New Boss Lift

[Burnzy]

I finally got my Boss lift installed today. I am very pleased with how it handled on the way home. No dive when braking, minimal roll in the turns and a much nicer overall ride in terms of comfort. I guess the stock stuff was shot. Even though I am very happy I am also a little paranoid that something might be f#@$!?ed up that I don't know about even though I have read so much on this forum my eyes almost fell out. The mileage on the truck is 102,xxx and I did not install the diff drop. Here are the measurements (ground to fender)

Before: PF 34, DF 33.75, PR 36, DR 35.75
After: PF 38, DF 38, PR 38.5, DR 39

I will attempt to post pics.....If anyone sees anything that's messed up please let me know.

 

[Vetteman15]

Looks great! I just ordered my Boss lift and it should be here next week. When you had the alignment done, what did the shop say about the circled specs in your picture? I am worried about tire wear due to not being able to adjust the stock upper control arm.

 

[Burnzy]

They claimed that was the best they could do. In their defense they have always treated me and my wife very well and we have brought our cars there for years. However, they admittedly do not have a lot of experience with lifted trucks. They did say aftermarket UCA's would allow them to get everything to spec. I might try somewhere else tomorrow because based on some of the stuff I have read here the alignment might be way off. I really don't know enough about alignments to raise Hell with anyone so I was hoping somebody that does know would be able to say whether it is ok or not. Same goes with the CV angles, I'm not sure if they are OK or not.:shrug:

 

[wnelax04sr5]

how does it drive? floaty or wandering at all? i can imagine it would be

 

[LTDSC]

how does it drive? floaty or wandering at all? i can imagine it would be

id imagine it dodges, dips, dives, darts, dodges all over the road.

UCAs will fix you up right but it will be manageable until then.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

id imagine it dodges, dips, dives, darts, dodges all over the road.

UCAs will fix you up right but it will be manageable until then.

i believe thats a phenomenon known as "unintentional agility"

 

[preacher35]

I finally got my Boss lift installed today. I am very pleased with how it handled on the way home. No dive when braking, minimal roll in the turns and a much nicer overall ride in terms of comfort. I guess the stock stuff was shot. Even though I am very happy I am also a little paranoid that something might be f#@$!?ed up that I don't know about even though I have read so much on this forum my eyes almost fell out. The mileage on the truck is 102,xxx and I did not install the diff drop. Here are the measurements (ground to fender)

Before: PF 34, DF 33.75, PR 36, DR 35.75
After: PF 38, DF 38, PR 38.5, DR 39

I will attempt to post pics.....If anyone sees anything that's messed up please let me know.

What are you "paranoid" about? If you are confident that your mechanic knows what he/she is doing, then you will be fine. Regardless, drive it for about 50-100 miles, then jack it up, take the wheels off and re-torque EVERYTHING that was touched by your mechanic. You also really need to consider after market UCA's as you will have trouble getting your caster correct which WILL AFFECT the handling.

 

[Burnzy]

how does it drive? floaty or wandering at all? i can imagine it would be

Based on the 15 minutes I drove it, it seemed to handle very well. It tracked straight, no weird noises, like I said in my post it is much better than before. I am just curious about alignment specs and the cv angles.

 

[Burnzy]

What are you "paranoid" about? If you are confident that your mechanic knows what he/she is doing, then you will be fine. Regardless, drive it for about 50-100 miles, then jack it up, take the wheels off and re-torque EVERYTHING that was touched by your mechanic. You also really need to consider after market UCA's as you will have trouble getting your caster correct which WILL AFFECT the handling.

Maybe paranoid was the wrong word. "Concerned" might be better. I have confidence in the mechanic to the point that he knows a lot more than I do. They don't have a lot of experience with lifted vehicles...neither do I, this is my first one. I have probably read 2000+ posts related to lifts since I bought my truck and have read a number of posts that are about issues after getting lifts installed. My concerns are the alignment specs, are they reasonable or is my god damn tires going to grind off after 100 miles. And my cv angles, do they look like they should? I don't know because I don't have any first hand experience when it comes to lifting a truck.

 

[ebg18t]

Your CV angles look consistent with most others. You do need UCA's and I would suggest not cheaping out with the LR ones.

While you do trust your alignment shop I speculate there is a little more caster available then what they could dial in.

As [MENTION=89791]preacher35[/MENTION] mentioned double check all the bolts after a few hundred miles. Better safe then sorry.

 

[CO_Fletch]

And my cv angles, do they look like they should? I don't know because I don't have any first hand experience when it comes to lifting a truck.

Is there a reason you didn't install the diff drop? With a breaker bar and a floor jack, it's an easy install and will straighten out the CV, then you won't need to worry. I have the same lift and installed the drop - I was thinking I didn't want to loose 1" of clearance but I don;t think I lost any clearance - at most, maybe 1/4" from having to spacer my skid plates. With the drop installed, you will probably hit your rear diff before the front - that's been my experience wheeling.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Your CV angles look consistent with most others. You do need UCA's and I would suggest not cheaping out with the LR ones.

While you do trust your alignment shop I speculate there is a little more caster available then what they could dial in.

As [MENTION=89791]preacher35[/MENTION] mentioned double check all the bolts after a few hundred miles. Better safe then sorry.

I agree with most of this^^

A few things I see that I would change are;

The front is a touch too high for my taste. I would adjust the front COs down a bit. This will also help with your alignment.

You alignment is way off. They should've been able to at least get camber in spec.

I run the SPC/LR UCAs and have had good luck with them. I also check the torque on them every tire rotation. So far, they have never backed off from initial installation. With the SPC UCAs, they should easily get everything right on the money with those because they offer sooooo much adjustment. Are there "better" UCAs out there? Sure. They also charge accordingly.

 

[LTDSC]

I agree with most of this^^



A few things I see that I would change are;



The front is a touch too high for my taste. I would adjust the front COs down a bit. This will also help with your alignment.



You alignment is way off. They should've been able to at least get camber in spec.



I run the SPC/LR UCAs and have had good luck with them. I also check the torque on them every tire rotation. So far, they have never backed off from initial installation. With the SPC UCAs, they should easily get everything right on the money with those because they offer sooooo much adjustment. Are there "better" UCAs out there? Sure. They also charge accordingly.

I'll gladly for safety after how the LR UCAs have shown how tin can like they really are. I'm so much happier having ditched my LRs. No way I'd ever recommend them. Anyone who is running them now is on borrowed time. You just spent good money on your suspension and your vehicle, don't cheap out on one of the main components of your suspension. There's a reason why they're cheap.

 

[Burnzy]

About how much sag in the OEM suspension (non xreas) @100k miles can a person factor in when measuring before and after a lift? I know there is no exact number just looking for a range. My measurements say I got 4", and it looks every bit of it.

 

[Burnzy]

Is there a reason you didn't install the diff drop? With a breaker bar and a floor jack, it's an easy install and will straighten out the CV, then you won't need to worry. I have the same lift and installed the drop - I was thinking I didn't want to loose 1" of clearance but I don;t think I lost any clearance - at most, maybe 1/4" from having to spacer my skid plates. With the drop installed, you will probably hit your rear diff before the front - that's been my experience wheeling.

I didn't install it based on public opinion on this forum. I plan on dropping the front .5" - .75" to help out my CV's. This probably is a stupid question but if I do install the diff drop will I have to get it aligned again?

 

[CO_Fletch]

I didn't install it based on public opinion on this forum. I plan on dropping the front .5" - .75" to help out my CV's. This probably is a stupid question but if I do install the diff drop will I have to get it aligned again?

The diff drop won't impact any of the suspension components so no need to redo the alignment.

About how much sag in the OEM suspension (non xreas) @100k miles can a person factor in when measuring before and after a lift? I know there is no exact number just looking for a range. My measurements say I got 4", and it looks every bit of it.

When I talked with the Toytech rep, he indicated the most reliable method for measuring lift is from center of hub to top of wheel well opening/fender. They indicated measurements for New Stock Front = 19" and New Stock Rear = 21"

 

[Burnzy]

The diff drop won't impact any of the suspension components so no need to redo the alignment.



When I talked with the Toytech rep, he indicated the most reliable method for measuring lift is from center of hub to top of wheel well opening/fender. They indicated measurements for New Stock Front = 19" and New Stock Rear = 21"

Interesting. Those were my pre lift measurements from center of hub to wheel well.I picked up 2.5" in the rear and 4" in the front. I find it a little hard to believe that the suspension on a vehicle with100k + miles hasn't sagged at all. Next stop, Toytec.