ready to begin

[skawtydog]

Hi folks, Scott here. I'm in Edmonton, Alberta. My ride is a 2003 TB LS 4X4 G80. Just getting ready to start upgrading...lift and tires will be first. I have heard the stories, and therefore my business will be going to Liftmeister....can't wait. Anyway, I'll save further discussion on that topic for the appropriate thread. Cheers.

Scott

[Trail X]

Welcome Scott. I'm jealous. Alberta is a beautiful area!

As for the lift... I'm curious why you feel Liftmeister is the best option for you?

[cbbryan]

Welcome to the site; can't wait to see what you do with it.

[A-Train]

First of all Welcome... and I am wondering the same things as James what makes Liftmeister better?

[bgwolfpack]

This is a good spot for all of us to start with questions.viewtopic.php?f=15&t=20

[cowboy63645]

Howdy and welcome!

[Philberto]

Welcome to the site! I am envious of your area as well. Road trip to your place!

[irishboy02]

Welcome to the dirrtier side of things

[stonetrail]

Howdy

[MrSmithsTB]

Welcome to the dirrtier side of things

Sounds like a late night chat line. Brendan, have you been moonlighting?


Welcome!

[bobbyblaze]

WELCOME WELCOME. . . Let the mods begin !

[skawtydog]

Well guys, to be perfectly honest, I'm not nearly as well versed in this lift-stuff as you guys, and basically my reasoning was: The Liftmeister kit is the highest suspension lift I've seen around here (at least according to the numbers, 2.5 to as much as 3" difference...or wait...was that the body lift?... )

As i said, you guys would know a lot better than I would which one is best for individual applications. By all means, help me understand which is the most desirable/durable.

The reason i am even lifting my Trailblazer is that I am going back to work on my oil rig soon, and man, some of the back roads i travel on are INSANE....I've gotten stuck several times, once snapping my coworkers' tow strap. (Wrong application of the strap, would have used a recovery strap if one was handy) and another time i had to ask a backhoe operator who happened to be digging trenches on the site that day...thankfully...to pick up my Blaze's rear end with his hoe ( i know that sounds funny...anyway...) with a 1/2 inch chain from his bucket to my hitch receiver and drag my truck out. (i got the tires wedged in between logs laying under the snow and bottomed out). So I am hoping to gain the necessary clearance to make obstacles like that easier to overcome, and a body lift wouldn't have aided me any in those situations, i would have to imagine.

I'll stop here...this is getting long-winded. Anyone with suggestions as to which lift they feel is the best for my application, PLEASE feel free to chime in here. I am open to all suggestions. Price really isn't an object (without going too crazy) as I am back to work in a few days.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions (and for not falling asleep while reading this).

Skawtydog

(edit: i just realized this is not the forum for this kind of discussion...got carried away, sorry folks)

[The Roadie]

No sweat. If you're going to be on washboard roads a lot, without the luxury of airing down the tires for a smoother ride, I'd strongly recommend the BDS lift kit instead. They replace the OEM upper shock mount with a MUCH stronger version. OEM rubber mounts have a failure mechanism that can shear off and then the shock flops around.

It all depends on your mission, and I think I understand yours better after a short summary. Can you describe the roads in any more detail?

We only resist helping noobs who haven't done ANY homework.

[skawtydog]

yes roadie, there are a lot of wash board type sections that i end up traveling on quite often, that i assume are from big hauling trucks with huge chained-up tires. Also, the ruts from said tires that wear into the narrow roads can be insanely deep! It's fine as long as i can "straddle" the ruts and drive slowly so as not to slip in, but on some of these narrow sections of logging roads, I simply don't have the space to effectively avoid ALL of these ruts, and occasionally do slip into them.

Wouldn't i be losing some lift by going with BDS though, or is it such a small amount that it wouldn't really make a difference anyway?

Thanks,
Skawtydog

[Philberto]

You can actually get the best of both worlds by combining the BDS front lift system with the Liftmeister rear and additional spacers for the front to get the same lift with the stronger BDS mounts. More rear lift can also be had by replacing your rear springs with those from a Tahoe Z71. in addition, don't forget that you can gain more ground clearance with tires... look into 255/85/16 tires for some narrow but tall tires. And you'll also need spacers to run the tires. After all that, you should be as set as you'll get as far as clearance goes.

[skawtydog]

I like where this is going! Thanks for the reply Phil

That means that i would only be using half of the BDS kit which i would order, so i guess i would try to sell the half kit? Money won't really be the issue, i'd just rather sell it (very reasonably priced, mind you) if someone would even have a use for the half that i wouldn't use????? I suppose it wouldn't bother me to just hang onto it, if nobody wanted it.

But anyway, that sounds really good! I'm gonna go price this thing out now, before bed. (Lady-Dawg is getting pissed because apparently, in my current state of excitement, i'm causing louder-than-acceptable noise levels with my typing ....I'm riding a fine line here fellas! )

Skawtydog

[The Roadie]

You won't lose much with the BDS kit, and I'd recommend using the full BDS kit like I do, front and rear. You can add Mark's 1/2" shim spacer (purchased separately) on top of the strut for 3/4" more lift.

In the rear, Teebes and I stack BDS WITH the Z71 springs PLUS Airlift1000 bags inside the coils. The BDS spacer has the slight advantage it attaches to the vehicle, so it won't come out under any maintenance circumstances.

[Trail X]

Sounds like you're looking for the full monty:

BDS suspension, front and rear.
Liftmeister 1/2" spacers, top of BDS front only. Gives about 2.75" total w/ BDS.
Z71 springs in rear
Upgrade shocks (important on washboards)
Wheel spacers
Upgrade tires to 32" diameter skinnies

If you carry a lot of equipment in your cargo area, you may also want to consider airlift bags for the rear springs. They assist with heavy loads because they directly adjust the spring rate.

[Philberto]

*confused* I thought that the BDS kit didn't give as much lift in the back? Anyways, definitely want the upgraded shocks... Bilstein HD in the front or the BDS ones you get, and ask Bill about those upgraded BDS ones for the back... Airlift bags are really only necessary if you're carrying a heavy load.

[The Roadie]

BDS is about 1.5" in the back and I think Mark's kit is the same height. They both are taller in the front so they can act as a leveling kit to remove the rake. Plus the lever arm effect of the front suspension design means you get more effective lift per inch of spacer.

I'm still waiting on BDS for a part number for the upgraded shock kits. I will strongly recommend these for anybody with heavier tires or cargo in the back.