Finally a Colorado Lift Kit

I saw that, but its a body lift. The Fabtech is a suspension lift.

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What is the functional difference?

(Not poking, honest question)

Body lift just lifts the body off the frame potentially just leaving the suspension intact. Suspension lift lifts the body and the frame.

Unless one really goes radical lift, there is no functional difference. The idea is to gain ground clearance and run larger tires and wheels if off roading is your thing, other wise(like 80% of the time) its mostly to get those big diameter tires under the vehicle and gain a "look". Whitelightning

If you're raising the frame, you're going to change the handling, are you not? A body lift wouldn't change the handling nearly as much the way I see it - nor would it give any more ground clearance.

That is what I thought, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. So why screw with the suspension when a body lift will give the required clearance?

The ground clearance that matters is driven by the centreline of the wheels, is it not? Does it matter if other stuff is 6" above the differential or

10"?

This is why I am confused as to why a suspension lift might be prefered over a body lift. If the wheels fit, you get the same clearance.

If the wheels and tires are taller you gain ground clearance.

Depends on how tall the rock out crop you want to get over is, or the log, or the boulder etc, or how sharp the edge of a bank is your trying to get over.. My 74 Jeep J-20 was famous for getting center hung (picture rock acting as balance point in center of frame, truck acting as teter totter), partially because of the long wheel base it had.

For the serious off roader suspension gives more clearance. Four the guy just wanting the off road look, body lift is fine, and handles better, not great cause you still raised the center of gravity of the vehicle, and the larger tires don't help the handling ether. shorter the wheel base, the worse it will be.

Whitelightning

A body lift will not give the desired clearance. A stock Colorado is extremely low to the ground and the frame drags on the larger speed bumps you see at places life self serve car washes.

In addition if you ever actually go off road or into a farming area you may find the frame dragging on dirt burms that another pickup truck would just roll right over.

The differential location still ultimately defines the lowest point of clearance on most vehicles. The only way to adjust the position of that of course is larger tires.

We aren't even talking about serious off roading in these circumstances. Just handling normal situations that you might run into in both rural and metro areas.

Bob La Londe

Makes sense.

Gotcha.

Can you tell I rarely take my truck off of the blacktop?

Body lift: Cheap hight, helps fit large tires without getting a spring with a large arch that kills articulation.

My planned lift; 3in body (purchased) w/ new body bushings, 4in suspension (workin on it) and 35's.

From 31's to 35's = 4in New Body Bushings Theoretically nothing, but old bushings compress = 1in Body = 3in

4" Springs, (replacing OEM springs, in good shape but they sag after 15 years) = 5in

That should net me about 13" of lift - minimum really. Bushings might be an inch and a half and I've heard of springs having 2" of sag or so. But 4" lift kits articulate well, 6" OK, 8"+ about as well as using cinder blocks for shocks.

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-- GMC Gremlin

Incorrect. Can you say Moog? No - not the synthesizer - the axle parts company. They make an axle that has final drives at the end, dropping the wheels down 5 1/2" from the axle center line.

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-- GMC Gremlin

Simply K5's Nuttin' Newer Than 1991 - Just The Way I Like It!

(206) 350 - BLZR (2597)

Sensible driving and route choice, a 2 wheel drive will go many places. I was in Virginia on Skyline one year for vacation and got a notion I wanted to see Hoover Camp, President Hoover's summer retreat while in the Whitehouse. I found you cant drive to it from the park unless the park service is leading a caravan., and at 8 miles it was a bit far for me and my MS to hike to. I got a hiking map and figured how to get to it from out side the park proper on the old road in, meant fording a winding creek three times as the bridges are all gone now, and water was 1/3 way up the doors once, but the little 91 S-10 did a fine job. I got a little less than 2 miles from it, that I could handle on foot. It was a trip seeing the look on a couple four wheelers faces that were heading in when we were coming out lol.

Whitelightning

Yes, I was aware of offset drives. Its stock in trade for a lot of military vehicles these days. For most folks that is a bit too radical, and adding extra moving parts always makes me nervous, but you are correct. It is a good option.