I'm most definitely a newbie when it comes to lifting. However, after speaking to a few friends that have lifted their rigs, I'm learning. I do know that I want a 6" lift.

What is the difference between a body lift and a suspension lift?
What are the pros and cons of each?
Does either lift make the vehicle unsafe in any way?
Does either lift make any parts wear out sooner due to the lift?
I will be towing a trailer on occasion, will the lift affect the safety of this?

I have many, many more questions, but I'll stop for now.

Thanx.

 

A body lift just lifts the body off the frame 3 inches by the use of spacers. The advantage of a body lift is it's low cost.
A suspension lift, as the name implies, lift the truck by it's suspension. The advantage is you can acheive more lift.
Neither will cause parts to wear out quicker, but the larger wheels and tires you will want to run will increase wear and tear on suspension and steering components.
A 6 inch suspension lift should not affect your towing ability.
Do you have a 4x4 or 4x2? Either way, I recommend the Fabtech or RCD lift for your truck.

 

Wandell pretty much covered it, body lifts got a bad name due to people try'n to make them themselves, buying one and doing it yourself is something completly different. If you are going to be towing, you will need to change your gear ratio, even if you dont tow often or at all if you go with a tire around a 35' you should probally change to make up for lost power. And you may have to get a drop down hitch, i heard somewhere that you want to keep the center of the ball 18' above ground?? dont qoute me but you may want to look into that.

 

Hey guys, my question is whether lifting a truck 4" to 6" will change the geometry of the driveshaft/U-joint angle drastically enough to cause premature wear and tear.
thanks,
gradaddy

 

Usually the lift kit will take that into account and have a means to correct the driveline angles.

 

When I lifted my truck a couple years ago, the biggest suspension lift they had was 6" (now there's an 8-10" for 2WD's). I had that professionally done. They stacked another 1" on it so it's a 7" RCD lift. It wasn't high enough so I had a 3" body lift done professionally as well. I don't have any problems with either kit. To even out the rear, I changed out the rear blocks to 3" and added a 2" add-a-leaf so the truck sits even. I take the truck to the shop every now and then just to have them check everything. I do everything else on that truck myself, oil changes, paint, installs, but when it comes to suspension I leave that to the pros. I did have to add a steering stabilizer to the front and I added an anti-sway bar in the rear. I'm running a 12.5" wide tire which I don't think is wide enough. A wider tire would give me a more stable footprint on the ground.

 

Thanx for all the input/advice people...it is appreciated.

I've decided to go with a 6" suspension lift, but unfortunately that means I have to save up for a bit. I've checked all of my local shops that do lifts and the least I've found is just a hair over $2000.

Anyone know of any place that can do it for around $1000?

Within 500 miles of Bend, Oregon would be worth it for me to drive.

Thanx.

 

I don't know anyone anywhere that can or would do a suspension lift for $1000. It cost me $550 just for my body lift. When I had my RCD lift installed, I got that for $1400 OTD and that's because I know the owner of the shop and the truck that had originally bought the kit was rolled the day before. You don't just want anyone to install the lift. You're dealing with suspension and can't afford mistakes. Be careful....you get what you pay for. I've learned the hard way, it's always better to spend more up front because if you try to go the cheap route first off, you end up spending more in the long run.

 

blonde ambition is right, theres a shop by my house that does things for cheaper prices but ive heard horror stories from a guy (pinched brake lines, suspension not bolted in right, making dodge lifts fit fords, etc) and ill never get anything done there. save up the money and get it done right, itll save you money and headaches in the end.

 

Yeah, for 6" you definitely want a suspension lift. A body lift would look really funny considering the frame/driveshaft/diff would still be at original height. Start looking around at lifted trucks, you can definitely tell a difference between the two types. That's why you never want to body lift more than 3". Susp. lifts are more expensive b/c there is considerably more labor involved. But as everyone's said, get it done right. Otherwise you'll be left with a world of problems later. Good luck!

 

the old saying "you get what you paid for..." applies here, becareful and make sure the shop is reputable for sure

good luck and welcome to the club of lifted 4x2's *lol*