Why You Need to Think About the Repercussions If You Decide to 'Lift' Your Truck
If you love to make a statement when you drive, you may be thinking about making some significant modifications to your truck so that it stands out from all the rest. You may be thinking about lifting it up, so that you can fit fat wheels and tyres and get a new outlook from your driving position. However, you need to consider how these modifications are going to affect the drivability of the vehicle so that you can budget for any additional work. What do you need to consider?
Brakes
Firstly, understand what type of stress an upgraded wheel and tyre configuration is going to put on your stock braking system. These tyres will be much heavier and cover more of the road surface beneath, so they will put a lot of pressure on any standard system. If you're not careful, the brakes could overheat or wear out far more quickly and you will inevitably have to deal with longer stopping distances, which may not be the end result you are looking for. You need to ensure that you get brake upgrade kits that are meant for use with wheels of larger diameter and that they have upgraded discs, high-performance pads and bigger calipers.
Differential
Don't forget that if you alter the suspension on your truck this will make the drive shaft and prop shaft angles change, as well. This could cause problems with the constant velocity joints and you have to do something about the actual position of the differential. To do this, fit specially designed wedges between the axle and the springs to move the differential into a better position and make the angles more palatable. In some situations, you may have to adjust the length of your shafts so that you do not pressurise the CV joints too much.
Gearing
Also, remember to alter the gearing of the truck in accordance with the bigger wheel and tyre size. If you don't, you may find that acceleration is compromised and you may have trouble passing slower vehicles with ease.
Steering
Finally, don't forget to adjust the steering accordingly if you want to enjoy safer and more positive motoring. If the geometry is out of line after your modifications, then the vehicle could wander on the road and be difficult to control. You need to modify the length, configuration and positioning of your steering geometry and may even have to upgrade your power assistance in order to turn those bigger wheels.
Take your vehicle to a mechanic who does truck repairs and replacements to ensure all parts are modified safely and to ensure that your truck not only looks good but runs properly upon completion.
