OK..Im not trying to dis whoever has a body lift, but....I have always thought they were kind of cheesy and not all that functional. I can understand maybe doing a 1 inch BL if you really needed it, but 3 or 4"??? And, you hardly gain any ground clearance with them except for the 1 or 2 inches that your bigger tires provide, but you get no more functional wheel travel or anything. I dunno...thats just my opinion...I think if youre gonna lift, save up and lift it right....opinions??? (and again, Im not trying to bash anyone, just want to here your side of the story)

 

We have a 3 inch body lift on my wifes 87 runner.She wanted the lift because she likes the look and she wanted bigger tires.She doesn't go off road but if we do I drive and it's nothing that we need a suspension lift for.It was either 800 bucks for a lift that she would never use or 90 bucks for the body lift.If we keep it I want to add a 5 inch superlift but she doesn't want it that big.

 

body lifts are fine when used properly and if they're built properly. nothing wrong with using them. anything over 4" is pushing it, 3" would be about as high as I would go. Roger Brown makes outstanding bl's, and tons of people stand behind them.

 

I'm fine with a 1 or 2 inch BL. 3" is pushing it, and anything over that is purely poser territory.

 

I am running a 2" 4Crawler body lift and I love it. I think it coupled with my 2" rancho add-a-leaf make my rig just as capable as the one's with the 4" "suspension" lifts. Bunch of brackets do not get you any more travel

 

I like having the clearance between the body and the frame for cleaning too.

 

Body lifts and suspension lifts are two very different ways of getting more lift, but both have advantages. The body lift gives you a little bit of lift - enough to fit larger tires - without the disadvantage of raising the center of gravity as much as a suspension lift would, and it doesn't change the suspension geometry so you still have the same amount of down travel, etc. and don't risk damaging your CVs or any steering/suspension component.

 

1"-3" is fine...as long as its a Roger Brown!

Fink

 

thanks for posting your opinions guys. Im gonna have to agree with randomness on this though and say that much more that 2'' is too much.

i say this mainly pertaining to trail rigs, but I do understand where JEDI is coming from...

 

yeah, uhm, i think everyone was agreeing on that - that much more than 2" is too much. that's why Roger at 4Crawler only does them up to 3" in height.

 

i was just saying.....

 

and you were right!

 

3" Body lift here.

Advantages.

33 x 12.5 R15 Tires NO RUB
Easier to get to the Starter, Oil Filter, Gas Filter
No Added stress on my CV's
Steering and suspension still all the same
Easier to wash the mud out from under the truck
Center of gravity the same
Handeling on the road the same
Cost was under $200 Cdn

Disadvantages.

I can't think of any

Oh and I wheel the piss outta this rig too.

 

I used to think that a body lift was the "poor mans lift" for a rig (still is actually). I run a 3.5" coilover suspension lift on my' 98. It certainly wasn't a "poor mans lift" at almost $1800. However, when I went to put bigger tires on it (285/75/16), the new tires rubbed. My only options were to run smaller tires again (not an option IMHO) or to get a body lift. After doing alot of research on them, I decided on the 2" lift for tire clearance & extra lift height. The ride is basically the same... slightly bumpier due to being higher and the tires fit perfectly fine.

 

the center of gravity does change a little, regardless of whether or not its a body lift. any kind of lift on a vehicle changes the center of gravity. You are moving weight up 3" plus any inches you gain from bigger tires. So you cant say the center of gravity doesnt change. BUT....with a body lift, you may move the CG up less, because (lets say you gain 4" bc of a 3 " body lift and 33" tires) the engine, frame, drivetrain, etc, is still only 1 " higher than before, only because the tires lifted them up a little. The body is moved up 3" though, and the body does weigh a pretty penny Im sure, so your CG does change. However, with a 3" suspension lift and 33" tires, the engine, drivetrain, etc, etc, will move up all 4", so the CG will probably be higher.

 

I'm running 2" BL and have beaten it pretty well on and off road and can't say anything negative about it...I kept all my rubber bushings etc so the ride IMO is the same as before and there is no way I could clear 34s with just 2" of suspension lift (without alot of trimming) It's nice to have the added space when working on your truck underneath or putting on sliders or running real long travel shocks in the rear and not beeding a severe angle to fit em

 

I address some of these issues on my web page:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...tKit.shtml#FAQ
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...tml#Aesthetics

I like them as part of an overall lift package. Rather than throwing all the lift into one component, if you spread it out over a few places, you can get a better working package for less money and effort. For example on an IFS truck, a 1" body lift plus a 1.5-2" suspension lift w/ ball joint spacers and longer rear shackles/coil spacers or new springs will net you a better working suspension and still allowing a 33" tire to fit. If you go with the 4" IFS lift kit that comes with drop brackets for the front end, you again are not gaining any ground clearance since all the front end is lowered the same amount as the lift and the suspension travel is still limited to the stock amount or maybe even less if stiffer rear springs or torsion bars are used. Same on the 3rd gens and Tacomas, you can go up to about 2"-3" pretty easily, but if you need a bit more lift to clear the tires, a mild body lift is a big help. And realize that while a suspension lift can help to clear a larger tire at rest, when you compress that larger tire back up into the wheel well on the trail, you may need more room for that tire to fit, since w/o a body lift, the wheel well is the same place it was when stock:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...tKit.shtml#FAQ

A body lift gives you the option of mounting things like bumpers and sliders higher up and this equals more ground clearance (higher bumpers = great approach and departure angles). And if you want to really get into it, you can raise the engine, transmission, t-case and gas tank up inside the frame rails to give loads more ground clearance in the form of increased breakover angle:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...ft/index.shtml

Bottom line is there is more to "ground clearance" than clearance under the axles. The only way to get more under-axle clearance is taller tires (or shaving the axle housing - http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...tml#Clearanced or running portal axles or something). If you fit the taller tire w/ a suspension or body (or combination of the two) it really does not matter, the distance under the axle gets bigger. But on the trail, there is also approach, departure and breakover angles that probably make more difference. I've run 33s on my 4Runner since it was first built, my first time through the Rubicon, I got hung up on stuff like the t-case crossmember so many times, like this time:



Now with about the same suspension lift and a 3" body+drivetrain lift, I can just cruise right over ledges like that and not even know they are there:



And yes, poorly done body lifts can be bad, poorly done suspension lifts can also be bad. Do them right and there is nothing wrong with either.