Shoulda known... Nothing's ever easy
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: South Georgia/East Florida
IFS = Independent Front Suspension, meaning you have two CVs or "half shafts" and steering is provided by a rack and pinion.
This setup provides for a smoother ride and better handling than a SFA (solid front or "live" axle) but is an inherently weaker system which tends to have severe problems with large suspension lifts (especially poorly designed ones that raise the CV angles).
I'm not saying you WILL have problems with 6" of lift and 37" tires, BUT the chances increase. At best, you'll wear front end components (hubs, ball joints, tie rod ends) out faster.
Most (but not all) of the guys I've seen grenade CVs with large tires were off-road and applying a good deal of torque to the front end. We've got a guy in 3rd Gen who has replaced a CV axle at least twice now and he's running a 6" kit with 35" tires and does not off-road (or at least heavily off-road). He's got a Fabtech lift for a torsion bar front (different than your coil front) IFS truck and IMO it deals with the CVs horribly in that the kit only raises your truck 4.5" and then relies on cranking the key bolts for the last 1.5", giving the CV angles a "double whammy". It's VERY COMMON to see CV axles snap with that kit. But it's widely used because it's an inexpensive kit.
Spend a little extra on a well designed kit (I paid more for my 4" kit than most 6" kits cost) and don't go crazy on tire height and width and you'll be fine...
This setup provides for a smoother ride and better handling than a SFA (solid front or "live" axle) but is an inherently weaker system which tends to have severe problems with large suspension lifts (especially poorly designed ones that raise the CV angles).
I'm not saying you WILL have problems with 6" of lift and 37" tires, BUT the chances increase. At best, you'll wear front end components (hubs, ball joints, tie rod ends) out faster.
Most (but not all) of the guys I've seen grenade CVs with large tires were off-road and applying a good deal of torque to the front end. We've got a guy in 3rd Gen who has replaced a CV axle at least twice now and he's running a 6" kit with 35" tires and does not off-road (or at least heavily off-road). He's got a Fabtech lift for a torsion bar front (different than your coil front) IFS truck and IMO it deals with the CVs horribly in that the kit only raises your truck 4.5" and then relies on cranking the key bolts for the last 1.5", giving the CV angles a "double whammy". It's VERY COMMON to see CV axles snap with that kit. But it's widely used because it's an inexpensive kit.
Spend a little extra on a well designed kit (I paid more for my 4" kit than most 6" kits cost) and don't go crazy on tire height and width and you'll be fine...
Last edited by HammerZ71; Jan 27, 2011 at 09:35 AM.
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Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Illinois
Oh ok. I see what you're saying now. Yeah I know there is always more of a chance to destroy your CV's with these lifts because of the angle change. But it seem like most people I've heard from aren't having any problems with the kit. I've decided to stick with the 4" lift intead of going with the 6". That should help with the CV's as well since there's less of a change in angle. Or so I would assume. I'll do more shopping and see if I can find another 4" that isn't too crazy expensive. Thanks for the heads up Hammer.
So not to sound like even more of an idiot...lol, but I am looking at the lift specs and it calls for 5.5" backspacing. So I would need at least that much, or not more than that? When I'm looking at wheels it usually only gives me the offset and not the backspacing. I'm probably sounding like a third grader right now, but what the hell? How do I know what wheels will work and which ones won't?
So not to sound like even more of an idiot...lol, but I am looking at the lift specs and it calls for 5.5" backspacing. So I would need at least that much, or not more than that? When I'm looking at wheels it usually only gives me the offset and not the backspacing. I'm probably sounding like a third grader right now, but what the hell? How do I know what wheels will work and which ones won't?
