Body lifts are back in the game after a very long time. Your vehicle, like trucks, or cars, gets a new and fantastic presentation with these kits. However, what is the aftermath of installing body lifts in the car? More importantly, how good are these body lifts for your vehicle? It leads to another question – are body lifts bad?
It’s best to avoid any form of a body lift in your car. Though they offer more ground clearance, better vision, and a great appearance, they change your car’s center of gravity.
Hence, controlling the vehicle becomes challenging. Safety issues, fuel consumption rate, and mount damages also increase alarmingly. Using unmatched parts takes the problem to another level.
Some body lift kits might even cost you a fortune. Still, if you’re in awe, let us help you clear your doubts while making the right decision about body lift kits for your vehicle.
Why We Hate Body Lifts || From The Inbox
What Does a Body Lift Kit Do?
A body lift kit can be generalized as a kit that raises your vehicle’s body off the frame. These kits are generally spacers functioning between the body and the structure to elevate the vehicle’s body.
Body lift kits provide better ground clearance and help drive in harsh road conditions. These kits also offer extra space for bigger tires, ultimately helping you change your car’s structure.
However, using a body lift kit has certain disadvantages as well. One significant drawback is that it alters your truck’s control. This is because a body lift kit alters your vehicle’s geometry, which may cause instability and lower performance.
Do lift kits harm trucks, then? In the end, it depends on your requirements and tastes. A lift kit can only be an option to accommodate larger tires or enhance ground clearance; nothing more can come of it.
Pros & Cons of a Body Lift
Why Body Lifts Are A Bad Idea For Off-Road Driving
You might think installing body lift kits in the car will enhance its functions. But the truth is you’re partially correct. Body lift kits offer some features to your vehicle, but the negative impacts are more.
This discussion should clear the doubt cloud if you don’t know why body lift kits are bad.
Safety Concern
Body lift kits lift your vehicle to a particular height. But the problem starts when it’s too high. The more you raise your car, the more it’s difficult to balance. These kits shift the car’s center of gravity. So, it becomes tough to control the vehicle while driving, resulting in accidents.
Now, I ask you, are body lifts safe?
Electronic
A body lift kit will stretch your vehicle parts. If you buy a new truck, it’ll stretch even more. But it’s not a big deal in old vehicles. Most modern cars are electric. So, when you install any additional lifting kit, it stretches the electrical parts.
Electrical parts are the prime operator in electric cars. So, the vehicle won’t perform at the optimum level with any stretched parts. It can also affect the vehicle’s wiring and joints.
Creating Unwanted Space
You’ll create more unwanted space in your vehicle’s undercarriage and other parts once you apply body lift kits. With more gaps between the elements, these kits surely add an odd vibe to the car.
Sometimes, you won’t notice gaps between the sensitive parts, which might affect the vehicle’s overall performance. For example, body lifts affect a truck’s turn angle. In the end, you’ll face severe difficulties while turning your vehicle.
Affects Fuel Economy
Any lift kit affects a vehicle’s fuel economy, whether a body lift or suspension lift. Body lift kits are pretty heavy. The engine has to provide power to these parts too. Consequently, it needs more fuel to produce more power. So, you must spend more fuel to drive the vehicle.
Mis-matching Parts
Most of the bar work on your car is firmly attached to the chassis; if you raise the body, a 1-inch gap appears. Bullbars and back bars may seem like a good idea as body lifts. But it’s tough to set them up, especially when you’ve spent a chunk of money.
Damaged Mounts
You’re raising your car a few inches, adding extra parts affecting your vehicle’s mountings. These mounts loosen with time as you drive your truck with body lifts. As a result, exposed parts tend to rust, especially in older trucks.
However, if you continue to drive your vehicle and fail to control it, these damaged parts become the real culprit in case of an emergency.
Control Problems
Shifting the center of gravity of the vehicle hampers the controlling issue. Plus, the truck elevates to a few inches. It’s pretty tricky to control the car on zigzag and uneven roads. You’ll face severe issues during off-road driving if you’re a newbie.
Expensive
Body lift kits are pretty expensive. Installing high-quality body lift kits can cost you up to $850. If you want to lift your vehicle to an inch, it’ll cost you $150 to $250. So, raising your truck to a few inches might cost you $1,000, which isn’t economically feasible.
Maintenance Problems
Lift kits increase your truck’s engine power requirements. As a result, it also affects your engine maintenance expense. While installing these kits, you must also consider the truck parts’ installation and reassembly costs.
Your vehicle maintenance cost will increase even more if your truck’s critical gears and other components are broken.
Legal Issues
After everything you have come to know, you might be wondering, are body lifts legal?
Various states have laws regarding how much you can lift your vehicle. Many states don’t permit raising your truck more than an inch, while some don’t approve of lifting at all. So, if you don’t follow the rule, you might end up paying the price according to the local law.
Still, Want To Install Body Lifts? Consider These Facts
Do you want to insert body lifts even after discovering their negative impacts? Before you install body lift kits in your vehicle, you should understand these facts.
- You should be familiar with your car. Knowing about the vehicle’s compatibility helps to choose the suitable body lift kit.
- It would be best if you lifted your truck not more than 2 inches. Many forum members claim that raising the car to 4 inches is harmless. However, it significantly affects control.
- Purchase better quality lift kits having outstanding durability.
- Inspect the joints and mounts once you’ve installed body lift kits
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When should I use body lift kits?
You should try your best not to use any body lift kits. It hampers your vehicle’s overall performance. However, if you really have to use body lifts, use them when necessary. You can use body lifts to tow heavy loads and for smooth driving.
Does body lift affect my vehicle’s performance?
A body lift kit affects a vehicle’s performance significantly. As stated earlier, these kits change your car’s shape to be, accurately, your vehicle’s center of gravity. Also, body lifts increase the space between the tire and the frame.
Should I use body lifts while off-road driving?
You should never use body lift kits during off-road driving. These kits might provide extra ground clearance, but you won’t experience a joyride on terrains. Dirt and stones can harm your vehicle’s inner parts since your car has more space between the body and frame.
Why are body lift kits expensive?
Body lift kits are generally made of durable materials that add beauty to your car. You might think these kits are just some pieces of metal, but they help you only in emergencies. Also, the complex designs and the test these kits go through are other prime reasons for their high price.
Does installing body lifts change my vehicle’s structure?
Of course, installing body lifts changes your vehicle’s structure. Body lifts like spacers create more space between various car parts. Consequently, these parts affect your vehicle’s structure. Changing the car’s center of gravity significantly affects the car’s structure.
Is a Body Lift Bad for Your Truck?
As I have already mentioned in this article, a body lift can be really harmful to your vehicle. Let’s take another look at the negative effects a body lift can have on your truck:
- As a body lift kit can lift your truck higher than usual, there might be a safety issue here
- A body lift can easily stretch and cause stress to the electrical parts of your truck
- It can create gaps between some components, making your truck not only appear odd but also affect its performance
- As body lift kit parts are an added weight, it can affect your truck’s fuel economy negatively
- It’s hard to set up the back bars and bullbars of your truck after installing a body lift kit
- A body lift can wear out the mountings of your truck
- They can not only be expensive at times but can also raise control issues when riding your truck
Final Words
In the end, using lift kits depends on your choice. If you think you can handle the vehicle with lift kits, you can use them without any doubt. On the other hand, avoiding lift kits is the best option if you’re concerned about your vehicle’s condition.
We hope the discussion about whether body lifts are bad has cleared your doubt regarding the issue. You should avoid installing body lifts when you’re going for an off-road drive. If you insist on inserting body lifts, don’t lift your vehicle more than an inch. However, more space between tires and frames means the inner parts can get corroded quickly. To protect the inner vehicle parts, avoid body lifts.
