4x4 suspension lift: Good idea or bad idea? | Auto Expert John Cadogan

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This video is an attempt to provide an adequate response to the following Q&A from a viewer named Steven Best:

I was wondering if you may be able to provide some insight into the pros and cons of installing a lift kit onto a vehicle like a dual cab Ute, if you have any information WRT to this matter I would love to hear your advice please.

I have a 2013 Nissan Navara D40 that I recently had a 2-inch lift kit installed, to gain better ground clearance when I am off the tarmac, as the factory suspension did not comply with the M.A.L.S program.

I am very interested to know if I have inadvertently placed undue stress or pressure onto any of the other components in the drivetrain. The facility where I had the work done assured me that the installation of a lift kit was safe and risk free. Many thanks , Kind regards, Besty, (The grumpy old Platoon Sergeant).

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[Ful-OGold]

I say unless you really need it than go for it but look at a lot of farmers getting around with stock standard utes. I think the difference between farmers and 4x4 nutters is farmers don’t go looking for holes to get bogged in.

[gaj]

Glad you touched on the reduced vertical travel you get when you lift a vehicle. Despite me being an automotive design engineer, a friend didn't believe me when I told him a 3" suspension lift would give him less travel than standard (also pointed out it was illegal without engineering). I've so far resisted the 'Told you so' type of comments as he's currently attempting to make it drive less like a shopping trolley by throwing more money at it.

I tried 🤷‍♂️

[brettpember]

John says ‘you must drive more conservatively with a lift kit. You have a moral responsibility’.
And yet, how many jacked 4wds do you see being driven by fwits? Many, if not most.

[stevenbest]

Good Afternoon John. Thank you very much for responding to my question and delivering this informative film. I truly appreciate your insight and your kind words. Serving Australia has been the greatest honor of my life if I was 30 years younger I would do it all over again. On another note, I would love to have a shirt that read " I took a leak at Dingo Piss Creek" is there any merchandise on the cards ? Many thanks Kind regards, Besty.

[ACTConcreteCutting]

My daughter’s boyfriend rocked up in his brand new HiLux last week talking about a lift kit and wheels. As it will be driven on bitumen 99.9% of it’s life, my advice was along the same lines as John’s. Now I have a video from an engineer to confirm it 👍🏻

[cybermatstrikes]

John's spot-on - working out the trade-off is always the challenge. I've found 2"lift on 32-33" tyres and aggressive all terrains is where I'd stop. Braking, take-off, tyre noise and fuel efficiency will be impacted. Wife will hate having to climb up too! I wouldn't do it to my daily drive. Consider a diff drop kit on IFS vehicles to keep cv angles flat to avoid premature detonation off-road and tearing boots.

[sbultitude-paull]

In my previous life as a wheel aligner (while studying for my engineering degree funnily enough), I distinctly remember driving a customer's Landcruiser with a massive lift kit on it. Was honestly terrifying, it handled like a boat in rough seas. I'm sure it was a weapon off-road but it was bad enough to drive it on a short trip around the block, let alone on the freeway...

[gsxrmh]

I love watching Matt's offroad recovery and his vehicles are massively modified and he trailers them every time he has to do open roads to an off road recovery, totally makes sense now.

[Corey-pdmi]

Modification for off-road performance is a compromise for on-road performance, simple as that. Sort out what your priority is and modify accordingly

[stumawson]

John as a old timer trucker I have taught many people to drive heavy vehicles, the best advice I can give them is to drive too what you have.
Laden weight, center of mass and roll center changes greatly from load to load. What you drove yesterday and what you have today even though its the same truck can be remarkable and fatally different. Thanks for spreading some of that understanding to other vehicle users. Shit happens very quickly if you drive a truck thinking it will stop and handle like a sports car.
Same goes for a bloated, and lifted ute. Drive to what it is capable of... not what you wish it to be.

[BradGryphonn]

I'm currently refurbishing an older hi-lift RWD ute. I was originally planning on just replacing the brake pads, rotors, and tie-rod ends.Two months later and I have started to replace every bush and ball-joint on the entire suspension, as well as replacing the original shocks with heavy-duty gas units. My pedantic nature also has me now pricing new rear springs and front torsion bars. Tyres will be replaced too. I've arguably spent more on the brakes and suspension so far than the ute cost me. However, there is a voice in my head. It's my father, who was a diesel fitter and mechanic. And he's telling me, "Your tyres, brakes, and suspension are the most important components of your car. They are what keeps you in contact with the road and stop you from randomly ending up on the wrong side of the road in the path of a truck. Fix that before you do anything else..."

[grahampearce]

Friend of 4WD Ute owner. “Why do you want to lift your Ute?”. Owner. “So I can find it more easily in the supermarket car park.”

[mikehzz]

Legality is an issue. In NSW total lift including tyres and suspension can't be greater than 75mm, and tyre size increase can't be greater than 7%. In other states, tyre size increase is usually capped at 2". If you keep it legal the downsides are minimal and the benefits are worthwhile. These cars with big lifts and tyres beyond legality can easily get defected and insurance claims can be at risk. Big lifts and tyres also cause many broken CV's and rear axles out on the trails where spinning wheels drop onto things like tree roots and protruding rocks. I've seen it a lot.

[mcmoose]

This should be compulsory viewing for every off road noob. When I got into 4x4s I was equipped with rose coloured glasses and blissful ignorance . This presentation could have saved me a lot of money and grief .

[abefrancis]

Looking at the trade-offs, wouldn’t a more sensible proposition be bash plates and a winch rather than a lift kit? The lift kit might mean you can get over 5% more stuff without scraping but it seems like taking way too many compromises with the mechanicals to justify protecting the underside of the car.

[fergspan]

I like camping and dirt road driving in my sedan but when ever I think about buying a Ute or suv or modify my car to go for a wee bit off-roading, I just watch an old episode of Jack absolom getting around the dusty sandy outback in his old 2wd wagon

[chandamusonda]

Finally, a video on lift kits and upgraded suspension. Here in Africa we have alot drivers lift their 4WD bakkies (Utes) for better off-road performance but they know little of the consequences of doing that.
Thank you for making it clear and easy to understand.

[norsehall]

I live at Dingo piss creek, and day to day it's on the track, the only time l hit the black top is once a month going onto town and when on Holidays, all l want is a 4x4 that lasts the test of time and is comfortable on shit roads, the bush has an ability to change a shiney new to scratched and dull in a short time. Cheers all.

[andrewromano]

BOOM!
John, you just keep on bringing nuggets of gold at just the right time 🙏
Keep up the awesome work mate!

[rayf]

Covid granted me a lot of free time to roam around the neighborhood and I've come to notice that AT LEAST %50 of these already overly pumped up factory "utes" are fitted with all sorts of stupid attachments and lifts and noisy AF tires. Apart from the loss of real world performance, safety and proper dynamics - To me they just scream "TOOL" since the majority of these utes are only running from the driveway to the local woolies and bunnings.