2" Body Lift Vs. 2" Suspension Lift?

[killian96ss]

Hey everyone I'm going to be getting some new rims and 31X10.5/15 tires and I need to do the 2" lift. So now I would like to get some opinions about which way is better as far as getting the 2" of extra lift. I plan on getting some accessories as well so the lift would need to work with these parts also. The later add on parts would be, side step bars or rock sliders, front safari bar, and front and rear hitches. As far as i can tell the body lift will make these add ons look funny because they will either not line up right or they will sit too low. Then I've heard that the suspension lift will cause the front u-joints to fail earlier than normal. I would like for people with both set ups to give me their opinions. Thanks, Steve

[adrenalnjunky]

Well,

Everything here is opinion, I would prefer a suspension lift, but the Rough Country or Superlift kit you are referring to just doesn't have a good track record.

I did the bodylift -- of course I drive a blazer, but most of your concerns are the same that i faced.

I just added a safari bar -- I had it modified to fit with the bodylift in abotu 30 minutes -- looks absolutely normal, just requires a little measuring and drilling 2 holes. I can post a pic tonight of my setup.

Many on this board have modified their hitch to look normal. I did not - I had a Hidden hitch brand hitch, which hid most of everything behind the bumper. with the bodylift, now you can see more of the crossbar, but my hitch's mounting plates just didnt allow for modification. Regardless, I personally don't think that my hitch looks all that bad or out of place -- still looks better than a lot of hitches I see out there on non-BL trucks.

The one thing that bothers me is the amount of visible frame rail -- the S10 has some of the tallest framerails on the planet. I'm getting a set of Westin step bars to modify and hopefully hide a good bit of the frame.

It's all opinion, I would rather have the BL and know my front end gear isn't going to blow up prematurely. If there were a reputable 3 inch suspension kit out there though, that would be my choice. Honestly though, 3 inches on our trucks doesn't make enough difference compared to mos stock 4x4's these days for it to be profitable for lift companies.

[a2b]

most of the s-10 world doesnt consider the 2"SL to be a viable choice...not even an option. for non zr2 s=10's you have the TM5" or the PA 2"BL...thats it. the TM5" will clear 31's with no problem. the 2"BL might not depending on your wheels and tires. put both lifts together and you can squeeze some 33's as long as they arent too fat

[HenryJ]

...add on parts would be, side step bars or rock sliders, front safari bar, and front and rear hitches. As far as i can tell the body lift will make these add ons look funny because they will either not line up right or they will sit too low. ....

That list pretty much nails my truck to a "T" for add-ons.....So are you saying it looks funny!

Read some of the body lift threads, there are postive attributes to adding a 2" bl.

I'm sure that if there was a good 2"-3" suspension lift there would be a majority here, myself included, that would have one.

IMO, there are only two choices PA 2" BL (reverseable) or TM 5" suspension lift (non-reversable)

[Matt]

has anyone looked into only using only part of the front end suspension lift from TM? I know that I am not the only person on a tight budget, and if you can get the control arms from TM, and get a set of shackles or leaf springs that should get you up about 3 inches. I personally havent looked into what the TM kit comes with, but I think I will tonight and post another message later. I also know that it really doesnt look that hard to make a pair of shackles. I know it is a hell of a lot cheaper to make your own stuff. I plan on making my own shackles. Im going to do them like the daystars w/ the big round stock in the middle. The only thing I need to know is how long they are, center of hole to center of hole. And if anyone is going to be kind enough to get that measuerment for me, measure the inside of the shackles so it will be a whole lot easier for me to make.

[adrenalnjunky]

I can't say I havent thought the same thing --- but here's the flaws:

1) The TM 5 inch kit doesn't use A-arms -- you re-use your stock arms for that. You do have to cut your stock mounting points off and weld in some brackettry to lower your stock A-Arms though. You can see a lot of good install pics of the TM 5 inch kit on Paul/Quickbiker's website here: TM 5 inch install

2) adding longer shackes and spring kit might get you to 3 inches of lift, but that's probably as far as you can go witout either ending up with an uncomfortably high spring rate in the rear, or getting your driveshaft in a bind from roating the springs with longer shackles.

The TM kit swaps your rear axle from over the spring to under the spring -- that gives about 5 inches of lift all by itself, and is the eaiest part of the job. I think it's markscc that did a flip kit on his rear without any lift in the front -- ask him about his results.

Maybe the Truckin suspension 6 inch kit installs to where you could just use their bracketry -- but I haven't heard a whole lot about that kit, and what I have heard hasn't sold me on it.

[coffeedrnkr]

Dont get the superlift 2"

I did it and within a week the inside boots on both of my stock cv joints fell off. Once i put on new cv's with rubber boots they havent came off yet.

It tops out really hard. I went over a bump a little too fast off road and it topped out and stripped the nut off of my upper ball joint. Needless to say the entire upper control arm came out of the spindle on my next offroading trip.

THE SHOCKS THAT COME WITH IT ARE A HUGE LOAD OF CRAP!!!!!! All 4 of them were shot in under a month. I had to go buy some real shocks RANCHO's.