4" or 6" ?

[85general]

should i do a 4" or 6" suspension lift? im gonna run 33's for now maybe 35s down the road, around here its mostly trails hill climbs an then everything else water, mud, ruts, i want the best all around lift

 

[wahlstrom1]

Do the 6", you'll be kicking yourself for doin a 4" later on down the road....You'll need the 6" on your truck to clear 33's with a bit of fender trimming anyways.

-andrew

 

[mkpecor]

i have had 3 rangers with 4'' susp...lifts, running 31''s. you wont fit 33'' with a 4'' lift unless you cut 3'' off the fenders. i will never go 4'' . i now have a ranger with a 6'' susp..lift and love it. with 33'' and no fender trimming. spend the extra cash and go with the 6'' lift you will be WAY HAPPYER just us. a 4'' lift is not that much. GO 6''

 

[85general]

yea thats what i was thinking 4" isnt that much. i do have a question though is my truck like some freak because i had 31's on my truck no problem with no lift an no cutting ? then i cut my fenders an could fit 33's no problem. with a 6" an my already cut fenders i could fit 35's easy with alot of room left. so it seems anyways maybe not though.

 

[engdept]

you wont get 35's on your truck with 6" of lift unless you almost completely cut the fenders out.

It is VERY tight on a '93+ Ranger with only 6" of lift and 35's. Maurice (mjones) was running 9" of lift on his '97 to clear 35's and be able to flex without rubbing.

 

[dangeranger01]

Do 6, you will end up doing it sooner or later anyways.

 

[mhughes165]

ive run and flexed 32's on a 87 with just a 3" body lift, to run 35's get the 6, and as long as u get the proper wheel(which maurice never did) you wont rub

 

[rickcdewitt]

i had 31's on my truck no problem with no lift an no cutting ? then i cut my fenders an could fit 33's no problem. with a 6" an my already cut fenders i could fit 35's easy with alot of room left. so it seems anyways maybe not though.

i fit 33x14's with only 3 inches lift and cut fenders.i could easily fit 35's with a true 6 inches of lift,the first and second gen trucks have similar sized wheel openings.it makes me want to laugh when i see 9" lifted roll over specials running 33's just because they're scared of a little trimming.

 

[Evan]

You want to do a 4" suspension lift and a 2" body lift for a total of 6". This will keep your CG lower, and minimize the costly steering problems you encounter with a 6" suspension lift on an RBV.

And for those saying you can't run 35s on a 6" lift without cutting up your fenders, look at my avatar. That's a 5.5" lift with no fender cutting in the rear and minimal cutting up front. And I have pretty good flex.

 

[Yellowsplash]

Get the 6" lift. I have had skyjackers 2", 4", and now 6". I would have saved a bunch of money if I would have did it right the first time.

 

[85general]

evan what are you talkin about problems with a 6" all suspension? that was an option to was to the a 4 an then body lift. but i was thinking just do suspension i dont like body lifts but i wanna keep my truck as stable as possible everything around here is off camber type stuff.

 

[mkpecor]

my steering is fine on my truck with the 6'' lift. i have a droped pit man arm. i do get a lil bump steer but not bad at all.

 

[4x4junkie]

evan what are you talkin about problems with a 6" all suspension? that was an option to was to the a 4 an then body lift. but i was thinking just do suspension i dont like body lifts but i wanna keep my truck as stable as possible everything around here is off camber type stuff.

Get the bigger drop pitman arm (Skyjacker pt# FA600) if you go 6" on the lift, that should give you satisfactory steering performance (which is not the case with the arm that normally comes with their 6" kits, it's much too short).

 

[Evan]

evan what are you talkin about problems with a 6" all suspension? that was an option to was to the a 4 an then body lift. but i was thinking just do suspension i dont like body lifts but i wanna keep my truck as stable as possible everything around here is off camber type stuff.

Those super long pitman arms that are required for a 6" lift put a lot of extra stress on the steering gear, frame rail, and steering gear mounts. When people run them I have seen people pull the gearbox mount bolts right through the frame rail, crack the frame rail, and have chronic leaks from the lower sector shaft seal. Of course there are people that have run them without problems yet.

With the wheelbase length of the typical RBV, once you get to 3-4" of frame lift you have enough for most wheelin that you'll do, if you run bigger tires. So you get to the point where you have enough frame lift (3-4") but still need room for tires. So a body lift is a good option that keeps your CG low, steering good, and has a low cost, while allowing you to clear big tires. It has other advantages as well, such as giving you easy access to your bellhousing bolts and allowing you to run a transfer-case doubler one day, without worrying about fitment issues.

So the choice is yours. Either route will perform well and work, but I recommend a 4" SL and 2" BL for the above reasons.

 

[koda6966]

you wont get 35's on your truck with 6" of lift unless you almost completely cut the fenders out.

It is VERY tight on a '93+ Ranger with only 6" of lift and 35's. Maurice (mjones) was running 9" of lift on his '97 to clear 35's and be able to flex without rubbing.

Mjones, you forgot to read his posting, his truck is an '85.