Lift Kit Height Pros and Cons. 6in vs 3.5in

[Mikeymac25]

Whats up all just lining up this years mods and i am stumped as to what height i want to go with. I am in the market for a bds kit but can’t decide on height if you have either of these heights regardless of what lift brand kit it is if you can just list some pros and cons of said height kit.
Thanks

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[Frenchy]

Let me ask some questions so we can get things out of the way.

#1 do you have a two-wheel drive or a four-wheel drive?

#2 assuming you might have a four-wheel drive, do you actually plan to take it off road or do you just go to work and back and to the occasional Mall?

#3 do you actually want practicality or do you just want to show off a tiny dick?

 

[Mikeymac25]

It’s 4wd it’s a daily driver but it’s off road a lot from trails to beach so it’s more of functionality not looks

 

[Frenchy]

It’s 4wd it’s a daily driver but it’s off road a lot from trails to beach so it’s more of functionality not looks

That is the answer I was hoping for. I do appreciate it.

If you're wanting functionality and want to keep the truck practical where you can still use it as a truck on an as needed basis, stay away from a 6-in lift. Even doing a simple lift kit from Old Man EMU that will lift the front by 2.5 in and the rear by 1.5 in along with 32 inch tires will make the truck plenty high enough to do most things.

If you ask me, lifting the front by 3 and 1/2 in with just suspension as if it's silly. I feel 2.5 in should be the maximum you look at for the front. This will still give you plenty of travel up and down and still leave a little bit on the table when it comes to rake in the rear. Adding 1.5 in of lift in the rear along with 2.5 in the front will still give you about 2 in of rake front to back. This will make it to where you can still load the rear of the truck down when putting any items in the back or even putting a trailer on the truck. Beats having to load the truck and all of a sudden having this stupid dog squatting look.

Here was my 2019 Ranger that I had with the Old Man EMU lift and 32's

Here is the same truck, but with 33's

 

[Mikeymac25]

The old man emu kit caught my eye did you have to do the smaller crash bars to fit 33 in tires?

 

[Frenchy]

The way I did it no. I had 285/70-17 Firestone Destination XT's, Factory wheels and no spacers. I did remove the plastic covers from the front crash bars and pushed all the crash bars away from the tires as much as possible. I only had run at full lock.

Also if you do go with Old Man EMU, I would highly recommend the BP-51 over the Nitrocharger

 

[Mikeymac25]

Good to know appreciate the insight

 

[Maxacceleration]

You do not have to limit yourself to 2.5” of lift.
I am going BDS and 3.5” of lift.
Why?
BDS offer UCA’s to help correct angles. They have a minor diff drop to ease CV angles… Plus Fox shocks, which in my experience have always kept my ride in control. Some say they are soft? Thats good for me as I want less harsh.
They offer a 1” lift shackle to use, or not, depending on the stance you want.
A lot of folks want to stuff the largest tires they can in the fenderwells. …Okay.
I look for better approach & departure angles along with breakover clearance.
Height is clearance and offers room for taller tires without rubbing here or there.
I will not ‘over tire’ my Ranger to help it all work easier in the long run…
+12 or +18 wheels offer good clearance opportunity. Zero offset works ok too.
OME has historically had/have low height lift or level kits. I have always looked for taller kits than OME. But OME is generally good product.
YMMV!!

 

[Frenchy]

You do not have to limit yourself to 2.5” of lift.
I am going BDS and 3.5” of lift.
Why?
BDS offer UCA’s to help correct angles. They have a minor diff drop to ease CV angles… Plus Fox shocks, which in my experience have always kept my ride in control. Some say they are soft? Thats good for me as I want less harsh.
They offer a 1” lift shackle to use, or not, depending on the stance you want.
A lot of folks want to stuff the largest tires they can in the fenderwells. …Okay.
I look for better approach & departure angles along with breakover clearance.
Height is clearance and offers room for taller tires without rubbing here or there.
I will not ‘over tire’ my Ranger to help it all work easier in the long run…
+12 or +18 wheels offer good clearance opportunity. Zero offset works ok too.
OME has historically had/have low height lift or level kits. I have always looked for taller kits than OME. But OME is generally good product.
YMMV!!

Things to consider with what you just said.

Fiat if doing a Diff Drop on the Ranger, you have to do irreversible chassis modifications. Not a good idea if you ask me.

When if comes to Old Man EMU and Dobinsons, the reason they had a lift height that isn't as high as the rest is quite simple. They base it off of Laws in Australia to start. Out in Australia you can only lift a vehicle so much to keep the vehicle road legal. How high is that limit? Usually no more than 3 inches from Factory(not counting tires).

Another thing they look at is practicality. As one that likes the whole idea of remote travel, I can tell that once a vehicle is a bit to high, it becomes a bit tough to get to certain things on the roof as needed or better yet it becomes harder to put things in the truck bed or even take the out. Due to this, both Old Man EMU and Dobinsons take each vehicle and try to find the correct lift height that requires the least amount of modifications to the vehicle. Sometimes that lift height is only 1 inch. Other times it can be 2-3 inches. I just depends on the vehicle and the setup.

Also keep in mind that when I still had my Ranger, it has the Old Man flight and 33's. It was very capable and went many places. It would have gotten farther if I had lockers.

 

[Maxacceleration]

Not knocking your idealology or route you went Frenchy. Its a route that many go with.
But your way is not the only way of setting up a vehicle.
Choice is good!
Are you in Australia? Here in the US height is allowed to fluctuate a bit between brands.
I am following you on the diff drop - I was not aware of cutting off a bracket to drop the diff.
I will read up on the Icon 3.5” kit & see how it installs.
IMO s 2-3” lift(level) is hardly worth more than a spacer.
On another note… Frenchy, you had a Frontier pick up also?
I built up a ‘12 in pretty good fashion a few years back. Great truck other than poor mpg’s…

 

[Frenchy]

Not knocking your idealology or route you went Frenchy. Its a route that many go with.
But your way is not the only way of setting up a vehicle.
Choice is good!
Are you in Australia? Here in the US height is allowed to fluctuate a bit between brands.
I am following you on the diff drop - I was not aware of cutting off a bracket to drop the diff.
I will read up on the Icon 3.5” kit & see how it installs.
IMO s 2-3” lift(level) is hardly worth more than a spacer.
On another note… Frenchy, you had a Frontier pick up also?
I built up a ‘12 in pretty good fashion a few years back. Great truck other than poor mpg’s…

If you click my profile picture, it will tell you that I do not live in Australia.

When it comes to lift heights in the US, technically speaking there are restrictions that vary by state to keep it road legal. That doesn't mean it is enforced.

How do I know about the general rule for Australia? Because I was curious.

Technically I have a 2012 Frontier as we speak. I used to have two different 2016 Frontiers before and I used to have a 2019 Ranger. Of the 4 I prefer the 2012 Frontier. I have my reasons of course, but those reasons may not be the same for others.

When it comes to lifting a vehicle, I always recommend staying away from spacers. It always best to use a Shock and Strut with the correct spring to achieve the best ride compliance.

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