Lift kit question
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Lift kit question
Hey guys it has been a long while since I have posted and I really need to update picks this week.....but.....here is my question. I am looking at doing a full suspension lift. I think I have narrowed down my selection to Rough Country brand. Now I am trying to decide between a 6 or 8 inch lift. DOes anyone forsee any issues to going ahead with the 8 or should i stick with just the 6?
Right now I just have a leveling kit in the front and a stock rear.
I will do new leaf springs in the back regardless of 6 or 8.
Also, any concerns with rough country, they are who my leveling kit is from and it has been great for 4 years.
Right now I just have a leveling kit in the front and a stock rear.
I will do new leaf springs in the back regardless of 6 or 8.
Also, any concerns with rough country, they are who my leveling kit is from and it has been great for 4 years.
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From: Dalton,Ga
personally i like BDS lifts....correct me if I am wrong,with the 6"lift you dont have to change break lines with 8 you do. If I remember correctly there are other changes that has to be made as well.Thats why I stayed with the 6"...like i said, hope I remember correctly
Posting Guru
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From: Dalton,Ga
I could tell a difference when i went to 37's,on the bottom end normal driving with 3.73 gears,It felt sluggish taking off
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Temperance, MI
I havent been on much but I think I need to give my opinion here because I have an 8'' lift. I have a BDS lift and Im with Joey all the way there the way to go they have a no BS warantee, you break something they replace it for free. You will NOT need a longer drive shaft, just have to put a 2 1/4" ( I think) spacer between the carrier bearing to keep the right DS angle, which comes with the kit. Ladder bars IMHO are something that is a must, I dont have them yet and Im reminded every time I take off that I dont. Im also running 38x15.5r20s if thats the size tire you want to go with be prepared to get out the old cut off wheel and cutting your fender up and trimming the bumper. Im still running 3:73 gears and there great for highway driving but threw town theres a HUGE power loss and 4:30 gears are at the top of my list. If you have 4:10 gears Id say thats close enough and you should be fine. I also have dual front shock and dual stablizers IMO they are both a must when you step up this high. I can post pictures and Im sure Joey will to to compare 6" and 8" lifts
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From: Dalton,Ga
nice write up John,
I was not sure what needed to be changed with the 8" lift,I was sure about the brake lines though..with my 6" BDS with 37x13.50x20" on a stock bumper we had to trim about 1/2" off the corner of the front bumper and thats it..You are spot on with the 4.30 gears,that will put you right on the stock gearing.personally I opted for the 4.56 because I tow and I love the bottom end pull the truck has. With the 6" lift,I only run single shocks in the front and have not seen any reason to add more other than looks (maybe one day when I am board).The dual stearind stablizers is a must with anything over 35" tires (IMO)
I was not sure what needed to be changed with the 8" lift,I was sure about the brake lines though..with my 6" BDS with 37x13.50x20" on a stock bumper we had to trim about 1/2" off the corner of the front bumper and thats it..You are spot on with the 4.30 gears,that will put you right on the stock gearing.personally I opted for the 4.56 because I tow and I love the bottom end pull the truck has. With the 6" lift,I only run single shocks in the front and have not seen any reason to add more other than looks (maybe one day when I am board).The dual stearind stablizers is a must with anything over 35" tires (IMO)
Logistics Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Temperance, MI
Thanks Joey. It should also be noted that that if you decide to go with wide tires like mine you will rub the leaf spring under full lock. I also had 36x14.5r16s on my truck at one point and they rubbed too, I have a mark on both leaf springs from the tires I can point to and say thats where the 36s rubbed thats where the 38s rub.
I did this with my 36s
I had to do this for the 38s I had to cut a lot more than that too, I didnt snap a picture of that though
I dont have a picture of where I had to cut the bumper
I did this with my 36s
I had to do this for the 38s I had to cut a lot more than that too, I didnt snap a picture of that though
I dont have a picture of where I had to cut the bumper
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Millersburg, OR
Hey guys it has been a long while since I have posted and I really need to update picks this week.....but.....here is my question. I am looking at doing a full suspension lift. I think I have narrowed down my selection to Rough Country brand. Now I am trying to decide between a 6 or 8 inch lift. DOes anyone forsee any issues to going ahead with the 8 or should i stick with just the 6?
Right now I just have a leveling kit in the front and a stock rear.
I will do new leaf springs in the back regardless of 6 or 8.
Also, any concerns with rough country, they are who my leveling kit is from and it has been great for 4 years.
Right now I just have a leveling kit in the front and a stock rear.
I will do new leaf springs in the back regardless of 6 or 8.
Also, any concerns with rough country, they are who my leveling kit is from and it has been great for 4 years.
Rough Country is ok.... But if you are **** about ride quality it may not be the best choice. It will ride like a truck.
As far as deciding between a 6" or 8" lift, you might as well go to the 8". If at all you are contemplating it, it is alot cheaper to do it now than later. Not really much difference between the two for the most part.
I agree with what most is posted above but I don't think you need to go with the dual stabilzers. Just a good single stabilzer is fine, but not necessary compared to the 05+ trucks. Heck I ran without one on 12+ inches of lift and 40's and the truck tracked great.
Stick with single shocks on each side up front, if you go with (2) on each side you have to valve the (2) to behave as (1) shock to make it ride ok. Otherwise it will be rough as hell....
Gearing, stick the 37's on there and see how it drives. If you don't like it you can change that down the road. I personally liked 3.73's when I ran 37's. If you tow alot it may not be ideal. I am currently running 4.30's with 38's right now and I do like it.
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Thanks for everyone's input. When I did my leveling kit in 2008 I installed a dual steering stabilizer then. Right now I am running 35x12.50 tires and my effective ratio with 3.73 gears doesn't seem sluggish at all. I guess it just surprises me that going to 38 tires will be such a huge difference. I have looked around a lot and it is clear that BDS is a better brand, but at close to twice the price it puts me over budget. I was going to do the dual shocks up front, mainly for looks. It seems everywhere I go the only "complaint" I find about Rough Country is that you'll ride like a truck. I'm fine with that, I didn't buy my truck expecting it to feel like a Caddillac. Lol.
I am interested if there is a way to get the carrier bearing spacer by itself?
Thanks again everyone
I am interested if there is a way to get the carrier bearing spacer by itself?
Thanks again everyone
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,174
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From: Millersburg, OR
You can also look at Icon as well. When I was running a 12" icon lift it road better or as good as stock!
Here is a carrier bearing drop that is bad ***! This is from One Up Offroad, they are are about 175 bucks but worth every penny. Works on pretty much any height truck all the way up to 20+ inches of lift... You can fine tune your driveline angle very easily.
One Up Offroad Drive Line Drop
Here is a carrier bearing drop that is bad ***! This is from One Up Offroad, they are are about 175 bucks but worth every penny. Works on pretty much any height truck all the way up to 20+ inches of lift... You can fine tune your driveline angle very easily.
One Up Offroad Drive Line Drop
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 915
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From: oriental NC.
. You will NOT need a longer drive shaft, just have to put a 2 1/4" ( I think) spacer between the carrier bearing to keep the right DS angle, which comes with the kit.
its ok on the street and minor wheeling but i have been building off road trucks for over 25 years and if you add a 8 in or even a 6 in lift and you cycle the susp it will not be long enough . what is keeping it from pulling apart is the threaded cap on the slip joint or the shocks . limiting straps would work better than either one of these. measure from transfer case u-joint to pinion before and after the lift and you will see the differance. if it reaches it will be on the end of the splines and can pull apart . a taperd block will also help d/s angle. ive put a longer and bigger shaft on every truck that the lift was more than 2 - 2-1/2 in. although the shafts on these trucks are pretty stout!
its ok on the street and minor wheeling but i have been building off road trucks for over 25 years and if you add a 8 in or even a 6 in lift and you cycle the susp it will not be long enough . what is keeping it from pulling apart is the threaded cap on the slip joint or the shocks . limiting straps would work better than either one of these. measure from transfer case u-joint to pinion before and after the lift and you will see the differance. if it reaches it will be on the end of the splines and can pull apart . a taperd block will also help d/s angle. ive put a longer and bigger shaft on every truck that the lift was more than 2 - 2-1/2 in. although the shafts on these trucks are pretty stout!
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xc4jokestomper
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Dec 13, 2010 01:02 AM
