Getting a good lift for your pickup is a must, especially when you want to outfit a set of hefty mud-terrain tires. But if you want to add big tires such as 35s, you typically have to settle for a full aftermarket suspension that can cost thousands of dollars in parts and installation. If the cost prohibits you to put your truck’s off-road appearance on the backburner, there is a new less expensive alternative on the market.

Tire shops and off-road retailers have found they can combine a leveling kit with a body lift to make as much as 4 to 5 inches of lift. At first, this worked well with only a few popular Chevy and Ford applications, but only recently Performance Accessories has come out with an abundance of body lift and leveling kit combinations for many full-sized and mid-sized domestic and import applications.

We found this Performance Accessories, Premium Lift System #PLS563 that retails for less than $900. It includes extras like new inner fender covers, Loctite, cast rear blocks, shock spacers and heavy-duty hardware.	Most of the body mount blocks are easily accessible from under the vehicle. You simply lift a section at a time and replace the factory mount with the new Performance Accessories body blocks.

Performance Accessories manufactures an inexpensive line of Premium Lift Systems that combines a body lift, leveling kit and gap guards, to make it easy to add up 6 inches of lift on some applications. As an example, we installed a Premium Lift System for the Toyota Tundra that costs less than $900 and raises the vehicle 5.5 inches, which is enough to outfit the truck with 35-inch-tall tires. The system, #PLS563, is specifically made for the 2007-08 model Tundra and comes with leveling spacers, leaf spring blocks, body lift blocks, bumper mounts, rear shock extensions, and even a new set of front and rear urethane Gap Guards.

To install the CNC spring spacers, you need to first detach the steering arm from the spindle.	Unbolt the sway bar mount and then the bottom of the factory shock.

nstalling the body lift portion of the kit involves locating each body block and raising a portion of the vehicle so that the factory body mount can be unbolted and replaced with the Performance Accessories block. This takes a while, about 8-10 hours, as there are 16 body blocks, four bed spacers, and new bumper mounts that properly reposition the front bumper. Yet, the process is easy enough for the home mechanic to accomplish in a weekend without any special tools. Performance Accessories also includes a CNC steering extension, but in the Toyota Tundra application, there’s no need for one.

Remove the top four bolts that secure the shock assembly to the upper mount.	You may have to pry down on the lower A-arm but the shock assembly should come out easily.

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For safety reasons, you should take the shock assembly to someone who has a spring compressor. This will hold down the spring enough to remove the top bolt.	The Premium Lift System comes with CNC aluminum spacers that sandwich between the spring perch and top mount. This eliminates any extra preload on the spring that can cause a harsh ride.

The most demanding aspect of this installation is the removal of the factory coil-over shocks and installing the spring spacers. Unless you have the proper tools, we recommend removing the shocks and coil units and taking them to your local alignment shop or mechanic. Here, they can place the unit in a spring compressor where the coil spring and top retaining plate can be removed and the CNC billet aluminum spacers can be installed.

Once you insert the spring spacer, the assembly has to be compressed to reinstall the top retaining bolt and plate.	Here’s what it looks like before the assembly goes back into the vehicle. The top spacer will fit between the spring assembly and the frame mount.

Once this is done, you can reinstall the coil-over units back onto your truck, and with the added 5.5-inches of lift you could use 35 x 12.5-inch tires to make your Tundra look great without losing the factory ride. Performance Accessories also manufactures Premium Lift systems for a variety of domestic and import pickup trucks, including Dodge Ram and Dakota models, GM 1500 Series, Toyota Tacoma models, Ford F-150, Nissan Titan, and Jeep vehicles. If you’re only looking to accommodate a larger set of wheels and tires, but don’t want to spend the thousands of dollars for a full suspension lift, this combination is a good and inexpensive alternative. Not only does it allow your truck to look and perform great, it also allows you to do it at an affordable cost.

The upgraded assembly should slip into place at the top. You may have to pry the A-arm down a bit to get the bottom shock mount in place.	Once it's all bolted together, the kit will provide 5.5 inches of lift to accommodate 35-inch-tall tires.

Source
Performance Accessories
P.O. Box 3450
Chino Valley, AZ 86323
928-636-7080
www.p-a-g.net