I own a stock 1995 dodge ram 4 x4 with 6 ft bed and largest V-8 engine i think 5.9 liter.
I would like to lift the truck to the highest possible point without changing any gears and welding parts, causing damage to other parts of the vehicle from stress the modification might create or just general extra maintenance costs created over a unmodified truck. I am not going to be using for any off roading, I just want to do it for the "cool" look. The truck will be drove on expressway only about 55 MPH .
5" would be nice but I think I read some thread that said a "gear" would have to be changed if I went that high. I live in a major city where there are not truck shops to install this kind of stuff so I will probably being going to an average car shop that does brake jobs, engine replacements, suspension work ,etc. ,So I just would like to hear from some other members who have lifted their kits and how many hours of labor they were charged and for what kit. Also please address these specific question:
1) install time and kit- above 4" and above please to limit the responses please (brand/style/stock number) installed for 2'nd gen 4 x 4. Be specific so I can order the same kit and get my local shop to install or an ally mechanic. I just want to make sure they don't charge me to much or I get ripped off.
2) When I increase the tire size and or height of body I assume the gas milage will increase. If yes by about how much for expressway driving? I am currently getting 12 MPG
3) How much will the ride be affected on expressway. Will I feel bumps a lot worse?
4) Will parts like suspension parts ball joint, upper & lower control arms etc receive more wear and tear and have to be replaced more often. (I will only be on expressway) no off road riding!
5) My state emmision laws just changed and I am no longer required to be tested for emmisions. I heard on some farm web site that gas milage can be increased if I remove the catalytic converters. Is this correct and will this modification cause any extra wear and tear to engine ,valves, pistons ,vibration. Will they be much louder?
6) what is a good exhaust kit that I could use that goes right to the engine and has no catalytic converters or other restrictions? I don't care about emmisions because I will never have to take the truck for a test as long as I live in illinois. If there is no kit will I have to buy pipe and fab my own exhaust? If this is the case -any suggestions/ tips so I can do it my self?
thank you

Thanx

 

any lift is good. there pretty much all the same with exceptions of price and mfg. get a fab tech or skyjacker there good lifts.

gas milage will not increase with bigger tires it will drop. bigger the tire the harder the truck has to work to push the big tire meaning the pedal has to go farther to the floor each time unless you regear it. (if your running a 35 inch tire you wont notice a change in gas milage but maybe a mile or 2)

you will feel bumps and holes alot more now because the trucks ride hight has changed and it has taller and tougher suspention. it wont ride like a tank but it will be stiffer

suspention parts will wear out if the lift is not done right. and ball joints will wear out quicker then when the truck is stock. but you wont notice. (best to replace them soon anyways)

go to a exhaust shop and they will cut the cat off and weld your exhuast back in. it will increase power and sound better.

and like above go to any exhaust shop and get dual exhaust put on the truck. it will sound good and increase air flow and run much better

 

Going to larger tires, without regearing, will have negative effects on fuel economy, and also on the longevity of most of your front suspension/steering parts. Just the way it goes. It will also be working the engine/transmission harder, and the factory automatics in these were weak to begin with. Lots of problems with torque converters and and O/D units. The heavier tires will give a rougher ride. That's just simple physics. All that additional weight at the end of the axles will magnify bumps.....

Going over 3" lift will require longer front control arms. With a 5" kit, I do believe that most of them are "long arm" style, which means removing the current frame mounts for the control arms, and installing new ones further back on the frame. May or may not have to modify the front cab mounts.

For exhaust, unless you do it yourself, you will have to have a cat put back in. It's a federal requirement. You might be able to find a shop that will do the work "under the table", but, don't hold your breath on that.

For best results, long-tubes, and duals would be great, (2.5" max) if you don't want duals, a custom y-pipe, and 3" exhaust is the next best thing. On the older trucks, like yours, the y-pipe at the cat is the biggest single restriction in the exhaust. If you don't wanna do headers, an "Off Road" Y-pipe from Jegs, or Summit would be a nice improvement. There is enough pipe there, that you could even splice in a high-flow cat without trouble. Shortie headers would compliment the Y nicely.

Since you don't really wanna do off-roading.... you could do a combination lift.... 3" suspension, coupled with a body lift, would allow you to fit the 35" tires easily. (larger really isn't recommended on the stock half-ton axles.) Expect some Rub when you have the wheels turned all the way to the lock. (like in parking lots and such)

 

Agreed with all points by HeyYou. More importantly to distinguish that at the 3" Suspension Lift mark is where STOCK parts get/should be replaced.

Loose timeframe to perform a Suspension Lift and Body Lift is probably a good 2 days by a descent shop. Others here should be able to comment on that better.

If you get wheels with the proper amount of backspacking, then there will be no rub at all in conjunction with the 3" SL and 3" BL mentioned as an example reference here.

 

also note that if you dont get the correct backspacing(your tires stick out way to far) that your hub bearings will wear out much faster. also that over time the backspacing can cause your axle to cave in on itself. anything over 3 inch as stated above requires several stock parts to be replaced. a fair warning in my opinion a 4 maybe(and i do mean maybe)5 inch lift looks good with 35's but a 6 inch doenst look good unless you got bigger tires. i have a 6 inch and i ran 35's until recently and they always looked small in the wheel wells. now i have 37's and i love the way they look