Liffty

[JHarris1385]

Alright the question is.......TO LIFT OR NOT TO LIFT? ????????????

Send me your pros/cons, advice, suggestions.

My main concern is added stress to the VX after lift.
And whats the deal with torn CV boots, I dont even know what a CV is (but I read there are kevlar covers for them?)

If the pros outweighth the cons I will lift in the next three weeks....

Parts needed for lift:
OEM 912's
Ball Joint flip
___
___
___
anything else?

[BBVX]

Been lifted for almost 4 yrs, offroaded for 3yrs+, no problems.

I've broken things while wheeling, but nothing related to my lift. My CV boots look brand new. If you are lifting just for the look, you should have no issues.

If you are going to wheel it, you are going to break things. I don't even think you can tear a CV boot unless you catch it on a rock, or disconnect your swaybar, but I'm not positive. Triathlete? Bob? Spazz?



Brian

[JHarris1385]

Yes good answer. What size tires do you have. I would like to fit a 31.5ish?

Score board:
Do (1) vs. Don't do it (0)

[etlsport]

iirc you were worried about your gas mileage being low in ur VX... a lift/bigger tires will make it worse and slow your vx down some

[WiSDoM]

I lifted and never looked back. The only thing i wished i had done different is gone with bigger tires. I have 265/70/17 yoko mud+. Next time maybe 305 or 315/70/17. I haven't noticed anything negative. I didn't buy my Vx for the mileage I wheel with it too. I haven't broke anything yet, knock on wood. I rive my Vx for 80 min commute each way to a house I am building and generally wheel on my lunch break or hit some powerlines on my way home.

[BBVX]

I'm running 33x10.5x15 BFG MTs.

Do you even need a lift for 31.5? Isn't stock size like 29.8 or so? Couldn't you put a few cranks on the T-bars and be done with it? I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just curious.



Brian

[ZEUS]

Well if you are planning on going with 31.5" tires on stock rims or close to stock offset rims then you really don't have to lift it. I mounted 31.5" tires on an 18x8.5 rim with 0 offset - they stick out past the cladding a bit. Wormgod has the same size tire, rim, and offset on his. Some trimming around the front wheel wells and cranking the torsion bars up an inch is all that was needed to clear them. The handling was barely affected in comparison to the 2.5" lift I have now. The ride and handling get worse every inch you lift it, obviously. Torque is lost for every inch increase in tire size as well. Braking performance also suffers some - a lift will make you nose dive more during hard braking too. You could try using the 1" coil spacers in the rear and cranking the front up 1.5-2". That would be a nice compromise if you don't want to go for the full 2.5" lift. Or just go for it - you will find your own negatives and positives for whatever you decide to do!

[Ldub]

I'm with WiSDoM...lifted & never looked back, also wish I would have gone with larger tires from the start instead of "sneaking up" on 33's.

I went from stock to 265/70x16 thinking that would be enough...Riiight.

Then, after Moab, OME 912's, BJ flip, T-bar crank & a set of 285/75x16" Nitto Terra-Graps(almost 33")...There, THAT ought to do it...Riiight...

I think you know the rest...33's on dubs, H-D tie rods & lower links, another inch of lift, flares, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Now all I want... 34's or 35's, lockers, SAS, body lift, winch, more skid plate, bigger sliders...

It's all trade off's...which side of the coin you wish to be on.

Aside from trimming a little cladding where it isn't noticed anyway, everything discussed so-far, is reversible...it's only money...

Now that I read this, maybe you should get out now, while you can still save yourself !

[JHarris1385]

Well by the time I read this post, ITS TOO LATE. I bought the 912's from Rocky Road and can not wait to put them on. Along with buying the 912's I went to pep-boys and pre order some out of stock 265/75-16 AT's now I am thinking those are too small? I thought Bimatti has 265/70-17 with his lift which is very comparable to my tires I bought (and i thought they looked good). But since they are on back order I is never too late to go back and order something bigger. I really dont want a tire that is too wide, for this is my daily commute car now. But if you all say Ill regret it you all know best I will easily turn around and get some more meat (I really am seeking a midly quite road tire with good off roadness.) I am fitting these on some 16x8 pro-comp 8089 0offset 4.5bs, just to let you know. (I dont have them yet they are going to arrive at my door Weds., hopefully, if you happen to know of my past exp with shipping tires/wheels)


Thanks for all your opinons. Bring some more
CV issues?
Kevlar CV boot covers? Where?
Tie rods? how much-what kind-where at-how hard to install

And I am a novice to 4x4's where the #### is the torsion bar nut.

I need a torque wrench for these, any suggestions? I did see a goodyear cordless at Pep-boys but did not catch a price only that it t's to 200lbs.

Also where is the best place to get a jack and two stands or all they all comparable.


Thanks again.

[Ldub]

In no particular order...

265/75-16" are probably a good compromise @ 31.6", since you didn't want to go too wide, also, the wider, the taller, the heavier,... the lower the mileage will be.

The "bug" doesn't bite us all with the same intensity...you'll never know untill it's too late.

As far as quiet off-road tires goes, my two faves are Nitto terra grapplers & Bridgestone Dueller REVO's.

Jacks & stands ?...shop around, I found some spiffy chrome 6 ton stands @ Sam's Club for 25 bucks a pair. Got my jack @ Harbor Freight.

You can crank your T-bar nuts with a 1/2" ratchet, though some extra leverage (pipe to extend the handle or a breaker bar) will come in handy, also liquid wrench or PB blaster is your friend. (put it on your nuts)
You will find a great "how to" on the 4X4 wire.(also giving you a better idea of location)
OR...crawl under & trace the torsion bar back from where it attaches to the lower control arm, at the end of the T-bar is where the adjustment nuts are.

edit...I decided I like the "how to" for the T-bar crank at Planet Isuzu better...
also has other info. of intrest to you.(HD tie rods etc.)

[ZEUS]

OOOhhh... you are in so much trouble! You have been bitten... "Should I go bigger?" If you are asking that before even getting your tires, you are in trouble!
I wouldn't worry about your CV boots yet. There is accelerated wear from the increase in angle but it's not all that severe. You have time. As for adjusting the torsion bars, an electric impact wrench is not necessary. Spazz and I have found some of them don't work past a horizontal plane anyway. I got a 3/4" slide bar and socket at Sears that works great to adjust the torsion bars and remove big stubborn nuts on the vehicle. You can put lots of leverage on that thing and it makes it easy to make several full turns on the adjuster nuts without ever removing it. Many auto stores have sales on combo packs of floor jacks and stands right now - tis the season. I would stay away from Wal-Mart though - is no bueno.

Here is the link Ldub speaks of: http://www.planetisuzoo.com/articles...Bar_Adjustment

Those are some good looking wheels! Post pics when you get everything mounted up. I plan on stepping up to 33" BFG A/T's in a few months - they have a great rep as a nice, jack of all trades, light truck tire. You could call around for shops that carry blems (factory asthetically blemished tires that fetch a discount price).

[Triathlete]

Lifted...Love it...and use it! Wouldn't have it any other way....well, except SAS'd!

[etlsport]

check sears.. i just got a craftsman 2-1/4 floor jack and two 2-1/4 ton jack stand for just under $30 total

[WormGod]

Lift.

I would if I could fit it in the garage afterwards.

[kpaske]

If you want larger or wider tires, you'll probably need to lift. Here are some cons:

If you crank your torsion bars all the way, you WILL tear CV boots, even if you never leave the pavement. I believe the simplest cure for this might be the Mechatech boots which are super flexible - I have them, but have not installed yet so I can't speak from personal experience. I believe the "Kevlar covers" you speak of protect the CV boots from tears from debris and whatnot - those wouldn't prevent tears that are caused by a CV joint that is stressed from the angle it is placed in by lifting. Next step up is to get the diff drop brackets and a modified cross member. This will ease the strain on the CV joints, but you'll lose a little bit of ground clearance. I've had a set on order for a couple of months now - good luck getting one any time soon. Beyond that, you need to go SAS.

If you put bigger, wider, heavier tires on your VX, you WILL notice a difference in performance. With 33's my VX is sluggish, especially on initial take off and going up hills. A gear swap should help some. I'm still trying to get all the parts I need for that one. Once again, good luck if you want to go this route. Ultimately I'll also need more power, either with a supercharger or another engine. You may also want to get your speedo/odo recalculated.

Also, there is the handling difference - you definitely won't be taking those corners as fast as you used to.

In retrospect, I don't regret lifting my VX, as I've always had the "bug" and knew this was the road I was going down. If you do decide to join us, we'll be hear to help you along the way.

Oh yeah, and mine won't fit in a standard garage either, but it will if I remove the spare tire from the rack.