Lifting a new Z-71

[big buck down]

About to buy a new Z-71 but I hate how they sit any one ever had one lifted how did it affect the power and how much was it. I’m only thinking about 4” but a friend of mine sed to get 6” that there was problems with the 4” for some reason.

BBD

 

[big buck down]

any help with this some one out there has to have one lifted or know somthing about it.

 

[Slayer]

3 inch body lift on my 96

ordered the kit online...and it took me about 1/2 a day to do it by myself.....

 

[UGA hunter]

There should not be any problems with a 4". I have a friend with a Z71 with a 6" suspension, 3" body, and 2" torsion bar kit running 37" tires and he doesn't have any problems. You should be fine with a 4" and 33's or a 6" and 35's. Let me know if you have any more questions. Good luck!

 

[big buck down]

Was there a lost of power and how much if any

 

[UGA hunter]

He didn't have much with the 35's but you can definitely tell the difference with the 37's. If you want to retain most of the power, you'll need to use a programmer and/or new gears. The gears would be the biggest help but also the most expensive. If you just want a little more height and aren't interested in going real big, I'd say go with a 3" body and 33's or a 4" suspension and 33's. That should add a little more height, clearance, and attitude without losing power and being too extreme. Any more ?, just holler.

 

[jason308]

I have a 99 Xcab Z71 and had the torsion bars raised in the front to level the truck out. I run 285/75R16 (metric equivalent of a 33X11R16 tire) mud tires and have no problems with the setup. The truck rides and looks good, and I got a whole lot more ground clearance with the bigger tires too. So I didn't lift the truck per say, just the front end. Hope this helps. BTW, gas mileage is not all that great, driving like an old man on the highway mostly with a little driving in town I get 16 mpg at best. Hope this helps.

 

[J Pritchard III]

I just bought an 05 Chevy 1500 Z71 crew cab. It has 285/70/17 BFG mud tires and there is no problem with clearance. I want to lift the front a little more to level it out but I don't want to max out the torsion bars so I am getting the torsion keys replaced to get about 2 inches and I'm still debating on putting 2 inch blocks in the rear?

 

[big buck down]

I plan on getting a 4.10 gear from the factory win I order it so I think that should make up for the bigger tires I hope. What manufacture of lift kits did yall have on your trucks.

 

[UGA hunter]

What size lift are you wanting?

 

[big buck down]

Well I was thinking about 4” but a friend of mine sed there was problems with the front end on the 4” and to get the 6”. I like the look of the 6” but I still won’t to be able to work out of it and it to be functional.

 

[UGA hunter]

There should not be any problems with a 4" lift. As far as I know, Rancho is the only company to offer a 4" for the Z71. If you want to go with 6", Fabtech and ProComp are always great choices and my friend has never had a problem with his Tuff Country. He runs a landscaping business and works out of the truck I previously mentioned and also hauls his 4 wheeler in the back when he doesn't feel like unloading all his other equiptment off his trailer. There is nothing wrong with 3" body lifts either as long as they are done correctly.

 

[big buck down]

Thanks for the help this will help me in my decision. I plane to go to the dealer tomorrow if I have time in the morning before I leave for race this weekend.


BBD

 

[jason308]

I have several buddies with late 1990s Z71s with Fabtech 6 inch lifts on them and they love them, one even claims the truck rides better than it did new. Superlift and Rancho are time tested and would by my personal choice, and you can expect the Rancho kit to be a little pricier (not that lifting an IFS truck is cheap anyhow). I may be wrong, but one thing about the Superlift 6" kit is it requires the cutting of a crossmember or something.......But Superlift also makes and sells parts to return the truck to stock height and function if you desire later. Here is my opinion, and it is just that: Get the least amount of lift you can and stuff the biggest tires underneath it that won't rub. Lower center of gravity AND more ground clearance all in one step. Hope this helps. Here is a pic of my 99 with the torsion bar kit and 285/75R16 BFG ATs on 16X8 American Racing wheels.
Plenty of clearance on both ends. Most folks with a 4 inch suspension or a body lift are only running 285s anyhow.

 

[UGA hunter]

I didn't think of the torsion key kit that you could do. That is what my friend did to get an extra 2" to total 11". I don't think I would go with Superlift. I have heard bad things about their kits but that's jmo. As far as cutting the crossmember, most if not all of your kits require some kind of modification like this and/or do require cutting it. Good luck!

 

[UGA hunter]

Here's my friend's truck with 6" lift and 35's.

 

[UGA hunter]

And here it is now with 11" of lift and 37's. He has won many small shows and took 2nd at Nopi nationals this year.

 

[mike pearce]

Have An 00 Z-71 With 3 Inch Body Lift And Hd Torsion Bars On The Front And I Run A 315 /15yokohama Tires With No Clearance Problems