Lowering of a 4" Suspension Lift....

[alabama87]

I have a rough country 4" Suspension lift with 35's. Gas mileage is really starting to hit my wallet on this daily driver and im wanting to go with 33's and get the wind resistance down on my truck. Anyone know if i can replace the 4" Blocks with 2" blocks and what other mods might be possible? Thanks in advance.

[Captkaos]

How are you geared and what kind of mileage are you getting and what kind are you hoping for?   15-17mpg is about tops for a 4x4.

[alabama87]

How are you geared and what kind of mileage are you getting and what kind are you hoping for?   15-17mpg is about tops for a 4x4.

thanks for the reply. Ive got an 87 4wd with 3.08 gears. im getting around 8/9 mpg on the highway driving about 60mph. i watch my speed, takeoffs, and braking. i dont run the air/heat hardly at all. my tire pressure is spot on 35 psi which the tire calls for. i have a k&n air filter. ive ordered a throttle body spacer besides lowering the suspension lift with smaller tires, i dont know what else to do.

[alabama87]

i should also mention, ive recently done an oil change and a tune up. somewhat at a loss. sometimes, rarely, ill get 10mpg on the highway. it has to be the air resistance thats killing my mpg along with the tires.

[Da67goatman]

Re-gear your axles to something like a 3.73 or 4.10 and you should see more like 14mpg and you'll notice alot more get up an go if you put your foot in it.

[Captkaos]

Your gears are killing your mileage with those 35's, as Da67goatman stated, change the gears.  I would go with 4.10's with 35's, what transmission are you running?

[alabama87]

whats the cheapest route? regearing or lower the truck with smaller tires??? the tires are brand new, so i could probably trade them for some brand new 33's. just need to know if rough country will allow you to drop it two inches or if i would have to buy another kit.

also, im a newbie at this stuff. when you say regear, do  you mean buy a whole new front and rear axle, or the gears in the existing axle can be replaced??? thanks again!

[alabama87]

oh, and i have a 700r4

[Captkaos]

If you have the standard Rough Country lift it will have springs for the front and blocks for the rear, there is no way to lower the front without getting new springs (new kit) 

Their 2" and 4" lifts are about the same cost (around $350).  33" tires are probably about $225 apiece, so $1000. so you are about $1400 in to go with lowering and new tires.

Regearing requires new gears front and rear.  They are anywhere from $200-500, so lets say $300 for front and rear, plus an install kit at about $100, plus the cost to install it around $200-400 per axle.  You're are at $1100 if you choose middle ground.  These can be found cheaper, but your biggest cost is finding someone that has the tools to set one up and the cost to do so.

[alabamafootball]

thanks for all the info. well, i think i might sell my lift and tires. they are both brand new. i could probably just trade my tires and maybe sell my 4 inch for 200. so i might only have to pay a couple hundred to drop it. dont u think my mpg will go up drastically if i lower tires and lift two inches?

[Captkaos]

No

[alabamafootball]

so if i only have 2 inches of lift and get some 33s, you dont think it will make a diff in mpg?? You think its all in the gears??? do u think a cold air intake or tb spacer will make a difference?

[bake74]

No

     As Capt said, you could go stock height and 30" tires and you might get 10 - 11 MPG.  The lift, or wind resistance as you call it does not effect MPG as much as your high gears are.
     Go online and do research by looking up gear ratios Verses MPG.  You will find out the gear ratios has the most dramatic effect on miles per gallon.

[Captkaos]

The spacer and a cold air kit isn't going to do anything.  The engine is straining to turn those 35's, you need gears. and cold air kit isn't going to do you a bit of good...

[alabamafootball]

thanks for the info guys. ill look and switching gears. last thing, would manual hubs make a difference as opposed to my automatic hubs?