rcx lift kits? Worth it? What else?

[ryangt]

I got ahold of a retailer of RCX lift kits, a complete 6 inch kit, with shocks, shipped to my door 1159.00$$ Is that worth it? I dont look to fabtech or pro comp because cost is always so high with them.

I do plan to use my truck offroad, nothing too extreme, not bogging or rock crawling or anything like that, but i am curious what the longevity and other costs associated with lifting will be.

Aside from the lift itself, the wheels and tires, what else would i need to modify to run this lift safely and correctly without wrecking my 4wd system?

thanks in advance

 

[AquinoSteven]

haha didnt you just say you wanted to lower it?

Anyway, I think if you run that kit and uncrank your keys youll be set. I would also look into BDS lifts. They have the best warranty between any lift company. Break something and they'll send another part out no problems.

 

[ryangt]

haha didnt you just say you wanted to lower it?

Anyway, I think if you run that kit and uncrank your keys youll be set. I would also look into BDS lifts. They have the best warranty between any lift company. Break something and they'll send another part out no problems.

Ive looked into BDS before, but again price was an important thing here. I like their warranty alot.

And yes i was talking about lowering as well, i wanted to lower the yukon to keep it as my daily driver, but lowering a 4wd just feels wrong to me....

 

[AquinoSteven]

yeah i hear yah. Im sure what ever lift kit you go with its gonna look good. The only thing i can add is depending on the company you may need new rims. The lift knuckles dont allow you to run the factory ones.

 

[jdpber]

most knuckles need atleast a 17" which means you should go bigger on the brakes while everything is apart.. i have herd of this company and people like the lift but dont know about the durability.. i say get it and throw it on and 35s and call it a day... mine on 35s is DD with 6"

 

[ryangt]

lift

most knuckles need atleast a 17" which means you should go bigger on the brakes while everything is apart.. i have herd of this company and people like the lift but dont know about the durability.. i say get it and throw it on and 35s and call it a day... mine on 35s is DD with 6"

good idea. Are 35's the biggest i can get under there with a 6 inch lift? Did you do the install yourself? Is it something a semi mechanically competent person could do in a weekend? You need a pic of the truck with you standing next to it, and then tell people how tall you are.. to me thats a better example of how high the truck is vs the bucket test haha. Also, hows the wife/gf handle getting into the passenger side?? My chick can hardly climb up there now ( shes a princess) haha.
thanks for the good info guys, keep it coming

 

[jdpber]

If you have impact gun and air ratchet.. you can do it in a saturday as long as non of the bolts are locked up.. then id say it may run into sunday. its a fairly cut and dry install.. replace this with that... etc.. if you have basics mechanical skills. you should not have too hard of a time... i judge all my projects time by beer intake and id say if you have not dont a full lift before its gonna be a good 10 beer deal..

35 is biggest with out rub.. can do 37s with a 3' body + 6" suspention but that a hole nother basket of issues..

My truck rides smooth as glass down the interstate at 80 mph and 1,800-2,000 rpm all day long.

remember slight trimming of some plastic will be needed to eliminate rubbing at articulation..

EDIT-- the wife is 5' 1" and uses the OH SHit on the dash and the factor running boards and does a little jump.. but she is a gymnest so yea.. watching her mom climb into the rear is well..... hard not to laugh..

i will take pick of my 6' 2" lanky self next to the truck for a compare

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

Like the way your Tahoe looks there John.

Ill be going with a RCX lift myself with 18x9 Eagles and 35" Trail Grapplers. Should be done by the summer. Are you running stock gears? How did the MPG change? Im debating between 4.56 or 4.88 gears after the 35" tires.

 

[jdpber]

Arctic-Rodz---THANKS.....Stock gears and the MPG only went down a little. around town im getting 14 with hills.. also i dont drive over 2,000 rpm.. buddy has long headers and no cats. flow master, KN, and a pro tune with custom exhaust mapped to the headers and the intake flow. this tune is very similar to the BB but individual specific mapping for MPG and he gets 19 city and 25 highway at 75 mph and 1,900 rpm.. also 35s and 20s... i am getting ready to do the headers and tune to bump mpg and power..

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

nice! is that because your RPM got lower due to your taller tires? Im getting about 19 on the highway and thats with the intake/exhaust/tune!

How does it move with stock gears? Did you feel a loss of overall "launch" at take off? Does it feel a bit slugish in the city?

 

[jdpber]

I am no drag car but i keep up with traffic plenty fine. i notice the tires more stoping than going.. i upgraded pads. and about the install the NNBS brakes with upgraded pads these are direct bolt in and are an inch larger diameter also i am going to put thicker slotted and drilled rotors and beef pads to solve this stopping issue.. it is more a comfort thing for when the wife is driving my drunk ass home from the bar....

the larger diameter travels a longer distance down the road.. which makes the actual speed be exponentially greater than the factory formula.. and in turn the motor does not have to turn as many rpm to maintain a constant speed resulting in a lower rpm..

Now it take a little bit more BUT NOT MUCH to get up to speed. going from a 31 to the 35 i did not notice much of a difference at all to be honest other than brakes. But the factory brake system on our trucks sucks!! and is a weak link from GM..

she merges onto the interstate like a champ and i never feel like im going to get run over or lack power around town or passing.. for a 6,000 lb truck she does fine.. little more power wil not hurt but more power is always good in any application....

the ground clearance is very nice with the lift and the steering geometry is basically factory with the parts from the kit.. Alignment stays true better than the wife's Accord. and as long as the pavement is flat she will run a straight line at any speed with no hands on the wheel. smooth as glass.. tires get rotated every oil change at 3,500...

only other negative other than brakes that i have found is the turning radius.. could be that i baby my tires or that the tahoe turns like a freaking container ship but it feels equal to the maneuverability of a long bed crew cab and or Burb.. that is my personal opinion. granite it is no mini cooper. lol

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

so, aside from the breaks having more difficulty stopping the truck, the turning radius suffered as well?

My 08 Sierra had TERRIBLE turning radius. Thats true with pretty much any full size truck though. I learned about SUV turning radius when I bought my 98 Yukon. With 33" tires and aftermarket 17" wheels the turning radius was still great!

My 04 Z71 Tahoe turns really well, as i expected. Im wondering how much turning radius I will really loose over all.

Those 20x10 wheels you are running, what offset/backspacing are they? Do you think that plays a role in turning radius? I think so.
Im gonna be going with 18x9 -12 offset which is just about 4.46" backspacing.

 

[brucebruce45]

I'd do pro comp. Dont have to crank to get 6'', can run stock wheels, no increased track width, and if you wanna go bigger later it's easier

 

[jdpber]

yea i think the offset has some to do with it.. but i go from a vintage mini and accord and the tahoe has big radios so i guess it is normal.. as i payed attention to it this morning coming to work and it seemed fine... so i retract my bad turning statement. I dont remember the offset. but my track spacing is not much wider than stock.. I am only running a 285 which in reality is not that wide. compared to some guys running 315 on here..

Bruce is correct get a lift that does not require you to crank your keys.. read the specs for the kit, bc some kits rely on the keys yurning to get the 6"

 

[tomtom1011]

Does the 6" trail master lift require turning the torsion bar keys for the full 6"s?

 

[jdpber]

Nope! i have stock keys sitting at stock location.. i could get another 2" out of the front end and have baja look if i wanted..

 

[brucebruce45]

Nope! i have stock keys sitting at stock location.. i could get another 2" out of the front end and have baja look if i wanted..

theres no way to get 8'' out of a knuckle kit

 

[TRIPXL]

i have the RCX 6" lift and love it! The price is good and the quality is awesome! I actually went to Rough Country in Dyersburg Tn and they have a nice state of the art facility. The detailed instructions were straight forward and the install was about 10 hours. Im running 20" wheels and 35" tires with stock gears and no problems with braking or lack of power.

 

[AquinoSteven]

^^^ love that wheel and tire combo

 

[TRIPXL]

Thanks aquino. I bought this XL in nov 2010 and this is the first thing ive done to it. Ive built alot of custom trucks and cars and this is my first SUV that ive owned. Ill keep pics posted as i go along with the build.