Drove the boss's truck Thursday

alsz71 · November 18, 2001

In a very unusal move the boss let me take his truck for a short drive(thankfully) its a '96-'97 Chevy ext cab Z71 with 35's (I think) and 6" of susp lift. The truck looks killer but....I now know I would never do this to my truck. Drove like a tractor you could actually count the lugs (on the tires ) as you drove it. Granted he does do some hunting and sledding but to me this seems like a huge compromise of comfort and enjoyable ride qualities just for a little extra g clearance. To each his own I guess.

Chev4Ever · November 19, 2001

Sounds like a nice truck.. But ya dont want to go too much.. I ve seen a few around my town that have lifted it with big tires just for the look..

Now granted its there money and there free to do what they want with it.. But why spend that kind of money if your not going to actually use the truck for what its now designed to do..

I guess you dont have any pics of it do ya ??

Kansas Kid · November 19, 2001

I've only ridden in one lifted truck before, and wasn't impressed at all. It was a 95 extended cab, so it still had the TBI 350. I think it had a 4" lift and 33" tires. ??? This truck was way underpowered, the engine had to wind up to over 3000rpm all the time just to accelerate decently. It needed to be regeared, badly. Now I don't got nothing against wanting more ground clearance (the 2500HD needs more, in a bad way), but I won't be lifting any of my trucks.

chevy4x4trucks · November 19, 2001

I'm still planning on lifting mine, I was thinking a 6" w/ 35's but decided now to go w/ just a 4" rancho and 33's, that way I can get by w/o regearing the rear end and not loose as much power. From what I've heard these kits are supposed to give you a good ride quality still. I think a lot of it depends on your tires, some just ride harder than others.

THE BIGPUNN · November 20, 2001

i was undecided between a body or suspension lift. i decided not to do a lift at all. alsz71 is right. the looks are good, but sometimes it can be too much. i drove my friends 92 chevy pu with a 6inch suspension lift and did'nt care for it at all. i too felt like i was driving some heavy farm equipment. i think i may get some 285's and different wheels only.

FULLSIZEchevy · November 20, 2001

The ride quality really depends on a lot of things. Granted it's not going to ride exactly the same as it did new or even the same as yours, but there are quite a few pieces that determine the ride quality. The type of lift he had, the type of shocks, abuse the lift has taken, and how the lift was installed and most importantly the type of tires it has will make a huge difference on how a truck rides. You said yourself , you could count the lugs as it rolled. This automatically tells me he had some type of mud tire on it. Mud tires were not designed for street comfort. There are tires out there that ride really bad and some that ride really good. I wouldn't sell yourself short by stereotyping all lifts because of one riding experience. I will tell you that after installing my Rancho lift, my truck rode better than it did when I got it. My new Rancho RS9000's and RANCHO RS5000 steering stabilizer played a big role in it as well. What kind of lift kit did he have? That will make a difference as well as the abuse it has taken. I would try riding or driving (if they let you) trucks with different setups so you can see the difference. Don't base your decision on one bad experience, your first one at that!

alsz71 · November 25, 2001

Fullsizechevy

I can't remember which lift he used but I do know he spent some serious money on it, it's not Ranchero it's.......dang ,wish I could remembe what brand he used. Your 1000% right on the tires though felt like a tractor. I have been thinking about a 3" body lift and larger tires but I'll probly wait till spring. Also I do a lot of hiway driving so I'm not sure I want to sacrifice mpg . I've been in several lifted trucks and was always impressed with the looks and usually with the performance, but there always seems to be a downside to it, I know Iknow theres a downside to not doing it too. But I think in this particular case his truck needs to have some serious frontend work done. When you take a truck for a drive and the owner tells you that it pulls a little, in this case alot, It makes you wonder what the deal is .

FULLSIZEchevy · November 25, 2001

Yeah, sounds like a really bad alignment problem. ProComps are notorious for alignment problems. Just look around and check what other people have and listen to their comments about their trucks before you make a decision.

alsz71 · November 26, 2001

Twice in one post!! You hit the nail on the head again that's the kit he used Procomp!!

Polaris Man · November 27, 2001

I have a 94 CHevy 2500 with a 2" body lift and 33x12.5x16.5 BFG Mud Kings, it rides just the same, maybe a little softer, i wish I would have got a 3" body lift, tires rub just a tad a full lock. Those tires and AR Baja rims make the truck look totally different, looks awesome, i did have 265/75/r16, they were noisy and rough. These new ones are a lot quieter and softer. I love them, they are great in Mud.