How much benefit is a susp. lift if I stick with 32s?

[ShooterMcGavin]

I am trying to plan out my mods by figuring out my ultimate goal. I have very little offroad experience, since I just bought my first truck, but I want to get out more and on more rugged terrain. I did some snow driving this Winter and I did a little offroad driving on dirt/rock this weekend.

I am on 32" AT tires (265|75R16) and they are good so far. I scraped my tow hitch on some dirt this weekend, but I don't care. Other than sticks and junk scraping my belly, I didn't have any clearance issues on the mild terrain this weekend (running boards still attached). I like the idea of only lifting as much as you need to avoid tire rubbing. I haven't hit any severe terrain, but I also haven't had any rubbing. For mileage concerns, I might try to stick with 32s. Does a suspension lift really benefit me?

I just bought some used front coilovers, setup for 3" of lift (still need to buy rear stuff). Here are the benefits of a SL as I see it, but correct me if I'm wrong... greater front bumper clearance with better angles of attack, higher front diff clearance, higher clearance for running boards, higher clearance for tow hitch. Maybe all of that is worth it for me, and I know I will have to decide. Is that all pretty much correct? If you were sticking with 32" tires, how much would you value a suspension lift?

P.S. I might one day want 33" tires, and then the whole game changes, I know

ETA: If I make the move up to 33s, I would be adding a 1/2" BL and then address rubbing by extending bump stops.

 

[JayRolla]

IMO the #1 best reason for a good suspension lift is for the flex/articulation that is added. The raised center of gravity is not that good really. The goal is the lowest possible center of gravity with the most flex possible without rubbing your tires.

If you dont have a locker the biggest issue is when a tire comes off the ground when flexing. The open diff just spins the tire in the air and you go no where. If you keep all tire planted you will just climb up. If you have a locker than even if you come off ground it will still push both tire evenly so you get through the obstacle. The added ground clearance and approach angles are just bonus of the lift.

 

[SCRunner12]

The benefits are in the travel with smaller tires. Your ground clearance under the body (skids/axles) is dependent on tire size, but stock shocks/coils have less travel than aftermarket lifts. So you can flex a lot more with a lift and thus attempt/complete a greater amount of obstacles that stock. Also your body clearance is higher on a a lifted application which will help with approach and departure angles.

 

[BrandonF]

Suspension lift doesn't help you clear tires. It depends on your bumpstops.

Just saying...

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

IMO the #1 best reason for a good suspension lift is for the flex/articulation that is added. The raised center of gravity is not that good really. The goal is the lowest possible center of gravity with the most flex possible without rubbing your tires.

I agree. Articulation is a definite benefit. I guess my small amount of experience doesn't allow me to know when I am optimizing my flex and also not raising my CoG too high. Just in those terms, where is the ideal trade-off for height, do you think?

Suspension lift doesn't help you clear tires. It depends on your bumpstops.

Just saying...

True. I agree.

 

[ARC]

Suspension lift doesn't help you clear tires. It depends on your bumpstops.

Just saying...

Sometimes I think I am the only person who realizes this.

OP unless you are unhappy with your ride quality I would not lift it. Changing geometry from the way it was originally engineered has many negative affects. I would save the cash for when/if you are ready to start wheeling harder. $.02

 

[SR5Runner97]

If your suspension is worn then I would lift it because you need to put money there anyways. If it's in great shape then leave it till your tires wear and then upgrade to 285's when they're(your tires) dead.

 

[BrandonF]

Sometimes I think I am the only person who realizes this.

OP unless you are unhappy with your ride quality I would not lift it. Changing geometry from the way it was originally engineered has many negative affects. I would save the cash for when/if you are ready to start wheeling harder. $.02

Yes, there is more to a lift than just adding bigger coils if you want it to drive nicely. Just one example is your caster. I am at just under 3" of lift in the front and my caster is low. It isn't terrible, but if I want it to be back within toyota's specs, I need to install aftermarket Upper control arms, which alone cost more than some people want to spend on their lifts total.

My lift approach has been to run landcruiser coils in the rear to get the great flex, and then lift the front just to avoid getting too much rake. Im currently at 1.5" of rake with my heavy rear bumper and rock sliders, but 2-2.5" of rake is ideal in my opinion.