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Tuff Country EZ Ride Suspension Lift Kit - Tuff Country BoostAn Economical Bolt-On Buildup From the October, 2008 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road By Kevin McNulty Photography by Kevin McNulty
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Building a rig isn't exactly a cheap endeavor, so in these tough economic times it's good to know we can still find a decent suspension lift for less than $1,000 that's built with quality parts and easy to install. We've been using our '97 Dodge 1500 as a weekend beater and a camping rig and it was in dire need of a suspension boost, and there are literally hundreds of available options. Since we needed a suspension that fit our budget, we called Tuff Country and ordered its EZ Ride suspension. The kit isn't a complicated jigsaw puzzle of parts, and it can be installed by a person of moderate mechanical ability. It uses coil spacers and lift blocks, so the truck's original coil springs and leaf springs are retained to keep that factorylike ride. Since using a two-post lift makes installing any lift kit leagues easier, we headed down to Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, where it only took the technicians a couple of hours to bolt it on. By the end of the day, we were out on the trail testing the truck's newly enhanced suspension performance. We lifted the vehicle for additional ground clearance, but that couldn't have been achieved without taller tires. We wanted a tough, aggressive tire, but didn't want to sacrifice highway comfort, so we chose Dick Cepek's newly designed Mud Country tire. Dick Cepek is an off-road legend, and he was also one of the first guys to design a wider tire specifically for off-road use. We liked the legend behind the Cepek line of tires and that the tire uses the latest radial technology in its construction. It's also built with a special chipping- and cracking-resistant compound, since we are extremely tough on tires. The tire is constructed with a triple-ply sidewall, and it features siped lugs, which are great for wet-weather traction, and Sidebiters for additional sidewall protection and traction when the tire is aired down. The Mud Country tires come in sizes ranging from 31 to 40 inches, and wheel sizes from 15 to 20 inches. We are very impressed with the tire's off-road toughness and traction, and that a tire with such an aggressive tread pattern was exceptionally quiet at highway speeds.
 The 4.5-inch EZ Ride suspension...  The 4.5-inch EZ Ride suspension system comes with everything needed to install the kit except a replacement steering stabilizer. It is a completely bolt-on kit and it includes: front coil-spring spacers, a rear add-a-leaf, lift blocks, front upper and lower control arms, a dropped Pitman arm, hydraulic shocks, front sway-bar drop brackets, a drop drag-link bracket, rear U-bolts, and all fasteners.  The polyurethane bushings...  The polyurethane bushings should always be lubed for ease of installation. This lessens the chance of damaging the bushing when it's being pressed in the control arm, and also prevents squeaks. The new control arms come with zerk fittings so the bushings can be greased for periodic maintenance. If the rig is wheeled in harsh conditions, the bushings should be greased more frequently.  The longer replacement control...  The longer replacement control arms keep the truck's suspension properly aligned. There are lower-priced kits that don't include control arms, but if the truck is lifted more than a few inches without replacing them, the suspension's geometry will be thrown off. The cam bolts on the lower control arms should be marked before disassembly. When installing the new control arms and hardware, make sure the marks are realigned.  The truck should be supported...  The truck should be supported separately from the axles when installing the suspension, especially if the installation is being completed in the driveway. A total of eight jackstands and a floor jack should be used. After removing the factory coil springs, the Tuff Country coil spacer is bolted in place. This kit did not require any grinding or drilling as everything easily bolted in.  Boosting the suspension on...  Boosting the suspension on the rear of the truck is relatively easy with the add-a-leaf and lift block. The best way to raise the rear of the truck is with new springs, but we are modifying this rig on a tight budget, and new springs would cost quite a bit more. The add-a-leaf will stiffen the ride a little and the lift block may slightly increase axlewrap, but on the plus side, the added leaf will increase the truck's load-carrying capacity. Once the factory center pins are removed from the leaf springs, the additional leaf can be sandwiched in, and the pack bolted together.  The suspension system also...  The suspension system also includes both sway-bar and track-bar drop brackets. A new stabilizer can be purchased from just about any auto parts store or four-wheel-drive outlet.  The 4.5-inch suspension lift...  The 4.5-inch suspension lift with the new 35x17 tires greatly increased the ground clearance of the truck. The factory shocks on the old '97 truck were well worn and fading, and the sagging rear leaf springs needed to be replaced. We thought this economical kit was a good way to freshen up the suspension and give it better off-highway performance, while still giving it a highway-friendly ride.
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