Whoa easy guys ! I appreciate all the opinions and to each his own. I have been following the suspension debate on this forum for about three years and have learned a little. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from... My last truck was a 97 f250 xtra cab long bed 460 auto. It had a 6" superlift 2" body lift and sat on 38x12.5x16.5 SS TSL Radials. I towed a Tractor(8000lbs),a 26' towbehind toyhauler, a 24' Boston Whaler, and a 1,000 gallon water trailer. I figure all of those to be in the neighborhood of 5 tons when loaded. I got good feel for different weight distribution and learned how to load and tow a trailer. The only complaints I had were that it was a little underpowered, tires rubbed the leafsprings a little and if it were not for a an average 4.5 MPG trip to the desert with the toyhauler I would still be driving it. The only mods that truck had was a dual FM exaust and I geared it after I bought it(4.56's I think). It was alot of show but it was alot of go too. It didnt tow like a F550 dually and it didn't handle out in the desert like a f150 trophy truck. I never put it up in the air but it was fun to tear around the dry creekbeds in the desert and you would have to try to get it stuck anywhere(never happened). I did feel a little tire roll with those 38's on 16.5's but only on asphalt at about 1.5-2 times the speed limit. Never did that towing though. I guess what I am wondering is there anyone out there who has built there own 6'' plus hybrid lift by taking a conventional lift and putting custom springs,quality shocks,some limit straps,bumpstops and mabey a set Carli long travel air bags to retain some towing manners. I guess I'm lookin for a Dual Sport lift kit on a tight budget to run a minnimum 37'' tire that looks awesome,rides smoother than the gut bustin stock suspension,"wont leave me stranded" reliable, OK guys Im gonna leave it at that. Anyone ? Phil out

 

I run 37's with only a 2' spacer in the front. Works just fine. They do rub when yo turn the wheel more than about 85% though.

 

I took a 6" Superlift after 20000 miles and cranked it out to 9" lift with custom wristed radius arms. Great flex, better ride, and still have the load capacity of the original 6" SL. Don't waste your time on Carli or Kore, they don't have what your wanting if your gonna run some big fat 38's or larger. I've seen Carli's long travel bags on a truck and really want some though.

I've drag raced and sled pulled with my setup and even beat around in some fields and gulleys on my smaller tires. My G56 is the limiting factor now though.

I would suggest a basic 6" Superlift with new coils and good Bilstein shocks.
Down the road you can add a 2 or 3 inch spacer up front and springs or add-a-leaf to match in the rear along with a set of Top Gun long arms and an adjustable trackbar. You'll be sitting at 9" then. Just remember, as soon as you get close to 8" of lift, your steering will start contacting the passenger side sway bar link on the axle and you'll need to correct for that to do the job correctly. I found this out and put Thuren's steering on there.

 

4.5" Fabtech with 37s on H2s..........no rub anywhere

 

Check this thread out and you'll be well on your way to your answer: http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/ti...-big-meat.html

 

I guess I should stop assuming people read posts fully, and understand what is being said. I said SOME people THINK they have a better ride, I didn't say ALL lifts are garbage and don't help I just said MOST. So no, I did not say your imagining a better ride, you might be one of the few who did get an improvment.

Be careful with your wording "fitting" tires and sticking them on are two VERY different things. Fitting assumes NO rubbing ANYWHERE on ANYTHING meaning you can go lock to lock, with no issues, hit a bumping turning no issues, anything possible on the road with no contact. Unless you know your going to get that, I would get smaller tires, rubbing tires is a pain to drive with.

 

Uh..What's a Carli stater system? Is a Carli system good?

 

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