Topic: Anyone Familiar With Lift Kits? (Read 200 times)

Arjun · « **on:** August 05, 2006, 03:37:00 PM »

I want to raise my suv up a few inches because it looks like a pussy right now. Anyone know how these things work? And how much I should be looking to spend?

Rylinkus · « **Reply #1 on:** August 06, 2006, 01:40:00 PM »

I can't remember what you drive. Lifts varie ride to ride.

Tripme · « **Reply #2 on:** August 06, 2006, 09:43:00 PM »

We put a 4" Skyjacker lift on my stepdads jeep. I think it ran in the park of ~$1000. But like he said, it will vary from truck to truck.

twistedsymphony · « **Reply #3 on:** August 07, 2006, 08:46:00 AM »

basically there are two types of lift kits... body lifts and suspension lifts.

Suspension lifts essentially put more separation between the axels and the frame and body lifts put more separate between the body and the frame...

Body lifts are generally useless outside of providing more clearance between the tires and the body. From certain angles they can make the truck look bigger but IMO they look funny if that's all you've done. Like a normal height person with really short legs and an enormously tall torso.

Suspension lifts will put more separation between the axels and the fram and give you more clearance everywhere but the axels... from a profile view it gives the truck a much taller look. My truck (94 Toyota) is actually shorter then most full-sized pickups but looks taller simply because it has a whole lot more air under it.

Suspension lifts are also more expensive. Body lifts can be stupid cheap depending on your vehicle. I have a few friends that just bought a sleeve of hockey pucks, drilled some holes and volia... 2" of body lift for about $25. If you're not installing it yourself you'll probably end up paying MORE for a body lift simply because it involves removing the bed/cab to insert the lift between the two. Suspension lifts you can often install just putting the truck up on jacks. Though it's still pretty involved.

Usually the hardest part of lifting a vehicle isn't the lift itself but all the other parts that are effected. if the radiator is mounted to the body instead of the frame you'll have to remount it, you stearing column might need to be extended, some hoses, lines and wires might need to be extended. You might need to remount your rear differential to keep the U-joints from breaking under the added stress. You might need to install some new equipment up front to correct the stearing geometry... etc. etc. etc. Each truck is different.

If you do go for it IMO you should go for a suspension lift before a body lift, and only go with a body lift to help compliment an existing suspension lift if you need more tire clearance.

Also keep in mind that you'll want to get bigger tires to compliment the lift (usually looks pretty stupid without them, I'd recomend BFG all-terrains for on-road and mud-terrains for off-road), and if you get bigger tires you might also need to install bigger fender flares (get bushwackers).

Tires will run you another $600 or $700 and fender flares will run about $300 or $400 (if left as unpainted black plastic)

Lots to think about... but having a lifted truck is a whole lot of fun. Intimidating other cars and just being able to drive pretty much wherever you damn well please.

Arjun · « **Reply #4 on:** August 07, 2006, 12:36:00 PM »

Damn, thanks for that post TP.

For the record my main car is a '01 Toyota Highlander. And I was reading up about body lifts, and they just sound retarded lol.

I've been trying to find kits built for my car but can't seem to find any. What exactly do I need if there isn't a 'kit'?

Also how hard are they to install? I don't have a lift or anything. But I have access to one. And I also have a buddy who works at the toyota dealership who'd probably help me out if I gave him some moolah.

Perplexer · « **Reply #5 on:** August 07, 2006, 01:38:00 PM »

twistedsymphony covered it all

I agree, avoid the body lift kits. The one thing they have going for them is the cheapness factor. I installed a 3" body lift on my 1994 Jimmy for under $100.

I prefer it to my non-lifted truck, and it does give me a little more clearance, but you can see the frame under the body, and it was a bit of a pain to relocate the bumpers and extend the shifter rod.

I may buy a pre-lifted truck if I do it again

Arjun · « **Reply #6 on:** August 07, 2006, 09:03:00 PM »

Thanks guys. I really want to do this myself...but I don't think I have enough knowledge to do so...I think I want to do it alongside someone.

Also, anyone know how know safe it is? I can make pretty hard turns right now, but I know the center of gravity will be higher, and I don't want to flip...How much worse does it get?

Tripme · « **Reply #7 on:** August 08, 2006, 05:09:00 PM »

QUOTE

Also, anyone know how know safe it is? I can make pretty hard turns right now, but I know the center of gravity will be higher, and I don't want to flip...How much worse does it get?

For me, after the install on the jeep, it wasnt so much the hard corning as it was driving at higher speeds. Steering feels different when going about 60.

twistedsymphony · « **Reply #8 on:** August 10, 2006, 12:54:00 PM »

how tipsy your truck becomes is entirely dependent on how stiff the suspension is... if you get WIDER tires when you go bigger it can help ease that as well. Some people even go as far as to have the wheels mounted at a wider stance though I'm not entirely sure how they go about doing that (higher offsets perhaps?).

All I can tell you is that once your vehicle is lifted you'll need to treat it like a new car... go easy until you learn all of it's quirks and how it reacts.

I have 2 cars... one is a Subaru WRX with a 1.1" drop and a tighter suspension, and the other is a Toyota Pickup with 2" of suspension lift and 33" tires... I go between them quite often. Somedays I like to take the truck to work other days I like to drive the Subaru. Both of them have COMPLETEY different handling characteristics; the difference between them is about as great as you could possibly get between two cars.

Even still going from the Subaru to the truck the truck rarely feels like it's going to tip over. I've driven trucks before that HAVE felt that way... the key is just getting used to it. learn to be a different driver when you're in it.

The problem with people tipping SUVs is because they don't respect the vehicle and they don't take the time to learn how it reacts in certain situations. They go from their toyota sedan to a surburban and then scratch their brain wondering why they can no longer take corners doing 80 as the bleed all over the sidewalk.

As for how to do the kit yourself, I can't help you, I've never had the pleasure of lifting a truck myself. I only know what information I gathered when I was looking into doing it and ended up being lucky enough to find a truck that had already been lifted

You might want to check out some forums though... I've found lots of good information about Toyota Trucks and SUVs (and taking them off-road) at http://www.yotatech.com/

There are other forums as well I'm sure.

Especially considering Toyotas are very popular for this sort of thing... afterall T.O.Y.O.T. A. = Take Off Your Oversized Tires A******

C o s m o · « **Reply #9 on:** August 11, 2006, 10:53:00 AM »

I was a mechanic for a number of years. TS covered some really important points, especially about the front-end geometry.

One thing that ALWAYS gets neglected/overlooked, though, is brakes. Any time you increase wheel size, tire size, or ride height, upgrade your brakes with vented/sloted discs, multi-piston calipers, and the best pads you can find.

Increasing tires or wheels increases rolling mass. Stock brakes are made to stop stock wheels (thus lower rolling mass). Higher ride height changes how brakes perform because (obviously) the weight is higher in the air, further from the brakes.

Do yourself and everyone else on the road a favor, and get beefy brakes, front and rear

Arjun · « **Reply #10 on:** August 11, 2006, 12:39:00 PM »

Thanks Cos!

Surprisingly breaks are the first thing I got covered, sort of. I just installed new break pads 2 weeks ago. I'm shopping around for calipers, rotors, and pads. I saw some rotors on ebay, but I have no idea how to tell which ones are good or bad lol..

Second, I was researching the car on some forums, and I haven't come across anyone that lifted the highlander, everyone is just lowering them! I honestly don't see why you'd want this damn thing any lower...

Oh also, some guy installed a turbocharger...that's next

Arjun · « **Reply #11 on:** August 11, 2006, 02:08:00 PM »

I just realized I spelled brakes wrong...many, many times...

C o s m o · « **Reply #12 on:** August 11, 2006, 08:36:00 PM »

QUOTE(Arjun @ Aug 11 2006, 04:15 PM)

I just realized I spelled brakes wrong...many, many times...

LOL! I only spellcheck assholes

Can't go wron with Brembo. They make so many one would think they have a Highlander application.

Arjun · « **Reply #13 on:** August 13, 2006, 11:31:00 AM »

QUOTE(C o s m o @ Aug 12 2006, 03:43 AM)

LOL! I only spellcheck assholes

Can't go wron with Brembo. They make so many one would think they have a Highlander application.

Word. They do. The front are "vented" I'm assuming slotted..? The rear are just flat...which is alright I guess since the front brakes get used the most...

Know any good calipers? And how hard are they to install?

twistedsymphony · « **Reply #14 on:** August 15, 2006, 09:58:00 AM »

Here's a question... If you plan on taking your truck off-roading is it better to go with discs or drums?

I've been considering upgrading the brakes in my pickup, I'm fairly certain they're just crappy drum brakes all around but I was wondering if discs would have problems when going through dust and mud.

Author Topic: Anyone Familiar With Lift Kits? (Read 200 times)