whats stopin me?

[TyHarris]

so my 97 explorer xlt 4.0 ohv is about as big as it gets without doin a body lift. i have that scheduled for this summer when ill have a little extra time and money. i can only find full body lift kits for my rig up to 3 inches. why? is there any reason i cant get a 4 inch body lift to even out at 2" in tire, 2" in suspension and 4" in body? get a good 8" out of it?

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Yes there is. A 4" body lift will raise the center of gravity too much and you will roll.

 

[TyHarris]

i already have a very wide wheel base for an explorer and i can always go wider. thats not a problem. is there anything else that would hinder me from goin with a 4" body lift?

 

[IZwack]

is there anything else that would hinder me from goin with a 4" body lift?

it's mostly safety reasons.

 

[TyHarris]

so no hoses or cables or mounts or anything like that that would end up bein a problem?

 

[IZwack]

so no hoses or cables or mounts or anything like that that would end up bein a problem?

Well yeah - steering shaft, and so on. But that's insignificant compared to the safety issue. Steering shaft extension can be measured in dollars, but potential injuries is just slightly more expensive. It's your call though..

 

[TyHarris]

the basic rule we used in super-mod racing is 1 to 3. every one inch you go up you have to go 3 out to negate the roll factor. so to negate that extra inch from the top, id only have to widen my wheel base 1.5" on each side. does that not apply to explorers?

 

[OffTrac]

How do you intend to widen your wheel base? According to your signature, you already have 1.5" spacers. Two inches of lift from tires indicates a 4" increase in tire diameter. Do you really intend to run 3" spacers with 35" tires?

I don't like where this is going.

 

[mr_valingo]

The real question is why would you want a 4" body lift? I have a 3" and i can see right through between the frame and body at the ground on the otherside. Any benefit for fitting bigger tires would prove unbeneficial as soon as you turn.

 

[FIND]

I think if you do this, you can steal my signature, "I strongly abide by the motto, 'Safety Third.'"

Though, I'd question if safety is even making third on the priority list...

 

[TyHarris]

finds right, to be honest safety is not a high priority for me. we all gotta go some time but im determined to have more fun than everybody else before i do go. plus i gotta out-do all the other explorers in town. but really i just wana have a rig im happy with. im used to WAY bigger trucks but i bought my ex in a pinch and stuck with it for the engineering challenge of getting it to where i like it cause by no stretch of the imagination is it supposed to do the things i make it do. but yes offtrac, 6" of lift with 3" spacers and 35" tires would be nice.

 

[OffTrac]

stuck with it for the engineering challenge

That would indicate some form of engineering. You're talking more about rigging without any regards to thoughtful engineering.

I'm sure you'll have the coolest looking truck on the side of the road in your town. I just pray you don't kill someone.

 

[TyHarris]

the trick would be to do it while being more safe than not and the machine still being reliable. that, my friend IS an engineering challenge.

 

[OffTrac]

You can't run 35" tires on 3" spacers on the IFS reliably or safely. That is the predetermined facts you have to work with. Have any plans to greatly strengthen the front suspension?

The body lift isn't an absolutely terrible idea if the blocks and bolts are quality. You're just not going to find a premade 4" kit.

 

[FIND]

the trick would be to do it while being more safe than not and the machine still being reliable. that, my friend IS an engineering challenge.

Engineering is studying the physics of a mechanical relationship and working within it. What they are trying to impress upon you is that you are exceeding the safe tolerances for the parts, which means you are going to subject components to forces greater than they are designed to take. Failing to recognize that does not mean it is an engineering challenge, it means you are disregarding the science of engineering. There is no designing spacers and a body lift in such a way as it will be safe at that point, because it is the components that they are attached to that they are concerned about. You are reaching a point where it would be prudent to change the components of your drivetrain instead of adding spacers to the ends. In other words, you are going to need to look at things like the Dixon Bros long travel kit. Something that is giving you longer control arms and extending everything inboard of the wheel bearings instead of spacers. The torques you would be applying using 3 inch spacers on 35" wheels is just scary to think about...

 

[TyHarris]

i was planin on re-buildin most everything. but, point taken. i step down. a 5" lift on 33s is it i guess.

 

[OffTrac]

I have 35s on 4.75" lift. My wheel wells are a little larger than the Ex, but the components are the same.

 

[TyHarris]

wells will probably end up cut out and flared so wheel well size doesnt really matter. and i already have a 2 inch shackle lift so we are talkin another 4 inches on top of that plus the lift i get from bigger tires.