Lift Vs. Stability

Warriner · Aug 24, 2004

Building a 75 with my son. Will be his to drive daily when he turns 16 in one year.

He wants to lift it 3.5". I say max 2.5". I'm concerned about lifting it at all. Will be a street car 90% of the time. Highway driving frequent.

Any comments suggestions about stability when you raise the COG? Is there a marked difference between 3.5 and 2.5 inches?

Ktomek06 · Aug 24, 2004

Why not go w/ in between.. I wouldnt think a 2 or a 3 wouldnt be that bad on stability...It also depends on what kind of tires he plans on putting on.

Seabronc · Aug 24, 2004

Short answer is NO. All SUVs are roll prone due to high center of gravity :unsure: . See the article on the home page of this forum. It only takes two motions to roll a SUV on level ground, a sharp turn to the right or left followed by a quick sharp gerk to the oposite direction. Then you may be asking is it safe to drive an SUV :huh: ? Yes, as long as you know what you are doing. I would look for a local club that can give advice on the subject and perhaps someone would be willing to show him the ropes of safely driving one. The 3.5 inch lift won't significantly worsen the characteristic. Ford puts out a 4x4 driving pamplet which you might want to get ahold of from your local Ford dealer as starting point.

That being said, he can safely operate one with the lift you asked about and I'm sure he will have lots of fun working on the project with you $-) . Post some pictures, we would like to see the truck and the progress as you go.

Good luck,

>-