Maximum Lift on IFS Vehicle?

[DaveInDenver]

Don't forget ball joint range of motion is a limitation to how much IFS lift you can use.

 

[Herbie]

Don't forget ball joint range of motion is a limitation to how much IFS lift you can use.

Yep, this is why there's no one answer. BJ angles matter. The Astro/Safari guys like to flip the BJ mount which buys us a few more degrees, but then the next limitations are the CV angle and the Idler arms. Most lifted Astros eat idler arms on a regular basis. I'm trying to baby mine by keeping the front-end light and minimizing the suspension lift from stock.

 

[Grassland]

As for SFA, I'll give the WJ grand Cherokee as an example. You could do 3" lifts for cheap, it was mostly springs, shocks, and a front track bar.
Once you went 4" it was new upper and lower control arms, different front drive shaft, etc.
Six inch was the same thing but absolutely required long arms which moved the pivot point of the control arms further back.

Any vehicle has limit range of suspension geometry. The more you want to deviate from it, the more money it will cost and the more work is involved.

Also, unless you go larger tires,.your differentials are still the low point.
Once you go large enough in tire size , factor in gearing changes or upgrading drive train components for the strain of the much larger tires.

Are you building a rock crawler or are you building a car camper?
What's the goal?

 

[roving1]

You got tons of great info. I would add to also remember nothing is guaranteed. I was shooting for 2.5-2.75 inches of lift on my truck.

Spring A was supposed to do that for how my truck was equipped. It didn't. After sagging I only got about 3/4 inch of lift. So I upgraded to spring B and wound up getting 3+ inches of lift and it never sagged even after a lot of heavy use. After only about 500 miles of 4wd use (have manual hubs so no movement on the boots in 2wd) I wore out a CV boot.

I have had the suspension ripped apart 3 times and now I am going to install adjustable coilovers after a lot of wasted time and money. A huge part of me wishes I would have left it stock and just had some more heavy duty leaf springs made up.

I researched suspension stuff for years and virtually no one had the issues I had. So just be aware that it's always possible for stuff to not fit and act on the vehicle the way you expect it to. You really open up a possible huge cascading series of events anytime you mess with custom suspension stuff.

 

[Betarocker]

Done properly, an AWD IFS truck can have 24" front wheel travel.

 

[billiebob]

Most IFS lifts, ie Chevy lifts actually DROP the dif, They lift the frame and body but don't change the front end geometry. Technically the same as solid axle lifts, none of them raise the dif. Talking things like Subarus and Hondas, yes driveline angles, CV joints do change. Buy the factory sponsored kit.

PS if you find two kits, one selling for $500, the other for $1500, I'll bet the $1500 kit is the better buy.

Most pickups, SUVs gain nothing with a lift. Most lifts simply add strain to the driveline components which were never engineered for that change. The best way to fit more rubber is to modify the body which adds no stress to the driveline. Watch this video of a bunch of mostly stock CJ Flat Fenders on the Rubicon and ask why you want a lift.

 

[Sangster]

Lifts don't only give tire clearance, but body/frame clearance under the midsection. No, they don't lift the axles....but they do increase approach/departure/breakover angles.

 

[OllieChristopher]

As a few members have stated it all depends on what you are using it for. I am of the opinion that it is a complete waste of money to lift at rig just for the look. I blows me away at the money spent on outrageous suspension upgrades that don't see anything more than a graded dirt road.

My truck is 2wd with a TruTrac, a 3" drop knuckle and 1 1/2" blocks in back. Very simple for a daily driver that sees occasional off road. I just drive accordingly for the conditions. The benefit to this is I enjoy the factory comfort. Same with tires. Lightweight Michelin Defenders just one size larger than stock.

 

[OllieChristopher]

FWIW, I do not ever recommend a body lift unless you are aware of the detrimental effects it has. One of the big ones is noise. No matter what kind of rubber or grease is used they all squeak over time and put stress on various chassis and steering components.

 

[Herbie]

Done properly, an AWD IFS truck can have 24" front wheel travel.

That's kind of a meaningless metric unless you're getting specific about a whole mess of things about the geometry. You can achieve 24" of travel with a 12" control arm with 180º of movement or on a 100' control arm with 1° of movement. Obviously neither of those extremes really works.

This is why I hate these discussions, too many absolute statements in the absence of critical design criteria.

 

[billiebob]

That's kind of a meaningless metric unless you're getting specific about a whole mess of things about the geometry. You can achieve 24" of travel with a 12" control arm with 180º of movement or on a 100' control arm with 1° of movement. Obviously neither of those extremes really works.

This is why I hate these discussions, too many absolute statements in the absence of critical design criteria.

But ya gotta love a Trophy Truck at 100mph.

 

[rruff]

2" seems to be the sweet spot for Toyota ifs in my opinion.

^ This. The TRD Pro Tundra comes with a 2" strut lift with no other mods. If you get UCAs and a diff drop you can add a little more, but you can fit 37s with 2" so I don't see the point.