Lifting a truck - 101
#1
04-10-2008, 10:49 PM
Lifting a truck - 101
OK, so you want to lift your truck, but don't know the difference between a "body lift" and a "push up bra". I'm hardly an expert, but I am OLD & experienced. So, here we go:
Basically there are 4 ways to go about lifting your truck.
The first is basically a freebie, but you have to have the right truck. Some 1500 4x4's have Torsion Bars up front. If yours is one of these, you can squeeze about another 1.5 to 2 inches by simply cranking the T-Bars up a few cranks. Down side is it makes the ride harsher than stock, kinda like twisting a rubber band. But it will give a level stance and clear a tire that is a couple of inches taller.
#2- A leveling kit. Least expensive and easiest to install. Also brings the front of the truck up, on average about 2" again giving the truck a nice level stance. Athough the ride is often a bit harsher, it is generally not as hard as a T-Bar crank. This is a good inexpensive solution to clear a bigger tire if you are not taking it off road much and don't plan to ride it hard at all. Often under $250 plus a couple hours labor at most. Depending on the truck you can use levelling keys, coil spacers or spindles.
#3- A body lift. I've done this to 3 trucks I've had. Usually lifts a full size truck up about 3 inches and a small/mid size truck up 2 inches. The added lift lets you get bigger tires on with less chance of scrubbing & rubbing. You can tend to take it off road without the worries of "bottoming out" that you would have with the first 2 options. Down side is that the ride also tends to be harsh off road and can experience a bit of body lean on turns. I thoughtjarring your kidneys outwas just a part of having a lifted truck when venturing off road until I got option #4 on my current truck. The other downsides are you have big gaps between the body & frame which must be "hidden" or it looks lousy. Also there is a big gap between the bumpers& body which must be taken care of, usually with the additional purchase of a bumper kit. A "raised" bumper is no longer safe for towing. The other down side is that the entiretruck is lifted the same amount, so you still have that "nose down" look that modern trucks have, that I for one, hate. This could be offset by combining a body lift with a level kit.
On the plus side cost is not too high and installation by someone with experience does not take real long, so labor costs are reasonable. A good body lift kit is often under $400 and with options for bumpers, wheel well gap covers, etc. can still be under $600 plus labor. Normal install by a professional is 4-6 hours. A good solution for someone unwilling to shell out big bucks who doesn't ride hard off pavement.
#4- The Suspension Lift. Lifts are available usually from as little as 3" to 8" and even 10"on some trucks! Most common sizesare 4" &6", although I find most kits listed at 6" in actuality are 5-5.5". Most off road worthy of all the options, also gives the truck a nice level stance as the front is lifted more than the rear.Well designed kits often give a better ride than stock, even on pavement! As it's the suspension that's lifted you don't have the gap issues associated with body lifts. Down side (and really the only down side) with this lift is cost. By far the most expensive of all the lift types. And labor is usually more intensive than other lifts as somesuspension components are taken off and replaced. Good 4"-6" kits can run upwards of $2000 w/o shocks and good shocks can run you another $400 for 4. IFS truck lifts tend to be at the higher end of the scale, as the front actually requires a type of "sub-frame". Labor can easily be a full day and possibly two days. Often #3 & #4 are combined for extreme lifts. Care must be taken on an IFS truck not to increase the angle of the CV axles, as failure is more likely. A 4" suspension lift used in conjunction with say a 2" body lift is a much stronger setup than a 6" suspension lift alone.
So there you have it, those are the basic ways I know of to lift your truck.
Basically there are 4 ways to go about lifting your truck.
The first is basically a freebie, but you have to have the right truck. Some 1500 4x4's have Torsion Bars up front. If yours is one of these, you can squeeze about another 1.5 to 2 inches by simply cranking the T-Bars up a few cranks. Down side is it makes the ride harsher than stock, kinda like twisting a rubber band. But it will give a level stance and clear a tire that is a couple of inches taller.
#2- A leveling kit. Least expensive and easiest to install. Also brings the front of the truck up, on average about 2" again giving the truck a nice level stance. Athough the ride is often a bit harsher, it is generally not as hard as a T-Bar crank. This is a good inexpensive solution to clear a bigger tire if you are not taking it off road much and don't plan to ride it hard at all. Often under $250 plus a couple hours labor at most. Depending on the truck you can use levelling keys, coil spacers or spindles.
#3- A body lift. I've done this to 3 trucks I've had. Usually lifts a full size truck up about 3 inches and a small/mid size truck up 2 inches. The added lift lets you get bigger tires on with less chance of scrubbing & rubbing. You can tend to take it off road without the worries of "bottoming out" that you would have with the first 2 options. Down side is that the ride also tends to be harsh off road and can experience a bit of body lean on turns. I thoughtjarring your kidneys outwas just a part of having a lifted truck when venturing off road until I got option #4 on my current truck. The other downsides are you have big gaps between the body & frame which must be "hidden" or it looks lousy. Also there is a big gap between the bumpers& body which must be taken care of, usually with the additional purchase of a bumper kit. A "raised" bumper is no longer safe for towing. The other down side is that the entiretruck is lifted the same amount, so you still have that "nose down" look that modern trucks have, that I for one, hate. This could be offset by combining a body lift with a level kit.
On the plus side cost is not too high and installation by someone with experience does not take real long, so labor costs are reasonable. A good body lift kit is often under $400 and with options for bumpers, wheel well gap covers, etc. can still be under $600 plus labor. Normal install by a professional is 4-6 hours. A good solution for someone unwilling to shell out big bucks who doesn't ride hard off pavement.
#4- The Suspension Lift. Lifts are available usually from as little as 3" to 8" and even 10"on some trucks! Most common sizesare 4" &6", although I find most kits listed at 6" in actuality are 5-5.5". Most off road worthy of all the options, also gives the truck a nice level stance as the front is lifted more than the rear.Well designed kits often give a better ride than stock, even on pavement! As it's the suspension that's lifted you don't have the gap issues associated with body lifts. Down side (and really the only down side) with this lift is cost. By far the most expensive of all the lift types. And labor is usually more intensive than other lifts as somesuspension components are taken off and replaced. Good 4"-6" kits can run upwards of $2000 w/o shocks and good shocks can run you another $400 for 4. IFS truck lifts tend to be at the higher end of the scale, as the front actually requires a type of "sub-frame". Labor can easily be a full day and possibly two days. Often #3 & #4 are combined for extreme lifts. Care must be taken on an IFS truck not to increase the angle of the CV axles, as failure is more likely. A 4" suspension lift used in conjunction with say a 2" body lift is a much stronger setup than a 6" suspension lift alone.
So there you have it, those are the basic ways I know of to lift your truck.