Lifting 101
In order to lift a Truck, an SUV or even a Car you need to put a Lifting Kit. There are hundreds of lifting kits in the market and the best way is to chose the one for your needs and your vehicle.
There are several reasons why people would like to customize their vehicle using suspension lift kits, as well as quite a bit to know before you get started
Why Lifting?
Installing Suspension Lift Kits involves much more than just buying the kit. It would transform your vehicle and your ride and there is no room for mistakes.
Whenever you want your vehicle to be lifted you have to ask yourself what you want to do with your lifted truck for example. There are two main purposes for installing truck lift kits: Style or Function.
Style Lifting
Adding truck lifts makes more of an impression than anything else you can do to your ride.
When it comes to adding suspension lift kits to make a style statement, looking good is the easy part.
Chosing the right suspension lift kit with attention to comfort, reliability, durability, safety, and price, should be given just as much cosnideration as those precious inches you want to add.
Performance Lifting
You have decided to go to the off-road world, and you're ready to take the plunge to invest in one of many truck lift kits. But before diving headfirst into a custom truck lift kit and gigantic tires, there are a number of issues to address to ensure a correct setup. The first step is to ask yourself what you will be doing the most, whether it's slow-speed rock crawling, high-speed desert racing, general purpose 4 wheeling, mud racing, or long distance open country treks. From there, you can narrow down what you need to do in order to customize your vehicle to suit your needs.
Tuning your rig for optimum off-road performance is an expansive hobby with numerous factors to be wary of. The possibilities are limitless, which can sometimes make it hard to determine exactly which suspension lift kits are ideal for what you want.
Where to Start?
Installing truck lift kits can alter other components in your vehicle, sometimes causing unforeseen issues that could affect performance or be potentially detrimental to the vehicle itself. For example, drive shaft length, steering geometry, brake lines, highway performance and handling, gear ratios, and overall weight are just a few of the factors that could potentially be impacted by adding truck suspension lift kits.
Finding ample resources to determine what products you need can be difficult. Speaking with a mechanic can provide some insight. Reading factory service manuals, off-road magazines, internet message boards, manufacturer's guides, and a number of other resources can help as well. But by far the most useful way to determine what truck lift kits are right for you and your vehicle is to consult an experienced and knowledgeable person who has a vehicle similar to yours and uses it in the manner similar to what you want to do. Not only can such a person suggest the correct products, but also likely has experience with installation tips and general drivability.
What does a Suspension Kit Do?
Factors to Consider with Truck Lift Kits
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Clearance
For starters, one of the foremost reasons for installing truck suspension lift kits is to raise the height of your ride off the ground to enable steeper ascent or descent off-road, and higher ground clearance. In general, it makes sense that when driving over boulders, slogging through mud, coasting across the desert, or even just making your way through the occasional forest trail, higher clearance facilitates negotiating certain obstacles. This can often be a tricky bit of artistry to manage, as higher clearance also raises your vehicle’s center of gravity, which can reduce handling.
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Larger Tire Fitment
The general consensus suggests that larger tires equate to more traction, right? Well, not entirely. While larger tires may provide some improvement to traction in off-road conditions, there are other ways to improve a vehicle's traction that are far more efficient than simply bulking up the rubber. Aside from the obvious stylistic discretion, the main reasons for adding larger tires are for higher vehicle clearance for improved performance in mud, deep snow, rocks, and deeply rutted trails. Certain tires designed specifically for off-road conditions can improve traction depending on the circumstances, but the added clearance is the most immediate and direct benefit of larger tires.
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Installing Lift Kit Suspensions:
Many manufacturers offer manuals for installing truck lift kits onto certain vehicles; however, some installations are quite intricate, requiring some welding or cutting in order to add some necessary components.
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Additional Modifications:
Upgrading to truck lift kits with taller tires also means that a number of components may require part upgrades or some tuning to compensate. For instance, a truck's engine is tuned at specific gear ratios to propel the vehicle. When adding taller tires, the gear ratios must be tweaked accordingly, since the engine has to spin much larger, heavier tires.
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Highway Performance:
Larger, wider tires can sometimes result in instability on roads or a noisy, uncomfortable ride, particularly at high speeds. Also, more aggressive off-road tires tend to wear faster on the highway, and traction might not be as great as you would expect on wet roads. In this sense, larger tires can sometimes be a gamble without any direction from an experienced off-road veteran.
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Weight:
larger tires are heavier, which can put a lot of strain on your suspension, particularly if it's a stock suspension. Trusted, durable suspension components and lighter aluminum wheels can sometimes help to reduce the strain.
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Handling:
Adding truck suspension lift kits will undoubtedly raise the vehicle's center of gravity, resulting in less stable turns. This is a common issue when installing truck lift kits, but is mostly just a matter of becoming accustomed to a vehicle's change in performance.
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Legality:
Some suspension lift kits are such a serious change in your suspension system that it may not be legal. Check the suspension regulations within your state or province to be sure.
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A Few Useful Accessories:
Before installing a lift kit, it's a good idea to first examine if any components will be affected by your vehicle's new height. Here are a few useful accessories that may need to be upgraded: Brakes, Drivetrain and Differential, Axles, Gears, Differential Covers, Lockers, Control Arms, Track Bars, etc.
Just come and visit us, email us or call us, our experienced technitians will help you chosing the rigght Lift Kit for you!!
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