Poll - Lift kit options (1 Viewer)

[izzyandsue]

Wow! I used sliders quite a bit last weekend. You can drive very slow and careful, and all it takes is a sloppery rock as you slide off a crest and Bang! I was driving 1 ft per minute and still the MT sliders saved the body damage. That is also in our mountain area. If I was back in Miami I wouldn't need them as the only mountain is the Broward county dump!

 

[Dragos80]

Based on your post (sticking with 285 tires), I would get skidplates and sliders instead of lifting. 285 tires are happy with stock height, and any increase in lift will have a corresponding increase in CoG and tippyness. In fact, the sliders and skids route would actually lower your CoG

That is the opinion of a guy who has gone rubber side up.

That's what I am trying to avoid... having a lower COG, meaning a lower stance due to the added weight.

 

[Dragos80]

Not to high-jack your thread @Dragos80 but I am curious as to how many degrees of correction is needed when running 285s with 2.5 inches of lift?

I think tire sizes have nothing to do with caster correction as the tires don't affect the suspension geometry. The entire car get lifted but not by the means of suspension, if you use a larger tire diameter. The suspension geometry vs drivetrain should stay constant.

 

[Dragos80]

You may want to also add an upgraded steering stabilizer for the lift. If not a heavy offroad use, asumming you mean more like overlanding type trips, that is closer to what I do. I opted for the Ironman 2.5 lift and have 33" tires, have been able to do some pretty incredible trails I never thought I could (or should). Sliders would be my other recommendation, have tested those quite a bit recently.

I have the one that comes with the OME heavies. I've notice it is the same one used in the OME 2.5 lift kit.

 

[Dragos80]

As for slider I was thinking about bumpitoffroad ones. Looks more OEM and you don't lose the functionality of a good step platform. My in-laws will not curse too much in this case after breaking a hip. At least I can point out it's not my fault, but theirs.

http://www.bumpitoffroad.com/80-step-sliders.html

 

[Dragos80]

Here is what lack of sliders get you when you are playing on the dirt. Of course this is pre-lift and pre-running board and pre-damage multiplier removal.
View attachment 1079764 View attachment 1079765

What's a "damage multiplier"?

 

[NLXTACY]

What's a "damage multiplier"?

Pile of crap that was on the truck from dealer made by WAAG Industries.

 

[Dragos80]

The brush guards?

 

[aae42]

What's a "damage multiplier"?

if anything, it looks like a damage reducer to me... his side steps saved his doors

i was about to take mine off, but since i don't have any sliders yet, i'm thinking twice now....

 

[NLXTACY]

No no no, the running boards didn't save s***. They pushed into the rocker panel doing more damage. It was lowered height.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Here is what lack of sliders get you when you are playing on the dirt. Of course this is pre-lift and pre-running board and pre-damage multiplier removal.
View attachment 1079764 View attachment 1079765

You people and your fancy sliders and brush guards from the dealership. I remember buying my 92 80 new and being sad that I couldn't afford the running boards, roof rack, moon roof, and brush guard. I look back on how fortuitous that was. I'm thankful every day for my poverty pack 80! I do wish I hadn't taken my sliders off when I lowered back to stock height but they were ragged out to hell and were the only part on my truck that was rusting so I ditched them. In hindsight I wish I had taken them off and blasted them and resprayed them. But I was going to buy new ones! That was 10 years ago... Some day I guess...

 

[Heckraiser]

That's what I am trying to avoid... having a lower COG, meaning a lower stance due to the added weight.

I think you're thinking about it all wrong. I'm a firm believer in the "lift only as much as required to clear your tires" school of thought. 285 tires do not require any lift, therefore, just cover up the parts of the truck that might get bumped and bruised and you will have a solid wheeling rig that will be much harder to roll or slide sideways in an off-camber situation. Spacers will compensate for the weight of sliders and skidplates. Body lift can be useful for clearing larger tires, but as mentioned, 285 tires don't need any help to clear, so in this case, it would be a waste of time.

 

[Dragos80]

That's an interesting though worth considering. Sliders, skid plates and (not a strong possibility) winch would add a lot of weight.
In this case would probably opt for a 30mm front spacer and only a 20mm rear spacer to equalize the height.

 

[danthman114]

I think you're thinking about it all wrong. I'm a firm believer in the "lift only as much as required to clear your tires" school of thought. 285 tires do not require any lift, therefore, just cover up the parts of the truck that might get bumped and bruised and you will have a solid wheeling rig that will be much harder to roll or slide sideways in an off-camber situation. Spacers will compensate for the weight of sliders and skidplates. Body lift can be useful for clearing larger tires, but as mentioned, 285 tires don't need any help to clear, so in this case, it would be a waste of time.

You also have to take into account being high centered. That will happen before rolling, usually. In my area we need ground clearance for rocks

 

[1973Guppie]

I understand the consensus of armor, but if an 80 is used more for touring (to get to offroad destinations) and some overlanding with only occasional wheelin', where is the trade-off threshold when in comes to lifts? In other words, if you want to maintain handling and ride comfort for the family (touring & overlanding), will you give it up with a 1" or 2.5" lift?

to answer your question here, you are not really losing any ride comfort for family hauling but I would argue are gaining it, the stock 80 springs are junk and wear out, I noticed a big ride improvement after intalling my ome 2 inch lift. Truck drives great long distance with the family. It is much more solid on the road and in curves with the OME setup. I am running 285's but plan on running 295's in the future. HTH

 

[MDJ]

I can't say enough good things about my 3" OME w/ medium springs. Awesome ride on and off asphalt. I've got a good deal of weight added to the truck and no sagging to speak of, as you saw in my winch thread. I also run 33s and will be getting sliders, etc before the summer gets into full swing.

I agree with those saying to do it all at once. I would have, but I purchased the truck with the lift installed.