Body Lift Opinions Please...

[JakeTheAlligatorMan]

Come on now, lets hear your opinions on bodylift on 1:1 rigs please. Maybe a couple reasons to back up your opinion.

[sambmx]

I dislike body lifts. Its because all you gain is some fender clearance and its the easy way out. You dont gain anything but some bigger tires. Suspension is much better, you can get more chassis clearence, articulation, and keep that body low where it belongs.

[skyjacker_rc_club]

Like he said

I would cut before i would do a body lift. ;)

[stlcrawler]

I have mixed feelings behind a body lift. I was thinking about it on my jeep only because I could lift he engine to get a better drive line angle without doing a slip yoke eliminator.
Much over 1.5" and they look a little goofy.

[kwj48]

Originally Posted by sambmx

I dislike body lifts. Its because all you gain is some fender clearance and its the easy way out. You dont gain anything but some bigger tires. Suspension is much better, you can get more chassis clearence, articulation, and keep that body low where it belongs.

Bigger tires = ground clearance at the diffs, not a lot but could make a differance.

[yukoneer]

My yukon has a 2" body lift. I did that so i dont have to fork over a thousand of $'s for a suspension lift that I do not need yet. I have trimmed my fenders 1-2" too so I can run 35's without any rubbing. I also like a body lift + trimming because it allows you to run the suspension setup as it was from the factory, which is more reliable - no issues with anything associated with a suspension lift.

I don't have any problems with a body lift - however more than 2" would be fugly because thats when the gaps between body/frame really shows alot. On jeeps such as YJ, TJ's, i'd rather run only a 1" BL because on a 2", they look terrible in the back.

If you want to run larger tires, without the added expense of a suspension lift -then a body lift is the way to go. It also depends on the rig you have too. Oh, did you know that you cannot put a body lift on a jeep cherokee??



Here's my 2" body lifted yukon next to a stock tahoe:






here's what it looks like right now with cutout fender flares and 2" body lift, and 35's:

[ToyTundra]

i am not a fan of body lifts on 1:1s. My reasons:
1.)Longer bolts to hold the cab to the frame are more likely to shear in an accident.
2.)No point to bigger tires if there is no gained articulation. I guess for mud it would be okay.

[mike]

all you gain is a is a higher cog. you would only be able to step up like one tire size( like that will help at all) with a 2", and any thing more is ugly. i would completly hack my fenders before i put a bodylift on.

[sambmx]

[quote]Bigger tires = ground clearance at the diffs, not a lot but could make a differance.


suspension lift=more fender clearance, bigger tires, which give you more under diff clearance, artic,all with the body where it belongs.

cut fenders are much better than a body lift.

[CrawlinForLife]

Body lifts are ok as long as they aren't too big for the rig. Yes they raise CG, but not as much as a suspension lift. For something that doesn't see much off-road it might be the way to go. I had one on my old S-10 blazer, and it made so many squeaks and stuff in the cab afterwards that I didn't have before. Thats my only complaint, but it wasn't a real solid truck either and a 4 door at that.

[bubbacheechee]

I think body lifts are ridiculously ugly and are for the posers that want their rig to just look cool with no porformance

[egdinger]

In some situations they are okay. Sometimes, such as in engine sawps, the engine sits higher and the air cleaner would sitck out of the hood and inch or so, not a problem with a small body lift.

When doing a lot of custom things they can be okay if you need the added clearance, but I don't think they look all that good above 2" or so. Although above rediculase I think they look kinda cool. Like when you see real old (70's) pickups that the engine is able to be seen between the bumper and grill.

[radishkid]

If you can, do it right. On a Jeep for example, the pucks look hack, especially in the back. I personally don't like to see my frame rails either. Depending on the vehicle (Yukoneer's Blazer being the case in point) they can look ok, but the bottom line is that a body lift is for show, not go.

[phillyb]

Originally Posted by ToyTundra

i am not a fan of body lifts on 1:1s. My reasons:
1.)Longer bolts to hold the cab to the frame are more likely to shear in an accident.
2.)No point to bigger tires if there is no gained articulation. I guess for mud it would be okay.

im with toy. the higher CG combined with longer bolts of the same diameter and material would make it easier for the body to no longer be attached to the frame. not to mention it will throw off the calibration of the airbags in newer cars, and may affect a cars crumple zones, all of which put the safety of the passengers in question.

anything more than an inch looks fugly, on some trucks (tahoe pictured seems to be an exception, nice tahoe btw, thats my personal favorite tire!!). most of the time you can not only see the frame but see whats going on on the other side of the truck between the frame and cab.

like mike said, even with a 2 inch (more than id go) you only get maybe a plus 2 gain in tire size. this seems like a 'ricer' mod, all show, not much go. im not saying anything bad about em but not for me (especially since i sold my 4x4) at the moment.

as far as keeping the stock geometry and ride height, ok thats nice but again im not for show. most decent suspension lifts keep the stock geometry and ride quality (sometimes improving it, on the nicer kits) and improve off-road abilities.

[Grizzly4x4]

I do not like body lifts on daily driven street vehicles because of the added stress to the bolts over time. Just like any kind of lift, they have their place and in the hands of the wrong people can be made dangerous.

I run a 3" body lift on my Bronco. They help on Bronc's because the transmission tunnel is very small and it is difficult to run anything but the stock 3spd manual or C4 auto.
I have cut as much fender as I can without losing the look of the Bronco or having to tub the rear end. I have 5" of suspension lift, so I am reaching the limit of the drivetrain. So a body lift helps me run the 39.5's. This is not a daily driver, I will only drive it on the street occasionaly. I also drilled out all of the body bolt holes and upgraded to 1/2" grade 8 bolts for additional strength.

[Grizzly4x4]

Originally Posted by bubbacheechee

I think body lifts are ridiculously ugly and are for the posers that want their rig to just look cool with no porformance

Cereful about your generalizations there, I know many hardcore wheelers that run some type of body lift.

[TwistedCreations]

i don't like BL's but yet i have ran them on my yota. i only go to a 2" . but the main reason i run it is because it makes working on the trail truck easier, sometimes having to reach in to get to the top bolts of the trans and stuff. i have had body lifts shift my whole cab over and i have broke body lift bolts also. but like i done said, i dont like them, but yet do see you can run them in some situations to get more tire. it's just all preference. but as for the comment that griz replied too, i just gotta give it one of these as griz said, i know alot of hardcore guys that run some type of lift also. it helps if you want to do a drivetrain lift. so its not for all mall posing trucks

[skid]

Don't like um, but I run a 2" in my Yota. $400 headers left me very few options. Looks alright if the frame can be coverd by some rock sliders.

[AdamF]

I had a 1" on my 96 4Runner along with a 3" suspension. Installed it myself. Very happy. On my 88 4Runner I have a 3" body lift that was installed by the previous owner, along with a 4" suspension lift. No problems with it either.

But I do think a body lift alone without a suspension lift is just plain retarted.

[phillyb]

Originally Posted by AdamF

But I do think a body lift alone without a suspension lift is just plain retarted.

i guess thats more along the lines of what i was thinking. basically if your vehicle never sees trail use, and you dont even have 4x4, then i dont like it. i do think it is a necessary option for those who have maximized their suspension lifts, like grizzly, especially on a trail vehicle.

most of the ones i see around here it was done simply to add to the 'look' of the vehicle by making it taller and able to fit larger tires for the cheapest price. but sometimes you dont have any other option than the body lift. i sure have seen some 'hack' body lifts though.

i did it to my friends jeep, he did it to clear a set of tires. got the tires for free, so he was excited about it. but you can see the pucks, he doesnt care he loves it.