Lift Kits

Climb to New Heights: Exploring Vehicle Lift Kits

Although your SUV or truck may already have ample ground clearance for city driving, you’ll likely need a higher elevation when cruising challenging terrains like trailheads. Fortunately, you can modify your truck or SUV by installing a vehicle lift kit to enjoy an increased ride height and ground clearance and effortlessly navigate off-road trails. Or, you can just lift your vehicle for the love of it, even if you don’t plan to drive off-road. Whatever your reason for lifting your vehicle, our experts at Brakes Tires & More have you covered.

What Is a Lift Kit?

Vehicle lift kits are after-market equipment used to lift a vehicle’s chassis and body higher above the wheels to increase its ground clearance. A standard kit includes the following lift components:

• Coil springs
• Lift blocks
• Strut spacers 
• Leaf springs
• Trailing arms
• Control arms

However, components vary depending on the vehicle lift kit you install. Let’s discuss the types of vehicle lift kits you can install on your vehicle, the different reasons for installing one, and why you should trust professionals at Brakes Tires & More to perform the installation expertly. 

Types of Vehicle Lift Kits

Body Lift Kit

A body lift kit elevates your vehicle’s body above its chassis but leaves the wheels and suspension components intact. This is done by installing spacers or blocks on top of the stock body mount bushings. 

As such, a body lift kit doesn’t increase your vehicle’s actual ground clearance. Rather, it elevates the height of the wheel wells by about three to five inches, supporting the installation of taller and larger tires with a higher ground clearance. 

With body lift kits, there’s no need to replace the vehicle’s factory shock absorbers or get front-end alignment adjustments. Body lift kits are easy to install and maintain, making them the most cost-effective option for increasing a vehicle’s ground clearance. 

Suspension Lift Kit

Suspension lift kits replace the front and rear suspension components and shocks to elevate a vehicle’s ground clearance. Installing a suspension lift kit requires a detailed suspension modification and customization that enables the integration of:

• Extended coil springs
• Coil spring spacers
• Raised leaf springs
• Torsion bar keys

Suspension lift kits allow you to raise your vehicle as high as nine inches. This way, you can choose your desired ride height and axle articulation for off-road driving. However, the extensive suspension modifications often necessitate extra costs for wheel alignment adjustments to achieve optimum suspension geometry. 

Fortunately, our seasoned automotive experts at Brakes Tires & More will do all the follow-up services needed after a suspension lift kit installation to ensure your vehicle performs optimally. This way, you won’t wait until your ride gets shaky on the road to find out you need extra tune-ups.

Reasons for Installing Lift Kits on Your Vehicle

Enhanced Off-Road Performance

To smoothly conquer rough off-road terrains, you need an off-road beast with a high ground clearance. If your vehicle’s ground clearance doesn’t measure up, rocks and obstacles will damage your vehicle’s undercarriage when off-roading. 

A body or suspension lift kit helps prevent damage to your vehicle and allows you to enjoy your off-road adventures without getting stuck or trapped in difficult terrains. When your vehicle’s front and rear ground clearance is sufficient, you’ll enjoy improved approach and departure angles. This will boost your off-road capability as your vehicle will take on and clear steep hills without scraping the ground. 

Elevated Visibility

When your vehicle has an increased ride height, you can see further down the road when driving. This enables you to easily navigate obstacles and avoid tire sidewall damage. Additionally, you’ll have enhanced rear-view visibility when reversing because of the elevated angle of your rear-view mirror. Elevated visibility is also a big advantage when driving on busy city highways. It enhances your overall driving safety as you can overtake more accurately and smoothly.

Tire Accommodation

Body and suspension lift kits increase the height of the wheel wells so your vehicle can accommodate larger tires. For instance, if your current tire size is 33”, your vehicle can be lifted by four inches to allow the installation of size 37” tires. 

If you install larger tires when your vehicle is still at the factory ride height, you’ll experience tire-fender friction and compromise your ride’s integrity and driving safety. Lifting your vehicle enables you to shop for tires with the exact wheel size and width the vehicle’s wheel wells can accommodate. 

Augmented Towing Capability

Lifting your truck prevents it from scratching the ground when the suspension bottoms out when towing heavier loads like RVs and boats. This comes in handy when you’re towing off-road and also on city roads. 

If you tow heavy loads with your vehicle set at the factory ride height, you can easily damage the suspension system if you accidentally hit a pothole or a rock, even at a moderate speed. 

Aesthetic Appeal

What better way to announce your presence on Yuba City, CA's roads than with a lifted and well-tuned truck? Lifting your vehicle can boost its aesthetic appeal immensely, particularly if your truck’s grille and fascia are already a visual masterpiece. 

Count on Brakes Tires & More For Quality Lift Kits Installation Services

Regardless of your reasons for lifting your vehicle, lift kit installation should be done by a seasoned auto mechanic. And that’s what you get when you choose Brakes Tires & More lift installation services in Yuba City, CA. 

With close to four decades of experience serving the people of Yuba City, CA, Brakes Tires & More is your one-stop shop for lift kit installation and other auto services. Our technicians expertly install all lift kits on your vehicle and keep you on tabs during installation. Better yet, we arrange our lift kit installation and maintenance services to complement your schedule so you experience minimal interruption.

To give your vehicle the special lift it deserves request our lift installation services at our 1492 Bridge Street Yuba City, CA 95993 location.