rough country vs tough country

[RavoHimself]

both are cheap. both not the best for offroad. the off-roading doesn't matter seeing as i wont be doing all that much off-roading. but for the rough country with the new leafs is about $650.00. the tough country is about $470.00. it looks like it comes with new leaves and not blocks so if anyone could clarify what it comes with that would be great. also which kit should i go with?

 

[michowski]

I bought the rough country 4" kit and ive basically swapped out everything except the front drop brackets. Ride was REALLY stiff and I regret buying it. I know run skyjacker suspension minus the front drop brackets. I will be getting those brackets soon tho.

 

[RavoHimself]

i know skyjacker is great but i just don't have the money seeing as i'm only 16 and would like a budget lift. 4" for $450.00 seems good to me

 

[4x4junkie]

One reason alone to go with Tuff Country: No diff-busting drop plate bracket.

For the cost, it's actually not too bad of a kit.

 

[rngmStr]

One reason alone to go with Tuff Country: No diff-busting drop plate bracket.

x2

 

[RavoHimself]

alright. i actually read in another forum on here where one of the guys from rough country said they had all their brackets redesigned so they don't puncture the diffs anymore. but if everyone is saying tough country it sounds good to me. now can anyone tell me if it comes with blocks or new leaves. i would preferably get new leaves so as not to deal with axel wrap.

 

[hondaxr650]

I have the 4 in. Tuff Country. Comes with a rear add-a-leaf but mine sat too low in the rear with a canopy on it so I ended up adding a 1.5 in. block as well. Overall a very good kit and the only one I know of that has an eccentric bolt on the beam bolts to adjust camber.

 

[RavoHimself]

ok. sounds good. does it come with the shocks or do i need to buy those separately. if so, how much are they to buy for the whole truck

 

[hondaxr650]

Doesn't come with shocks. I don't recall what I paid for mine. I got the cheapest ones that Tuff Country offered with the kit and they are not gas charged, pretty soft. Replaced mine with some gas charged Skyjackers a while back and am pretty happy with them so far.

 

[spdcrazy]

instead of the 1.5in bock, you could grab some beltech 6400's to gain a bit more lift!

and x2 on not getting the rough country. i spend the 500 on it a few years ago. and now all that is left on my truck is one pivot bracket. and that won't be long. its all skyjacker stuff now, i was hitting my diff pretty bad, so i wasn't working my truck as hard as i wanted to. not to mention the stiff coils.

you can piece together a skyjacker/JD/etc lift for fairly cheap. i have about 300 bucks in my skyjacker front lift, and skyjacker arms too. just keep you eye on craigslist. and craigslook (nation wide craigslist). as well as dezertrangers and of course TRS!!!!!

 

[RavoHimself]

well like i said it mainly going to be a road vehicle so any suggestions on cheap shocks that work good on the road

 

[legoms013]

I have said Tuff Country lift and its not bad for what it costs though I highly suggest just saving your money and getting a Skyjacker Brand lift instead...seems pricey but in all reality its cheaper in the long run. Since putting my Tuff Country lift on I've swapped the AAL for a SJ leaf pack, and added SJ extended radius arms....and now it all works great.

2 reasons for going with the Tuff Country kit over the Rough County kit is for the non-diff busting drop bracket and both drop brackets have +-2.5 degrees of adjustment for camber built into them and that has been a tremendous help with alignment (especially as the coils start to settle).

The shocks that come with the kit are sorta garbage and too short I would spend my money somewhere else other than Tuff Country if I did it all over again for shocks.

Rear is lifted with a AAL but for some reason it is only good for 2.5" of lift so you'll need some beltech shackles or another block....you also wont have to worry about axle wrap with that AAL its stiff as hell.

Front coils are ok, not great they are in the 450 PPI range and ride fine, but not stellar. They have sagged alot on mine over time and I have had to continually add washers to keep 4" of lift (I've heard SJ coils to hardly sag near as much).

 

[RavoHimself]

like i said before. i'm only 16 so i really dont have the money for skyjacker.
so you think i should just do tuff country and buy a set of shocks(4" lift or 5"-6"?) and a 1.5 block? if so it should come out to be about 600 which is great for me

 

[legoms013]

Its gonna be more than $600.

Tuff Country Kit $470 plus shipping
Shocks ~$120-$150 for some basic ones
Drop Pitman arm (can't lift without one) $75 plus shipping
and either beltech shackles or another block. (i'd suggest the shackles) $75 plus shipping for the shackles. Much better than stacking a block anyway.
PLUS alignment (count on doin at least 2 in the following 6 months after you lift, one right after you lift and another farther down the road. $100 bucks each time unless your local guy can do it cheaper). Side note get your alignments done at FireStone and pay for the lifetime alignment package it will pay for itself the second time you step foot in the door.

Total so far: $840 minimum not including shipping or tax on anything you will be ordering.

Adds up quick huh?

I'm not trying to crush your dreams I'm just trying to help you realize that its gonna be more than $600 because I did the exact same thing when I was your age (only a few years ago).

Another option if you are really trying to pinch pennies is you could WAIT for some stuff to appear in the for sale section and piece together a lift for cheaper, and you could end up getting more for your money.

 

[michowski]

Best thing you can do is start buying the parts as cash is available. Save up money each month and purchase what you can afford. A good kit is worth every penny and gonna end up costing you twice as much once you realize you should of just went for the best down the road.