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We're not going out on a limb by saying that most off-roaders have lifted or want to lift their vehicles. The most popular modification by far is a better suspension system that clears the way for bigger tires and wheels. Lots of stock vehicles are pretty low straight from the factory, making them as fuel efficient as possible and easier to get into. While that is helpful on the pavement, it quickly becomes an issue once out on the trail. Damaging rockers, dragging frame, and getting hung up on the belly gets old fast. A higher altitude and bigger tires can make a big difference in the dirt. Even those who never touch the dirt want to throw a lift on their ride. While it might seem like a waste, we can't blame them. Almost any vehicle out there looks better with beefier tires on it and a bit of lift. Or in some cases, a lot of lift. A mall crawler's main focus might just be good looks, but this article applies to them as well. With the cost of a new suspension system, swankier wheels and gnarlier tires, it is easy to limit resources to these upgrades. After all, they will have the biggest impact on your wallet. But there is a lot more you need to pay attention to than just the big-ticket items when it comes to lifting your vehicle. There are a lot of smaller details that, if forgotten, can make your truck, Jeep, and SUV range from underperforming to downright dangerous. Some aren't included with a new suspension system, but they aren't optional. Let's take a look at the top ten most forgotten about items when properly lifting a vehicle.  Probably the most overlooked item when lifting a truck and putting on bigger tires is regearing it. If you are going up more than two inches in tire diameter, chances are good you are going to have swap out your stock ring and pinion gears for lower ones. Without them, your vehicle will feel sluggish and gas mileage will suffer. Improper gearing can also lead to early transmission failure as the transmission often shifts a lot more.  Driveshafts are often overlooked, but can be needed when lifting a vehicle. This generally comes into play with larger lifts bigger than six inches. However, some vehicles like Jeep the JK will need new driveshafts if lifted more than three inches. If new shafts are needed, take the opportunity to swap in some stronger units like these from Rubicon Express. Front driveshafts are often forgotten about, but need to be the correct length as well.  On modern vehicles, lots of sensors and systems depend on knowing the vehicle's correct speed. Without it, important bits like traction control, stability control. transmission shift points and others might not function properly. Most modern programmers can reprogrammers can recalibrate the speedometer for gear swaps and tire size changes. Hypertech also makes a standalone Speedometer Calibrator Module if you don't want a to spend the coin on a programmer.  It depends upon the vehicle, but often if you are going up more than a couple of inches, you need extended brake lines or possibly to reroute your existing lines. This is not optional or a place to cut some costs. Snapping a brake line while on the trail or the highway can lead to serious injury, for you and others. Make sure to check if you need them before discovering that you did the hard way.  Really big tires can completely overwhelm your factory power steering system. This can become even more of an issue at very slow trail speeds, where tires are harder to turn. PSC Motorsports makes this Big Bore steering box for the Jeep JK that uses a larger piston to help turn bigger tires. Its bigger sector shaft also holds up to abuse. Ram assists are also available to help turn really big tires. Expect to need a ram assist for any tire over 37-inches on a Jeep JK.  Putting larger tires on your vehicle adds rotating mass to your vehicle's braking system. Add to that a heavy load in the bed of a truck or on a trailer, and those same brakes can get worked hard and generate lots of heat. A good way to minimize heat is with vented and slotted rotors like these from Power Stop. You can team them with their brake pads for a combo that can handle extra weight and harder use.  On coil-sprung vehicles, like Jeep Wranglers, the right track bar drop bracket is vital. The track bar and the draglink need to be as close to the same angle as possible to minimize bump steer. Any respectable lift should come with a track bar drop bracket that is engineered to accomplish this. Remember that when comparing suspension systems some "extras" like this that should really be included are left out to reduce the cost of the kit. However, it is lot easier to buy everything designed to work together as a system than try to piece things together.  Steering is a crucial area when lifting a vehicle. If you're swapping on a set of coilovers or going up a couple of inches, usually there is nothing needed. But go up more and you may need a dropped Pitman arm. Do not cheap out here. Trying to make your steering work at poor angles will lead to poor steering characteristics and handling. The steering linkage can break or bind in some instances. Neither is a good thing.  Keeping your front and rear swaybars (if you have one) connected is important for proper handling on the highway. Some suspension kits will come with extended sway bar links, while on others they are an option. On Jeeps swaybar disconnects will yield a lot more flex off road.  If you're running reservoir shocks, you'll need a way to cleanly mount the reservoirs to the frame of your vehicle or to the shock body. Some reservoir shocks that are part of suspension system will come with mounts for the cans. Other times you'll have to spring for a mount. We scratch our heads whenever we see someone spend the extra money on reservoir shocks only to zip tie them to the frame. |
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