Rear Alignment with Lift Kit

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RedZeppelin
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:07 pm
Location: Denver, CO

Rear Alignment with Lift Kit

Postby RedZeppelin » Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:41 pm

Hello,

I've done plenty of searching on this forum and it has been extremely helpful so far, however I've run into an issue that I can't seem to find info about through the search box or otherwise.

A bit of backstory: I have a 2012 SV that was purchased appx. 2 months ago with a clean record and 87k miles on it. I used this vehicle to move across the country, and unfortunately overloaded it causing the suspension to wear out prematurely. However, this is not an issue as I had planned on doing a suspension upgrade nearly exactly like rragpaoa's (and others') rig, except I opted for the SPC UCA's instead of the PRG. The goal is 2.5 inches of lift on all corners after the parts are broken in, with the added benefit of extended wheel travel. I've already installed the coilovers and UCA's in the front with no problems.

I was contacted recently by 4x4parts about the Radflo 2.0 Extended Rear Reservoir Shocks, asking if I intended to lift the rear by more than 2 inches. They said that anything over 1.75 inches would require an offset bushing kit, because the rear camber bolts would be insufficient to align the wheels at the amount I intended to lift the rear suspension.

My question is this: are the offset bushings truly necessary? I've seen several members here with nearly identical setups (i.e. extended 2.5 radflos and aftermarket UCA's in the front, and 2.0 radflo extended reservoirs with OME coils and airlifts in the rear), but nobody seems to have mentioned the need for any rear alignment adjustments.

And an add-on question: how much can I expect the front coilovers to settle? Using the factory settings there was nearly +4 inches of lift (!!). I've adjusted the ball joints and now the wheels sit more flat, which has helped, but it's still around 3.5 inches, much more than I'm going for.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but thanks for reading! Hopefully this can be figured out quickly.


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Thupertrooper
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Location: Mesa,AZ

Postby Thupertrooper » Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:36 pm

Are you running the 2.5radflos upfront?
If so how many pounds are your springs rated. 600lb is recommended

The rear should be good to about 2" of lift or less. Now it will never be perfect but when aligned correctly should track straight with the need to rotate tires more often.

The springs are what lifts so i recommend HD of any brand. Longer shocks allow more down travel.

RedZeppelin
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:07 pm
Location: Denver, CO

Postby RedZeppelin » Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:59 pm

They're 2.5 radflos with 650 lb springs up front.

I've got OME medium lifted rear springs on the way (ARB part #2609). Rated around 1.25" of lift, then extended 2.0 radflo shocks with the reservoirs, and airlift 1000 to top it all off. I've seen several posts that say based on the pressure in the bags you can increase the ride height by 1" on average.

After talking with 4x4parts, they are building the rear radflos based on 2.5" of desired lift. Hopefully it'll take less than the 2-3 weeks they claimed.

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Thupertrooper
Posts: 674
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:17 am
Location: Mesa,AZ

Postby Thupertrooper » Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:39 pm

RedZeppelin wrote:They're 2.5 radflos with 650 lb springs up front.

I've got OME medium lifted rear springs on the way (ARB part #2609). Rated around 1.25" of lift, then extended 2.0 radflo shocks with the reservoirs, and airlift 1000 to top it all off. I've seen several posts that say based on the pressure in the bags you can increase the ride height by 1" on average.

After talking with 4x4parts, they are building the rear radflos based on 2.5" of desired lift. Hopefully it'll take less than the 2-3 weeks they claimed.

Radflos will not settle that much. It is easier to lower the height(release pre load on springs) then lift it back up. So unless you're planning on adding skids,bumper,or winch i would say adjust it.


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