1998 Tahoe LS 2 door !help me!

[98Doubledoor]

Simply brilliant. Man i just looked it up.. 1700$ for it. : (

 

[clownracer]

if you are going to be spending 3k to do an ifs lift you should really take a hard look at just doing a SAS and be done with all the ifs nonsense

 

[sparg93]

Just gonna throw this in here. I put a 6" zone offroad lift on my 99 with autotrac and didn't have to replace the front driveshaft. It is also a true 6" lift, I have mine lifted almost 8" in the front and my angles are nowhere being bad.

If you engaged your 4wd on the street over 35mph with 8" of lift in the front, you are going to have a nasty vibration running the OEM front driveshaft. Low speed 4wd you won't notice it but I'd bet you've got a pretty steep angle on that joint.

Also, the various lift manufacturers have differences in their systems...so just b/c it works for one lift, doesn't mean it will work for another. As an example, the RCX is NOT a true 6" lift, you have to crank your TB's to grab that extra height. If you crank an RCX lift that high, you will destroy your front end.

As the last poster mentioned, with the amount of $$ spent on IFS lifts, a SAS becomes a really nice option. However, unless you have fab skill and are really comfortable with custom work, shops charge huge $$ to SAS a truck and a properly built front axle with cost you a ton of money if you can't do it yourself.

 

[TruckBoss223]

If you engaged your 4wd on the street over 35mph with 8" of lift in the front, you are going to have a nasty vibration running the OEM front driveshaft. Low speed 4wd you won't notice it but I'd bet you've got a pretty steep angle on that joint.

Also, the various lift manufacturers have differences in their systems...so just b/c it works for one lift, doesn't mean it will work for another. As an example, the RCX is NOT a true 6" lift, you have to crank your TB's to grab that extra height. If you crank an RCX lift that high, you will destroy your front end.

As the last poster mentioned, with the amount of $$ spent on IFS lifts, a SAS becomes a really nice option. However, unless you have fab skill and are really comfortable with custom work, shops charge huge $$ to SAS a truck and a properly built front axle with cost you a ton of money if you can't do it yourself.

See ^^ that is what i was talking about with the extra indexing keys. so i wouldnt have to crank. I am confused now. I looked at all the other lifts i wasnt too fond of them cause they said they increase the front width by 2 inches

 

[sparg93]

See ^^ that is what i was talking about with the extra indexing keys. so i wouldnt have to crank. I am confused now. I looked at all the other lifts i wasnt too fond of them cause they said they increase the front width by 2 inches

Scroll down to the second post...it explains re-indexing
http://www.gmc4x4.com/topic/68-torsion-bars-101/?hl=torsion

If you need additional explanation, I'll be happy to walk you through it over the phone.

Truck - I believe you are thinking of a spindle lift. This is just me personally, but I don't like the look of the increased track width and it seems like you don't either.

 

[TruckBoss223]

I understand the point of torsion bars, reindexing them and cranking them. let me try this i might be explaining wrong.

Right now i have 33's on my truck with the bars cranked. so instead of the lower control arms being on a level plane with the differential they are angle for the lift.

What i was told is with the RCX 6" lift kit your essentially getting more lift but again cranking the keys to get up to the 6" mark which would again bring the control arms out of that level plane.

What i wanted to do was get new indexing keys to put in when i put the lift in to keep that level plane and NOT have to crank anything.

Make sense ? i think i may have just confused myself a little

 

[sparg93]

I understand the point of torsion bars, reindexing them and cranking them.

Maybe an example will help!
Lets say you install a true, 6" suspension lift. Therefore if you slap it in the truck and not touch the keys or your torsion bars, you will lift your truck 6".

At this point, your upper/lower control arm angles have NOT changed from stock, they look factory but you are 6" taller; front-end components are ok at this stage!

Now, any lift you experience after this initial 6" will affect your front-end geometry in the exact same way.

OEM Keys:
If you use your stock keys, you can probably net 2-3" of additional lift by turning (cranking) the adjustment bolt... but the bolt will be MAXED out which means you cannot lift your truck any higher via your torsion bars.

Aftermarket Keys:
You will be able to net 2" of lift without touching (cranking) the adjustment bolt. If you MAX out the adjustment bolt, you can probably achieve 5" of additional lift

Conclusion:
In the case of the aftermarket keys, you will not have to physically turn (crank) the adjustment bolt very far to achieve 2- 3" of lift. On your stock keys, you will have to turn (crank) that adjustment all the way to the end to achieve that same amount of lift. Overall, ANY lift you achieve (regardless of keys) after the 6" will affect your geometry.

The keys have nothing to do directly with front-end geometry. Certain keys simply allow you to achieve greater amounts of lift...the more lift, the worse your geometry. If your final lift is 8" over stock, whether use used your stock keys OR aftermarket keys, those extra 2" will have the exact same impact on your front-end.

When people say "crank" they are referring to physically turning the adjustment bolt.

Does that help??

 

[Donnie Yukonie]

Maybe an example will help!
Lets say you install a true, 6" suspension lift. Therefore if you slap it in the truck and not touch the keys or your torsion bars, you will lift your truck 6".

At this point, your upper/lower control arm angles have NOT changed from stock, they look factory but you are 6" taller; front-end components are ok at this stage!

Now, any lift you experience after this initial 6" will affect your front-end geometry in the exact same way.

OEM Keys:
If you use your stock keys, you can probably net 2-3" of additional lift by turning (cranking) the adjustment bolt... but the bolt will be MAXED out which means you cannot lift your truck any higher via your torsion bars.

Aftermarket Keys:
You will be able to net 2" of lift without touching (cranking) the adjustment bolt. If you MAX out the adjustment bolt, you can probably achieve 5" of additional lift

Conclusion:
In the case of the aftermarket keys, you will not have to physically turn (crank) the adjustment bolt very far to achieve 2- 3" of lift. On your stock keys, you will have to turn (crank) that adjustment all the way to the end to achieve that same amount of lift. Overall, ANY lift you achieve (regardless of keys) after the 6" will affect your geometry.

The keys have nothing to do directly with front-end geometry. Certain keys simply allow you to achieve greater amounts of lift...the more lift, the worse your geometry. If your final lift is 8" over stock, whether use used your stock keys OR aftermarket keys, those extra 2" will have the exact same impact on your front-end.

When people say "crank" they are referring to physically turning the adjustment bolt.

Does that help??

Agreed ^^^

Just a FYI though 90% of lifts out there are not TRUE 6 inch kits as most Diff drops are either 4-5 inches therefore requiring the key cranked to achieve the true 6 inches of lift, Also there is a Difference in Knuckle lifts and Bracket lifts

Bracket lifts are older in design and CANNOT be reversed (theoretically) because it requires more cutting and welding (even though most lift companies state that it does not require it to be welded I found this to be highly untrue)
Knuckle lifts are easier to install but it is said that they will increase the track width .

 

[TruckBoss223]

I dont think you understand what i was getting at. All i want is 6" of lift. I was told by RCX guy that when you install the lift kit your going to have to crank a little to get the 6". I dont want to crank. I want the RCX lift since the wheel track stays the same with the stock geometry and leaving it perfectly level.

I DO NOT want a knuckle lift system. so what my plan was is this

if the RXC 6" lift is technically 4-5 inches with some cranking
then add the 2" or 1.5" torsion keys

that will equal 6" of true lift with nothing cranked and everything in stock geometry except the driveshafts of course.

I am not trying to go higher than 6"

 

[SunlitComet]

i different lift would suffice perhaps. on that lowers the diffy and control arm mounts further down.