Actually, unless you get a bracket lift, all other suspension lifts do not allow for larger tires, well at least not off road. The reason is that they allow the suspension to compress just as far as it did stock. So, on the trail you will rub just the same when a tire is stuffed. A body lift clears tires, rock sliders, allows for drive train lifts, as well as makes room for maintenance and goodies like headers.

Some trucks "wear" a body lift better than others but the Toyota seems to wear it rather well.

Frank

 

 

 

The bad rap for body lifts comes from running one way too big (There's a reason there are very few 4+" body lifts on the market), or running them on a truck that it isn't safe to do so on. I've seen bodies torn off the frame of a truck in a flop or roll with a body lift, but they usually will have a rusted out body or damaged body mounts to begin with.

 

There is nothing wrong with them. It raises your center of gravity, making it easier to tip, without giving you any real performance. You can fit bigger tires, though. With too much bodylift it leaves your radiator exposed.

It comes down to what you are looking for. I plan on using 4crawler's 1'' body lift and his 1'' drivetrain lift(I'm using the auto, so I have to).

 

Can someone explain to me how having 3" bodylift makes a vehicle more top-heavy than a vehicle with a 3" suspension lift? Everyone keeps saying that, and I really would like someone to provide a good explanation as to how.

A "suspension" lift in theory raises the whole vehicle, engine, drivetrain, everything, sans axles. Therefore there is more weight riding at a higher plane.

A body lift only lifts the body. The essential "guts" of the vehicle stay where they are. Therefore, less weight at a higher plane. I'm no physics major, but it would seem to me that it is the suspension lift, not the body lift that put more weight higher up, thereby affecting in a greater way the vehicle's COG.

Someone correct me here if I am wrong.

 

That is correct, as I noted in my earlier post.

Only variable would be on the trail, a good suspension lift, that lets the suspension flex better, would allow for tires to stay on the ground and keep things more level. Combining a mild body and suspension lift will help with both aspects.

 

Right.

I was thinking along the lines of if you had both types of lifted vehicles sitting on a level plane, and then lifted one side of each vehicle equally, would the one with a BL go over first?

But again, I suppose it would depend heavily upon what type of suspension lift we were dealing with on the other vehicle.

 

Im sure the one with a SL would flop over first due to a higher center of gravity.

 

I'm not saying it raises yoru COG more than a suspension lift, it just does it without adding any real performance to the suspension.

 

Also depends on the type of suspension lift you are talking about. A simple spacer lift or a bracket lift kit also does nothing to add any real performance to the suspension, aside from lift. Only if you add a long travel kit or a more flexible spring type of lift will you gain any suspension performance.

I find the combination of a mild suspension lift, that flexes well and a body lift to make room for tires to stuff up into the wheel wells makes a good combination:



http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...tml#Aesthetics

If I had only a suspension lift for the same height, the springs would be much stiffer and would probably not flex as well. Would also have steeper drive shaft angles. And with the body lift, I was able to raise the drive train up between the frame rails. This gave me a much better break over angle and that makes a big difference off-road. Now sure, I could have done without the body lift and cut the fenders out for tire clearance, but I do drive my 4Runner on the road, to and from trails and kind of like the intact body. Hacking up the fenders on a 4Runner is not trivial with the double wall construction.

But yes, with a body lift only, you can only fit taller tires and really gain little performance aside from what the taller tires afford.

 

ok heres my question. what are some of the better body lift kits currently on the market

 

There is one situation where I can see people being confused about the CG of a BL vs SL'd truck: If the SL'd truck had stiff springs (like some leaf-lifts out there) it would probably have less body roll, therefore some could see it as more stable. In reality, it will reach it's tipping point first because of it's CG, and not give you as much warning. A factory susp. (or soft lift springs) would give you plenty of feedback in the form of body roll to tell you "Hey stupid, back off!" Just a thought...

Personally, I've got a 2" BL and love it.

 

www.4crawler.com

 

4Crawler

I've never heard anything bad about them at all.

-Chris