the more you go up with tortion bars, the stiffer/less travel you will have.

smart people dont use the bars for more than 2.5in of lift.

and smaxx is a great place to buy parts.

 

Just from my own experience. I have the SMaxx keys and shackles in the rear. My ride is stiffer than it was stock. I have them cranked about 2.5 in the front. I also flipped my upper ball joint as well. This will help with any binding too.

 

I'm running the Smaxx Keys and shackles as well. Yes they do stiffen the ride up some, but it isn't unbearable. To me it didn't seem as if it stiffened the front end up too much. Now if you crank the shit out of them, then yeah, the ride will stiffen up like hell.

You should be good to run 32's, worst comes to worst, and you will need to give yourself some less backspacing in the wheels (whether that be spacers or new wheels) to not rub the swaybar at full lock if that bugs you enough.

All in all, I fully support Suspension Maxx. They put out good products and are awesome people as well. :thumbup:

 

:yeahthat:

If you need more height than that I would suggest Smaxx's body lift kit.:salute:

 

i have the smax shackles. I dont understand why everyone buys keys instead of just cranking to their satisfied height. It technically does the same thing but keeps the bolt at the same lenght.

 

This is not always true. If the torsion bars have sagged you are limited by the amount of adjustment the stock keys are capable of. Any aftermarket key is indexed differently than stock, allowing a further twist of the bar. My stock driver side key was incapable of lifting it enough, so I needed to replace the keys. The exposed thread length on the driver side was 1/4" more than the passenger side, indicating it has been turned up many times to achieve the proper ride height. That didn't allow me to adjust enough to go level with 1.5" rear lift.

To the OP, you can do what you want with stock keys, try it out and see what your outcome is. If it's not what you were after than order up keys. I suggest Suspension Maxx too. You can add washers as spacers for your differential to lower it. The boots will wear first if you do not, in extreme cases then yes you will reduce the longevity of the CV's themselves.

 

So 2.5" is the the highest, recommended height, should I put the diff spacers in too? I imagine I will need a longer shock or atleast a spacer for those too, right? Would I just be better off just cranking the stock keys to get that amount of lift?

 

The SMaxx keys are rated for 3". If you end up getting the SMaxx keys, it should come with the diff spacers and the shock extensions to take care of the things you need it to. :thumbup:

 

I'm going to see what I can get out of my stock keys, and then if needed I'll order up some keys from suspension maxx. Does anybody know what sandrider 213 is running for suspension? I want to do something like that. Actually, I want to trade him trucks Haha.

 

Take a few measurements on both sides before you begin, and after, at key locations. Ground clearance at the bottom of the sheet metal at the front of the cab is good. Also the bottom of the bumper or valance.

Mark the bolt so you can count the turns you give it, 3 full turn, 4 full turns, etc. Then you can do both sides equally, to start anyway. Measure from the same places before and after the adjustment. Especially after you have driven the truck. It will settle in after you drive it, you can take a 2 minutes trip and get a different result than from 'bouncing' the truck after adjusting. Another reason for counting the turns is so you can get back to the current ride height if you do not net enough height on stock keys. And don't forget to get an alignment after you're satisfied with the height adjustment.

 

He is running a full custom long travel kit... lots of money and not offered off the shelf.


and you don't need new shocks for cranking the torsion bars since you don't actually raise the trucks suspension, just change the resting location of it.

 

Good advice

 

also you'll probably have to crank the driver side about 2 more turns to get level. I had to when i did mine and from what i read about it then alot of people did.

 

If I lifted it 2.5" would it be a good idea to do the ball joint flip? Or could I safely go 3" with the ball joint flip, without stressing the cv's and the ball joints too much?

 

You could go 3" with the bj flip and be fine. I did 3" without the bj flip and it wasn't too bad. It wouldn't hurt to do it though.

I'm thinking about doing it once I go home for spring break since I have cranked on the bars some more since, we'll see.

Do what I'm doing, the keys in the front, shackles in the rear, one or two inch body, and when It's time, 32's or 33's(If they'll fit). That's plenty enough without dropping a ton of cash and none of the above items are crazy hard to install.

^ That's always a possibility.

 

Do what I'm doing, the keys in the front, shackles in the rear, one or two inch body, and when It's time, 32's or 33's(If they'll fit). That's plenty enough without dropping a ton of cash and none of the above items are crazy hard to install.

 

Not positive if you need to do the ball joint flip for the 2.5 crank. But I went on a did mine since I had the front end tore apart. Does not take that long to do it and is very simple. The hardest part it cutting the spacer. I just took a 1/4" plate up to the shop from my house and had them cut it for me. The SMAXX keys are nice very easy to install. If you are sagging then highly recommend using them.

 

He might as well do the ball joint flip from what I'm thinking. Unless there is some negative effect that I am missing, he should only benefit from it.

I wish I would have done it when I put my stuff on originally. I would do it now, but I am apprehensive because I don't want to shell out another $50 for an alignment after already getting two within the time I have owned the truck (since May 2011).

 

Yeah that sucks whipple. That is the other reason went on and done mine.

 

Yeah, probably should have put a little more research in during the beginning... oh well. :shrug:

 

Thanks for the props guys! :355group:

BJ flip is fine with a 2.5" crank.

 

Sweet, Ima work on getting some 32s, crank and flip

 

GOT 32s!!!!!! Wild country radial rvt. 32x11.5 on 15, the wheels are deep too. Got pictures in an email but I can't save them on to my phone, resolution is to big. I'll get pictures this weekend when I pic em up.

Anybody have experience with these tires?

 

Picking them up 2moro

 

Purdy! :thumbup:

 

From the pics they look sweet. The wheels look like they have a hella deep dish. I Can't even sleep! First set of big tires I've bought, EVER! I'm used to lowering my cars, and rubber band tires. I'm excited to see what my truck is going to look like with a bit of elevation boost. First time owning a lifted anything.

 

Do you know the specs of the rims? What suspension modifications have you done to your truck to accommodate the tire size?

 

I don't really know much about the wheels, from looking at them I'm guessing they're 10" wide. They throw the tire way outside the fender. As far as suspension goes, nothing. I'm going to try and crank the bars a bit tomorrow, and see where I'm at. I might just have to mount them on my black wheels, they're just a normal steal 15x8. Will a 32x11.5 mount nicely on a 8" wide wheel?

 

Dang, they have a small backspace! They definitely look like they are going to do some damage to your plastic until you get the front end in the air a little. 32x11.50's are a hard tire to fit, it takes the right backspace and lift combination. It's discussed all over the forums about what people have done to eliminate it, or where they rub.

Get the truck stance where you're satisfied. If you can't do it with stock keys you will need to look into aftermarket keys. If you achieve the height you want, get to the alignment shop sometime soon. If you cant' get the height, place an order for keys soon so you can get them installed then get the alignment before you start to wear the tires. You don't need to race out to get aligned but don't wait a long time either.

 

Cool, thanks man. I'm really hoping that I can lift it enough tomorrow to get them to turn nicely, the lower bumper plastic will have to be trimmed for sure, just don't know what to do about the wells, they rub on my stock little z85 flares, with a lift it should alleviate that issue a bit. And I can get an alignment tomorrow afternoon. I'm fifteen miles away from the.closest les schwab, they know me by first name, so I can get an alignment for sure tomorrow.

 

Don't get an alignment until you're done working on the front end. Each change will throw it out of whack. Do all the work, take you time to make it right. You aren't going to shred the tires that fast. I drove a couple weeks on mine. Then I did the BJ flip and drove just a couple of days, that was pretty dramatic of a change.