Adding a lift kit to your truck will raise its cabin and chassis further off the ground, improving its off-road capabilities. There are several lift kits available for multiple heights, but if you don’t want something too extreme, your best bet is to stick to a two-inch lift kit. You can maximize a lift kit’s benefits by adding offroad suspension and offroad tires to your truck.
Keep in mind that these changes will alter the way your truck behaves on paved roads, so if the vehicle is your daily driver, it’s crucial that you equip it with accessories that don’t hinder its everyday drivability. In this article, we’ll look at how a two-inch lift kit will alter performance and what you should keep in mind before equipping your truck with one.
Tunable Lift Kit Suspension
A lift kit typically comprises coil springs, strut spacers, and lift blocks. If you intend to drive your truck on tarmac and offroad, you should opt for a lift kit with adjustable coil springs and shock absorbers. With these, you can adjust the shocks or springs to give you a comfortable and competent ride on city streets and off-road.
The adjustable suspension will let you set spring rebound, compression damping, and preload based on your requirements. For instance, if you’re carrying passengers or extra load, you can bump the preload up so the added weight doesn’t eat into the suspension travel.
Similarly, you can tweak the springs for a more docile ride when driving on pavement in the city or freeway. If you invest in a lift kit or suspension that doesn’t offer some level of adjustability, you will restrict your truck to perform well only in a specific setting.
Do Off-Road Tires Behave Differently on City Streets?
The short answer is yes, offroad tires will affect handling as much as the suspension. Off road tires are made to tackle a variety of terrains — and they can provide an extra level of performance when you’re heading off the beaten path — but they’re not the ideal choice for city streets. Usually, these tires are made from a softer compound that improves grip on rock and other uneven surfaces. They also tend to be wider and have deeper treads than road tires for better maneuverability and traction through sand or mud.
While these characteristics make them an excellent choice for off-roading, they adversely affect the car’s handling and performance on asphalt.
If you equip your daily driver truck with offroad tires, you’ll likely experience a notable rise in noise levels. The larger tread blocks on knobby tires tend to produce a lot of noise when driven on a paved surface. The tread pattern and softer compound rubber will also result in the tires wearing down quicker than options that have been designed for the street. Lastly, offroad tires drastically increase fuel consumption as they haven’t been designed to meet the same criteria as street tires.
For these reasons, it’s essential to choose the right type of tire based on your truck’s primary application. Suppose you generally drive on city streets but occasionally tackle some light off-roading activities on the weekend. In that case, it’s better to opt for all-terrain tires instead of dedicated mud or rock crawler tires. On the other hand, if your Jeep or truck is a purpose-built machine, it makes sense to compromise on on-road performance for better off-road ability.
What To Look For When Adding Off-Road Accessories For a City Driver
As mentioned, a lift kit and off-road tires are excellent ways to improve your truck’s off-road capabilities. However, both these modifications will adversely affect the everyday performance of your vehicle. When adding off-road accessories to a truck that spends a considerable amount of time in the city, the most straightforward way to find a balance is to not be too extreme with any modifications.
For example, a two-inch lift kit will increase ground clearance and allow you to add better suspension with added travel and tackle challenging terrain more easily. A modest lift kit also won’t hamper the on-road abilities of a truck.
On the flip side, if you add a six-inch lift kit to your vehicle, you will significantly reduce its performance in the city or the highway. A taller ride will adversely affect the handling, increase windblast and resistance, and reduce fuel efficiency.
The same applies to the tires as well. A good set of all-terrain tires will offer better traction off-road than stock rubber without compromising performance or efficiency on paved surfaces. Go too extreme with your choice of tires, and you’ll be left with a vehicle that performs exceptionally well in one area but lacks severely in the other.
Knowing what kind of terrain your truck will spend the most time on should help you choose the most appropriate accessories. And whatever you need, you’ll find ExtremeTerrain has the parts and accessories for your truck or SUV at the best price around.
