gaRam

just wanted to know who has the better lift kit and price ranges. want to know what company adds a longer leaf or taller block. you know the differences between the companys. also, if someone wants to get technical, why do some people say taller blocks aren't good? what's the highest block you can install before it is unsafe? just want some technical info on pros and cons of taller blcok or longer leaf. and anything that comes along with a bigger truck besides being harder to get into and judge distances when you park,etc. and complications with driveshaft angles, etc. thanx

SuperDave4x4

go to www.pavementsucks.com/forums for the lift kit guru's.

also what size tire are you going to be runing? that will help when telling you about lifts and which one would work best for you.

gaRam

36x 14.50 parnelli jones dirt grip. looking at a 5 inch lift. want to know the engineering behind making a lift. what works and what works better.

phox_mulder

For 5 inch lifts, I'd stick with one of the following:

Skyjacker (actually a 4.5").
New front springs, new longer control arms, tracbar relocation bracket, swaybar extension brackets, brake line relocation brackets, new rear ubolts, and an add-a-leaf in the basic version (uses the stock block in the back).
You can get upgrades to include dual front shocks, single or double flex control arms (heim joint on one or both ends), and completely new rear springs.
IMHO, stay away from the heims, our front ends are too heavy for them, and they wear out fast.
www.skyjacker.com (kinda odd website, try www.jackit.com for better navigation)

Tuff Country 5".
They use coil spacers with the factory front springs, new longer control arms (slightly longer than the Skyjacker), tracbar relocation bracket, swaybar extension brackets, brake line relocatoin brackets, new rear ubolts and rear add-a leaf (still stock blocks in back).
They don't offer the new rear springs as part of the kit, but they do sell them, also sell dual shock kits.
www.tuffcountry.com

I have the Skyjacker basic kit, and can't fit 36" tires.
I've been able to make my 35" tires rub the rear of the fender while turning and compressing at the same time.
I believe if I had the Tuff Country control arms, I would be able to fit them.

I do have a front driveshaft angle problem.
Nothing exploding yet, but it vibrates at highway speed,
and binds up while turning with 4x4 engaged (off road of course).
I'm pretty sure this is an automatic tranny problem,
don't know of anyone with a standard tranny with the problem.
Skyjacker has a transfer case reindexing ring, but they don't offer it, or say you need it, until you go 7" or higher.
Not going to worry about it until I does grenade on me, then I'll probably look into a Tom Woods driveshaft.


phox

gsdog1

T Rex is getting a lot of attention these days. I don't personally know of anyone running one, but they are worth looking at. Pricey compared to others.

I really like my Skyjacker lift. Netted me more than enough room for 35's. I get a little rub on the lower passenger control arm in a hard right turn. Biggest thing that swayed me towards the Skyjacker kit was the fact that they make kits for the diesel equipped trucks. I wouldn't even consider a lift from a company that didn't specifically design the components around my little 6 cylinder.

I went with add-a-leafs in the rear with a block, and Class II up front. Very happy with the ride.

The only thing I will end up adding suspension wise (other than shocks when they need to be replaced) is rear trac bars.

Matt

dodgediesel4x4

Diddo, as gsdog1 beat me to it.

halerazor

i love my skyjackerlift and wont buy nothing else, it all depends on the truck on what tires will fit. i have a 4.5 lift class 2 stage 1 with add a leafs and i have 36'' 12.50 tsl radials and they dont rub. it also depends on the offset and width of the wheel. the 7in lift would be perfect for you and it comes with an adapter to rotate the transfer case so the drive shafts are at the proper angle.

BigBadDodge

yep Skyjacker my choice as well, had it for 6 years now, 4.5" stage two replacment leafs, with thier newer kevlar lined hiems (no problems at all) and I have the 36x14.5 PJ's as you mentioned as well no rubbing.

BBD

Cowhand

I also. I run 37's, but I ditched the Skyjacker coils for custom 5.5" coils with a lighter than stock spring rate. Had a slight rub at lock on the left side with the 4.5" springs and 37's. Never had a problem with the heim joints, still running the originals after 140K. No problem with binding in 4WD and it runs smooth as silk on pavement. I did have to replace all of the ball joints, cross joints, u-joints, and tie rod ends after 190K.

If I did it again, I'd do the dt-profab arms, custom coils, and DT track bar. Go with a Bilstien 7100 or 9100 shock. Custom rear spring packs will run you about $700. BTW, I paid ~$325 for my new coils.....

gaRam

i found the tuff country 5" for $640 at rocky mountain suspension. would this be a good lift for the money? it is fairly cheap compared to the skyjacker. and is there anything to do about the front driveshaft problem? will my truck definetly have this vibration or is it different from truck to truck? can anything be done or do i have to buy something else to cure the problem?

HOHN

I hope you know what you're getting into with a "lift kit". You're going to end up spending money on something that will limit your suspension travel, ruin the ride and handling, kill resale, and ruin the design of your suspension that the OEM spent a lot of hours designing.

The "engineering" that goes into most lift kids is paltry. Almost anyone who knows how to weld cheap 3/16" plate can make one.

I've leveled my truck with SJ springs. No need to go higher. If you NEED tires larger than 35", you should be building a rock or mud-only rig.

If you're absolutely dead set on a lift, then the only one I'd come close to recommending other than the T-Rex is the Dick Cepek lift. It's 6" with really long trailing arms. It's the best non- T-rex kit out there.

BTW-- T-rex isn't a lift kit. It's not designed to lift. It's a suspension system that just happens to lift the front about 2"

Justin

phox_mulder

That price seems low, make sure it is for the 2500/3500's.

The front DS problem varies from truck to truck.
You won't really know until you put the lift on.
You have the vaccum disconnect, so your shaft isn't spinning all the time like mine is, hence the highway vibe.

If you do have the binding, you can get the skyjacker reindexing ring (rocky mtn suspension will know what that is), it turns front of the transfer case down, lessening the angle on the front driveshaft.
Or you can have a high angle driveshaft built ($$$$).

I wouldn't worry about it.
I'd say 90% don't have a problem.


phox

phox_mulder

I semi agree, except the Tuff Country and Skyjacker,
all the others I've seen (except DC-see below) are cheap imitations.

I agree, the DC lift is the best one, but much more $$$.
It requires a lot more work to install, not for the average joe in his driveway,
and once installed, you can't go back to stock.

The Skyjacker and Tuff Country lifts, you can go back to stock if you ever wanted to sell the truck, and found the lift to be an obstacle.
That is, if you keep the OEM parts, and they are in good shape.
I have sold about half of them, including the springs.

Hindsight being 20/20, I wish I would have gotten the DC.


phox

gaRam

i've heard of some bad things so far though. like brake lines not being long enough and breaking when the axle articulates. track bar wearing out really fast, poor ride quality, steering knuckles wearing really quick too. seems to be too much trouble unless you spend alot of money to do it all right the first time. i would love to have a 5 inch lift but don't want to wear out other parts faster because of it. but i like to look at other trucks like mine with the lifts on them, look really good. anyone with a lift on your truck, how does it do off pavement?

Cowhand

My suspension travel, as well as articulation, is about 4" more than stock. It rides just as crappy now (empty) as it ever did when it was stock. It handles better now because I replaced all of the carefully designed OEM steering components. Following that logic, I guess putting in an aftermarket transmission will kill my resale value because the OEM spent a lot of time designing the original trans/TC. I got news for ya, the SJ springs that you put on your truck have altered the design of your suspension that the OEM spent a lot of hours designing


No 3/16" plate in mine. I guess some kits are engineered better than others.

I didn't NEED to go higher. I didn't NEED 37" Swampers. I don't NEED 400+HP. I don't NEED 1000+ ft/lbs. But I got it.

IIRC, the Cepek kit turns your carefully designed 4-link suspension and turns it into a 2 link suspension, i.e., radius arms.
My opinion, which isn't worth more than anyone elses, is the hot set up would be what I described above, the DT stuff, custom coils, and Bilstiens.

(edit: I stand corrected on the DC lift. It does indeed use 4 control arms. I must have confused it with the Superlift 1/2 ton lift)