How to Help Your Truck Grab a Piece of the Sky
Sep 12 '00
Now I know everyone out there has seen them . . . those giant “monster” trucks driving down the road with their bumpers lining up with the roofs the tiny cars they dwarf on the road. These “monster” trucks are actually called lifted trucks, and yes I too am guilty of owning one to clearly demonstrate to the world that I am as virile as a man can be. Well, I admit it: I am proud of my truck, love the attention I get on the road, and I love the fine sport of off-roading. Now there are about as many lift kits and suspension modifications on the market as there are trucks on the road. In this editorial, I hope to point out the advantages and disadvantages of the different systems on the market to help anyone who wants to lift their truck do it properly and have success tackling whatever type of terrain they want to conquer. One word of caution, I start out using pretty technical terms about truck suspension, so if you don’t know what the words leaf spring, coil spring, torsion bar, and suspension geometry mean drop me an e-mail and I’ll try and explain as much as I can.
Suspension Lifts
Without a doubt the best setup on the market for anyone who wants to lift his or her truck is a suspension lift. This type of lift actually raises the frame of the truck a certain distance from the ground allowing the use of bigger tires and much better ground clearance. Suspension lifts come in a range of sizes from two inches all the way to eight inches (for anything higher than that you’ll have to do your own engineering). For the most part, as long as they are installed properly suspension lifts will increase the durability of your truck’s suspension and up the resale value. However, they are the most expensive suspension kits on the market starting at around $500 and going as high as your pocket book can go.
2-3” lifts
The two to three inch lift kits are the cheapest suspension lifts available and while they do increase ground clearance and allow the use of larger tires, they do little to affect the truck’s stock suspension and steering geometry. Depending on the truck’s original suspension, these kits are generally composed of either longer coil springs or coil spring spacers, and longer shocks. The longer coil springs increase ride height by creating more space between the lower A frame which attaches to the cross member and upper mounting point which attaches to the frame. Usually only coil sprung suspensions have lifts this short because with torsion bar and leaf spring systems it’s not worth the trouble for such a short lift. With these kits you will get about twenty percent more wheel travel and the ability to fit on a 32-33 inch tire. Pickup truck owners who hate they way their truck rides with the bed up high can get a 2-3 inch leveling kit to bring things level again. As an added bonus since no cutting and welding is required and except for the new springs and shocks no new parts are added they usually don’t void any warranties, but be sure to check with your carmaker first to make sure.
4-6” lifts
Now we start talking about the big boys, these lifts are generally where much larger tires (35 inches and up) can be mounted and the biggest difference in ride height and ground clearance can be seen. Now before we go head over heels into the tech talk, I would like to warn everyone out there considering a lift in this category to think before they buy. Most companies usually have a stage one 4-6 inch lift and a stage two lift. STAY AWAY FROM THE STAGE ONE KITS! The difference between the stage two and stage one kits is usually new torsion bars instead of drop brackets if you have Independent Front Suspension (IFS), new longer links which attach the axle to the frame if you drive a Dodge or Chrysler truck, and new radius arms instead of drop brackets which utilize the old suspension parts if your truck has that type of suspension. Stage one suspension kits may only cost 75% of what the stage two kit costs, but the stock parts which are going to be reused were not meant to take the stress of large tires and severe off-road use, trust me it’s worth the added expense to get the stage two kit. Eventually the added stress will cause the camber of the tires to begin swaying in, the truck will become un-align able, and tires will be ruined very quickly. A stage two kit will save money in parts, time and labor in the long run.
IFS trucks gain lift from the longer torsion bars, these mount farther back on the truck and along with new upper control arms provide the actual lift by creating more distance between the frame and suspension. Steering is usually addressed by a drop pitman arm, and this is fine for street driving and occasional off-road use, but serious off-roaders need to find a better system such as crossover steering. Also remember these kits call for cutting and welding on of a new lowered cross member to support the differential and new mounting points for longer torsion bars. This definitely isn’t a shade tree mechanic’s job: the front differential must be moved and if you’re not confident about your ability to cut and weld take it to a competent shop because there are no second chances with a plasma cutter. With leaf sprung, solid axle trucks like the Ford Super Duty and Jeep (87-96) YJ these lifts usually call for new springs which have more leaves and a higher arch to be installed. Anyone with a floor jack, jack stands, and decent tools can install these lifts in a couple of days, tops. No cutting and welding are required and they are very straightforward with very little that can go wrong. Dodge Ram’s and 97 and later Jeeps use a solid axle up front with coil springs. Lift is gained here by using longer coil springs to increase the frame to axle distance. New longer and stronger links are used to increase axle travel and articulation. These kits are installable in the driveway, but it takes a good bit of time, knowledge and tools, if you have any doubts at all, take it to a good shop.
A Word on Rears
Almost all pickup trucks on the market today have leaf sprung rears, most companies address lifting these by blocks or add a leafs. This is the cheapest method, but not the best by any means. Blocks are simply that a block put between the leaf spring and the axle that adds lift. However these blocks put a lot of strain on the springs, they can do funny things to pinion angles in the axle, and they cause something called spring wrap. Spring wrap is the deformation of the spring after it hits a bump, it happens to all springs eventually but blocks add to this problem by increasing the leverage on the spring. Avoid blocks, they’re fine if you drive on smooth streets all the time, but even a pothole will send a blocked rear end twisting. The best option is a whole new spring pack designed specifically for your truck to your amount of lift and spring rate. National Spring is a company that will build leaf springs for you based on your trucks own weight, the amount of lift you want and the ride quality you want. They are custom springs for a mass market price and if you want to lift a Ford Superduty I’d wholeheartedly recommend them for all four springs, I ordered a four-inch kit from them and I love it to death.
Gearing, Gearing, Gearing
One very important aspect many people forget is the differentials. Adding larger tires means that you’re going to see a drop in power, gas mileage, and an increase in RPM, because the gears in your differential are built so that your truck’s engine works in the right RPM to turn the stock size tire. When you put on bigger tires you have to compensate by adding lower (numerically higher) gearing to compensate for the change in tire circumference and turn the tire once instead of only half way or so. Now, new ring and pinion gears can cost as much as $500 so it can be quite an expensive deal lifting a truck, but I’d urge everyone out there to do it right and do it once, because having your truck in the shop every months because something broke or you want to add a new part is no fun either. Finally speedometer calibration, adding larger tires will drop the gearing in your speedometer so it shows a slower speed for the same reason your tires aren’t turning at the same distance, get the speedometer calibrated no matter what, “officer my speedometer isn’t calibrated” doesn’t work, trust me, I’ve tried it. Now I’m not even going to go into lockers, limited slip differentials, tires, etc. If you have any questions about those feel free to e-mail me I’ll gladly help you out in any way I can.
Body Lifts
Those two words bring chills to my spine. A body lift is just that, most trucks have the cab riding on a frame, attached to the frame by bolts and rubber mounts for cushion. A body lift is a block of anything, plastic, rubber, polyurethane, which is used to get distance between the frame and the cab. They do nothing to increase ground clearance of the frame and only serve to raise the truck’s center of gravity making rollovers more likely. These lifts are available in sizes from one to three inches. A one inch body lift is fine and very useful incase a tire rubs the top of a fender under full compression. However, anything higher than that and serious problems can happen. When a truck goes off road, believe it or not the frame bends and twists a little as the truck hits inclines and declines. With the long, stiff bolts found in two and three-inch body lifts the truck can actually begin shearing the bolts off as the frame twists and bends since the stress that used to be translated into the cab goes right into the bolt. Usually the owner doesn’t even know it happens until someone points it out on the trail. I urge you to think long and hard before installing a body lift above an inch.
Well, that’s my long and drawn out review, thanks for taking the time to read it, and if you are planning on lifting a truck, I hope it will help you make a good decision about what type of lift to get for your truck and if there is any way I can help you by explaining further or if you have any questions about off roading in general, I’d love to help, so don’t hesitate to drop me an e-mail. One last parting word of advice, a stock truck with a winch can go just about anywhere that a lifted truck can because all the horsepower, tire size and suspension modifications in the world aren’t going to save you from getting stuck, it happens to all off roaders, just make sure you have a way to get out. Have a nice day and tread lightly!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
tx4x4
|
|
Member: Kiran
Location: Houston, TX
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 19 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.