Would you lift your daily driver?

Spurshot · February 21, 2015

I'm driving a leveled truck with 33 x 12.5 tires as a DD. 50 miles a day. I would not consider a lifted truck for my DD. I just wouldn't feel comfortable in the daily Tijuana Grand Prix with a lifted truck.

SarahsGMC · February 21, 2015

I don't regret it one bit i get thru the snow when other people can't waayy better

LaserBlueZ71 · February 21, 2015

I don't regret it one bit i get thru the snow when other people can't waayy better

That's one thing I want. I want to know my truck is capable of going off the beaten path whenever I decide I want to. These things are so damn low from the factory it's a joke.

patriot · February 21, 2015

No, I wouldn't "lift" it, and I can go anywhere I need to on or off paved roads, fields, trails, etc.

I've owned 3 trucks. Welllll.... 2 Chevy Silverado trucks and a '97 Ford Ranger P.O.S. NONE were "lifted".

Spurshot · February 22, 2015

That's one thing I want. I want to know my truck is capable of going off the beaten path whenever I decide I want to. These things are so damn low from the factory it's a joke.

Where do you live and where are you planning on going? I've had my other truck that had a 5/8" level in the front and some 33s, in some places I wouldn't even let a lifted truck follow me for fear of it rolling over. I was bird hunting and trying to find new places and found a jeep trail that follows a ridge. Very steep in some places and precarious lean in others, rocky and rough all the 20 miles of its length. I had plenty of ground clearance and have been on that trail several times since. At all times, I drove very slowly. I was trying to get somewhere with me, my dogs and my truck undamaged. So where you want to go plays into lifting or not as well. More lift doesn't necessarily mean more capability.

LaserBlueZ71 · February 22, 2015

Where do you live and where are you planning on going? I've had my other truck that had a 5/8" level in the front and some 33s, in some places I wouldn't even let a lifted truck follow me for fear of it rolling over. I was bird hunting and trying to find new places and found a jeep trail that follows a ridge. Very steep in some places and precarious lean in others, rocky and rough all the 20 miles of its length. I had plenty of ground clearance and have been on that trail several times since. At all times, I drove very slowly. I was trying to get somewhere with me, my dogs and my truck undamaged. So where you want to go plays into lifting or not as well. More lift doesn't necessarily mean more capability.

Well, the major reason I want to lift the truck is for looks, but, as far as needing to get into difficult places, my own residence for starters.

I live on a farm and my wife to be has horses. We also live in a climate where it rains 7 months of the year, our ground is completely water logged. Just getting out to our barn with the horse trailer can sometimes mean one truck, pulling the other truck that's hooked up to the trailer, almost like a train. The top 12 inches of ground is very soft, but it's nice and hard under that layer. Right now, I can make it through this ground, but it means scraping the underside of my truck in the process. After I get through it, the underside of my truck is covered in crap. It's easy to say, make a road out there, well, we can't afford the $15,000 worth of gravel or rock we would need to do that.

I don't believe a 4 inch lift kit with 33's is anymore dangerous to drive than a stock half ton, maybe an extra 5%. It's not like I am putting on an 8 inch kit with 38 inch tires, plus a 3 inch body lift. I have seen the BDS testing and they swerve trucks with 6 inch kits and 35's very violently at almost highway speeds with no issues. Heck, you have to nowadays to get your kit certified for North America.

Even if it is more dangerous, I can handle it. I am trucker who works for a heavy haul outfit. A normal day for me is 9 axles, 160,000 pounds rolling down the freeway being 14 feet wide and over 100 feet long. Trust me, I can handle it.

Spurshot · February 22, 2015

Sounds like you've made a decision. It's a done deal.

LaserBlueZ71 · February 22, 2015

Sounds like you've made a decision. It's a done deal.

Even picked the rubber now! I always thought the 285/65R18 Toyo AT2 would be too small for that amount of lift. Finally had a chance to see some in person. That tire in that size is significantly beefier than I ever anticipated. It is quite a bit wider than my stockers, I think it will look just perfect IMO. Best part is, with this much lift and that tire size, no rubbing by a long shot, even when the suspension compresses.

cparks555 · February 22, 2015

You'll love it man, do it...

SarahsGMC · February 22, 2015

No, I wouldn't "lift" it, and I can go anywhere I need to on or off paved roads, fields, trails, etc.

I've owned 3 trucks. Welllll.... 2 Chevy Silverado trucks and a '97 Ford Ranger P.O.S. NONE were "lifted".

I said that too till I ripped my valence off scraped bottom on a high center two track and got stuck with factory tires.

patriot · February 22, 2015

I haven't stuck a truck in over 17 years.

Spurshot · February 22, 2015

My thought is that it's a balance of keeping a low CG and enough ground clearance to get you the utility you want. Rolling over sideways down a hill never was much fun, IMO. I've been there, done that. I don't drive my truck off-road for the recreation of driving off-road. I drive it off-road to get to places I want to hunt.

kstruckcountry · February 22, 2015

The thing about a lift kit, is that isn't the real lift. The real lift comes from increase in tire size. Say you go with a 6" lift and 35's. That's about a 3" increase in tire size, which means your axle will be about an inch and a half higher than before. That's really not much, and you've raised the CG by about 7.5". Granted your approach and departure angles and break over are better, but the clearance is still pretty limited.

But, if you like the look and have the money I don't see why you wouldn't lift it. For me the solution was to put a front end on the pickup that doesn't care if I ground it out. Our work truck we did the same, it weighs almost 14k fully loaded and is off road 12 months a year. For me, good handling in the mountains and having plenty of power was the priority.

LaserBlueZ71 · February 22, 2015

The thing about a lift kit, is that isn't the real lift. The real lift comes from increase in tire size. Say you go with a 6" lift and 35's. That's about a 3" increase in tire size, which means your axle will be about an inch and a half higher than before. That's really not much, and you've raised the CG by about 7.5". Granted your approach and departure angles and break over are better, but the clearance is still pretty limited.

But, if you like the look and have the money I don't see why you wouldn't lift it. For me the solution was to put a front end on the pickup that doesn't care if I ground it out. Our work truck we did the same, it weighs almost 14k fully loaded and is off road 12 months a year. For me, good handling in the mountains and having plenty of power was the priority.

A lift kit is a real lift in terms of getting your frame and body higher off the ground.

In one aspect your right, the suspension and diffs will not gain clearance except through larger tires. However, you need to get the frame and body higher to avoid things such as high centering.