OMalley291

Does anyone have a rough country lift? i don't know much about them and from what I've googled a lot of people love em and a lot of people hate em.. so whats your take?

im thinking about getting the 3" but i dont know it it will be high enough for my liking.. so if anyone has a 3" lift can you post a Picture for me?

therewolf

The benefits are the ability to handle off-road obstacles, a higher view of terrain and traffic, and a better chance of not getting stuck at the beach.

The drawbacks are horrificly poor gas mileage, (sometimes over 50% less than normal)
accelerated wear and tear on brakes, steering, suspension and drivetrain; and since you raise your center of balance considerably, rollover hazards.

It's not just a matter of lift, either. If you want to lift, you'll probably need to upgrade your diff gears to at least 410, a 1500$ expense. You might want posi differentials, depending on where you're going.You'll probably be looking to upgrade shocks,400-800$,modify to dual steering dampers to handle the R/C upgrade, you may want to consider 1/4" or thicker steel skid plates to protect your mechanicals,and don't forget roll bars-250-600$. There's also lites, special bumpers,and a winch becomes an expected piece of gear at one point or another. And don't forget to find a tow-buddy; keep in mind with this responsibility most guys who go off-road keep chains, straps, shovels,and tools onboard for the inevitable off-road rescues.

Sometimes you can find a good truck with a decent lift and many of the mods already done for sale. This would save your road vehicle for road-driving, while also providing you with a vehicle specifically for off-road use. ORVs can be truly miserable on the highway for any type of extended trip. You may find it cheaper just to buy a lifted truck than go through the expense of lifting one from scratch.

Cost aside, is this for looks, or do you actually travel rough country in the course of normal driving, or on the weekends with friends perhaps? It's a lot of fun, but it's not cheap. If you're going for a cool looking truck,either get ready to bring on the big bucks or find a cool looking alternative that's more tuned to your driving needs.

Outcastz89

Personally I've heard a lot more bad things then good things. I've heard after a short while the lift wears out at odd points. I've never tried one personally though, so I don't know from experience. All my buddies that have gotten Skyjacker lifts and love 'em. They seem to be pretty heavy duty. I know they're a little bit more pricey, but just remember, you get what you pay for. Just my two cents.

BassinProf

Whoa, Rivereye, slow down. He didn't say he was transforming his truck into an offroad monster, he just said he wanted a 3" lift. Most of those added expenses aren't relevant to the typical lifted truck that rarely leaves the pavement.

O'malley, my biggest concern with a 3" lift is that you wouldn't be able to run the big tires you want. I would find out from your 4X4 shop what size tires you can run with that lift. My guess is 33" tires, which are only a few inches bigger than stock. Upgrading to 33s won't change a whole lot. Your speedo will be off, although you can get a plug in tuner to readjust that. Your mileage will be slightly less depending on your gears but not dramatically so. I wouldn't worry about going to 4.1 gears unless your truck is seriously underpowered or you go up to 35" tires. But you likely won't be able to fit 35s unless you get a 6" lift.

I was originally thinking of installing a 4" lift in my truck but decided to go 6" because I wanted to run 35s. My truck already had 4.1 gears and my mileage didn't change at all. The one driving issue I noticed after going to the bigger tires is that my brakes aren't as effective. A brake upgrade with new calipers and rotors is a big expense ($1000+) and so far I've just been trying to be extra careful to allow enough braking distance.

mflore1

I bought a rough country 3'' spindle lift about 4 years ago and it did me just fine. The lift is a big hunk of steel which really cannot go wrong (blocks and spindles). The only thing I would suggest is that you do not use the shocks they give you. Your stock shocks fit and chevys are the cadillacs of trucks, so there is no need to throw away that ride. I put the shocks they gave me on and they went bad pretty quick. If you know anything about mechanics, the lift is relatively easy to put on too. That will save you a good bit of money. The only problem I encountered was getting the ball joints separated, but the only solution to that is to not give up and keep beating. I had 285/75/r16 (32.8'') mud tires on the stock rims and it looked great. It was about the height of a Z71, mayble a tiny bit higher. I recently took the lift off and sold it to a friend because I was upgrading to a 7'' lift, but it was the worst mistake I could have made and wish I would have never done it. Now I will be buying another rough country spindle to put back on. The only differences it made from stock was that it sacrificed some turning radius and the ride was a little rougher because you are compressing the suspension. The price is the best you will find around. Any other lift will cost 300-400 dollars more than the rough country. With the 285's on it i would still get 16-17 mpg, but like said my speedo was off about 8mph at 70mph. haha I did the math and I was able to get the truck up to 113 with the speedo at 99 because of the govenor. If you are doing this for looks, it is the way to go. If you do plan to go bigger, DO NOT be cheap. Get a quality lift and you experience will probably be better than mine.

therewolf

Yeah, BassinProf, I guess the question here is: Rough country, like rocks and mud and woop-de-doo laden dirt trails, or "Rough Country" the brand name.

Perhaps I mistakenly assumed the OP's intention was to seriously hit the off-road backcountry, which is a poor idea when you're only armed with a highway vehicle, a 3" lift, and a smile. Sorry about that.

MajorSilva

I understand I'm beating the proverbial 'dead horse' here but:

To me, the sacrifices you make just to go that little bit higher end up costing you far more than you ever planned for. 2" to 4" lifts really don't radically change the overall dynamics of the stock truck. The largest wheel and tire you can stuff under them is likely 33"s.
If you opt for the 6" lift, then you're more than likely going to be rocking 35"s. Those big *** tires weigh quite a bit more than stockers, and like it was mentioned before, the factory brakes just won't cut the mustard. Any college student with an interest in physics will tell you that a rolling mass increases exponentially the amount of energy required to start and stop.

Also, mileage gets mercilessly slaughtered. If anybody tells you different, they're LYING. Turning an extra (combined) 120lbs is no small task, and makes the engine/transmission work that much harder. Anyone who's been there knows a new or rebuilt tranny isn't high on the list of 'Fun Things To Spend Money On' either.

So that $1,500 lift turns into something more like $3,000 - 4,000 in just a few short years, when you add in the additional recommended upgrades.
$1,000 for new grabbier brakes.
$250-350 for new shocks.
$500-1000 for new bushings, control arms, ball joints....etc.
(All prices here are assuming you're having a qualified shop/mechanic install items)

Ultimately, be sure it's what you want, and budget accordingly.

cams 98 silverado

funny you guys talking about all this. i bought a rough country lift for my truck about a year ago. and i was gonna put it on the realized i just don't feel like it. my truck is a 2wd silverado. my kit comes with blocks, ball joint spacers, u-bolts, all the hardware and lift front springs that are also mucho stiffer. i got the shocks and everything. my old shocks were toast. can u believe i was riding on origional shocks. they were toasted. i personally love the rough country shocks. and just throwing this out. anyone interested in buying the lift? im selling it. if your interested at all. i got pix and P.M me. but my buddy has a rough country on his explorer and he says its wonderful.

MajorSilva

The lift kit for the 2wd is different from the 4wd yes?

cams 98 silverado

yea. 4wd will have spindles or torsion bars because of the Z71 package. but if you know anyone that wants it. lemme know. if i sell this i can get my hedman headers and new cat for the exhaust.