(body) lift options; experience requested

[parthog]

I'd like clearance for bigger tires, don't want to mess with driveshafts etc. and would like to keep weight as low as possible since it is my daily driver, so here's my thought/question:

RTE has a reasonably priced 2" body lift, would probably need HD springs also then, so why not add a 1" lift on the springs also.

Will a 2+1 give me the tire clearance of a 3" suspension lift? I don't want to decrease steering angle if possible (already poor)?

I haven't checked to see if there is a 1" OME lift spring, might need to go 2+2 instead, or possibly 1" spacer/isolators with the 2" body lift and MD or HD stock size spring.

Can I go with a 1" or 2" spring/spacer lift without suspension and driveshaft mods? How about shocks, just longer shocks and same mounts?

Options and comments?

Most of my "wheeling" is in dunes and some in local mud-run trails, so I don't need the big articulation some of you do, going with home-made sway-bar disconnects and trying to keep it tame with a little more rubber.

Thanks,

- Jeff

 

[Morpheus]

Jeff,
If you are looking for about 3"s of lift, you might want to go with heavy duty springs. Body lift kits will give you the life but wont let you get total articulation of the shocks/springs. you will get more travel from the springs. you can use HD springs in the front and put a 1.5 spacer in the rear. its probably alot easier to do that a body kit also

 

[p m]

Body lift kits will give you the life but wont let you get total articulation of the shocks/springs.

how so? With the body lift, you'll get the entire travel of stock suspension but with taller tires.

 

[Disco-Kings]

I"RTE has a reasonably priced 2" body lift, would probably need HD springs also then, so why not add a 1" lift on the springs also."

-Your right they are quite reasonable compared to the competition.
-I wouldn't know if you would need HD springs you didn't tell me what size tires you wanted?
-How do you plan on adding a 1" lift to the springs?

"Will a 2+1 give me the tire clearance of a 3" suspension lift? I don't want to decrease steering angle if possible (already poor)?"

-Well 2+1 does equal 3 but I think you may find others on here go by a different mathamatical equation.
-Decreasing your steering angle? I'll just have to say "pull the fuse" it'll be fine.
-I bet you fifty bucks I am poorer then you are.

"I haven't checked to see if there is a 1" OME lift spring, might need to go 2+2 instead, or possibly 1" spacer/isolators with the 2" body lift and MD or HD stock size spring."

-Maybe you should go check. expeditionexchange.com , rovertym.com
-2"+2" ...now your onto something!
-IMO a definate NO on increasing the body lift by an inch. NO NO NO


"Can I go with a 1" or 2" spring/spacer lift without suspension and driveshaft mods? How about shocks, just longer shocks and same mounts?

-Yes you can but everything will bind and vibrated to tiny peices. ... -2" generally means no drivetrain mods required.
-You can use your stock shocks but school kids will laugh and point at your punny rig and its lack of axel droop.
-I'd get different shock mounts as well call Steve at rovertym and tell him you want the chrome ones..

"Options and comments?"

-What size tires do you want?
-If your going for the 2" body lift and generally on roading get the springs and forget the spacers you'll want to stiffen your ride.

"Most of my "wheeling" is in dunes and some in local mud-run trails, so I don't need the big articulation some of you do, going with home-made sway-bar disconnects and trying to keep it tame with a little more rubber."

-ahh the local mud trails everyones gotta have some of those around.
-Let me warn you now larger tires and lift will cause your driving style to change and a daily driver can easily transform into a money pit of metal mayhem and a weekend consuming addiction. Take comfort in knowing that there are others out there who will support you, we are here..

Man I must be bored, lonng day and to many bubbly pops afta dinner, fingers sore, gotta check out the new plasma cutter in the shop, bye.. cheers Jeff and next time try "search"

 

[peter]

also your going to have an ugly 2" gap between your bumpers. just get 2" springs with 265-75?s tires with some trimming.

 

[LMRW]

body lifts are fairly straight forward! but... have fun with the seat belt brackets as the clevis pins are usually rusted in solid.

 

[stu454]

If it were me, and it's not, I'd stay away from the body lifts.

My reason? I like to keep the CG as low as I can.

FWIW, I'm planning on going with OME springs for about 1.5" of lift and fitting 265/75R16 MTs. If you want 33's, then you get into drivetrain mods, IIRC.

Good luck with you choices,

 

[DiscoDino]

If it were me, and it's not, I'd stay away from the body lifts.

My reason? I like to keep the CG as low as I can.

FWIW, I'm planning on going with OME springs for about 1.5" of lift and fitting 265/75R16 MTs. If you want 33's, then you get into drivetrain mods, IIRC.

Good luck with you choices,

And how would a BL raise the COG? When all the heavy stuff is still lower and the extra clearance allows for a wider stance and hence lower COG...

Redo the math dude

 

[p m]

Nadim, come on - Disco's roof and glass weighs more than at least one axle!

 

[Morpheus]

how so? With the body lift, you'll get the entire travel of stock suspension but with taller tires.

let me rephrase that. you will get more travel from an aftermarket shock/spring combination as opposed to a 2" body lift with stock suspension. thats what I meant

 

[bri]

let me rephrase that. you will get more travel from an aftermarket shock/spring combination as opposed to a 2" body lift with stock suspension. thats what I meant

Only if the shock is a longer shock eh? Think about it, if you do a 2" lift and have a 2" longer shock, you still do not have more travel.

 

[Morpheus]

Only if the shock is a longer shock eh? Think about it, if you do a 2" lift and have a 2" longer shock, you still do not have more travel.

exactly, not that im here to argue but thats why Old Man Emu shocks are alomst 2" longer than stock shocks,longer travel. His original question is should he go with a body lift kit? If he will not get anymore ground clearance, if he puts larger tires on it he will gain a few inches if that. but they will bottom out.His chassis will stay the same height, his drivetrain will stay the same height. doesnt seem worth it to me.

 

[Disco-Kings]

It all depends on what he wants to do with his truck and the tires he wants to fit.

This COG thing is a load of dung! When your talkin about punny 1.5"-2" lifts and COG you gotta be joking me?

A 4" suspension lift is gonna have a higher COG then a 2"+2" lift but hardly noticable. At least thats my opinion. If your driving your truck like a car then yeah you'll notice a difference but once you start lifting your truck you better start driving it like a lifted truck.

I had a Jeep with an 8" lift and 37's... I never whined once about my COG, couldn't drive it like a car but It was my daily driver. With lifted rigs you can forget about COG thats a topic for the import car forums.

 

[Morpheus]

It all depends on what he wants to do with his truck and the tires he wants to fit.

This COG thing is a load of dung! When your talkin about punny 1.5"-2" lifts and COG you gotta be joking me?

A 4" suspension lift is gonna have a higher COG then a 2"+2" lift but hardly noticable. At least thats my opinion. If your driving your truck like a car then yeah you'll notice a difference but once you start lifting your truck you better start driving it like a lifted truck.

I had a Jeep with an 8" lift and 37's... I never whined once about my COG, couldn't drive it like a car but It was my daily driver. With lifted rigs you can forget about COG thats a topic for the <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=22&k=import%20car" onmouseover="window.status='import car'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">import car</a> forums.

Who said anything about COG?

 

[Disco-Kings]

Who said anything about COG?

I thought I heard COG somewhere and I just flew off the handle for a second..


Where the heck is parthog anyway? Probably hoggin all the parts somewhere.. I'd like to know the size of the meats he wants to throw on his rig???

We should have a sticky thread where everyone can post their tire sizes/type of lift/ the necessary drivetrain modifications they had to make/type of driving they do/ picture of the truck etc etc and opinions on lifts and tires and be done with all this...or just pull the dam fuse!

 

[LMRW]

oh great here we go again! an other body lift thread! dam ! twist a cap, take a sip, light a smoke, pull a fuse. but just dont blow a fuse on this web wheeling kick. wheel on web wheelers ! follow me .

 

[p m]

We should have a sticky thread where everyone can post their tire sizes/type of lift/ the necessary drivetrain modifications they had to make/type of driving they do/ picture of the truck etc etc and opinions on lifts and tires and be done with all this...

Actually, it isn't too bad of an idea. The claims of tires size X fitting with lift of Y inches and not hitting anything are rarely supported by the names of some trails (that at least some people would know), or photos. If we had enough of this info, we could say -
with an X combination of hardware, on a trail Y, one would have a Z chance of ripping off his tire lugs, or losing dental implants on the way home from driveshaft vibration, etc. Quite a step forward compared to a regular "what fits" table!

 

[kennith]

I think the body lift thing is being over complicated here.

It's a cheap and relatively easy way for mudrunners to stuff big meats. That's it.

The higher you go, the suckier they get.

They aren't really a good idea on a vehicle with a top heavy BODY. This is because they can place extra stress on the mounting locations and internal cage seams. This leads to extremely expensive problems down the road with the internal structure.

Of course, those types considering body lifts rarely care about these things until they happen.

And they have absolutely no effect whatsoever on suspension, or ground clearance, because they don't lift the frame, so we have to say:

It's a cheap and relatively easy way for mudrunners to stuff big meats. That's it.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[davidz]

i have a 2'' RTE body lift on my 97DI, would i do it again? NO. the fawking bumpers alone drove me crazy, ok so its a 1-2'' gap between the bumpers and body, after a week it looks more like a 12'' gap. its a mind game, so ok you got the body lift, great now make your own front bumper, oh wait RTE sells them, the front will cost an extra 75.00, extra steel of course, awesome bumper, great aproach, love it ok next. rear bumper, go make one, wait RTE sells them, heres the catch, they utilze the same mounting points as stock, and give you no more departure angle than stock, at 800$ +++, oh but they will supply a metal strip to fill the gap on the rear bumper, LOL. so what i am ranting about here is the limited bumper options avail for a body lifted Disco, yea everything esle is fine, but i swear my cdl shifter has not engaged right since the lift. so what does a body lift really cost? after its done, should we add in the bumpers to make the truck look half way descent, or just add some rubber weatherstripp to fill the gaps. did that, looked stupid.
handling concerns, shit i couldnt notice any difference, i have had my sway bars off for so long i forgot what they felt like, oh yea they control body roll, got it! excessive? no. its a truck! not a WRX. drive it like a lifted truck and your fine, drive it like a rally car and end up like a Ford Explorer on your roof slidin down the road.

 

[LMRW]

LOL, this will solve anyones... www.hypertherm.com problem, plus welder, plus drill press, with the use of ones mind, one can invent , fabricate, and build just about anything, so i gues to sum it up. build your self a bracket to RAISE both front and rear bumpers to the height of the lift! what would it cost? thats not the point. the good old body lift is. he haw .... mud season is coming to the far north, shes a starting to thaw. see you all there!