any more 4" lifts?

[Apache]

Option 3 sounds best, if only for the helo ride

The cheapo option (2" sus / 2" body) gives you clearance for 33s, and leaves you around £500 from your grand for underbody protection, so then you not only get cool looking 33s, and some more underside clearance, but well shaped underbody plates will mean you can use the truck as a sled!

Everybody wins!

I dont know if 2" sus gives you enough clearance for 33s, but Rod Leach has got the 2" + 2" (or 3" at a stretch) and has 35s. If you just want snow traction and a bit more clearance, but aren't expecting to need lots of articulation, the 33s might just fit. See if you can borrow some...

[RodLeach]

but Rod Leach has got the 2" + 2" (or 3" at a stretch) and has 35s.

My lift is made up of a 4" rear suspenion lift, 3" front an then a 1.5" body lift on top. If i lost the body lift i think 33's would probably sit under there ok once the mudflap had some trimming an the bumper corners notched a bit.

I can see points from both sides here.

One thing i cant help but think, Surf Guru TonyN fitted one to Lindas truck... If it wasn't worth it, would they have splashed out on it?!

I dont doubt that some decent underbody protection would be worth it!!! I'd seriously consider that irrelivant of how many inches of lift you get.

If you dont mind me asking, why are you so Anti body lift mate?!

Im sure there is a way of getting the lift an clearance you need for the tyres. Even if it boils down to a low profile transfercase crossmember etc.

check out www.summitracing.com an look for SkyJacker lifts for a 4runner.

Skyjacker are pretty much the no.1 in lift kits. an summitracing are cheap an fantastic an are helpful with sorting uk postage etc. Ask Bushwhacker!

I also know a member on elite4x4 who used them to order some 46x19.50 Baja claw tyres!!

an on the subject of trucks an snow.... http://www.4x4offroads.com/4x4-toyota-iceland.html

[Apache]

Thought you did LC springs at the back Rod? Did you put spacers in too? How did you get round the drivers side top radius arm hitting the fuel tank?

That (and the rear wheels being pulled forward!) seem to be the only stumbling blocks over raising the back a long way.

[TonyN]

I love lift argument threads.



You have 2 options, cheap or expensive. Both work, but you will quite literally get what you pay for.

If you want my personal opinion, get a 4" suspension lift. There are lots of plus points, that I won't go into now vs only one neg, the £'s, and should this be your main factor in building a truck? It should be the one point to avoid IMHO.

PS, LA'S sells 'Superlift' 4" lifts for surfs, not Procomp. I've fitted both, I like the Superlift kit better, it has nicer shocks, and fits better.

[RodLeach]

Thought you did LC springs at the back Rod? Did you put spacers in too? How did you get round the drivers side top radius arm hitting the fuel tank?

That (and the rear wheels being pulled forward!) seem to be the only stumbling blocks over raising the back a long way.

It was just the Roughtrax +2" springs + spacers mate.

The rear wheel has been pulled forward but it's not been a majour issue so far. As for the arm hitting the fuel tank... i dont think it was an issue for me!! The Guys who did it sorted out any problems that came up so if it was an issue... i didn't get told about it.

I love lift argument threads.



You have 2 options, cheap or expensive. Both work, but you will quite literally get what you pay for.

If you want my personal opinion, get a 4" suspension lift. There are lots of plus points, that I won't go into now vs only one neg, the £'s, and should this be your main factor in building a truck? It should be the one point to avoid IMHO.

PS, LA'S sells 'Superlift' 4" lifts for surfs, not Procomp. I've fitted both, I like the Superlift kit better, it has nicer shocks, and fits better.

ahh - That would be my fault going on about the Procomp kit!

I knew there would be a reason for you going for the proper lift over torsion bars an stuff!

[KERRSURF]

SO... how about this.
leave the suspension alone, put some proper 31's on, invest a lot of time and a bit of money on some mega, well designed underside protection, and, (remembering it'll see quite a lot of snow) use it as a ski?
and if i did decide to lift it only 2", (suspension, and no body lift), would that be enough clearance for 33's?
OR, spend no money on it, and if i got REALLY stuck, just abandon it and get airlifted out, and buy another one when i got back, with all the money i'd saved.
can't decide what to do now. maybe i shoulda bought a snowplough.

where are you going for all this snow.

Buy some snowchains.

[TonyN]

I knew there would be a reason for you going for the proper lift over torsion bars an stuff!

Abuse aside, if you really want me to tell you why. I tried to avoid this cos it sound like a personal slagging of how you (and others) have done your/there trucks, which its not, but the topic has been asked so I'm answering...

Plus points of a 'proper kit' suspention lift
1/Linda's truck is on its original CV gaiters,
2/Has only ever been aligned once after doing the lift (2 years ago) and the front tyres are wearing perfectly level
3/Still has full range of up and more importantly down front wishdown movement on uprated T/bars in stock position (note you have to shave the bump stops when jacking the torsion bars as the wishbone rests on them)
4/Rear coils fit perfectly and don't fall out when axle is flexed out or move around over the location cones
5/We only needed 1 1/2" body lift to get max clearance on full up suspension travel without losing steering lock on what are really big offset wheels (-52mm) and 33" tyres which give you fantastic axle/wheel width for stability (no we don't run any ARB's and it corners fine) and gives you great traction on the sides of the average wheel ruts (if it even fits, often one wheel stays out of the rut which is great for not dragging the diff) when offroad
6/The rear axle is in the right place, the radius arms are at the right angles, so it never tramps or hops under load, or hits the tanks when flexed out.
7/ +4" rear coils give lots more flex than smaller coils and spacers, and we can still fit spacers if we want to (Vatch has a set of 1" spacers for me as we speak)
8/Kinda related to point 5, but you are 4" up with no bodylift, so 6" is easily acheivable, or even 7" with a 3" bodylift.
9/We have a cool Superlift sticker on the tailgate

Plus points of the other (cheaper) way of doing it
1/Front crossmember is higher up
2/Price

Please, this isn't a slagging of your truck Rod. But after 4 pages of a little onesided advise, it needs saying, plus I was dragged into earlier in the thread by name

I have built plenty of trucks for people, using both methods, so think I AM intitled to offer a point of view.

[RodLeach]

Please, this isn't a slagging of your truck Rod. But after 4 pages of a little onesided advise, it needs saying, plus I was dragged into earlier in the thread by name

I have built plenty of trucks for people, using both methods, so think I AM intitled to offer a point of view.

I dont see it as a slagging match on my truck mate!! I completly agree with your points an would frankly be a fool not too!!

I'm happy with my truck but also happy to admit its flawed!!

I spent a long, long time crawling though advice an tips an facts when i was doing the build. Yotatech being a great place to truly find out whats what... slagging match every two minutes there, No one holds back on there opinion!!

Other then a handful of comments (probably by the same person who said about putting a spare on a roof which has helped me look a right t1t) 99.99% said that a legit 4" lift is much better then any other way.

Hell, on elite4x4 i even mentioned in a little guide thing that my way was a 'redneck' way!!

Got nothing but respect for your views an opinions tony!

[Linda]

9/We have a cool Superlift sticker on the tailgate

Well we did until it was cleaned... now we have a cool blank white sticker on the back

[BUSHWHACKER]

There's only one member in this thread that causes arguments, (eh Rod?) the others are just Scottish.

[RodLeach]

There's only one member in this thread that causes arguments, (eh Rod?) the others are just Scottish.

Know what you mean about them scotts mate!

[Apache]

plus I was dragged into earlier in the thread by name

For being richer than astronauts?

I'd LOVE the full monty lift, but I dont have that kind of money to spend on my truck. Cest la vie!

[Apache]

Well we did until it was cleaned... now we have a cool blank white sticker on the back

Ahem... there's always replacements - better than the original.

[yoshie]

apache, the cv boot thing was a joke?
i said at some point 2" suspension lift raises everything 2". yoshi said no it dont. picky. ya know what i was getting at. already said earlier it leaves diff behind etc.
again apache, diff dragging i'm not to bothered about. thats what a winch is for. brake lines and fuel tanks etc, i do worry about.
and as for cost, i'm selling my mr2 i never use anymore, thats whats paying for it, so i wont notice a hole in my pocket.
you gota know i'm not a mega off roader, and never will be. i'm a mountaineer, and ice climber before anything else, and the surf was picked for a few reasons.
to get me and three or four buds to places where we climb, in relative comfort, and be large enough to carry a stupid amount of camping/climbing gear. also large enough (just) to sleep in, rather uncomfortably, in an emergency.the higher suspension lift is to clear whatever on trails into the mountains, and particularly deep snow. the more it drags its belly in the snow, the more likely it is to stop, yes? i was prepared to spend good money on decent kit, cos in some of the places we end up, a failure could be a lot more serious than needing to be towed home from the shops.

If it's only one or two of you, unbolt the rear seat bases before you go 4 bolts.
You will then be able to fold the seat backs down and strech out in the back, even if you are 6' 5"

[blakarm]

Thanks for the tip yosh, but there could be four or five of us in there, we share the juice costs, (only way we can afford to get a surf to the french alps) so somebodys still gona have to sit!
and thanks tony, had started to doubt my original plan, but made my mind up now. (not diss'in anybody elses kit, of course. horses for courses an all that)
rod, i'm not anti body lift, its just as i said earlier, i'd heard of possible niggly problems, which, some people pointed out, can sometimes be the case.
i'm a busy chap, and use my surf often, so dealing with that lot on top of the suspension lift could all get a bit much. something i could look at in the future though maybe.
and thanks for the pointers. just when i decide on 4" lift and 33's, rodi sez "look at toyota-iceland", and starts me thinking stupid thoughts.
i notice they have very large tyres, but not much in the way of travel (judging by the clearance to the arches) which is probably more the way i need to go. any ideas anybody?