Body lift vs. Suspension lift? Suggestions pls.
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I wanna take my 5 year old to a 4x4 trip but nothing too fancy. He wants us to drive around the beach.
Is there any beach around northern cali I can drive around too? I meant drive around on the sand.
Thanks!
Is there any beach around northern cali I can drive around too? I meant drive around on the sand.
Thanks!
Im not going to get into it too much since there is a ton of info available. Just try searching.
BUT:
Body lift:
Available in 1-3" sizes, great way to lift the body and give clearance for bigger tires. Bigger tires equal more under diff clearance. They are easy to install ( me and a friend did it in 8 hours in the rain, never did one before either), cheap as heck ( 120 bucks in the us) and are reliable. You don't have to worry about anything shifting about, as long as you tighten the bolts properly, and recheck them after 500miles as per the manual states.
Suspension lift:
There are a few kinds.
v1 - Bracket lift: Your typical 4" suspension lift. They use 4" drop brackets to lower the front differential to keep cv angles correct. They are usually quite expensive ( around 800 dollars), require a fair bit of work and are not that reliable. If the truck is wheeled hard the brackets have a tendency to bend and shift in the mounts, thus alignments are needed often. They usually include rear lift blocks aswell, not a smart move.
v2 Mild suspension lift: This can be acomplished in two ways, cranking the torsion bars ( can get around 1" of lift for free), but beware of decreased on road comfort and decreased downtravel. You can also go with balljoint spacers. They are available from .5-1.5", they keep your cv joints in good angles, keeps your steering happy and also retains stock (in my case, better) on road comfort. They will increase the overall travel by .5-1.5" depending which size spacers you get. You will need longer shocks and a matching rear lift. I used an add-a-leaf but you can go with shackles or even new springs. The stock sway bar will also not fit without spacers, I found my truck handled better without it.
v3 Solid Axle Swap: Only for hardcore wheelers, requires cutting out the intire front suspension, welding in spring hangers and shackle tubes. Requires a good welder, lots of money and time. Not needed for 80% of the guys out there.
And remember, take what most guys say with a grain of salt. There are tons of "webwheelers" out there who will regurgitate whatever they hear on the net.
I run a 3" body lift and 1.5" bj spacers. Heaps better then a bracket lift and half the cost.
BUT:
Body lift:
Available in 1-3" sizes, great way to lift the body and give clearance for bigger tires. Bigger tires equal more under diff clearance. They are easy to install ( me and a friend did it in 8 hours in the rain, never did one before either), cheap as heck ( 120 bucks in the us) and are reliable. You don't have to worry about anything shifting about, as long as you tighten the bolts properly, and recheck them after 500miles as per the manual states.
Suspension lift:
There are a few kinds.
v1 - Bracket lift: Your typical 4" suspension lift. They use 4" drop brackets to lower the front differential to keep cv angles correct. They are usually quite expensive ( around 800 dollars), require a fair bit of work and are not that reliable. If the truck is wheeled hard the brackets have a tendency to bend and shift in the mounts, thus alignments are needed often. They usually include rear lift blocks aswell, not a smart move.
v2 Mild suspension lift: This can be acomplished in two ways, cranking the torsion bars ( can get around 1" of lift for free), but beware of decreased on road comfort and decreased downtravel. You can also go with balljoint spacers. They are available from .5-1.5", they keep your cv joints in good angles, keeps your steering happy and also retains stock (in my case, better) on road comfort. They will increase the overall travel by .5-1.5" depending which size spacers you get. You will need longer shocks and a matching rear lift. I used an add-a-leaf but you can go with shackles or even new springs. The stock sway bar will also not fit without spacers, I found my truck handled better without it.
v3 Solid Axle Swap: Only for hardcore wheelers, requires cutting out the intire front suspension, welding in spring hangers and shackle tubes. Requires a good welder, lots of money and time. Not needed for 80% of the guys out there.
And remember, take what most guys say with a grain of salt. There are tons of "webwheelers" out there who will regurgitate whatever they hear on the net.
I run a 3" body lift and 1.5" bj spacers. Heaps better then a bracket lift and half the cost.
Wow Jayota, you sound so, sagacious, it's almost unnerving.
Anyway I agree you should probably just go with the BL and if you want more lift, shackles and front balljoint spacers, of course after you get the larger tires for the lift because if you put 33" and the 3" BL if you're running 31"s you'll get 4" of lift.
Anyway I agree you should probably just go with the BL and if you want more lift, shackles and front balljoint spacers, of course after you get the larger tires for the lift because if you put 33" and the 3" BL if you're running 31"s you'll get 4" of lift.
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94 Posts
suspension lift ftw.
So you're saying for very mild off-roading he should spend 600$ for a suspension lift. Hmm, good 'ol front bracket lift is the only way to get more than 2" from BJ spacers and T-bar crank. So he should get a bracket lift which raises the entire COG and give the front basically no more flex. Sounds real good for offroading.
if you are doing any serious offroading, and you want that kind of front end travel, a bracket lift is pointless.... if you are putting 800 in to do a drop bracket, why not pay 1000 and do a long travel ifs?
from what 89hilux said, he isnt looking to build a flipping rock crawler.
while i dont much care for body lifts, i do think that they have their applications.
i drive around on the sand at the beach every time i go visit family in coastal oregon, and everything is bone stock. air down a bit for the dunes, and you should be fine.... wider is better on loose dry sand.
anyway, for your purposes i would suggest a compromise. do a small 1.5-2" body lift (so what if your damn frame rails show, to each his own... its not like some of the body lifts ive seen here in spokane where there is an inch and a half of light between body and frame) to get a bit more tire clearance, and then you can just do a 1" torsion bar crank and a 1" block on the back.
if i remember right, that was the setup that GeiusManiacal had on his 91. You arent looking to create a trail eating boulder jumping offroad god of a truck here, you just want a taller more aggressive stance.
problems you have to look out for
1) body lifts will change the geometry at which your shifter leaves the floorboards, if you go too tall, you will have problems and have to cut.
2) body lifts are incredibly hard on the mounting points where the cab meets the frame.
3) too much body lift can look fugly
4) blocks in the back dont give you any extra flex on the rear suspension. the only way to get more travel is to go with longer springs.
5) cranking up the torsion bars will result in more wear on the CV joints, and can lead to a break at an inopportune moment - buy extras, and learn how to replace them.
6) any change to the IFS geometry will result in faster wear on the front suspension. because there are more parts to an IFS than on an SAS, there are more potential things to break.
finally, dont take anything that anyone says on here to be gospel... not even what ive said here. opinions are like buttholes, everyone has them and they all stink. take what works for you and drive it.
good luck.
from what 89hilux said, he isnt looking to build a flipping rock crawler.
while i dont much care for body lifts, i do think that they have their applications.
i drive around on the sand at the beach every time i go visit family in coastal oregon, and everything is bone stock. air down a bit for the dunes, and you should be fine.... wider is better on loose dry sand.
anyway, for your purposes i would suggest a compromise. do a small 1.5-2" body lift (so what if your damn frame rails show, to each his own... its not like some of the body lifts ive seen here in spokane where there is an inch and a half of light between body and frame) to get a bit more tire clearance, and then you can just do a 1" torsion bar crank and a 1" block on the back.
if i remember right, that was the setup that GeiusManiacal had on his 91. You arent looking to create a trail eating boulder jumping offroad god of a truck here, you just want a taller more aggressive stance.
problems you have to look out for
1) body lifts will change the geometry at which your shifter leaves the floorboards, if you go too tall, you will have problems and have to cut.
2) body lifts are incredibly hard on the mounting points where the cab meets the frame.
3) too much body lift can look fugly
4) blocks in the back dont give you any extra flex on the rear suspension. the only way to get more travel is to go with longer springs.
5) cranking up the torsion bars will result in more wear on the CV joints, and can lead to a break at an inopportune moment - buy extras, and learn how to replace them.
6) any change to the IFS geometry will result in faster wear on the front suspension. because there are more parts to an IFS than on an SAS, there are more potential things to break.
finally, dont take anything that anyone says on here to be gospel... not even what ive said here. opinions are like buttholes, everyone has them and they all stink. take what works for you and drive it.
good luck.
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397 Posts
pismo is a little far, but they let you drive on the sand in Grover beach. Let me know if you wanna stop by and kick some sand around my stomping grounds
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253 Posts
if i was you i would pair ball joint spacers in front with blocks or shackles in back, and throw in a 2 inch body lift...youll get the 3 inches of lift you want or maybe more and it will give you more suspension travel up front, and wont make your ride on the road uncomfortable
just my .02
just my .02
Edit... HAHAHA, I'm old school but never post!!!
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Used to be able to drive on the beach out at the very end of the strip kind of between Arcata and Eureka California legally. There was actually and OHV area there back in the late 90's early 2000's. Haven't been there since '01 though so who knows if the greenies have shut it down.
And on our trucks, if you're not going to be dropping some serious cash just get a body lift, some bigger tires and have fun...
What about maybe fiberglass front and rear and some inner wheel well mod's to clear larger tires?
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Used to be able to drive on the beach out at the very end of the strip kind of between Arcata and Eureka California legally. There was actually and OHV area there back in the late 90's early 2000's. Haven't been there since '01 though so who knows if the greenies have shut it down.
And on our trucks, if you're not going to be dropping some serious cash just get a body lift, some bigger tires and have fun...
What about maybe fiberglass front and rear and some inner wheel well mod's to clear larger tires?
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