To lift or not to lift...

[hoser45]

that is my question! Ok, my 100 was not meant to be a hard core crawler, but rather a replacement for my truck and something to take around town and to the mountains camping (snow or rain weather probably).

That said, I'm still considering a small lift like 2" just to give it a bit of a more aggressive look and make it different than others around town (most are stock and not lifted). Do you think this would be wise based on my useage stated above or am I better off just leaving it fairly stock for best "all-around" purpose?

This may be a bit of a rookie question, but bare with me as I'm, well, a rookie!

 

[Phx99Cruiser]

I had the same goals as you, but also wanted the extra clearance for getting off-road to hunting areas and camp. The OME suspension kit got me the 1.75-2.0 inches and I went to slightly bigger tires (285x75 vs. 265x70) - this made a huge difference for me.

There are other posts re:this and you'll find the consensus is that ride and handling will be greatly improved as well. Between the stock suspension and almost 5yr old tires I thought the LC hit road bumps harshly and had too much body roll - weird combination. All of that feel is gone now and I'm much happier with the vehicle.

Good luck.

 

[tpeacock5]

hey Phx, do you have part numbers for the OME lift and vendor info? I may be looking into this as well. Also, any pics of your rig with the lift would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Jim_Chow]

I'd go w/ no lift if it's just for looks. You can fit 285's w/o a lift. I lifted my 4runner 2", rig is more top heavy than before, so you need stiffer springs for cornering. You'd be better off getting replacement front & rear bars to look unique. At least they'll give you extra protection in a collision.

 

[hoser45]

Front and rear "bars"?

Jim, when you say front and rear bars, do you mean front grill guard and rear light guards (sorry, probably another rookie question)?

BTW, I will do some light off roading when hunting, and the camping in the sierras. Again, probably nothing extreme, but lift may come in handy.

 

[Maniac]

I was in a similar situation, and upgraded to the Bilstein HD shocks and 285 tires. The offroad performance and clearance are more than adequate for my needs. As noted elsewhere in this forum, the difference in handling between the stock and Bilstein HD shocks is like night and day.

In any case you could try the larger tires on a few of your mountain camping trips, then determine how much more offroad performance you need prior to deciding between upgraded shocks vs suspension lift.

 

[hoser45]

Bilstein HD shocks

Maniac, did the Bilstein HD shocks give your LC a bit of a lift or just affect the ride? Thanks.

 

[spressomon]

Maniac, did the Bilstein HD shocks give your LC a bit of a lift or just affect the ride? Thanks.

Shocks will not change your ride height...unless their the're too long and the wrong shock model

 

[Jim_Chow]

Jim, when you say front and rear bars, do you mean front grill guard and rear light guards (sorry, probably another rookie question)?

BTW, I will do some light off roading when hunting, and the camping in the sierras. Again, probably nothing extreme, but lift may come in handy.

By "bars," I mean replacement front & rear steel bumpers. Front will protect you against deer, rear protects you against tailgaters when you return to the city. If the extent of your offroading is dirt national forest/logging roads, the stock height suspension should be fine. Good tires will help you more offroad and are the most bang for the buck, IMHO. Don't forget that your acceleration will slow, speedo will be off, etc. with larger tires unless you regear and recalibrate the speedo.

 

[tech_dog]

Form should follow function.

If you don't need extra clearance for agressive offroading, I don't think you should lift. Don't trade street and dirt road performance for cosmetics.

You should probably just get more agressive tires, which would actually give you a bit of benifit in the situations you described.

My 3 cents... (inflation.)

T.

 

[hoser45]

Stay at or under 33?

If I don't lift and just get new, bigger wheels, from what I've heard and read, I should stay at or under a 33 profile (rims and tires) in order to avoid having to regear -- correct?

Hey Jim, any cool pix of replacemetn front & rear steel bumpers?

 

[spressomon]

If I don't lift and just get new, bigger wheels, from what I've heard and read, I should stay at or under a 33 profile (rims and tires) in order to avoid having to regear -- correct?

Hey Jim, any cool pix of replacemetn front & rear steel bumpers?

If I were you, from my experience, don't lift unless you know you need the additional clearance for on-trail use. I would keep the tires to 33" or smaller...and if you are picky about engine efficiency and tranny shift efficiency,as I am, then the closer to stock diameter the better (assuming no regear). As above: Install a set of 4-Bilsteins to improve control and handling and call it a day .

FYI: Even with the modest 2.75" lift max on 100's you'll be short on caster compared to stock...which makes the steering, particularly at 50+mph, more sensitized (I would love to get my caster back to stock specs for this reason) than stock...twitchy might be another descriptive term.

 

[BMWSTOY]

I just added 285's to mine and my signature thread shows the 285's. If you want I can email you the before and after versions. I am thinking about Bilsteins vs. the lift myself. There are great success stories in here about the Bilsteins alone which sounds like all you need.
Post up what you decide and put your 100 in your signature.

 

[gjh]

I too went for the Bilsteins with my stock Michelins. Nice improvement. Did the same thing on my '88ange Rover.

You can always add the lift later, no matter what you'll want at least the shocks.

 

[hoser45]

Old Man Emu vs Bilsteins?

How do these two shocks compare? I've heard a lot about both. Do the Bilsteins work with all stock suspension and the Emus require additional or different parts?

 

[jditom]

Bilstien's all the way!

But I am not sure if they will work with a lift?

 

[hoser45]

No lift.

I'm keeping it stock for now.

 

[spressomon]

OME for lift. Bilstein's for stock height...unless you get the longer custom Billies from Christo...but they aren't cheap!

 

[Pskhaat]

This is not a question. The answer is always lift.