Wasting my time.. Input needed on beefing up my ifs and part selection

[Russell]

Does anyone have any experience with the Icon kits? I am really tossed up between the Icon kit and the Cognito kit...

I really like that the Cognito kit runs a fabricated knuckle with a much thicker looking upper A-arm span that is offset a bunch more than the Icon stuff appears to be (fit wheels with more backspacing, I don't like tires hanging out of the fender wells). The other major bonus to the Cognito kit is in that steering brace to clear out the slop that can appear when you lift these trucks.

The Icon kit comes with a much better skid plate assembly (The Cognito uses the stock plastic upper skid) and a solid front drop crossmember vs the tubular stuff that the Cognito kit runs.

I wonder if a guy can mix and match the Cognito knuckles and steering braces with the Icon skids and brackets?

I plan to run 37x12.5x17s and will be re-gearing to 4.10 to keep my gearing close to stock. The truck is going to be getting a buckstop outback front bumper and a buckstop rear bumper, M12000 winch and a chase truck rack in the back (whoops! said too much )

 

[sweetk30]

as a auto tech that installes a lot of lift kits .

37" on the ifs gm trucks these days needs more than 6" of lift or MAJOR rework of wheel openings and clearing all the bumpers and other parts.

so read up a lot to make sure you get the parts YOU NEED to make it as easy as possible.

i just did a toyota tundra 2013 with 5" lift and was told 35" would fit fine. and all the other kits in 4" range say 35" fine no problems.

well i had to modify the front bumper tabs were the fog lights bolt on and rework the inner bumper /fog light covers so thay will not rubb the tires on turning . had around 1.5 hr's to do it nice and neet.

and lots og gm stuff i have had to defang the lower valence and some of the bumper on the fronts . then zip tye the inner fender back to the firewall and also realy shorten up the front half of the inner fender also up at the bumper. all this for 6" lift and 35" tires.

 

[Russell]

as a auto tech that installes a lot of lift kits .

37" on the ifs gm trucks these days needs more than 6" of lift . or MAJOR rework of wheel openings and clearing all the bumpers and other parts.

so read up a lot to make sure you get the parts YOU NEED to make it as easy as possible.

Front bumper will be coming off and an aftermarket one going on so the front should be alright. For the back I know I am going to need to do the fender mod, and yup, I'll be either getting the 5 - 8" Icon kit or the 7 - 9" Cognito kit for my truck and running around 7.5" of lift. The fender openings are not far off from what my 95 runs, and it clears the 37s on a 7" lift.

Do have any experience with the Icon and the Cognito kits? Which would you recommend?