Cant decide on lift???

[JakesK5]

So I have the K5 and cant decide on the lift to fit my tires. I cant decide on a 4" or 6" front springs. I have 40" tires. I already have a shackle flip. I want to run zero rates front and back to help keep the fender wells so my engine bay doesn't fill up with mud. So it will end up being 5" or 7" of lift. I am also wondering about drive shaft lengths with the zero rates. Any comments, pics, tips and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Deuling]

I'd go higher to fit 40s... But I think packing 40s in and massive fender trimming looks stupid so I may be biased.

 

[nvrenuf]

Rene had a K5 with ~5" lift, 39's and trimmed fenders that looked really nice. I've got around 7"~8" with 43's and trimmed fenders (all the way around), I think 40's would look small on it.

 

[sweetk30]

did 40's on a m1009 k5 blazer with 1tons 4" hd springs and zero rate centered had to clearence the fenders on the front at firewall.

so if you did 4" and axle forward 1.5" and light trimming you be good . on short wheel base lower lift better for drive line angles.

also zero rate and axle moved forward in front basicly means crossover steering for best / easy steering mods.

and i could get pics if needed of the blazer now as it sits on 40" tires. buddy has it and its at his farm .

what i can provide now in pics before engine/tranny/tcase in and fenders cut . http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260658

 

[454Sub]

Im also bias, I dont like the look of huge tires, no lift and hacked fenders. To me it looks hoosier. But I do understand the center of gravity needs of people that go that route, for what I do, I need large amounts of clearance so I run a 8in lift, with a 3in body lift with my 40s. Still had to hack the wheel wells out as I find them useless, and hack the fenders, but it looks decent.

There is a perfect post for you in the Garage. Its called How will my truck look with X lift look. Check it out, tons of pics of various lift sizes and tires. You could get a idea of what you want and need in there.

 

[JakesK5]

I already played with the big lift (12") in a K5 and it was nothing good came of it! I am trying to fit the tires I have with the least issues (driveline & steering). I already checked out that thread, a lot of cool trucks and that's why I am stuck between the 5" & 7" lift.

 

[454Sub]

I would go 7in then. But, with my 8in I used my factory push pull steering for years and it was exceptable. All I had to do was extend the driveshafts a bit, and I ground the CV stops out so it could get more angle. Worked perfect and wasnt to expensive all said and done. I have since went with crossover, and that is worth every penny.

 

[ryoken]

you can EASILY clear 40's with 6"s, zero rates moving the axles, a 1" BL and minor trimming... and that's a decent proportion, tire size to height...

 

[454Sub]

Width and wheel offset play into that. As an experiment I put my 39.5/18.5/16.5 Bogger on a truck that normally runs a 38.5/15/16.5 Swamper. Its a 79 pickup with no trimming and a 6in lift with a 2in body lift. Mine is quite a bit taller obviously, and my tires would have ripped the fenders off that thing if he would have turned or hit a bump wrong. Trimmed with the axle moved a bit it would have probably worked pretty well. Im just a fan of the taller more wheelwell look myself. Looks more "done" or something.

 

[blazinzuk]

If you like a bigger lift than go with the 6" sounds like you don't like the cut fender look. So 6" with zero rates around 7" you will probably need a bit more lift for the rear to get it even. Just depends, I like the back an inch or so higher than the front. Some like it level, some like it nose low.

6" may cause a bit more cost as far as steering driveshafts and brakelines go. But its not that big of a lift. Some trucks seem to need all that stuff with a 4" too.

Better to plan for the worst and hope for the best

 

[JakesK5]

My tires are 40x16x15 LTBs they are on 15x10 wheels with 3.5 bs. I am not against cutting, I just want to keep the wheel wells so the engine bay doesn't pack with mud so fast. The shackle flip I have has the 6" shackles. I have the steering components already the 3" block, drop link, and the lift arm. I just need to figure out how high I actually want to go.