subiemech85 Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 is 12" lift available? possible? practical?cost? parts/mods required? anyone else done something this tall? got pics??? waht's the best/easiest way to do? don't want to mess with drive axles would consider 9" if 12" can't be done:confused: thanks for reading:brow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Mudrat did a 12". It ended up being called weeble wobble. With the short travel suspension of a subaru the car would be really unstable and unpredictable off road I think. This was also a t-case lifted car. Subarubrat has an 6" body/2"suspension lift. A pure 9" bodylift will look dumb because you'll be able to see the whole engine sitting under the car. The only practical reason for going over 6" is to fit a transfer case under the car, and you only need 8" for that. Theres lots of info on the t-case mods if you search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 12" lift with 13" tires might look wierd, but want that clearance for snow, tires to come later, besides IOWA has almost NOTHING for OFFROAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarubrat Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you are not willing to entertain something like working with axle modifications you are not ready for the complexities of a 12 inch lift. I am currently completing a 12 inch suspension lift, 10 body and two suspension. Proper handeling is a funtion of more than just lift alone. Width to height is important: a set of narrow tires on a low offset wheel will give you a a very different track width than a set of 12 inch wide tires on 3.75 inch offset wheels giving you a track width that is a foot wider than the height of the vehicle. Suspension: A mere lift (agrivated in proportion by height) with low performance or stock shocks will give you poor handeling as well. Uprade the springs and use a high performance self adjusting shock such as the RSX or an externally adjustable like the RS9000. This will give you a suspension that is flexable off road and safe on road. Travel:this too can be dealth with via guted and replaced struts in the front and long travel shocks front and rear. With just a lift alone your handeling will be very different than a vehicle done as a system to include performance shocks, springs and a track width to match the height. My former configuration @ 8 inches of lift was 1 foot wider than it was tall and with the upgraded suspension it handled as well as your average sports sedan, ask anyone who has ever seen it on the road. With my new configuration I am trading off a bit. I am going to be about 10 inches wider than tall with the same adjustable ranchos and upgraded springs. I know good and well that the handeling will be more truck like than before, yet I can be reasonably certain that I will still out handel a stock BRAT or an average sedan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 so, what's the most lift that can be done without messing with axles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 For snow, you want floatation and that means bigger tires. Your not going to win it with your pie cutters and subframes buried in the snow. go to 26-28" tires on drilled 6lug toyota rims, on a 3-4" lift. If you stay down to 3-4" all you have to deal with is making the lift blocks, the steering linkage, and maybe some shift linkage work. Rad hoses might give you a little trouble too. The bigger tires make the real difference in the snow because they give you more clearance under the diffs wereas a big bodylift wont. You could do 12" without axle work, but whats the point? You want to have more clearance for deep snow, but if the snow is actually that deep, your engine and subframes are still going to be buried because they are dropped down with a lift. You wont get very far with the front of your motor pushing through the snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooinater Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 i have about 12 + inches clearance at the diffs with 31" tires and about 14 or so at the tcase. as for axle mods... you might want to look into upgrading them in some fashion. i'm looking into a way to upgrade. well actually i have a way. but will talk about that at a later time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 most lift, no fooling with axles is the 3 inch from PK davis in san diego, easy idiot proof swap, i did it in an afternoon, the 8+ with a t-case gets into fabrication which is not cheep, even if you do it yourself, 3 inch lift plus a good set of 28 inch tires will be a good start, and any bigger and without a t-case you loose all gearing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tailgatewagon Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 the higher you go the more money you will spend and the more specialized the rig will be come. ie stock subaru. ok offroad. ok on road ok gas milage 3in lift much better off road. not as good on road(as stock) worse milage) 8in lift(porr milage)ok on road. much much better offroad.Tcase mod) so you can see the trade offs. as fare as drive ablitty also the higher you go the more there is to modify 3in lift just the lift 8 in lift you have hubs to re drill, lift to make, tcase +++++ its all relitive. to what you want to do and how much you want to put into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudrat79 Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 I am posting this just to let everyone know, that The WEEBLE WOBBLE part of my 12 inch lift was done on purpose..... I knew I was going into some very off camber situations on the Rubicon trip. So knowing I was going to want as much tavel as possible out of the Roo, I stuck the most wore out struts I had under it. Doing this gave me Poor street ability, but AWESOME trail ride......I was one handed steering with my head hung out the window most of the trip Cause it drove and handled so well on the Rocks and Such...... You can with Subaru Struts get a good street ride and still have good trail ride at the same time.....I built Jarods Little Roo up to 8" using stock struts, and He drove it Clear to Yuma On Factory struts.....We actually got the Rear a bit stiff in fact....I get to fix that when he Comes through in May...... There are Many Fabricators Out there, and There are many ways that these cars Can be Lifted........I have My way, And I'm not afraid to drive it or let someone else Drive it Down the Hwy.... Before you Go in any one direction, Remember that you are getting Second and Sometimes 3rd 4th or 5th hand info here on this Board......If you want the Factual truth about any one way, You need to go Directly to the Source that is Building that Style of Kit or Lift..... With that Said, Have fun Building your Ride to Do what you want it to be Capable Of..... Later, John and Crew in Oregon...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarubrat Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 I have to back John 100% on the 3rd and 4th etc. hand info. It is very frustrating to hear someone with a stock vehicle (or lightly modified at best) pontificate on the handeling and technical nature of something they have never done, driven, or usually even seen. Sometimes this gueswork is in direct contradiction to those who have done such things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 I am speaking from experience with my 6" lifted turbowagon, which did handle reasonably. On the twisty bad roads around here that's about as far as I'd want to go with a lift. With a welded rear diff and no swaybars that thing would bring the rump roast around real easy in the rain if you weren't paying attention. 12" would scare me unless i had wide tires and high offset rims like subarubrat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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