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How much lift is too much lift?

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I'm considering getting a new truck to help haul stuff when I move from Syracuse to Denver. I know the best thing for me to get is like a long bed extended cab, but i've found a chevy Silverado 1500 with a 12" lift and a 3" body lift. The things is pretty sick, not complete but the owner is willing to finish it before it's sold.

I'm curious is this going to be way overkill, and not any fun, or is it going to be moderately ok on both roads and when I travel to denver. It's going to be mainly a daily driver, with the massively long highway trip. I figure I can expect under ten gas mileage, but what, realistically, is the figure going to be like.

Is this completely retarded, or is it worth a shot? The guy wants 2500, lowest is 1800, which seems like a solid deal.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,032
7,551
i'd say that's too much. as you noted the gas mileage will be abysmal, and i bet the tires (assuming m/t or swampers or similar) will be noisy and squirmy.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Thats way tall, even for most wheelin'. When I get a silverado (daily driver (and shutler), weekend wheeler) I am currently thinking a 4" supension lift w/ 33's.

That would be terrible on road, think of how much body roll it would have. And a damn high center of gravity.
 

Spunger

Git yer dumb questions here
Feb 19, 2003
2,257
0
805
I currently have 9" of total lift (3" body, 6" suspension). I have 33" super swampers on it. I couldn't imagine taking it on a long ride with the tires on it. Maybe BFG muds or AT's but that's what I want to go for next. Gearing plays a big part as well. You'll burn up a rear end or the tranny if you run giant tires and the rear is something weak like 3.42's or anything in the low 3.00 area for gears. Hell I have 3.73 and it's suspose to run a max 33 for decent town gas mileage and highway. 4.56's would be ideal for power and what not but gears cost alot of $$$.

My truck really doesn't sit all that high for having so much lift. My tires are worn down so that helps with it's stance but even if I was to go to 35's which would be it (no need to go bigger, really no need to go bigger than 33's).

I have the 5.7 v8 TBI injected. I dunno exactly how much I get to the gallon but it's not that bad. Not for having the safty of a truck, being higher than others, having power etc....it sorta works out in the end.
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,524
I'd pass.

Putting tires on that will be expensive. With that much lift, I'd guess anything less than a 36-38 inch tire will look stupid.
 

hooples3

Fuggetaboutit!
Mar 14, 2005
5,245
0
Brooklyn
I have 33's on my CJ .. it has a 4" suspension and a 2" body lift... the thing looks all jacked up .. and driving it onroad for over an hour isnt exactly fun
 

hooples3

Fuggetaboutit!
Mar 14, 2005
5,245
0
Brooklyn
McGRP01 said:
Anything over 4" is overkill.
I agree.. for any serious offorading, which probably less than 50% of people who have lifted trucks actually do, 4" is pleanty
after that its mostly for the "look"
 

ummbikes

Don't mess with the Santas
Apr 16, 2002
1,794
0
Napavine, Warshington
I have 3" of suspension lift and 32X11.5 AT's on a 4Cyl Jeep XJ. My milage went from 20 mpg to 12. It sucks on the freeway and my wife, kids, and co-workers hate getting in and out of it.

I personally love it, it does great on the trails!

The truck your looking at by your description sounds like trouble.

There is a reason the dude isn't driving it.
 

The Toninator

Muffin
Jul 6, 2001
5,436
17
High(ts) Htown
Sandwich said:
I'm considering getting a new truck to help haul stuff when I move from Syracuse to Denver. I know the best thing for me to get is like a long bed extended cab, but i've found a chevy Silverado 1500 with a 12" lift and a 3" body lift. The things is pretty sick, not complete but the owner is willing to finish it before it's sold.

I'm curious is this going to be way overkill, and not any fun, or is it going to be moderately ok on both roads and when I travel to denver. It's going to be mainly a daily driver, with the massively long highway trip. I figure I can expect under ten gas mileage, but what, realistically, is the figure going to be like.

Is this completely retarded, or is it worth a shot? The guy wants 2500, lowest is 1800, which seems like a solid deal.
god himself will let you know when you truck is to tall.
 

McGRP01

beer and bikes
Feb 6, 2003
7,793
0
Portland, OR
ummbikes said:
I have 3" of suspension lift and 32X11.5 AT's on a 4Cyl Jeep XJ. My milage went from 20 mpg to 12. It sucks on the freeway and my wife, kids, and co-workers hate getting in and out of it.

I personally love it, it does great on the trails!

The truck your looking at by your description sounds like trouble.

There is a reason the dude isn't driving it.
Pics? I'm thinking about lifting my XJ.
 

biggins

Rump Junkie
May 18, 2003
7,173
9
yep you are retarded for considering it.

the tires, the gas, the horrible handling on the highway. also if you are gonna be using it for hauling stuff you are going to soon realize that the bed is too high up to make it usefull.

another thing you might want to check is bumper height laws. many states have laws that require your bumper to be a certain height from the road to keep cars from going up under you in the event of a rear end collision. you lifted truck may require a lowered bumper which looks pretty dumb.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Sandwich said:
seriously, I am retarded for even considering it!
Yes. :D

No, really, unless you've got some kind of off roading fetish and punish your truck every single day of the year, there's no point to that. I had a stock Tacoma that I took offroad 5-6 days a week, and that truck went everywhere with no lift, no enormous tires.

That thing looks like it'd be downright dangerous on the highway.
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
If it were me, I would steer clear. When someone is selling a truck with a ton of lift, there is a reason. Plus, if you are driving long highway roads daily, it would SUCK. It'lll be all nice and noodley, plus you'd have to take turns at like 5 MPH to keep from flipping ;)
 

biggins

Rump Junkie
May 18, 2003
7,173
9
also with tired that big you have to consider the longevity of the vehicle. your steering components as well as suspension and drive train components will wear out very rapidly. You will dump tons of money into keeping it running.
 

Fast Monkey

Chimp
Jun 14, 2003
39
0
Washington
check the local law for bumer and headlight height... my buddy was just hit with an $800 ticket when the cop was done being a *ick. But then again he was pulled over for not having mudflaps. (Toyota truck 6" lift, 38" BFG MTR's, exo cage, ect, ect)

I lifted my Toyota 6" and planned to put 36" tires on it... but without regearing the axels, it would kill the engine. So make sure if they have huge tires, they have taken the time to regear!
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Let me put it you this way:

I'm moving from San Diego to San Francisco and plan to ride my bike up there. I want to get a bike I can ride on the trip and also keep as a trail bike for the fireroads and singletrack in the Bay Area. This guy I know wants to sell me his Karpiel Armageddon with a Monster T and special 4" gazzies that don't really fit right unless he jacks the suspension and widens the real triangle. The price is right but the dude needs to finish up these mods before I give him the cash and then move hundreds of miles away. I know it's not smart but I think it will look kind of cool. Do you think this is a good idea?
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
If it's done right and had decent road tires (some MTs, most ATs, all seasons, etc), the ride could be pretty decent. Take it slow in turns because of how high the center of gravity will be. Also, make sure the steering is tight.

IMO, that's just plain dumb for a daily driver. Around here, teh truck is too big (wide/long) for real wheeling, so all that lift doesn't do much. Not sure what trails are like out west...

I think it's silly to consider it.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
hooples3 said:
I agree.. for any serious offorading, which probably less than 50% of people who have lifted trucks actually do, 4" is pleanty
after that its mostly for the "look"
depends on the truck and the type of wheeling. Try to do any serious rockcrawling on 33s without a crawler box...

wheelbase is just as important as lift, nevermind gears/lockers.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,135
Portland, OR
Loading and unloading is a huge pain in the ass and back. My old truck had only 6" of lift and 35" tires. Getting my motorcycle in and out of the back was a 2 man operation unless I felt like hurting myself.

It looked cool and the chicks dug it, but as for being useful, it was not.

My Toyota had 5" + 3" and 36" tires, but the bed wasn't as high and with 5.29 gears, I got 18 mpg average (22re motor with some mods).
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Can I drop the truck by flipping the axles under the leaf springs? I thought it was a common trick to do the opposite with old jeeps, you remove the axle and install them underneath the springs, gaining 2" or so of lift. Could I do the opposite, and drop 2" or more? The body lift could be removed, which would immediately drop it 2-3".

I would probably attempt to get some 36" Trxus all terrains, they seem to be OK on street and a variety of surfaces.

Understand, also, that this is a pretty fair deal on the truck regardless of lift. He has a rebuilt 350 he's installing, a zero rust cab, new fenders, new bumpers, etc. If I can make the truck a little more tame, I'm still getting a good deal on a good truck, even if it's not huge.

Also, thanks for the annoying analogy, but it would also be fun to own. I can see where you're coming from with the Karpiel BS, but if you put 2.5" tires on it and a super-t, you don't have a terrible bike. This truck is in good shape and is built right....man, why am I even bothering, I should have known better than to post something on negativemonkey.

Thanks for the advice to those who bothered.
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
Sandwich said:
Can I drop the truck by flipping the axles under the leaf springs? I thought it was a common trick to do the opposite with old jeeps, you remove the axle and install them underneath the springs, gaining 2" or so of lift. Could I do the opposite, and drop 2" or more? The body lift could be removed, which would immediately drop it 2-3".

I would probably attempt to get some 36" Trxus all terrains, they seem to be OK on street and a variety of surfaces.

Understand, also, that this is a pretty fair deal on the truck regardless of lift. He has a rebuilt 350 he's installing, a zero rust cab, new fenders, new bumpers, etc. If I can make the truck a little more tame, I'm still getting a good deal on a good truck, even if it's not huge.

Also, thanks for the annoying analogy, but it would also be fun to own. I can see where you're coming from with the Karpiel BS, but if you put 2.5" tires on it and a super-t, you don't have a terrible bike. This truck is in good shape and is built right....man, why am I even bothering, I should have known better than to post something on negativemonkey.

Thanks for the advice to those who bothered.
Dude, you asked. you know not everyone is going to agree with you. If you had already decided that you wanted to get it, and it was a good deal, why the hell even ask? Why would you ask on here if you think its "negative monkey?" and you my friend, with over 1,000 posts contruibute a lot to a website you dont like.

:nuts: