How a Lift Kit Affects Your Truck
Lift Kits and Chevrolet Trucks - Here's What You Should Know
If you’re hunting for a way to enhance your off-road experiences, you’ve likely considered whether or not you should invest in a lift kit. Lift kits are commonly used on trucks like the Chevrolet Colorado, the 2024 Silverado 1500, and the HD models. They can add a unique look to your vehicle and give your truck some advantages when you want to travel off the beaten path. However, there are pros and cons to lifting your vehicle. Here’s everything you need to know before you visit the parts department at Berglund Chevrolet Buick of Roanoke to browse the available lift kits.
Types of Lift Kits
There are several types of lift kits and they primarily fall into two categories – body lift kits and suspension lift kits. Body lift kits are exclusively used on vehicles with a truck-based, body-on-frame design. They involve unbolting the body from the chassis and raising it several inches from the ground while leaving the chassis unaltered. Suspension lift kits can be installed on body-on-frame and unibody vehicles, such as trucks and crossover SUVs. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each.
Body Lift Kits
Pros
- Affordability: Body lift kits usually cost less than suspension lift kits.
- Ease of Application: Lifting the body from the frame involves fewer components which contributes to a lower labor cost.
- Curb Appeal: Let’s face it, lifted trucks just have a certain coolness factor that can make them more appealing.
- Larger Tires: A body lift can allow you to mount larger tires on your vehicle.
Cons
- Body Roll: Lifting your vehicle raises its center of gravity, which can cause body roll, lower its wind resistance, and increase the risk of tipping.
- No Influence of Ground Clearance: Because a body lift doesn’t affect the frame of the vehicle, any increase in ground clearance will only be due to larger tires.
- Stability and Control: If the body lift is greater than four inches, it can cause instability in your vehicle.
Suspension Lift Kits
Pros
- Wheel Articulation: If you’ve ever considered crawling, a suspension lift is the best option.
- Better Angles: A suspension lift raises the entire chassis of your vehicle, giving you better approach, departure, and break-over angles.
- Increased Ground Clearance: When you add a suspension lift kit to your vehicle, you can raise it 2 to 12 inches–at the most extreme – from the ground. The improvement in ground clearance will allow you to navigate trails and off-road terrain with greater ease.
Cons
- Higher Costs: Suspension lifts are more complex than body lifts and may involve replacing several components of your suspension.
- Decreased Tow Ratings: Because the chassis of the vehicle is higher from the ground, you may need a drop hitch to attach a trailer, which can decrease your vehicle’s max towing capacity.
- Fuel Efficiency: A lifted vehicle with larger tires and a higher body can experience reduced fuel economy
- Voided Warranty: All alterations to your vehicle have the potential to void portions of your warranty. Because suspension lifts involve altering more components, they will likely void larger portions, requiring you to purchase an additional warranty for the lift itself.
Which Type of Lift Kit Should You Get?
If you opt to have your vehicle lifted, which type of lift kit you require will depend on your primary goals. If you want to gain better off-road prowess a suspension lift is best. Chevrolet offers several suspension lift kits. The team at Berglund Chevrolet Buick Roanoke can assist you with identifying the right one for your vehicle. Visit us today.