are there any shackles on the market that give you more lift than the 2" with 153's?

[LONO100]

hey all, i was in the process of planning a small lift for my 03 ST. i didnt want to raise it too high because i dont want to ruin the original engineering of how it rides, not interested in a body lift either and i want to keep my mpg as close to where i have it as possible but i would like a little more clearance. i wanted to do a simple TT/warrior 153 shackle combo to bring the ride up 2 inches. i know that TTing it any more than 2 inches would ruin your CV's, but one good thing about running a locked 2WD is that i dont have CV's! so if i wanted to get closer to a 3 inch lift on the front end with a TT, what shackles would any of you fellas recommend for the rear leafs? i want my truck to have a level stance, i dont do any extreme off roading, i pretty much go off roading when i go camping, fishing, mountain biking or when im exploring the great california outdoors, so my ST is pretty much used to get me to my next adventure but i would like to get a little more clearance.

so what would you fellas recommend in terms of shackles if i wanted to go 3 inches taller than stock height in the rear? i want to weigh my options between going up 2 inches or 3 inches and would like a little more info from you grizzled ST veterans on what would be best.

thanks everyone, i know im about to get a wealth of knowledge on this one!

 

[FirstOnRaceDayy]

Well you said you want clearance, so ground clearance or tire clearance? shackles and TT wont give you any extra ground clearance.

 

[LONO100]

well i am primarily interested in ground clearance in terms of my front end scraping things, but after doing this small lift i was going to get a slightly larger tires (32 or 33 depending on how much i lift it). im currently leaning toward a 2 inch lift with the 153 shackles, but i wanted to explore my options on shackles. thanks.

 

[FirstOnRaceDayy]

Ok. I'm not sure if you can fit 33s with 2 inch lift, unless you do a bit of trimming. The only shackles i know of only lift 2 inches. If you don't do any major off roading, you can get lift shackes at autozone, advance auto, etc. for about $17. Thats what im using, no problems with them after about 1 year.

 

[OffTrac]

Without spending a lot of money, the only way to get more ground clearance is to get bigger tires. The lift you're talking about is perfect, TT/SL, and will allow for bigger tires. Go 265/75R16 or you will be rubbing everywhere. It isn't much more ground clearance, but it has been sufficient for me and based on your description, I use mine off road more abusively.

Really, IMO, the tread you choose will be more useful to you than even the lift and bigger tires.

 

[LONO100]

thanks for the info guys. i was interested in doing the lift so it would enable me to run slightly bigger tires so i could get a little more ground clearance. my original plan was to use the 153's and do a TT so i could run some 32's, but wanted to know if there were shackles that were an inch taller than the 153's so i could run 33's. i currently run pro comp MT's and they are great tires, i just wanted to go up in size with them when i get a new set. my rims are 15's btw so i was thinking of 32x11.5Ms for my next set of tires. thats why i wanted to get as much shackle info as i could. any more advice, info or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

You have one thing over us 4wd's as far as lifting your Trac goes, You don't have to worry about CV axle shafts. I'd either do a 3" TT or get lift spindles for the front.

For the rear, I would do W.P. #153 shackles and possibly a Add A Leaf. I know others have said to go with the "old style musclecar universal lift shackles" but I highly suggest you stay away from these, there's a reason why most lift shackles have a crossmember welded in.

If you wanna run 33's you'll have to do some trimming/ cutting like the rest of us.
Doing a body lift doesn't ruin your MPG's, going up in tire size without compensating with steeper gears does.

The body lift will raise the body for added clearance like you want so you won't scrape as much, one of the downsides to the Trac's long wheelbase and big front bumper cover. I did the body lift and it saved my truck from serious damage numerous times.

 

[OffTrac]

You don't have to worry much about space for rear tires. There's plenty of room, especially with War153 shackles. You'll need to worry about the width of the tires in the rear more than height. Then, you can just add spacers or tie back the plastic, or both, if necessary.

The difference between ground clearance between 32" and 33" tires is only a 1/2". For good off road use, I would recommend a 32x11.5. They'll stuff better, won't rub as bad, if at all (I have no rubbing) and you won't really lose any advantage of the taller tires. 33s may look better to you, though.

Lifting a 2wd is unfairly easy. It'll look good and work well whatever you do. Either way you go, the lockers are going to make the biggest difference in the STs abilities.

 

[OffTrac]

You could also flip the leafs over the axle, twist the front 3" and do a sloped body lift. You could easily fit 33s then and probably even 35s.

 

[LONO100]

man, you guys are geniuses. right now, i think i am leaning toward TTing up front 3 inches, and then running the warrior 153 shackles in the back. then ill go 32"s for my next set of tires, which probably wont be for a while since my tires still have plenty of meat. i could also try to resell my tires used for a couple hundred as well and just upgrade after i get this lift done. i think running 32"s will save me some headache when it comes to tire rub and having to trim. from what you fellas say, it doesnt seem like i would be getting much difference between 33"s and 32"s based on the type of lift that im doing.

im going to stay away from spacers at all costs, id rather trim or pull back those little plastic pieces. like i said, my ST isnt exactly born to take on the rubicon, but i still need it to get a little dirty and dented for the places i go and i think this small lift will make my rides off road a little bit easier.

next step is scrounging enough money over the next few weeks to buy some shackles (rebel, ill hit you up!) and enough spare change to get a wheel alignment after i do the TT.

thanks again fellas, i knew i was going to learn a bit from this thread.

 

[LONO100]

one last note, my diff gearing is 4.10. will throwing 32"s on my rig alter the mpg very much, and how much would it cost to get the speedo recalibrated for the increase in tire size? my original tires when i first got my ST were equivalent to 29" tall on a 16" stock rim, but the pro comp MT's i run now are 30"s on a 15" off road rim. i track my mileage religiously during my weekly commutes into the city and havent seen much difference between the two. what kind of difference should i expect in mpg going from 30"s to 32"s?

 

[Blee1099]

Any shackles above the 1.5" lift shackles that Warrior makes will flatten your leaf spring pack, if your trying to gain some lift in the rear end, the best bet would be getting F150 leaf springs or any other springs that have a long greater length than the stock Explorer ones, the shackles actually lower the arc of the leaf springs.

 

[LONO100]

yeah, that kind of crept into my mind when thinking about it so i think going to go with the warrior 153 shackles and keeping it simple.

 

[OffTrac]

Your speedometer will be a little off, but not enough to get you speeding tickets every time you go out. Your odometer will also be inaccurate. The best way to fix it is to get a SCT tuner. You can then get tunes that will adjust for the changes you make and will also allow you to set a tune for the type of driving you intend to do.

The 4.10 gears are plenty for 32" tires. Mine's still a rocket (as much as that word applies to a 4.0L engine in a brick).

Your gas mileage calculations are no longer accurate though because of your larger tires over stock. There's ways to figure it, I've just never cared enough to learn how. The tuner can also fix that for you. You mpg won't change much going up to 32s, though, so there's no need to really worry about that. Your pressure on the skinny pedal will be the most important concern.

 

[LONO100]

when you talk about a tuner, are you talking about an ultragauge or something like that? couldnt i just go to a les schwab or firestone and have them recalibrate it?

 

[LONO100]

if i move up to 32"s, how much of an issue would it be if i get a flat and have to run my stock spare to get me to a tire shop? my stock wheel is a 255/70/R16, and my current rims with 32"s would be 32x10.5 R15. i have another 15" wheel with no tire on it, but even if i threw a spare 32" on it, would it fit in where my stock spare goes?

 

[MidnightRebel07]

A 32" will fit in the spare tire space but don't, I repeat do not run two different size tires on that locked rearend, you will cause serious damage.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

If you have to put the spare on the front since your 2wd you'll be fine, just don't run different size tires on the rear!!!!

 

[LONO100]

yeah buddy! i already read tons of that stuff about that on the forum. if i ever had a flat in the rear, i would be sure to make sure the spare of a different size would get moved up front. i think i will spring to get that extra 15" wheel a 32" tire when im ready to get a new set as long as i can fit that spare in the spare tire bay under the truck bed. thanks for the info.

 

[OffTrac]

It'll fit.