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Proposed Suspension Lift - Phase 2

10257 Views 36 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  BioTerra, 
mtdewmike
Hey all. Thought I'd share with everyone my next phase of lifting my truck. For those of you who remembered my first thread - Proposed Suspension Lift - I ended up installing the following items back in April:

AC Coils
AC Shackles
Calmini AAL's
Extended Rear Brake Lines
Extended Rear Bilstein Shocks

I had taken measurements from the center of the wheel hub to the bottom of the fender before and after the lift. Here's what I came up with (please note that these are approx. measurements)

Before Lift
Front: 19.5"
Rear: 20"
Rake: .5"

After Lift
Front: 22"
Rear: 23"
Rake: 1"

Well, I placed an order last week with PRG, and just got the shipment in today. It took 4 business days to come in, which I was impressed with because PRG is in CA and I am in MA. But anyway, I got in the PRG UCA's, PRG shackles and Radflo coilovers. I was hoping to install everything this weekend, but the UCA's have some damage to the powdercoating. Greg is already on top of it. I'm going to ship them back, and he'll ship me out another set.

The main reason for getting this set up was the quality of the ride. Since the lift went on back in April, the front of the truck has been very stiff, and the shocks top out on various dips and bumps in the road. I know this is due to the fact that I did not upgrade the stock shocks when the AC coils were installed, and I do not have the extra weight of a winch bumper on the front to help out a bit. I can't wait to see the difference the way the truck will ride.

Also, once everything is installed, I'm hoping that I'll get a full 3" lift in the front, and a little closer to the stock .5" rake. I realize the PRG shackles are longer than the AC shackles, and will bring the rear of the truck up a tiny bit more, but I don't think it will be that much more. We'll see.

I'll keep you updated once I get the parts swapped out, and then installed.
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mtdewmike
Muzikman said:
Curious, why the PRG shackles?
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*shrug*
Just kinda liked the look of them when I first saw them. And figured I'd give them a shot. And they're bigger. :iconbiggrin:
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mtdewmike
XterraDude said:
Sooo i have a similar front end suspension setup as you right now and i a very much so considering doing the PRG UCA's and the Radflos. Right now the front end is soooo stiff that if i go over a speed bump my front end bounces to a stand still and sometimes on the freeway catches air off small dips. PLEASE TELL ME THAT YOUR NEW SETUP COMPLETELY FIXES THIS. Also how much did he charge you for his new UCA's?
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Not to worry. Once everything is on, I'll let everyone know how the ride quality is.

I believe the UCA's were the same as the TC UCA's. They were either $599 or $699. Those two numbers stick in my head because whatever price the UCA's were, the Radflo's were the other price.
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mtdewmike
Well, this past weekend, I was finally able to get the parts (PRG UCA's & shackles and Radflo coilovers) installed on my truck, with the help of a couple friends from Nexterra. I must say, the difference in ride between the AC coils/stock Bilstein shocks combo and the new Radflo's is night and day. The front end feels close to the factory ride once again. No more topping out of the front shocks. I can hit speedbumps without having to crawl over them anymore. The rear suspension is still stiff because of the Calmini AAL's, and I'm fine with that, for now. I may swap out the rear bumper for a tire carrier bumper in the future, which would decrease some of that stiffness.

I also gained the height I wanted. As I stated in the first post, these were the approx. measurements I had:

Before Lift - Stock
Front: 19.5"
Rear: 20"
Rake: .5"

After Lift - Phase 1
Front: 22"
Rear: 23"
Rake: 1"

After Lift - Phase 2
Front: 22.5"
Rear: 23"
Rake: .5"

I now have a full 3" lift, front and rear. FYI, I have the PRG shackles set to the highest setting possible.

I took pictures, but have not pulled them off the camera yet. I'll try to remember to do that either tonight or later this week.
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mtdewmike
nalu's one said:
Howzit, mtdewmike You are running the same set up as myself except for the uca's and the shocks.
My first question:
I went out and measured my rear lift and I'm sitting at 24" from center wheel to the bottom of wheel well. I have the calmini aal and prg shackles at highest setting just like yours. How is it we have a 1" difference in lift, in the rear?
Would us running differnt shocks make that 1" difference?
Does that mean one set of our shocks could be over extended or restricted?
Did you remove or keep your load level leaf?
And for the front, How much did you adjust your coilovers if any?
Thanks, nalu's one.
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Hmm, good questions.
1. I'm not sure why there would be a 1" difference in the back. The rear shocks I have are the ones that came from this package: Xterra Deluxe Suspension Package With Bilstein Shocks Which rear shocks do you have? Maybe mine are restricted. I'll have to investigate now.
2. I kept the load leaf.
3. I didn't have to adjust the coilovers at all. Greg set them just right.
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mtdewmike
XVTer said:
Mike, you still have those AC coils? I just installed my front bumper and I lost about .5" in the front. I also notice a bit of a nose dive when I brake.
I am looking for a quick-fix until I can afford the radflos

Lemme Know,

Bobby
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Ironically, I recently cleaned them up for sale. I will be sending you a PM. :)
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mtdewmike
SeXterraPA said:
Mike, where are the photos? :protest:
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*chuckle*
I know, I know. I'll talk to my girlfriend tonight, as I took the pictures with her camera. I need to take them off and upload them! Thanks for the reminder. :)
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mtdewmike
11
A little late, but as my mom always says, "it's better to owe you than do you out." Or something like that. :)

They're kindy crappy, as I forgot to put the flash on. Of course, my girlfriend pointed this out as I was going through them tonight. Oh well. Hopefully, you get the idea.

On the lift at a friend's garage.


Rear suspension with AC shackles and Calmini AAL's.


Front suspension with Stock Bilstein's w/AC coils and stock UCA's


Stock Bilstein's w/AC coils and stock UCA's


Comparison of UCA's


Comparison of coilovers


New PRG UCA's and Radflo coilovers installed


Comparison of shackles


Lift installed


New front suspension


New rear suspension
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mtdewmike
azterra said:
Looks great mtdewmike! I can tell from the pics that yours looks a lot like mine does. The exception would be you are sitting at around 3" on the front, I am 2.5". The rear looks identical though. Which hole did you use for the rear shackles? How do your new Extended Bilsteins ride?
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The shackles are at the highest setting. I didn't get the extended Bilstein's from PRG, as I had a set from AC, although I'm not sure if they are over-extended. I need to look into that.
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mtdewmike
Front End:
Radflo Coilovers and UCA's - PRG Products

Rear End:
Shackles - PRG Products
AAL's - Calmini
Ext. Bilstein's and Ext. Brake Lines - came from this package I first bought - Xterra Deluxe Suspension Package With Bilstein Shocks
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mtdewmike
willgr1 said:
why not get the 5125 bils prg sells?
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Thought has crossed my mind, but do I really need them?
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