Hi, i have been lookin threw all the old messages for the past few weeks and i was just wondering how to lift the front end about 2.5 inches. I understand that u can crank the T bars but i have also read that it causes long term damages and hurts the ride. Is there any other way to lift the front without spending alot of money? I was lastly wondering by adding a 2.5 inch. shackle lift in the back about how long will my leaf springs hold the lift to the full hight?? i have read that over time they sag and loose there hight, how long will this lift last before i will have to replace the springs?? would i be better off goin with a add a leaf system? or going all out and getting a body lift?? I would really rather not do that because of the price. thanks any imput would be great

You're better off getting the AAL's first in back and then adding shackles if you want more lift. The AAL's improve the ride and give you better flexability. Shackles don't stress the springs by themselves. WHat happens is they allow the spring pack to flex more before it encounters the bumpstop. The extra flex is what eventually hurts the springs. If you're not offroading they are fine, but the AAL's are still a more sensible first step.

You can't lift the front 2.5 inches without new upper control arms. ANything more than an inch or so puts you too close to the upper bumpstops with the factory control arms and you won't be able to properly align the front end. So, not only would the ride be bad, but the wear on your tires would be enough to justify the cost of the new control arms.

You're better off saving your money so you can do it right!

BTW, body lifts are strictly for adding clearance for big tires and for looks. They serve no other real purpose. The low cost looks good on paper, but the reality is that they require a lot more work to install than a suspension lift, and don't give you the same benefits as a suspension lift (better ride, more ground clearance, etc.). The suspension lift should be first and then a body lift as a secondary thing.

thanks for the advice. One more thing if u get new upper control arms do u have to replace anything like the shocks and how bad of a ride is it with the t bars cranked 2 inches ?? is it a big difference.

thanks for all the help!

thanks for the advice. One more thing if u get new upper control arms do u have to replace anything like the shocks and how bad of a ride is it with the t bars cranked 2 inches ?? is it a big difference.

thanks for all the help!

Same shock length for fronts. Cranking your t-bars reduces the dampening quality they're designed to have since you're using that to hold the vehicle higher.

With the new UCA's your ride will still be fine with 2 inches or so of lift. Schlud is correct that more tension on the bars makes them more firm, but also you have the angle of the control arms working to stiffen things up. The best way I can think to describe it is to imagine if you were to take a hinge and with it bent 90 degrees there would be no give if you pushed on it, but if you unfolded it then it would flop around. The same thing applies to your control arms. Fromt he factory they stick straight out to the side and as you lift they angle down. Still, the small amounts we're talking about aren't a huge deal. Infact, you may actually prefer the more solid ride; most people do. Shocks are always recommended because the Nissan shocks are lousy, but they aren't necessary.

The only thing you will want to be concerned with is centerlink wear. Might want to budget a steering system for 6 - 12 months down the road. The stock setup doesn't react well to the angle changes that come with a lift. Each bump you hit transfers the shock right into the centerlink from below, which it isn't designed to take.

So i guess what i really need to know is if the only offroading im goin to be doing is some muding without much to any crawling will my leaf springs sag?? and with the 2 1/2 shackles they dont actualy give u that much lift right? thanks