Body lift vs Suspension lift

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adam98

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Ive had my '03 1500 for a few months now and have learned it's capabilities offroad. I quite clearly need some type of lift to continue to do what I have been doing. Im in school so money is limited, I was thinking a leveling kit and 3" body lift would do, but that would run me over $500-$600cad. 4" suspension kits seem to run $800-$1200. I have the stock tire size on now, but I think I'll run 35"s when I get new tires (maybe 37"s, but I want to avoid any rubbing). My question is does anyone know of a cheaper way to do a body lift? Maybe piecing it together rather than a kit or something. I just dont want to spend $600 for plastic spacers and some brackets when I could spend a bit more to get a proper suspension kit. Thanks
 

justin13703

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A body lift isn't gonna help you for what you want to do. Save up a little bit and spend the money on a suspension lift.
 

brandonjansen

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Exactly what Justin said. A body lift simply gives you more room for larger tires. It won't give you any more ground clearance for offroading. You'll definitely want to save up for a full suspension lift.

Also, you won't be running 37's on a 4" lift on a 1500. 35's will be the max and you wouldn't want to go any larger for offroading reasons again.
 

stev0n

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Exactly what Justin said. A body lift simply gives you more room for larger tires. It won't give you any more ground clearance for offroading.

except that larger tires WILL give you more ground clearance. So yes, a body lift & bigger tires will give you more ground clearance
 

Csanders1992

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Suspension lifts give you ground clearance at the frame which can be very important depending how long your wheel base is. Bigger tires give clearance at the axles


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JPT

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My theory (from the world of short wheel base jeeps), the ideal situation is a combination of both suspension AND body lifts. You want a small body lift to give you that extra for one or two larger tires than you can get from a suspension lift. The reason for this is, it does not raise the center of gravity as much as the equivalent suspension lift. So, when off camber (leaning to one side), it will help reduce the risk of rollover.

People knock body lifts, but they do serve their purpose when used with a suspension lift.
 

brandonjansen

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except that larger tires WILL give you more ground clearance. So yes, a body lift & bigger tires will give you more ground clearance

We're talking 1" or less more clearance from a tire in this situation. Practically nothing... So a suspension lift is still the way to go.
 
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adam98

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Any Canadians have any suggestions on where to look for this sort of thing? Shipping from most places is mildly exorbitant, and the current exchange rate is not helping at all.
 

xb1230

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One of our sponsor here is a Canadian based company with many outlets across the country :

Truck Parts & Jeep Parts - Lift Kits, Winches, Tonneau Covers, Tires, Wheels, Bumpers, Performance

They specialize in exactly the sort of things you are looking for.

Depending on where you are located in Canada, there could other local shops that also retail the body and suspensions lift parts and kits.

Try this little google search and replace "in Canada" with "Near <Your town name>"
Suspension Lift kits in Canada
 

brandonjansen

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Any Canadians have any suggestions on where to look for this sort of thing? Shipping from most places is mildly exorbitant, and the current exchange rate is not helping at all.

Check out North Shore Offroad or Sorat Wheel and Tire. Both are based out of Vancouver but I believe they ship Canada wide.
 
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