Lots of lift Q's

[AlaskaVX]

I do not want any kind of body lift done, 2 other people up here have modified the Trooper body lift to work but I don't really care to cut my plastics to get around the gas tank, etc. And LOTS of mods to the Trooper lift to make it work. Even with adding the diff. drop brackets it will take less time then installing the body lift
Thanks for the suggestion though.

B5150 will require custom brackets to use on the VX

Are you just talking about the fronts? Isn't the rear eye to eye? What do they call the mounting we have up front?

[SPAZZ]

1" spacer would be fine...but you will need the bump stop extensions in the rear, and longer stiffer shocks in the rear for a smoother more comfortable ride.

[AnalogVX]

Originally posted by SPAZZ
Alaska, did you figure in that you will be losing 1.5 inch clearance by installing those drop down brackets?????

Actually ground clearance is related to the tire size not suspension lift. You lift the suspension to fit larger tires. the only 1.5 inches you will be losing is at the front diff, which won't be any less than the rear diff. You are using the drop to get CV's in line.

[SPAZZ]

by dropping front axle...you do lose clearance.

[AnalogVX]

Explain...

[SPAZZ]

by dropping the front axle you actually are dropping the axle lower to the ground...you are keeping the ride height, but losing clearance...


if you once could run over a rock that was 16 inches off the ground, if you lower the front axle, you will not be able to run over that rock anymore.

if you take a stock VX and drop the axle 1.5 inches...then your clearance will drop to almost 7 inches instead of the 8.8

[MrCrowley]

In reply to whether 33" is ok or not, I have a VX and Trooper. I am reading the trooper forums as much as this one. There are several people with larger than 33" tires on Troopers, Heck overseas there are troopers with 36", 38", and even 44" Tires. Solid front axles by the way with fender flares, body suspension lifts, 5.38:1 gears etc. but their advice is "If you dont want to risk driveline damage stay 33 and under with independent front". Its a little more trouble for the VX to get 33's due to the tighter wheel wells. The Trooper has slightly larger wheel wells than the VX for a few more options, but extreme offroad and rockcrawling will be very harsh on the driveline. 32" and under may be trouble free except really abusive situations (usually tie rods, maybe cv joints and boots) If someone goes 33" or greater you are surely needing 5.38" gears or only stay on flat land. Lots of driveline stress for sure.

[SPAZZ]

with 33's 456's are just fine.

[Nazrat]

My $0.02 on gearing:

In a 3.2l Trooper, 33s are driveable with 4.56 gears. They are better (and closer to stock) with 4.77 gears.

Considering that the VX comes with 4.30, going to 4.56 is about the same (6% lower) as going from 4.56 to 4.77 (5% lower), 33s and 4.56 would be a very good match on the VX.

Even with the 124HP 2.6l engine, 33s and 4.77 gears were not bad, and many people lived with 124HP, 4.56 and 33s.

Your 215HP will probably turn 33s just fine with stock gearing, but if you are installing lockers (which makes sense if you are going to off-road it) it also makes sense to get a set of 4.56 gears at the same time. They will probably be VERY cheap near you at a junkyard. Any Trooper from 1988-1997 will have 4.56 gears in the 10bolt/12 bolt combination. I've purchased both full axles (in PA) for $67.50.

For me the front axle was almost never what I got hung up on, it was the transfer case skid plate. I'd happily drop the front axle 1.5" if I was lifting the t-case skid the same amount (via lift springs and cranking the t-bars).

-Tad

[AnalogVX]

Originally posted by SPAZZ
by dropping the front axle you actually are dropping the axle lower to the ground...you are keeping the ride height, but losing clearance...


if you once could run over a rock that was 16 inches off the ground, if you lower the front axle, you will not be able to run over that rock anymore.

if you take a stock VX and drop the axle 1.5 inches...then your clearance will drop to almost 7 inches instead of the 8.8

So how much ground clearance is lost in realtionship with the rear diff?
If you can clear that large obstacle with the front diff, what use is it if you can't clear it with the rear diff?
I am wondering because a drop front diff to ease the stress on CV's is going to be my deciding factor whether or not I get a lift.

[SPAZZ]

the dropdown brackets do is lower the front axle to make the cv angle less stressful, but by doing so you lose clearance...except keep ride height.

the rear axle stays the same.

rear diff is higher anyway

[AnalogVX]

Nope, the front diff is a little over an inch higher than the rear and still another 1/2 inch or so higher than the crossmember directy behind it.

Due to the design and geometry of IFS, when the torsion bars are cranked, the center of travel in the front suspension is moved upward thereby achieving "lift". The side effect of this is that you are using most of your downward travel to achieve this "lift". The front diff and crossmember will move up with this procedure as well, increasing the difference between the front and rear even more.

It would be safe to say that dropping the front diff 1.5" to ease the stress on the CV's would make a negligible amount of decrease to ground clearance if any at all.

[AlaskaVX]

OK so just to make sure I am understanding all this (the more I read on them the more I get confused) the 1.5" drop brackets "will actually raise the ride height up front"? So when the drop bracket is installed and torsion bars are cranked 3" the VX will sit 4.5" higher, YES? I am wanting to put my deposit down but just need someone to confirm it one more time.

Now will I need to drop the crossmember too? What happens if I don't?

I think I will stick with the 2" poly spring spacer since if I'm lifting it I might as well LIFT it!

OK so right now here is the list of Items needed to lift ride height 4.5" without tires:

OME 912 springs
1.5" front diff drop bracket
2" poly spring spacers
New rear shocks (what size?)
2" bumpstop extensions
crank torsion bars 3"

Items that can wait a bit:

4.56 gears
front shocks (what size?) they are starting to go and I want to replace.

Now anthing I am missing?



Items that I will eventually get installed to make a kick arse VX: (kind of a note to self)

Front hitch reciever
Tones rear hitch reciever
Multi-mount 8000i winch
Swordys beefy tie rods
Swordys sway bar disconects
Ram-air Snorkel kit, lots of silicone
ARB lockers (dreaming)
lots of CF accesories for looks (functional scooped hood insert, mirror covers, halfmoon, dash trim, guage pillar, and replace fake stuff)

Then I will try to enter it into a car show, if I haven't dented the crap out of it. LOL!

Thanks to everyone who has replied to this thread, you have been a lot of help!

[SPAZZ]

the drop down brackets do not raise the front...cranking the t bars raises the front.

[AlaskaVX]

So, am I going to need to crank the torsion bar 4.5" to get it to the right height with 2" poly spacers? So how in the hell does this help if that's the case?