What's up guys. Need some advice. With 05 2wd what are the pros and cons of each lift. I only want to go 3 to 4 inches max and want to keep factory ride and mileage. Just doing it for looks, no towing or off roading. All ready running a level kit.

 

Just for looks, I'd do a BL... plus it will keep your suspension stock so ride quality is same, and handling is basically the same

 

If you go with a BL make sure you have sidestep and gap guard.

 

The only con to either is that body lifts are a pain to install on the 04-08 trucks. If you have to pay someone to do the installation, you will have about the same amount of money tired up in a stage 1 Pro Comp 6 inch lift.

 

i agree with wandell

 

i agree x2

 

I'd still choose a suspension lift over a body lift, even if it costs more.

 

im doing a body lift in a couple days ill come back with the amount of hours i have a 04 FX4 leveled right now with 35's the only reason im putting in the body lift is its easier to clean the truck after mudding and hunting

 

Another vote for suspension lift. I just dont like BLs. Too many caveats. That gaps, the fact that if it is installed incorrectly, you can get slight body tilt. On my last truck I started out with 6" SL and 3" BL, finally bit the bullet and did a SA conversion. This was a GMC, so I wont talk too much about it.

 

Yeah, I think I would prefer to do a suspension. My guy says it would be $2200 for a 6" lift installed. When I asked about a 4", he said it would cost almost as much as a 6" with tires a wheels???? Anybody know why?

 

not sure why, but
the 4'' rancho w/o shocks is probably around the same price as the fabtech lift.

go for the 6

 

Rancho doesn't make a 4 inch lift for your truck. YOu can do a lot better than $2200. I've read post by members here that found 6 inch stage 1 Pro Comp lifts for around $1200 and average installation cost seems to be around $500.

 

yeah, if you're doing suspension, go for the 6"... rancho 4" is expensive

 

so with the pro comp stage 1 is there anything else that needs to be purchased to make everything work properly or do you just need an alignment?

 

benefits of a full suspension lift:

truer ground clearance, as the whole frame, and vulnerable critical components are picked up: engine, transmission/transfer case, gas tank, etc.

increased suspension travel (flex)

increased track width: pushes tires out use farther to accommodate wider tires, and to look cooler.

retention of stock suspension geometry/angles. leveling kits ALL put more strain on ball joints, and CV axles. I personally have suffered torn cv boots on both axles because of bad angles caused by leveling.

a suspension lift is much better looking than a body lift, and performs much better offroad.

benefits of a body lift:

cost, particularly if you do the install.

retains factory suspension (good for those who don't want to void the factory warranty as it affects the suspension components)

body lifts can provide 3'' of clearance, and look good if gap guards are used. i personally do not recommend cutting up a hitch, as it will certainly weaken it.

amidst all this, keep in mind that true ground clearance is only achieved by lifting your axles off the ground. this is only accomplished by bolting on oversize tires. think about it, if you take your tires off, where will the axles rest?