Lift Kit Do’s and Don’ts for Your Vehicle

How Do Suspension Lift Kits Work?

Unlike a leveling kit or a body lift, suspension lifts change out several factory suspension components to increase the ride height and the ground clearance. It increases important angles for offroading such as the approach, breakover, and departure angles. A suspension lift kit also allows for larger tires to fit underneath, further adding to the clearances, and altogether you’ll have better visibility from further off the ground.

Essentially, the suspension is lengthened to lift the complete vehicle chassis up from the axle assemblies. Common lift sizes range from two inches to six inches, although there are kits available for a much higher lift on some models.

A typical lift kit will include a couple of dozen parts including shock absorbers, lift blocks, brackets to drop the differential lower, crossmembers, links, and sometimes even replacement steering knuckles. There’s plenty of hardware to get it installed correctly, and it’s a job that takes several hours to complete.

When you’re installing a lift kit on your vehicle, here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind

DO Get it Professionally Lifted

A vehicle suspension lift isn’t an everyday maintenance item or a straightforward replacement for OEM parts. There are often small – or major – adjustments required to make parts fit your truck, even for a high-end bolt-on kit. There could be cutting, grinding, welding, tapping, or drilling required with precision equipment that most DIYers don’t have in their garage. 

If you’re near one of the 100+ 4 Wheel Parts locations nationwide, find out about installation services for a lift kit. When a kit purchased at 4 Wheel Parts is installed in one of our service centers, you get a lifetime warranty on it. Expert technicians who do this type of work day in and day out will get your job done right, and it’s highly likely it’ll be done much faster than trying to do it yourself. Plus, we have the tools and equipment necessary to get any lift installed properly.

If you aren’t near a 4 Wheel Parts location, buy your kit from us and bring it to a local shop that specializes in this type of work.

DON’T Try This Mod on the Driveway

A lift kit, especially one that’s higher than a modest two-inch lift, is quite intense. Although everything you need parts-wise is included with the kit, the installation requires a vehicle lift to securely hold your truck or SUV off the ground with the weight off all four wheels. Or, you need jack stands capable of keeping your chassis high enough off the ground for not just disassembly, but also for the increased height you’re adding. It’s all but guaranteed that you’ll need a second set of hands too.

If you’re intent on doing it yourself, plan for your vehicle to be out of commission for at least two days. And when you’re don’t assembling it, you’ll need to head straight for a shop to get a wheel alignment.

DO Choose Your Ideal Truck Height

What do you want to achieve with your lift kit? When you choose a ride height, there are several things to consider: 

• Up to 1.5” suspension lifts maintain your drivability almost like stock with a slightly more aggressive stance while increasing durability.
• 2” to 2.5” are still quite adjustments to the ride height, all things considered. However, you might start having to think about adding side steps for access.
• 3.5” to 4” is beginning to look pretty tall. These kits are more complex to install with diff drop brackets and such, and you’ll need a taller tire to make sure your truck doesn’t look funny.
• 6” and up is pretty extreme compared to a factory suspension height. At this range, you’ll often need to adjust pinion angles and other items to ensure functionality, plus climbing into the cab becomes a more prevalent issue.

It all boils down to the look and performance you want to achieve, though, and that’s where you should start.

DON’T Piece Together Components

There is a ton of engineering that goes into developing a suspension lift. Don’t think that you can exchange a set of shocks for another and have them work properly, or that all you need is a set of taller springs to achieve a suspension lift. There will be problems, and more often than not, a pieced-together lift will be reverted to stock, get a bona fide lift installed, or fail spectacularly.

Simply put: just buy a complete suspension lift kit.

DO Consider How It Affects Other Systems

There are trade-offs when you install a lift kit. It changes aspects of your vehicle that need to be considered. 

A huge lift looks awesome, but you’ll need larger, much more expensive tires to complete the package. It’ll also chew through way more fuel because those tires are heavier.

Between your offroading fun and the extra strain on the drivetrain, your fluids will need to be checked and changed more often. 

There’s often more stress on steering components with a lift kit installed, so you might be replacing ball joints and tie rods more frequently – if you’re not bending them on the trail already.

DON’T Forget About Day-to-Day Use

A suspension lift, even among the best lift kits for Jeeps, is guaranteed to change how your vehicle drives. Taller vehicles don’t corner as nicely, increasing the rollover risk. As well, expect a rougher ride than the comfy factory ride since it’s now designed to withstand harsher use.

And as already mentioned, your fuel consumption is likely to go up and you’ll need to consider accessories to get you and your passengers into a higher cab.

Suspension lifts are quite common for truck and SUV owners, and there are good reasons why. They’re extremely functional and expand your horizons. Just keep in mind that there’s more to it than buying a bunch of parts. 

Fortunately, 4 Wheel Parts has you covered. With more than 100 locations in North America that can supply and install your lift kit, you’ll have a vehicle you’re proud to own in no time.