Superlift 4" kit ???

[taxx]

OK. I have been beating around the idea of a solid axel conversion for quite a while now. However it can get real expensive real fast and I don't want to lose the quality of my daily driver. Maybe in a year or two I will buy an older model that has been wrecked and do it to that one so I won't care about body damage and ride quality. But until I have a full time wheelin vehicle I care about those things.

So, I have been considering the Superlift 4" kit. I only need/want a couple more inches than I have now so this would be the optimum kit. As of now I am not happy with the firmness and overall quality of my ride. The shackles cause the rear leafs to be flat, which means that they don't help much on bumps and the tightened torsion bars with increased CV angles up front have stiffened the ride up and caused some excessive wear. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining it was a good cheap lift, but now I want more lift and a better ride.

Will I get a good factory like (preferably a little stiffer and better) ride with this kit?

What would be better in the rear? Spring over on the factory springs/shackles or the superlift springs under the axel?

What will the street ride be like?
What will the off road performance be like? Better than I have now I assume?

 

[Ray Lobato]

Dave,
If you really want a better off road vehicle, spend the money on an AtlasII Transfercase and a rear locker. Get rid of the shackles and buy some OME 2" lifted springs and the OME Nitro charger shocks. You should have kept the 1" on the body lift. It doesn't change the CG as much as a suspension lift. Then spend some money at a good body shop and have them cut the fenders and extend the wheel wells so you can 275/75 R16's. With this setup there won't be too many places you can't go.
Just me .02

 

[taxx]

I am already running 285/75 R16 tires. I am happy with those. I have thought about the OME springs and have heard good things about them. The atlas II will come eventually (probably when I grenade this one) and a rear locker is in the works this year, probably the powertracks. I think what I am mainly concerned with is clearance and approache angles. I have gotten the best approach and deparcher angels I can get with my setup and I still want more. I want the front to sit up a little higher for better approach angles. I also have found I would like 1 - 2 inches more ground clearence. I spend a lot of time banging stuff up on rocks and mounds and would like to bang stuff up on bigger rocks and mounds.

As for CG I know that will change and I am prepared for that. I have already changed my street driving style. The main reason I cut the BL blocks down is because I couldn't fit any larger tire with just 1" more and the frame still would have been my limiting factor in approach and departure angles.

I am not discounting your advice just giving a little more defintion to what I am looking for. If I am thinking about this stuff wrong call em out on it.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Dave,
I understand what you are saying, but in order to get more clearance, you then have to go with bigger tires and you are saying that you are happy with 285/75 R16 tires. I also understand about your approch and departure angles. The only way to get that is to get rid of the stock bumpers and make something like Rick has for bumpers.

I spend a lot of time banging stuff up on rocks and mounds and would like to bang stuff up on bigger rocks and mounds.

I totally understand that, but if you can go over things alot slower, then you don't bang so hard on your truck and scraping over something is alot better than banging and scraping. This is what the AtlasII is for. It is so great for rock crawling, even though I don't have a 200:1 crawl ratio yet. I can go over things and NOT hurt anything because I can go slower over it than the big dawgs can. That is to say those who don't have a AtlasII. Even with 410's and 33's my crawl ratio is better than those who have 4.56's,35's and the stock T-case. Now if I can get a Klune V attached, then I could obtain a crawl ratio in the hundreds.
The only thing I don't like about the lifts that are available for us right now is that the torsion bars have to be lowered also, and that causes problems on hills or obsticles that have a steep decline on the other side. You will get hung up on the torsion bars, because they are stucking out right in back of the front wheels. If you were waiting for the RCD coilover lift which gets rid of those damn things, I would say go for it. If you want to do some serious crawling and don't want to go Straight axle, the coilover is the only other way to go. I have gone through all the short commings that I have experienced with my lift, and can say that if I were to do it all over again I wouldn't have done it like I did. I hope to soon get rid of the Trailmaster kit and go coilovers, and if I can modify a IFS 8.8 to fit in the front. then I would be in heaven.

Spend the money on the AtlasII and the locker Now and see what you can do with those, without a suspension lift . It just might change your mind.

 

[taxx]

Ray,
I understand what you are saying. When I say bounce that is more becuase of skid plates and such underneath getting hung up on rocks than it is by going fast. (although sometimes it is from the speed). For more clearance I understand the need for larger tires at the axels but I am happy with that clearance, I am more trying to get the other stuff up off the ground that I drag and bend. The torsion bar adjusters where one thing that did bother me having to drop them but then that is one thing (well two) compaired to a half dozen of thins that get caught up. The torsion bars getting caught up will not change from what they do already. As for the bumpers I have already lost the airdam and the bottom of the bumper is higher than the bottom of the frame rail so I am set there. You have to git rid of your hole kit for coil over? It seems to me you could just drop the torsion bars and mod a coil-over to it?

Anyway you have given me a good deal to think about and I appriciate it!

All in all though are you happy with your lift and how it handles over what it was when it was stock?

 

[Ray Lobato]

Well, I just really don't like that damn steering slide on the Trailmaster kit. It is a POS. The superlift kit has the New steering knuckles, which is a plus. The Trailmaster shocks are good and the skyjacker springs are also good, but I had a better ride with the OME shocks and springs. Add some armor to the bottom of your rig and you'll be set.
I might have been happier if I had the superlift kit and didn't have to put up with that damn steering slide, which is the biggest problem I have with the kit, but now knowing that RCD is going to be coming up with the Coilover I realize that this kit is worth waiting for if you really want to do serious wheeling, in a late model.
The AtlasII and the lockers are something that everyone should have. It makes wheeling alot nicer and less strainful. Too bad you're not going to Moab, I would let you drive my truck so you could see for yourself, how much differance a locker and the Atlas makes. In my opinion I would get them over a suspension kit.

 

[taxx]

Ray,
I will have to look into that coil over kit for the heck of it. Yeah it sounds like the super lift kit is the right setup, but I still agree about the darn torison mounts. I know lift isn't everything but too a point it does make a huge difference.

Yeah it is too bad I am not going to Moab! Just couldn't work it in this year since I already had other plans. But I am going to make it next year or maybe sooner if there is another trip.

Lots of things to think about! So many choices so little money(well at least not enogh, it never is is it?)

 

[taxx]

Well I finaly ready through the entire RCD discusion. Sounds like an awesome kit but $2200 is a bit pricy. It seems to me if you already had one of the other kits installed you could modify it for a considerble amount cheaper to be c/o. With the superlift kit I wonder if you have to replace the front driveshaft? I don't know where I stand now. The locker will be real soon (next mod).

So many decisions...

OME springs and stiffer T-Bars - better ride than I have now
RCD coil over - great ride, but pricy don't want to go 5.5"
Superlift - great ride, front and rear included and the right height.
Or this weldtec deal for 3" and no torsion bar relocation - how can that work?

 

[97XEB]

Taxxman2k,

I recently went through the same tough choice and ultimately bought the Superlift kit.

Ray offers some excellent insight as to the sortcomings of the Superlift kit - the torsion bar drop down brackets- and he makes a great case for the RCD kit.

But not being too mechanically inclined, a big selling point for me was that the Superlift kit is one complete front and rear kit made specifically for our trucks. Its not matter of buying something only for the front-end and then having to buy a second kit or fab something to lift the rear. (Although I have read that the SOA kit is cheap and relatively easy to install.)

The Superlift kit is cheaper than the RCD kit, its available now and since the RCD kit isn't in production yet, there are many unknowns... that could easily change the cost, etc.

Additionally, my '97 is a daily driver and unfortunately at this point, the reality is that I don't go off-roading nearly as much as I would like. The Superlift kit will let me run the 285/75R16s I really want, and with a skid plate like Ray has covering his torsion bars, that setup is going to more than meet my off-roading needs for now.

To answer your driveshaft question, yes you will eventually need a new front driveshaft if you go with the Superlift kit. I was told I will need one after ~20K miles and it runs ~300 - 400.

(PS: Really liked your idea of converting the Superlift kit to a coil-over after its installed. Dunno how difficult it would be, but it might be worth a call to Superlift or a talk with the shop doing my install.)

It is a really tough call though. Ray, GJarret and everyone else really do provide excellent knowledge / advice here. (Now Ray's got me thinkin I need a rear locker - I definitely don't even need one of those at all right now... this site / sport is addictive...)

If you want to wait a couple of weeks, I'll let you how the Superlift install goes and how much I like it, etc.

Good Luck,
Jim

 

[taxx]

Thanks Jim. I have been going back and forth I talked to a couple other people today about pros and cons. For what I want to do the superlift kit is really the way to go. i am not rock crawling and I don't hit trails that require body damage. So I think I can handle the torsion bar mounts dropping down for now. When I decide I like body damage, I'll buy an old beater! Where did you get your kit from? I am thinking of just buying the front portion and doing a spring over in the rear if my springs aren't ruined from running flat with the shackles. I just don't like how it rides now. With the TT up front I have worn a lot of parts out real fast and it is sloppy now.

I sucked it up and ordered the powertrax I will have it in by the time I go out wheelin this weekend and I will let you know how much different it is, since I am sceptical myself.

i am decided 99% that the superlift kit will come by the middle of summer!

 

[97XEB]

Taxxman2k,

Glad the information helped. I bought my kit from 4Wheelparts. Instead of ordering from the webiste I called and spoke to a dude named Brandon at x5123 who was very helpful and significantly beat the web adverstised prices.

Congrats on the the Powertrax - definitely lemme know how it works, both off-road and on.

Good luck

 

[Ray Lobato]

Jim,
That's the point. You really need a rear locker and a AtlasII transfercase more than you need a suspension kit. With the locker and T-case and some armor, there aren't too many places you can't go. Yes 33'-35's give you more ground clearance, but lower gearing and having both rear wheels drive will get you over more things than bigger tires will. Gerald and I ran a 3.5 rated trail in Moab (Steel Bender) and I was running opens diffs front and back, OME shocks and springs and that's it. I did the whole trail and only got strapped over one obsticle, because of my open diffs. Had I had a locker I believe I could have made it over that one obsticle. I have gone places that I couldn't go before, that I know didn't have to do with ground clearance. What was the differance? the rear locker and the AtlasII.
I know they are expensive, but it's money that is better spent than getting a lift. It's nice to have a truck that's lifted and looks good, but it is better to have a truck that can kick a$$ on the trail. Don't get me wrong, yes you need a good lift to get those bigger tires, I just think that there are other things that you can and should do first. Putting the money into an AtlasII and a rear locker can give you the ability to do harder trails, where as a lift and bigger tires wouldn't necessarily give you the same thing.

 

[taxx]

Ray you must have stock in the Atlas II! Just kidding I see what you are saying and I agree. I will let you know how well I like the locker next week! But I still think I want to get a little more lift for my angles and for a better ride and factory geometry.

Jim,
Did you get in on the free shipping for your lift or did you have to pay, if so what should I be expecting if I go that route?

Thanks guys. Ray thanks for all of your very valuable input! (and maybe for talking me into finaly doing the locker, I will thank you later if it works out
)

 

[Ray Lobato]

Originally posted by taxxman2k
.

I sucked it up and ordered the powertrax I will have it in by the time I go out wheelin this weekend and I will let you know how much different it is, since I am sceptical myself.

i am decided 99% that the superlift kit will come by the middle of summer!

Dave I guarantee you will see a differance with a locker in the back. Congratulations
Now if we could only get something for the front.

The Superlift is a much better kit than Trailmasters kit, and if you go spring over then you won't have to change shocks in the back, because you can move the shock mounts over the axle also. Don't forget to take lots of pictures. I love seeing another 95+ locked and lifted.

 

[taxx]

Well i called and for the two boxes that make up the front kit I was quoted $1280. I think that is a bit steep. I am going to try to get through to your budy Brandon and see what he will do for me on the front part or the whole kit.

 

[97XEB]

yeah, it not a cheap kit.

I didn't got with the free shipping because the price I got over the phone was still lower than the website price plus the cost of shipping. (Shipping was $65 in my case.)

Ray, I hear ya about the locker and the AtlasII. As always, you provide top-notch advice, make great points and it all makes perfect sense.

Since I already ordered the lift and am hopefully having it installed in two weeks, maybe the locker will be one of my next mods.

 

[taxx]

I am going to see what I can get out of them for the front or for the complete kit. Heck I can get it for $10 more than what they are asking here localy!

Just trying to decide if the spring over option is the best or if I should suck it up and get their rear kit?

 

[taxx]

P.S. does anyone know how this will effect my wheel offset? From looking underneath it doesn't appear it should change much but does anyone know if factory offset will be ok?

 

[taxx]

Alright. I have called localy and all the places in the magazines. best price I found was 4 Wheel Parts in Memphis at $1130 for the front. The rear spring over shouldn't cost more than a couple bucks for the new perch.

Just stinks cause that is with all four shocks and i don't want them at all so that has to be a couple hundred! Maybe I can sell them.

 

[Xceslimitd]

4" Lift

I have a 96 sport and just had the 4" lift put on and im running 32's i havent really noticed a huge difference in the ride as far as the CG goes but then again i am being a little more cautious around turns. i hope to get some pictures up soon