4" Superlift and TT/Shackle question

[4X4 X]

Hey guys i looked through the search button and i couldn't find what i was looking for. In a couple months i am going to have a Superlift 4" lift kit installed to fit 285/75/16's and i was wondering how safe it would be to install tt/shackle on top of the lift. I was going to buy new "B" rated torsion bars and Warrior 153's. I am using the explorer as my daily driver with alot of highway driving and was wondering how much stiffer the ride will be and what compents will wear out faster because of the TT up front. I will also be buying an explorer express sway bar for the rear and was wondering will that fit with the shackles,also will the superlift shocks work the the tt/shackle or do i have to buy longer ones. Thanks for all the help ahead of time.

 

[taxx]

It has been covered but.... Your cheapest solution to get what you want is the 4" kit up front and a spring over in the rear with stock springs and stock shackles. This will give you 5 - 6 inches in the rear. You'll be able to get 4 - 5 inches out of the front with the superlift kit and a TT. You won't get 2" of adjustability over 4" in the front no matter what torsion bars. The problem is in the CV joints. The superlift kit almost maxes them out. But you'll be able to level it.

285 will fit fine. If you want more lift after do a body lift. Lifted95x has this setup and his handles fine with stock sway bars and all. Ask him for some pics. Here is a good write up on this exact install (no pics)

www.haughs.net/tech/superlift/superlift.htm

 

[JPA1982]

personally, i'd call up RCD and get there front kit and put it on(Be the FIRST, COME ON, i KNOW U WANT 2) then do the SOA in the rear like has already been mentioned, its suppose to be way better then superlift, cause it eliminates the torsion bars all togeather which get in the way, superlift simply has drop brackets for them, in which case u'll prob land on them off roading sometime

hey just my $.02, good luck

 

[taxx]

personally, i'd call up RCD and get there front kit and put it on(Be the FIRST, COME ON, i KNOW U WANT 2) then do the SOA in the rear like has already been mentioned, its suppose to be way better then superlift, cause it eliminates the torsion bars all togeather which get in the way, superlift simply has drop brackets for them, in which case u'll prob land on them off roading sometime

hey just my $.02, good luck

RCD has that kit out? that was a major topic 3 years ago when I bought the superlift. The torsion bars aren't in the way really for any IFS wheeling you can do. There is so much more up front anyway. And the torsion bar brackets are well made.

Either way, the RCD looked like a good deal but I can't imagine the money it costs. With the money you save you could fab a skid plate. Just depends on your use of the truck. I bet the RCD kit would ride real nice and may be the better way to go.... Good call.

 

[nissanboy]

what are you talking abotu no 2" of adjustablility out of torsion bars?

what is this about the superlift maxing the CV's out?

the torsion bars will adjust till you hit the bumpstops.... aproximately 6" of lift but at that point the CV's will not work at die instantly. With some modifications to your CV's you can run a 4" torsion twist..

The superlift wont change any CV angles so you could really get 6-8" of lift up front with the supelift kit and some modifications to your CV shafts with a huge torsion twist.

only thing i dislike about a huge torsion twist is the lack of downtravel. Due to the physics of a torsion twist you are taking from downtravel and adding to uptravel giving lift. i got plenty up travel in my front suspension just no tmuch downtravel and it results in a slightly harsher ride.

 

[97XEB]

taxxman2k wrote:
torsion bars aren't in the way really for any IFS wheeling you can do. There is so much more up front anyway.

Sorry taxx, but I completely and whole-heartedly disagree!! Just one trip to Paragon for a monthly ride proved how much those drop down brackets SUCK!!! I was in the group that was just one level up form the bone-stock, first-timers. My group included a couple of stock TJs, Rubicons, a stock H2, a stock S10 and a stock Range Rover. Cept for the Rubis and the H2, I had the biggest, most modified vehicle in the group. However, the IFS drop down lift held me back significantly!!! Even with my 4" Superlift and 285 SSRs - which are really like 34s - I kept nailing the torsion bar mounts. Believe it or not, I had even less clearance than the stock S10, who just had a TT!!!

I'm planning a SAS that I will hopefully have completedly some time this year, but if I weren't I'd give serious consideration to the Dixon Bros long travel kit. Not only does that do away with the torsion bars - as does the RCD kit - but it eliminates ALL drop down bracketry. Therefore, the Dixon Bros kit is actually better than the RCD kit. (but I think it's quite a bit more $$$...)

Kudos to Superlift for putting out anything that even remotely resembles a hard core off road product for our Explores... esp since no one else wants to touch them, and the rest of the market hasn't yet caught on. It's a great kit for running 285s / 33s, but unfortunately, it doesn't do much for the off-roadability of our Explorers. Such is the nature of a torsion bar IFS setup.

All that said, I still think my X KICKS ASS over stock and I'm happy I did the Superlift, but I wish it performed better off road.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[taxx]

what are you talking abotu no 2" of adjustablility out of torsion bars?

what is this about the superlift maxing the CV's out?

the torsion bars will adjust till you hit the bumpstops.... aproximately 6" of lift but at that point the CV's will not work at die instantly. With some modifications to your CV's you can run a 4" torsion twist..

The superlift wont change any CV angles so you could really get 6-8" of lift up front with the supelift kit and some modifications to your CV shafts with a huge torsion twist.

only thing i dislike about a huge torsion twist is the lack of downtravel. Due to the physics of a torsion twist you are taking from downtravel and adding to uptravel giving lift. i got plenty up travel in my front suspension just no tmuch downtravel and it results in a slightly harsher ride.

NO you won't get 6 - 8" of lift out of the superlift with TT. Sure you can get it but your CVs will disagree. You can't run a 4" TT on an explorer without killing the CVs. Now modifying them may be a different story. But thats alot of trouble for little to no gain. He wants a dependable street rig here not a POS break every day truck. The superlift will give you 5 maybe 6" (maybe 6.5, it depends on how worn your CVs are) before the CVs start popping on you. Most IFS lift kits that relly on torsion bars rely on some of that lift coming out of the torsion bars. They are there for adjustability.

How many of these lifts have you had experience with installing and maintaining on an explorer?

Sorry taxx, but I completely and whole-heartedly disagree!!

I never said you won't drag them. But if you figure out what you are doing they are strong enough you can still get where ever you want to go and they woun't be your week link. There is alot to be said for driving style, its not all in how well the truck is built but it helps.

I drag my radius arms but still manage to work around it.

 

[taxx]

I'd give serious consideration to the Dixon Bros long travel kit. Not only does that do away with the torsion bars - as does the RCD kit - but it eliminates ALL drop down bracketry. Therefore, the Dixon Bros kit is actually better than the RCD kit. (but I think it's quite a bit more $$$...)

Its still IFS. And a drooped IFS tire doesn't give you any traction because there is no weight on it. I am not defending superlift. But for someone who will hit the trails occasionally and street most of the time its the most cost effective way to go. If you hit the trails all the time then you know the torsion bar drop brackets are the least of what is holding you back on your IFS system.

 

[4X4 X]

Thanks guys for all your info..... i really appreciate all the help.

 

[nissanboy]

a 2" torsion twist is still well within the limits of the CV's "constatn operating limits. 22degrees ist he max our CV's can run constant. with a 2.674" torsion twist you will just hit the 22 degree mark. so lets do the math. 4" superlift kit ( does not rely on torsion bars to achieve lift) + 2" torison twist (that wont make your CV shafts any less reliable)= 6" of suspension lift.


"Most IFS lift kits that relly on torsion bars rely on some of that lift coming out of the torsion bars."


The super lift doesnt rely on any torsion bar adjustment to get the lift they claim. when you take your factory suspension and move all the ounting points down 4" you get 4" of lift from where your torsion bars were set before hand.

 

[97XEB]

taxxman2k wrote:
I never said you won't drag them. But if you figure out what you are doing they are strong enough you can still get where ever you want to go and they woun't be your week link. There is alot to be said for driving style, its not all in how well the truck is built but it helps.

I'm actually very confident in my driving abilities, style and I do know what I'm doing, thanks.

You have to admit that the torsion bar drop down bracketry impedes break-over angle. Even when I compensate for the control arms, drop-down diff bracketry up front, and put my tires exactly where I want, there is still sometimes no way around hitting / dragging the torsion bars and their dropped mounts.

The more you hit and drag, the more likely something will bend or break. I'd be able to much more comfortably do more wheeling, and handle more challenging terrain if it wasn't for those torsion bars and dropped torsion bar brackets.

I drag my radius arms but still manage to work around it.

I'd venture to guess that your radius arms are at least a little beefier, and are better, more solidly mounted to the frame than stock torsion bars. When I do my SAS and have a specifically fabricated 4-link, made to handle off road duty, I won't be as concerned about dragging them either...

If you hit the trails all the time then you know the torsion bar drop brackets are the least of what is holding you back on your IFS system.

Overall I agree. However, it would be one less thing to worry about.

But for someone who will hit the trails occasionally and street most of the time its the most cost effective way to go.

I have to agree. It is one of only two kits specifically designed for 96-01 Explores, and the Superift kit is definitely better than the Trailmaster kit because it replaces the knuckles Vs. using extensions. However, if you could get a great price on the RCD front-end lift and use the rear springs from the Superlift kit, it'd probably be the best of both worlds... I'd really love to lose those bars and their mounts. Then I would move on to complain about the CVs...

 

[taxx]

I agree they affect the break over angle. But from experience I know I never had problems with them. Sure they drag and hit things, but they are pretty beefy and hold up well to a lot of abuse. I worried more about the other drop brackets up front giving before those.

Everything becomes a concern when you are wheeling you daily driver. And mine was my DD when I had it with the SL on it.

And I agree doing away with them all together is best. but for the money its not worth it IMO. At the time I last looked the RCD kit was 2x as much and more than I had in my SAS.