What you should know before investing in a truck lift kit

A truck lift kit for powerfull performance and some more tiger in your truck ?? Or for the aggressive look ?

You should know there are two techniques to lift your truck. Let's review their benefits and downsides :

1) Lift kit for the suspension

Benefits

Raising the suspension height is usually combined with running larger tires. A suspension lift kit is also a good idea to upgrade the flex in your truck and radically change the operation of the suspension.

Downsides

A truck lift kit that requires suspension modifications will change the original location of the frame, engine and drive train and may have an adverse impact on the center of gravity of the truck. If you are running larger tires, additional clearance may be required in off-road conditions for two reasons : the larger tires will interfere with the original wheel well opening and the body of the truck may hit road bumps and trail damages. You can overcome these problems by trimming the sheet metal around the wheel wells and by using stiff suspension springs. If you intend on using much bigger springs (say 4") beware of possible drive shaft modifications required.

2) Truck lift kit for the body

Benefits

Lifting the body off the frame is a good way to give more room for bigger engines, exhaust tubing, transmission and other parts you are upgrading for better performance. It will also facilitate the maintenance of major elements such as the transmission, the engine and the starter and this is an advantage whether or not you do your own maintenance. The use of a body lift kit will most certainly provide the clearance required for off-road use and if you intend on installing additional body protection such as nerf bars and bumbers, that gain will be more than welcomed.

Downsides

If the truck lift kit implies that you lift the body but not the suspension, this may not meet your objective. One common downside to body lifts is an aesthetic one : the gap between the frame and the body is most visible and does not provide for a very attractive look. You can overcome that problem by installing larger wheel well liners. Use a strong flexible material such as rubber or solid neoprene. Finally, if you are planning on raising the body off the frame by more than one inch you may have major adjustments to do on components and connections such as the radiator, bumper, steering shaft, fuel line, hoses, straps, etc.

To conclude on this review many experts prone a balanced approach : go for a moderate / mild lift of both the suspension and the body. This solution combines the benefits of both techniques while minimizing their downsides.