Smallest Suspension Lift

[Yohinan]

Vehicle: 95 Chev Burn 4x4 1500 Can anyone tell me what the smallest suspension lift is that someone makes for this vehicle? I have found 4" but I am looking for something closer to the 2"-3" range, preferable 2". I am not looking for a body lift which is why my title reads as it does. And I also dont want to crank the torsion bars. Please tell me someone makes something like this. If not does anyone have any ideas as to a way to fabricate your own 2" suspension lift for a half way decent price? Thanks again for all the help. John

Ok for some reason now I found a bunch. The following companies make what I am looking for; Superlift, Rough Country, Skyjacker, and Rancho. I have pics of the Rough Country and Skyjacker kits and I belive the Rough Country looks better. I cant find any pics of the Superlift or Rancho systems. Mostly I am comparing how the Upper A-Arms look. Any input from anyone on these systems? Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of how the Superlift and Rancho arms look so I can compare? Thanks again. John

 

[sled_dog]

All those companies make 2-3" lifts. Problem is this, it doesn't drop the center section. So you get added wear on the CV shafts, and it only replaces one control arm. I can't remember if its the upper or lower one. I think the lower but I can't remember. Either way it doesn't ride that wonderful and adds stress to a bunch of parts. I wouldn't entertain the idea of one myself. You can fit 33s with them but I'd go with a 4"(yes its like 3 times the price but such a better kit).

 

[Yohinan]

When you say doesnt drop the center section what exactly are you referring to which will put addes wear on the CV shafts? Your right they only replace the upper A-Arms and not the lowers but for me the lowers are not what present the problems. It's the uppers that present clearance problems on the smaller lifts not the lowers. The main reason I dont want the bigger kits is specifically I dont want to spend around a grand or more for a kit. I am leaning toward the rough country kit now which contains the following; upper control arms (A-Arms), differential drop bracket, new torsion bars, front brake lines, and all the associated hardward. Dont need the shocks as I already have Bilstein 5150's. Please let me know what specifically you were referring to about your center section comment. Thanks again. John

 

[daleearnhardt01]

On the IFS trucks the front differential is mounted to the frame more or less via some brackets and stuff. So basically the portion with the gears is solidly mounted and doesnt move. The CV axles connect the diff to the wheel hub. When you lift the truck but dont drop the front diff you make the operating angles on the CVs more severe which isnt good because they will break more easily. Understand?

Honestly if you want to fit 33's you can do that by cranking the torsion bars up (which you will loose suspension travel) or you could change the actual torsion bar keys to get more lift than just cranking can give you. I have 285/75/16s on my stock truck and the bars didnt need to be cranked at all but I cranked them just enough to level the front end up...

Tire size all depends on what size and offset wheel you run..

 

[thezentree]

Honestly if you want to fit 33's you can do that by cranking the torsion bars up (which you will loose suspension travel) or you could change the actual torsion bar keys to get more lift than just cranking can give you. I have 285/75/16s on my stock truck and the bars didnt need to be cranked at all but I cranked them just enough to level the front end up...

Tire size all depends on what size and offset wheel you run..

x2.

I run 285 BFG A/Ts on my Yukon without any rubbage, and I think that with a little less backspacing, 33x10.50s, or even 12.50s wouldn't be much of a stretch.

If you're dead set on a lift, drop the extra cheddar on a good 4" kit. I've driven trucks with cheap lifts, and the extra $300 makes all the difference in the world.

 

[Yohinan]

Ok maybe their is some confusion. The 2-3" kits I posted about, all 4 of those companies supply differential drop brackets which get rid of the cv shaft problem. Or am I still missing something. Also I can get the Rough Country system for roughly 300 dollars because I dont need the shocks or the rear leaf springs that come with the kit. That means I would need to spend an additional 700 dollars at least for one of the other 4-6" kits out there. I already am running 33's and get some rubbing only when in a turn and hit a bump or dip in the road. That is what I want to get rid of for good. So no offroading until I get this problem fixed. So do you still say I should steer away from the lesser kits even though they do have the differential drop brakets or are the ok now since they do come with them? Sorry for all the questions guys. As always Thanks again for all the help. John

 

[thezentree]

I guess you can't beat $300, but after installing a Rough Country kit and driving the truck afterwards (it was a f**d, but still), I am less than impressed. The kit quality was lacking, and the truck drove like a boat afterwards. It was difficult to keep it aligned and it always had camber problems. Actually, it eventually tore the crossmember under the engine where the TTB mounts to. After looking at it, it would have been easy to add a gusset and another mounting point in there. The fact that RC skimped on that made me steer clear of that company. I wouldn't use their kits, especially if it's a DD.

Personally, I would go with a 4-6" kit and run it with the torsion bars cranked down so it sits at about 4". That way, you're don't have to crank the t-bars to the full extent of the kit (even with the diff drop kit) to clear the 33s. And on top of that, you've still got another 2" you can get out of it if you decide to go bigger. Not to mention 6" sounds way cooler than 2".

Anyway, that's my two cents, coming from a kid with stock Yukon, so take it for what it's worth.