The Stupid Lift Questions Thread

[1clean99]

so this weekend i should be scoring some 2" lift coils for my tahoe. i know that the stock shocks will be maxed out though. i know they make shock extenders for nbs tahoes but i havent seen any for obs 2wd ones. i dont want to spend about $140 on bilstien 5100 just incase i decide to lower it down the road.

so my questions are..
will nbs front shock extenders work on obs?
for examples these..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SHOCK-E...&fits=Model:Tahoe&vxp=mtr&hash=item5891d05956

http://www.ebay.com/itm/99-07-Chevy...&fits=Model:Tahoe&vxp=mtr&hash=item27be8702b3

or do they make shock extenders for 2wd obs?

nobody??

 

[kmm2736]

Hi,

I plan on getting a 6" lift kit not sure what brand yet. My question is whats the best 3" body lift to go with it and should/can I put a leveling kit in as well? I would just put a bigger lift in but I use this truck for tree work and am concerned it would affect my towing capacity? Thanks, Kyle

 

[am92]

Hi,

I plan on getting a 6" lift kit not sure what brand yet. My question is whats the best 3" body lift to go with it and should/can I put a leveling kit in as well? I would just put a bigger lift in but I use this truck for tree work and am concerned it would affect my towing capacity? Thanks, Kyle

All body lifts are pretty much the same, not a whole lot you can do with nylon blocks...that said, most people get the performance accessories one. A leveling kit for our trucks is useless because the stock keys will allow you to crank to the droop stops (although that is NOT recommended)
This is assuming you have a 4wd truck, 2wd is a different front suspension

 

[am92]

nobody??

Wish I could help, but honesty I have no idea

 

[90chevstepside]

nobody??

Wish I could help too.. I saw this but I had no clue. The only problem you'd have is the width of the shock that would make the difference. If you can, measure the width of the obs shock, and call the guy and ask him what the width is of the shock extenders. If they're the same, they should work in theory. If they aren't the same, then no, they won't work.

 

[kmm2736]

Hey thanks for the input, but are you saying a leveling kit for my truck 4x4 is not recommended with a lift kit?

http://www.roughcountry.com/chevy_4wd_88-98_leveling_kit.html

and im thinking either the rcx 6" or spend double and get the bds with warranty, I have still not found were to get the depek and still cant find the answer to bds vs. depek strength?

Thanks kyle

 

[90chevstepside]

The "leveling kit" is nothing but torsion keys that are indexed differently. Tosion keys will do absolutely nothing for gmt400 trucks as am92 said, so to answer your question clearly,

No. The "leveling kit" is not recommended to be put on with a lift kit. Actually, I, and any other forum member that knows, dont recommend the "leveling kit" for a stock truck since your stock keys will go as high as the suspension will allow it to regardless.

I have absolutely no experience with BDS or Cepek lifts, but I have heard that Cepek is discontinued and can only be found on eBay or suppliers that have some in stock (rare to find)

I've heard great things about BDS but again I have no personal experience with them.

The RCX (Rough Country) 6" lift is a 5.5" differential drop, meaning that the lift truely only lifts you 5.5" and you have to crank the torsion bars "not max out" to get the full 6 inches of lift.

For cost Effectiveness, I recommend the RCX lift more than any because it's by far the cheapest new not used 6 inch lift kit you can buy, and it is fairly easy to put on.

For lift height, I'd go with Cepek if possible since it is a true 6.5" lift meaning the differential is dropped 6.5". I do not know the differential drop measurement of a BDS 6" kit but I do believe it is a true 6" kit meaning the differential is dropped 6".

I see you're 27, so I'm guessing you'd rather go with a cost effective method and for that, I say Rough Country aka RCX.

Also, as always, I recommend you either check or have someone check the entire front suspension for wear and tear and replace any worn pieces before or during the lift install. The reason is, when you put the lift on, it causes more stress on those parts, and if they're worn, you could end up in a bad situation like having a wheel bearing separate going down the highway at 75 mph.

And also, depending on the tire size you decide to go with, look into regearing the front and rear differentials, if need be, I can do some explanation on the gears and what their ratios mean.

if you go with a RCX 6" kit, I reccomend a 35 inch tire. I run a 37 inch tire but mine are worn down to about half tread and they still rub a good bit off roading and if i hit a bump while turning. with the BDS and Cepek lifts, there's enough lift to clear 37's with no problem but if you go to 37's i DEFINITELY recommend regearing. im running a 4.56 gear ratio on 37's and it does pretty well.

If you need any more help on the subject, I'll be glad to help in any way i can.

And, I first thought you were asking me specifically and began wondering, then i reallized that that's your name too

 

[kmm2736]

hey thanks kyle,

Things are little clearer now and yes I plan to re-gear. I'm starting to collect parts to beef up my IFS. I plan to put as big of a tire as I can fit on the truck!

Another question would a 9 1/2 lift void my towing capacity of the truck? I'm stuck between 6" and a body lift or just a bigger lift!!

thanks, kyle

The "leveling kit" is nothing but torsion keys that are indexed differently. Tosion keys will do absolutely nothing for gmt400 trucks as am92 said, so to answer your question clearly,

No. The "leveling kit" is not recommended to be put on with a lift kit. Actually, I, and any other forum member that knows, dont recommend the "leveling kit" for a stock truck since your stock keys will go as high as the suspension will allow it to regardless.

I have absolutely no experience with BDS or Cepek lifts, but I have heard that Cepek is discontinued and can only be found on eBay or suppliers that have some in stock (rare to find)

I've heard great things about BDS but again I have no personal experience with them.

The RCX (Rough Country) 6" lift is a 5.5" differential drop, meaning that the lift truely only lifts you 5.5" and you have to crank the torsion bars "not max out" to get the full 6 inches of lift.

For cost Effectiveness, I recommend the RCX lift more than any because it's by far the cheapest new not used 6 inch lift kit you can buy, and it is fairly easy to put on.

For lift height, I'd go with Cepek if possible since it is a true 6.5" lift meaning the differential is dropped 6.5". I do not know the differential drop measurement of a BDS 6" kit but I do believe it is a true 6" kit meaning the differential is dropped 6".

I see you're 27, so I'm guessing you'd rather go with a cost effective method and for that, I say Rough Country aka RCX.

Also, as always, I recommend you either check or have someone check the entire front suspension for wear and tear and replace any worn pieces before or during the lift install. The reason is, when you put the lift on, it causes more stress on those parts, and if they're worn, you could end up in a bad situation like having a wheel bearing separate going down the highway at 75 mph.

And also, depending on the tire size you decide to go with, look into regearing the front and rear differentials, if need be, I can do some explanation on the gears and what their ratios mean.

if you go with a RCX 6" kit, I reccomend a 35 inch tire. I run a 37 inch tire but mine are worn down to about half tread and they still rub a good bit off roading and if i hit a bump while turning. with the BDS and Cepek lifts, there's enough lift to clear 37's with no problem but if you go to 37's i DEFINITELY recommend regearing. im running a 4.56 gear ratio on 37's and it does pretty well.

If you need any more help on the subject, I'll be glad to help in any way i can.

And, I first thought you were asking me specifically and began wondering, then i reallized that that's your name too

 

[90chevstepside]

You can tow with anything. Whether it's a honda accord, or a truck with 15" of lift on 44's. You can tow but if you do a lot of towing, gear accordingly.

Honestly, if you just want 9" of lift, I'd go with a 6+3 combo with the BL and 6" suspension lift. The 9 1/2" lift for these trucks is insanely expensive if I remember right.

And for less than $1,300 you can have the suspension and body lift, and gap guards to hide the frame and open spaces that shows because of the body lift.

If you tow alot, I'd especially go with the 6+3 because BL's don't affect towing at all, and I'd do a shackle flip with zero rates and leave out the lift blocks from the suspension lift as they can cause axle wrap and you don't want that when you're towing.

 

[kmm2736]

ya its $$$ 2,700 vs a grand over 3"...I do tow allot of fire wood and landscaping material all summer, and a car trailer every now and then. I'm totally new to lift kits and the off road scene, I want to make sure I dont have any buyer regrets and be like f..k I should of just got the 9" kit. Yaaa know? I can do the rcx now but dont mind waiting to get the 9" at the end of the tree season. I just need to make sure its still a all around functional truck.

thanks!