2" Body Lift w/ no suspension mod bad?

[msmith1990]

Hello fellow CC owners, new to the forum after finding this cite listed in s10forum. I'm looking for 2" lift for my truck and found nothing suspension related. I've been told be fellow friends that a body lift by itself creates more a of body roll when turning. I'm not much of an avid off-roader but do go off the beaten path to find some nice fishing spots along rivers. I dont want to mess around with the t-bar if i don't have to. Currently running 235/75-15 Firestone Destination A/Ts after having 235/70-15 (stock size) Firehawk Indy 500s for a year and a half from NC. Happy with the tires so far, all winter and no off-raod yet. Would eventually like to run 30x9.5 and dont want the wheel well "crowded" from the tire. Any advice on the body lift w/out having to do any suspension tweaking?

[HenryJ]

Welcome

You found the right place for the best information!

Sounds like you have part of the stuff right.

The bodylift information that you have is "old school" and wrong in this case. The bodylift on these trucks offers more benefits than problems. A body lift raises the center of gravity less than a suspension lift and therefore offers less body roll during cornering. There are many threads showing the access to the transfercase switch, sparkplug #3, the transmission servos, and floorboard clearance over the cat. The list goes on and on. Add to that the clearance for bigger tires and the fact that it now looks like a truck and you have a win for installing a 2" body lift.

T-bar tweak, Some adjustment is usually needed. Many trucks are set very low to begin with. The ride height specifications are on our website (click the logo above) Adjust to maximum Z height and you will be just fine.

Running 31" tires on this combination requires a small massage of the pinch weld at the back of the front fender with a BFH. Rubbing the frame on a turn happens too.

If yours came with the 70 series tires I will assume you have the 3.42 gears and no locker. Sticking with no more than the 30x9.50 is a good idea. Look through the readers rides thread. You should find some photos of trucks with the combination that you seek. There are also some pictures in our old gallery My truck is sitting on 31" tires in those. Mark's truck - AZS10Crew was a perfect example. Too bad we lost most of his photos

AZS10cew.jpg (8.53 KiB) Viewed 2987 times

Hold on to your wallet. A look around here will empty it for sure!

[killian96ss]

If you install polyurethane sway bar bushings and endlinks along with the 2" body lift you will have less body roll than you do now. A good set of shocks like the Bilsteins will improve the ride and handling even further.

Steve

[msmith1990]

Thanks for the advice. Also the truck is entirely stock besides a few modifications to the intake (spectre air filter), exhaust (2.5 to 2.25 extension where muffler was located), and removed the valence to install a decent pair of driving lights. I also looked into doing a 1.5" or 2" rear block lift and cranking the t-bar + 1" (the cheapman version of a 'lift kit'). If something like this is possible and dd doesn't suffer handling wise, would off-roading be a problem?

[HenryJ]

Blocks on the back will lower the ride height. This axle is spring under. I like the Boise spring works kit. Others have used shackles to raise the rear.

[riceburnr2005]

I already have 2" shackles in the back. If I added the bsw kit will it raise me another 2"? I don't need the additional height I just want the back of my truck to not sag so much when I'm pulling my trailer...


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[HenryJ]

I already have 2" shackles in the back. If I added the bsw kit will it raise me another 2"? I don't need the additional height I just want the back of my truck to not sag so much when I'm pulling my trailer...

Either, or ... not both. The spring kit is a better choice if you pull a trailer. You would need to remove the extended shackles. The longer shackles allow too much lateral movement. During a turn it is possible that it can move enough to rub the driveshaft on the fuel tank. Hobie experienced that pulling the Camaro.
Sell the shackles or trade for stock length.

[riceburnr2005]

Any experience with "helper" springs or those load leveling kits? I was thinking about turning the rear strut into a coil over or air bag and experiment with that..


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[killian96ss]

A new spring pack like the Boise would be the best for towing while maintaining a good ride height. Helper springs will raise the ride height 1-2 inches which does help with handling and carrying more weight in the truck, however they do have their limits. I had some Summit helper springs on my CC and liked them. My CC handled very good on the street, but off road they were a bit rough. Later I ran some 2 inch lift shackles which I liked better because of the reduced rough ride in the rear and better off road performance. For any serious towing or weight carrying I would definitely get a good progressive spring pack with more leaves than stock. There used to be a couple manufacturers who made shocks with overload springs built in kind of like cheap coilovers that might help a little. I've used them before on older vehicles with good results.

Steve

[green02crew]

I have an add a leaf and longer shackles. My drive shaft has rubbed on my gas tank skid plate. I also carry way more weight than what I should and bigger trailers than I should. Doing it over again, I would go with a progressive rate spring pack. The shackles are great for looks but not function when towing/hauling. The add a leaf is great but just not enough to prevent all the sag I experienced. I had helper springs and the add a leaf is similar but cleaner looking. Both helped about the same with load sag.

[riceburnr2005]

Thanks guys


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