am I better staying with a 4 inch lift or going to a 6inch

[K5Blazerboy87]

Hi I got 87 k5 blazer and it has I believe 4 inch lift or a 3 inch but thinking about maybe going to 6 but idk do because my truck be more Top heavy and going to bigger tires will decrease gas mileage but idk I already have 33s BF goodrich all terrain on it so what route do you guys think I should go cause I gotta replace my front shocks and mounts and leaf springs r looking flat so idk which route should I go?

 

[Iowan]

Well I look at it like this, is it practical? If you do some tough off-road the go for it but it sounds like this is more daily driver than off-road beast. And like you said bigger tire kill fuel economy,sound is also worse,more money for new tires,and tickets I had a friend that had a dodge hemi,lifed,and 35s and got a 75 dollar speeding ticket cause it throughs your speedo. My suggestion is just leave it alone and maybe just upgrade the shock with the money you would spend lifting it. just my 5 cents. good luck, Iowan

 

[Rusty Nail]

K5Blazerboy87 "am I better staying with a 4 inch lift or going to a 6inch"

Yes.

 

[Iowan]

Yes what?

 

[Steven]

Honestly, I prefer a bigger truck. That's just me though. If you have stock rims like a do, they don't give a huge selection of bigger tires. I think I can barely get 37's with my factory 15's. I know everyone loves a big truck, but if you're doing suspension lift keep in mind you will have to extend certain things with that. Like driveshaft(s) and maybe brake lines. I personally recommend going with a body lift. 3 Inch if anything. I have 4 suspension and 3 body. Looks pretty good to me (other than the bumper spacing) but with that you don't have any problems and they're cheap and easy to do! I picked my 3 inch up on summit for like 110. That's pretty cheap. Also you can fit 35's on it with the additional 3 inches if you want to (or at least on my truck you can.) Also if you go more than 3 inches you can run into wiring being too short, I never had the problem, but it's something to think about

 

[Big Beast]

If you go higher make Sure you buy a brace for your frame where the steering box is mounted.

 

[kenn]

I think the 4 inch. Lots of people claim they get more than 4 (old springs sag over time) I'm doing a 4 inch this spring on 78 k10 hope to get 35's on it

 

[rpcraft]

Practically speaking figure out what tire you want to run, then you can figure out what lift you need (if you need it), and what gears you need to match up to it so you stay in your peak operating range, otherwise you are going to get ****** mpg's, terrible performance, and will probably end up hating to drive it.

With minor trimming you can fit 35's on a 4 inch lift and not really need to go bigger but in my minds eye the perfect look on most blazers is 33's with a 2 inch lift. Others might think or like to have more lift, but honestly once you get to a certain age the appeal of climbing your way into your rig becomes less party and more hangover. You can run 33's stock with very little clearancing and have a lot fewer issues with drivetrain problems but the 2 inch lift just makes it look like that is the way the General wanted it made.

No matter what you do for lift or tires, you still want to gusset your steering box. It normally cracks with hard use on stock tires and no lift, so bigger tires is really going to strain it, if it has not already done so. Be sure to also check the front crossmember to make sure it isn't cracked too.

Not everyone understands on the outset but you can't just change tire size up 2 or 3 sizes without it affecting the overall performance of the rig. It's not enough to compensate with a 5 horsepower intake or muffler change.

 

[Grumpy Grizzly]

If you go higher make Sure you buy a brace for your frame where the steering box is mounted.

I call this a must on any vehicle but especially our lovelies for any thing 35 and bigger to handle the vibration and frame stress from turning.

Also I keep going back and forth in this question and as a 6 in lift like others are saying you will have to lengthen drive shafts and many other hidden issues where as a 4 in you can manage with out too much fuss so if you are already there don't mess with it. Especially if you are driving true now.

 

[shiftpro]

4" will always ride better than a 6"... unless maybe Deaver made the 6" springs.
The more arch, the less flex.
As Grump mentions above, 6" and you need to lengthen shafts. If your TC has the slip joint tail this can be a liability on the trail. You can break it off.

Also as a friendly member suggested 3" lift, umm . I recommend 1" max. Standing your cab up on stilts just causes it to wiggle around
and wear out mounts both on the frame and cab... plus it looks stuuupid as ****.

If you want more lift out of 4" springs, stick a Zero Rate under the spring pack. https://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/Zero Rates.htm

Then you can use the forward holes and move the front axle forward 1". This will give you extra clearance at that critical point on the cab end, and then trim the front 'hook' up to the marker light. Without getting too twisted 35s will fit with this formula.

I also like to slide the cab back as far as I can on the mounts. Even 1/2" helps, an don't forget the rad mount up front has to slide back with the cab as well.

 

[Dmack]

I am running g 35's on my K20. Normal driving I have no rubbing issues. Not an off road hero, just setting it up for regular DD use.