Sanity Check: 1.5" Comfort-Focused Lift for Daily Driver (1 Viewer)

[FairZ33]

Hello all,

Looking for a final sanity check on a suspension plan for my '07 UZJ100 daily driver before the Labor Day sales. My #1 priority is on-road comfort for my family.

My goal is a ~1.5" lift over factory spec (targeting ~23.0" F / 24.5" R hub-to-fender) while maintaining the stock rake. My stock torsion bars are completely shot, sitting at ~19" in the front with an ARB bumper.

Parts:
* Front Torsion Bars: OME (303001)
* Rear Coil Springs: Dobinsons (C59-167)
* Shocks: Koni Raid 90 Series
* Diff Drop: Slee Off-Road
* OME or Cruiser Patch’s LCA Reinforcement
* Sway Bar Links: Trail Tailor Extended (F&R)
* Bump Stops: Perry Parts (F&R)

Questions:
* Any red flags with this OME front / Dobinsons rear spring combo for a comfort build?
* In your experience, are aftermarket UCAs a must-have for a 1.5" lift, or can the factory arms usually be aligned correctly?
* Is anything in my parts list missing? Unnecessary?
* Does anyone have thoughts on Koni Raid vs Ironman FCP vs Dobinson IMS?

Thanks!

 

[MongooseGA]

Is the truck strictly a daily driver? Or will you be doing any kind of off-roading beyond fire roads?

Those hub-to-fender measurements are too tall. 100s really need to be under 22"F and 23" rear, and many will tell you 1/2" lower.

Are you intending to run heavy weight on your truck? If not, and with on-road comfort being the ultimate priority, I'd honestly suggest just tossing in new rear springs, cranking the torsion bars a bit, and running OEM shocks.

If you're not planning to flex the suspension out to the max on technical trails, you can probably get away without UCAs, but it's not a bad idea to have a pair that give additional adjustability just in case.

 

[Bisho]

I agree with @MongooseGA. A 1.5" lift is 21" front, 22.5" rear.

All of the diff drops are the same - they are all likely made by Trail Taylor and sold under a different name. Buy the cheapest one you can find. You don't need it if you only lift to 21". Keep in mind you lose 1" of clearance when you add the diff drop, so any lift between 21-22" is a loss or break even on ground clearance under the vehicle (you will gain something at the rockers).

I really doubt your factory TBs are shot, but the next best is the OME (its not too big). I have 340k on my factory, lifted to 22", with a dissent bumper, 12k winch. It does fine. I also don't see a lot of reason for improved bump stops, unless you plan on sending it regularly, instead of controlling your crawling. YMMV.

 

[Manhattan]

Tires are as much of a factor as the suspension, i.e. E-Rated vs C-rated. If you're not routinely playing on rocks, I'd avoid E-rated tires. Okay sure, that knocks out half of your choices - assuming you're planning on 275/70/18 - but there are still a bunch of options, e.g. Nitto, Goodyear, Toyo, Pirelli's new XTM AT, General...

I'm in the process of "refreshing" my '06 - new leather and carpet, new bushings, ball joints, etc... I'm probably going to swap the steel wheels and E-rated KO2s for the OEM wheels and something C-Rated - same size; I'm just tired of the stiff sidewalls.

 

[Trapper50cal]

All above is correct. I've got about as much lift as is advisable or possible on a 100 without SAS'ing (solid axle swapping the front) or a body lift and I'm at around 23" in the back with OME Heavies (OME 863's) and 22.25" on the front WITH SPC upper control arms and a Slee Diff Drop (which allows for just a bit more droop and helps CV angles) I run Sway-A-Way TB's but they're generally equivalent to the OME units. For your lift desires you may not need TB's at all, just crank up the OEMs. Oh and I also run Trail Tailor's extended sway bar links. With a smaller amount of lift, you don't need UCA's either.

 

[FairZ33]

Is the truck strictly a daily driver? Or will you be doing any kind of off-roading beyond fire roads?

Those hub-to-fender measurements are too tall. 100s really need to be under 22"F and 23" rear, and many will tell you 1/2" lower.

Are you intending to run heavy weight on your truck? If not, and with on-road comfort being the ultimate priority, I'd honestly suggest just tossing in new rear springs, cranking the torsion bars a bit, and running OEM shocks.

If you're not planning to flex the suspension out to the max on technical trails, you can probably get away without UCAs, but it's not a bad idea to have a pair that give additional adjustability just in case.

Right now, yes. Though I would like to get into some OHV trails and camping with my kids. I must have gotten a bad hub-to-fender figure for factory ride height from somewhere. In the distant future, I'd like to acquire skids, dual battery, winch, etc. Can OEM shocks support a 1.5" lift? Why OEM and not one of the aftermarket offerings? Sounds like I'll lift first and see if I need the UCAs down the line.

I agree with @MongooseGA. A 1.5" lift is 21" front, 22.5" rear.

All of the diff drops are the same - they are all likely made by Trail Taylor and sold under a different name. Buy the cheapest one you can find. You don't need it if you only lift to 21". Keep in mind you lose 1" of clearance when you add the diff drop, so any lift between 21-22" is a loss or break even on ground clearance under the vehicle (you will gain something at the rockers).

I really doubt your factory TBs are shot, but the next best is the OME (its not too big). I have 340k on my factory, lifted to 22", with a dissent bumper, 12k winch. It does fine. I also don't see a lot of reason for improved bump stops, unless you plan on sending it regularly, instead of controlling your crawling. YMMV.

Good to know on the diff drop kits. The only reason I'd selected Slee was because I'd like to get their skid plates, which require their diff drop according to the product description. But it sounds like if I only lift to 1.5", I won't need a diff drop at all.

Like I said above, I think I may have gotten a bad figure for the factory ride height and assumed that my T-bars are sagging. They're sitting about 19 and 1/8" with the ARB bumper (no winch) installed. I'll look into just cranking the factory T-Bars then. Between that and no bump stops... that cuts significant cost out.

Tires are as much of a factor as the suspension, i.e. E-Rated vs C-rated. If you're not routinely playing on rocks, I'd avoid E-rated tires. Okay sure, that knocks out half of your choices - assuming you're planning on 275/70/80 - but there are still a bunch of options, e.g. Nitto, Goodyear, Toyo, Pirelli's new XTM AT, General...

I'm in the process of "refreshing" my '06 - new leather and carpet, new bushings, ball joints, etc... I'm probably going to swap the steel wheels and E-rated KO2s for the OEM wheels and something C-Rated - same size; I'm just tired of the stiff sidewalls.

I'm currently on 275/65R18 in SL. I bought Rock Warriors with the intent of using 285/70r17 in C load. Probably Falken Wildpeaks ATW4s. Had I known about the 16" factory wheels, I would have bought those, done a 255/80r16 in C load... I may still do that because those 16" wheels are so cheap and I love a pizza cutter.

It sounds like my revised parts list is now:
* Rear Coil Springs: Dobinsons (C59-167)
* Shocks: Koni Raid 90 Series (maybe just new OEMs?)
* OME, Ironman or Cruiser Patch’s (unreleased) LCA Reinforcement
* Sway Bar Links: Trail Tailor Extended (F&R) (still needed?)

 

[Bisho]

You may need to reindex (rotate) your TBs to get more lift. Very easy to do. The factory ones should be good. If you add steel underarmor you may overtax them, but that doesn't sound like your use case would go there.

The real limfac to the factory shocks, I believe, is their max length, so they will impact how much droop you have. Again, probably fine if you stay at 21". Make sue you retain at least 2.25" of droop available when you lift it, or your ride will suck.

 

[MongooseGA]

Right now, yes. Though I would like to get into some OHV trails and camping with my kids. I must have gotten a bad hub-to-fender figure for factory ride height from somewhere. In the distant future, I'd like to acquire skids, dual battery, winch, etc. Can OEM shocks support a 1.5" lift? Why OEM and not one of the aftermarket offerings? Sounds like I'll lift first and see if I need the UCAs down the line.

OEM shocks can definitely handle a 1.5" lift. I only say OEM because they're super available, cheap, and usually the most comfortable option. Again, this is contingent generally stock weight. If you start adding, you'll want to consider aftermarket.

On the torsion bars, I actually argue that very few trucks have a need for anything beyond OEM. Me specifically, I had aftermarket stronger bars on my truck. I've got full ARB bar, full under armor, 12.5k winch, sliders, rear bar, drawers. The truck was still over sprung with all the weight. Swapped to OEM Cruiser bars and it's much improved.

Having been through the entire progression of my own build, my current position is that short of wheeling at the limits of this platform, OEM suspension is going to be capable of more than most owners will throw at it.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Right now, yes. Though I would like to get into some OHV trails and camping with my kids. ..

Most likely no lift needed, and you could lose some of the vehicle's durability and reliability by doing it. That would be my sanity check...

 

[FairZ33]

Most likely no lift needed, and you could lose some of the vehicle's durability and reliability by doing it. That would be my sanity check...

I’ve considered that too. Either way, I’ve taken a $2,500 parts list and more than cut it in half. Thanks everyone!

 

[FairZ33]

OEM shocks can definitely handle a 1.5" lift. I only say OEM because they're super available, cheap, and usually the most comfortable option. Again, this is contingent generally stock weight. If you start adding, you'll want to consider aftermarket.

On the torsion bars, I actually argue that very few trucks have a need for anything beyond OEM. Me specifically, I had aftermarket stronger bars on my truck. I've got full ARB bar, full under armor, 12.5k winch, sliders, rear bar, drawers. The truck was still over sprung with all the weight. Swapped to OEM Cruiser bars and it's much improved.

Having been through the entire progression of my own build, my current position is that short of wheeling at the limits of this platform, OEM suspension is going to be capable of more than most owners will throw at it.

At what point does added weight warrant aftermarket shocks?

 

[MongooseGA]

At what point does added weight warrant aftermarket shocks?

I wouldn't suggest a one-size fits all, because some people have different feelings on handling, or carry more inside. For me, I'd probably look into it once I had the constant weight of a bumper and full drawers.