Increasing Ride Height Of Truck

[CBRSamui]

Can anyone explain to me how you increase the ride-height of a truck by 6 inches by altering the suspension?...

Are spacers involved or new suspension struts?...

What is the average cost?...

[0Mix1up]

It would depend on the system used by the truck

but yes extensions/spacers and longer dampers/struts would be part of it.

You sometimes create other problems with the drive train, steering and wheel alignment

$$ unknown

[Tony Clifton]

And if clearance is what you're looking for, the axles and differential will remain at the same height. That' s another job.

[mikethevigoman]

Can anyone explain to me how you increase the ride-height of a truck by 6 inches by altering the suspension?...

Are spacers involved or new suspension struts?...

What is the average cost?...

I suggest a lift by 2" strut top spacers and rear shackles.that actually gives a 4" lift !,. im doing my navara today, i did my vigo before and it was fine,. im doing it to have bigger tyre/wheel clearance,.if you go over 4 inches it is a lot more money and to be honest it will affect geometry and ride quality,.cost of what im doing is approx 4000 baht, Edited October 20, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[CBRSamui]

Hey Mike,

Thanks for the heads up.

I'm after raising the truck a few inches due to the amount of flooding we get here in Samui. Again it was up to my door sills this morning.

Sounds like strut top spacers and rear shackles combined with some higher profile tyres sound like a perfect increase. 4" on suspension and 2-3"with the wheels.

This is for a Mitsubishi Triton. Do you know where I can get the parts from?...

[zzdocxx]

Cool.

I bought mine "ready made" -- Toyota Tacoma PreRunner

[qualtrough]

As someone already noted, you will only be increasing the height of the body but not the drivetrain. One important thing to bear in mind is that every inch you raise the body increases the ease with which your truck will tip over. I saw a formula once that would let you know how much each inch raising would lower the tipping factor but I can't recall it and cannot find it when I searched. It's out there somewhere...I have seen some Suzuki 4WD vehicles raised so high it looks like you could tip them over by hand.

[mikethevigoman]

Hey Mike,

Thanks for the heads up.

I'm after raising the truck a few inches due to the amount of flooding we get here in Samui. Again it was up to my door sills this morning.

Sounds like strut top spacers and rear shackles combined with some higher profile tyres sound like a perfect increase. 4" on suspension and 2-3"with the wheels.

This is for a Mitsubishi Triton. Do you know where I can get the parts from?...

where are you located ? if you cant get them locally i can send them to you, ill get a firm price on monday for you,

[mikethevigoman]

As someone already noted, you will only be increasing the height of the body but not the drivetrain. One important thing to bear in mind is that every inch you raise the body increases the ease with which your truck will tip over. I saw a formula once that would let you know how much each inch raising would lower the tipping factor but I can't recall it and cannot find it when I searched. It's out there somewhere...I have seen some Suzuki 4WD vehicles raised so high it looks like you could tip them over by hand.

Drive train and gearbox will be raised, axles will remain as standard,.but you are right about stability,over 4 inches and you are into off road specialist stuff, different shocks etc,.but for road work id say dont go over 4 inch,.off road is a completly different story. horses for courses,.

Edited October 20, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[CBRSamui]

Hey Mike. I live in BoPhut, Koh Samui.

4 inches is good for me (and for the missus... he he...) Those wheels look awesome!

[mikethevigoman]

Hey Mike. I live in BoPhut, Koh Samui.

4 inches is good for me (and for the missus... he he...) Those wheels look awesome!

i have this set of 22s for sale,they were 130000 new ,3000 kms on them ,ill take 65000,.

[qualtrough]

As someone already noted, you will only be increasing the height of the body but not the drivetrain. One important thing to bear in mind is that every inch you raise the body increases the ease with which your truck will tip over. I saw a formula once that would let you know how much each inch raising would lower the tipping factor but I can't recall it and cannot find it when I searched. It's out there somewhere...I have seen some Suzuki 4WD vehicles raised so high it looks like you could tip them over by hand.

Drive train and gearbox will be raised, axles will remain as standard,.but you are right about stability,over 4 inches and you are into off road specialist stuff, different shocks etc,.but for road work id say dont go over 4 inch,.off road is a completly different story. horses for courses,.

Doh! Thanks for the correction. I meant to say axles and diffs.

[martynsnowman]

Can anyone explain to me how you increase the ride-height of a truck by 6 inches by altering the suspension?...

Are spacers involved or new suspension struts?...

What is the average cost?...

I suggest a lift by 2" strut top spacers and rear shackles.that actually gives a 4" lift !,. im doing my navara today, i did my vigo before and it was fine,. im doing it to have bigger tyre/wheel clearance,.if you go over 4 inches it is a lot more money and to be honest it will affect geometry and ride quality,.cost of what im doing is approx 4000 baht,

hi mike ,

i,ve got a 2 wheel drive 4 door navara , are you saying i can get it liffted by 4 inch and the ride still be o.k for about 4000bt ??? an any body shop do it or you have to go to nissan ??

[Gary A]

The rear end of my 2004 Nissan Frontier sat quite high. The Nissan has front torsion bar suspension. I took it to an alignment shop and had the torsion bars adjusted until the truck sat level. I gained more than two inches road clearance. The alignment and adjustment cost me 350 baht. Nothing else was required.

[Sanpatong]

And if clearance is what you're looking for, the axles and differential will remain at the same height. That' s another job.

Well, wait a minute, the PURPOSE of lifting a car is "to be able to fit bigger wheels/tyres". So with bigger wheels, the whole lot will be further off the ground including the axles and everything else.

Typically: Don't lift more than needed to fit the tyres you want (need) to fit.

Also, don't go overboard with it: You don't turn 2WD trucks into semi off road vehicles by lifting them; rear drive still sucks in slippery conditions. It will of course help a bit with flooding scenarios. And for 4WD vehicles, consider if clearance actually ever is likely to be an issue for your typical use. Isuzu 4WD didn't use to be all that high (D-Max is now higher), definitely lower than for example Mitsubishi and Toyota. However it absolutely never proved to be a problem, with some moderate 4WD use. In fact I also own another truck that's higher, but with an engine with crap torque.. guess which one is by FAR the better off road vehicle: The lower one with the more torquey engine!!

Finally, for many Off Road scenarios, WIDE tyres aren't actually all that good. Basically the only thing wide tyres are good for is sand. (Beach & desert, and snow I guess.) For the more typical up-country red clay/mud, look at how Royal Project / NGO / hilltribe people select their tyres: Tall & narrow!

[thai4u]

what is the max size can fit into a 2x4 DMAX and not hurt the stability of the car?

I just want to make it little bit higher and give more "massive" look .

(the original tyres looks very bad..MAG but not match for me.. I think its not beautiful).

[elkangorito]

After 4 Toyota Landcruisers over 16 years & mostly used for relatively "serious" 4wdriving, raising the height of a vehicles has pros & cons:

Pros.

1] better chassis/body ground clearance. I used OME (Old Man Emu - Australian) kits for this purpose & served very well for serious 4wdriving purposes.

2] Easier to work underneath the vehicle.

3] A good quality lift kit improves the ability of the suspension to absorb abnormal shocks.

4] Improved forward visibility.

Cons.

1] Higher COG (Centre Of Gravity) means higher possibility of "rollover".

2] Extra "wind drag" at high speeds. Higher fuel consumption.

3] Slightly reduced braking performance (weight transfer).

4] Less controlability in slides. (top heavy momentum plus oversteer/understeer).

5] Higher maintenance costs.

I also agree that wide tyres have no significant performance gain for traction. Over the years, I experimented with many different types of tyres. In the wet (mud), I found that Goodyear "Extra Grip" (heavy lug, narrow tyres - 6 ply sidewall, 8 ply tread) to be the best. Partially deflating them added to their performance under low speed & extremely muddy conditions.

In the dry, I found that "Hi-Milers" were the best (smooth with narrow zig zags, narrow tyres - 6 ply sidewall, 8 ply tread).

Both of the above sets of tyres were not tubeless (split rim).

The worst type of tyre I bought & used was any wide tyre. Most of them have a 2 ply sidewall & 4 to 6 ply tread, which is easily punctured but give much better cornering than a "truck" tyre. They also have a lower load carrying characteristic than the "light truck" tyres.

Any tyre will perform ok in the dry (off road). The "wet" is a totally different matter.

[Petch01]

3] Slightly reduced braking performance (weight transfer).

Thanks a lot for the good explanation. I don't really want to disagree with you who has a lot more experience than I have but the "Slightly reduced braking performance" is underestimated.

We all agree that a higher COG ( calculated from the back or front) will cause an easier tillting (the problems with the first SUV in the USA). A higher COG (measured in the length of the vehicle) will give extra force on the front train (while braking) as the angle between the length-COG and the front train has increased.

You will go straight on when you want to turn left or right while (slightly) braking.

Petch01

[mikethevigoman]

Can anyone explain to me how you increase the ride-height of a truck by 6 inches by altering the suspension?...

Are spacers involved or new suspension struts?...

What is the average cost?...

Ive just given myself an additional 4 inches ! cost 2700 baht ! two spacers on the front struts and two longer shackles on the back,

Edited October 26, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[mikethevigoman]

Can anyone explain to me how you increase the ride-height of a truck by 6 inches by altering the suspension?...

Are spacers involved or new suspension struts?...

What is the average cost?...

I suggest a lift by 2" strut top spacers and rear shackles.that actually gives a 4" lift !,. im doing my navara today, i did my vigo before and it was fine,. im doing it to have bigger tyre/wheel clearance,.if you go over 4 inches it is a lot more money and to be honest it will affect geometry and ride quality,.cost of what im doing is approx 4000 baht,

hi mike ,

i,ve got a 2 wheel drive 4 door navara , are you saying i can get it liffted by 4 inch and the ride still be o.k for about 4000bt ??? an any body shop do it or you have to go to nissan ??

Actually cost me 2700 ! . the ride is fine and i like being sat up higher,.in the pic bear in mind i have a lot bigger tyres on,.

[mikethevigoman]

The rear end of my 2004 Nissan Frontier sat quite high. The Nissan has front torsion bar suspension. I took it to an alignment shop and had the torsion bars adjusted until the truck sat level. I gained more than two inches road clearance. The alignment and adjustment cost me 350 baht. Nothing else was required.

The new navara d40 sits 2 inches lower on the front and cant be adjusted up, spacers are 800 a pair,.

[mikethevigoman]

And if clearance is what you're looking for, the axles and differential will remain at the same height. That' s another job.

Well, wait a minute, the PURPOSE of lifting a car is "to be able to fit bigger wheels/tyres". So with bigger wheels, the whole lot will be further off the ground including the axles and everything else.

Typically: Don't lift more than needed to fit the tyres you want (need) to fit.

Also, don't go overboard with it: You don't turn 2WD trucks into semi off road vehicles by lifting them; rear drive still sucks in slippery conditions. It will of course help a bit with flooding scenarios. And for 4WD vehicles, consider if clearance actually ever is likely to be an issue for your typical use. Isuzu 4WD didn't use to be all that high (D-Max is now higher), definitely lower than for example Mitsubishi and Toyota. However it absolutely never proved to be a problem, with some moderate 4WD use. In fact I also own another truck that's higher, but with an engine with crap torque.. guess which one is by FAR the better off road vehicle: The lower one with the more torquey engine!!

Finally, for many Off Road scenarios, WIDE tyres aren't actually all that good. Basically the only thing wide tyres are good for is sand. (Beach & desert, and snow I guess.) For the more typical up-country red clay/mud, look at how Royal Project / NGO / hilltribe people select their tyres: Tall & narrow!

Horses ? for courses ,.

Edited October 26, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[freoballdogs]

Hi Mike

Where did you get your lifters & do you know if the same for Ford Ranger, i want to lift about 4ins.

And does any know if you can get Bridgestone Mud tyres the same as i had in Aus.

Thanks Freoballdogs

[Jareddiving]

Mike,

You were driving on highway 36 today coming from Pattaya?

Turning left towards Bangkok/chon buri opposit of the regents school?

I think i recognised your car from the picture you posted yesterday

The car looked good!

Also do you know where i can get the striping done?

The same you had on your vigo..

Also are they stickers or spray-painted?

And what is the approx price, it's for a vigo btw.

Thanks!