inch (or less) worth it???? (keep in mind the differential on the axle is still the lowest point on the truck, so you dont gain overall ground clearance, ground clearance to the frame, sure, but not much overall)

 

Thanks for the info.
What if I step up to a bigger lift and get 35" tires? I do travel through deep snow frequently, and while I am a very experienced driver in snow, the front bumper seems to me that it will plow through the snow.

 

im not sure how much snow you get, but i have only ever had to push snow with this truck once, and it was the worst storm of the year(actually, the worst storm since the 95-96 blizzard), if they attempt to keep up with the plowing you will be fine in that respect i would think (i live on the last street in my town to get plowed, we consider ourselves very lucky if we get plowed before the storm is over). anything over 33" tires and you are straining the CV axles on the front end which will cause them to wear out alot faster than the factory design, and lifting it also stresses them (not as much as putting massive tires on tho). To be honest these trucks handle snow and similar conditions extremely well, partly bc of their weight and the distribution of it (it has some weight over the rear axle).

 

as far as snow, I go skiing all the time, and I frequently find myself in 2+ feet of fresh snow in the ski area parking lot. Good for skiing, bad for driving. Years ago I had a 4runner (not lifted) and it was a tank in the snow... Too bad it rolled when the suspension went on the highway.

 

so if I don't lift it, any good meaty tires? I have bf goodrich at's on it now... but they are very very warn. I want good snow traction, with decent on road comfort and handling.

 

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2's is what I have on my Durango, They are awesome ! check them out on www.tirerack.com

 

I am new to the Durango scene as well and also come from a 4Runner "tank"... I do however know that with the proper tires the Durango will go through a good deal of snow...

I'm with you on the 2' of snow and the 4Runner... When I first got my 2nd Gen Runner on 215x75R15 wranglers I was plowing snow with the grill and it just kept on trucking.... (Still have the same truck on 33's and it's pretty unstoppable) My question to you is did one of the rear control arms let go causing you to write it off? I've welded mine and have had no problems for 5 years now....(Had the Runner for 12 years now) Also picked up an 85 SR5 Pickup - next build "for Expedition type use"

Good luck on getting the truck the way you want it... I'm currently researching similar options... Too bad no one makes Ball Joint spacers for the 1st gen Durangos.... See attached thread for those of you who don't know.... http://www.yotatech.com/f123/officia...thread-224623/ That and a reasonable price for manual hubs.... Oh well at least Dodge guys don't frown on body lifts....

Oh and if it sounds like I'm not happy I'm here - well I am I've always liked the Durangos and now I've got one....