Beefing up a late-model four-wheel-drive family wagon for on-and off-highway adventure and performance doesn't have to be expensive or extreme. Adhering to a budget doesn't necessarily mean you have to accept poor quality products either. ReadyLift Suspension has quality suspension components at a reasonable price, and Mickey Thompson Tires offers a number off-road performance tires that can be had without sacrificing a chunk of the retirement fund.
The ReadyLift 2 1/2-inch suspension...
The ReadyLift 2 1/2-inch suspension system (1 1/2 inches on the rear) consists of front strut spacers and rear coil spacers. The GM SUV mild lift system SST Hybrid Mild Lift Kit is a complete front-rear suspension system with 2 1/2-inch aluminum front strut spacers. The rear is lifted with 1 1/2-inch 6061-T6 billet aluminum rear coil spring spacers. The lift works without affecting the factory ride quality or suspension geometry and comes complete with all hardware and instructions.
We had the chance to play around with an '07 GMC 4x4 Yukon, which by no means is any kind of hardcore rockcrawler. However, the vehicle does have its place off road as a family trail runner, and it's a great hunting rig for hauling gear, dogs, and shot critters. The major problem with the vehicle is that at factory ride height it can get hung up on the trail and in the fields.
To overhaul our mall crawler, we contacted Ready Lift Suspension for its 2 1/2-inch lift and Mickey Thompson Tires for a set of Baja ATZ radial tires. Once the goods arrived we headed to T&J Performance Center in Orange, California, to have the lift installed by Mike and Tom Barnett's experienced technicians.
A mechanically inclined shade...
A mechanically inclined shade tree mechanic should be able to install the ReadyLift Kit in a couple hours. To install the spacer on the top of the strut, the brake and ABS lines must be disconnected and the ball joint from the upper A-arm loosened. We found that completely unbolting the ball joint made it easier to get the spacers in.
The lift kit also uses lower...
The lift kit also uses lower strut spacers. These are easy to install once the strut has been unbolted, and we recommend installing these after the top of the strut is loosely bolted back in place. It's important to have the front end aligned after installing any sort of lift kit in any IFS-type suspension lift.
The rear coil spacer can be...
The rear coil spacer can be installed in place once the rear shocks are unbolted and the brake and ABS lines removed from their hanger mounts. The kit utilizes the factory rubber bushings so there's no metal-to-metal squeaking and a comfortable factory ride. After the lift was installed and we strapped the new tires on, the lowest point at the front suspension cradle measured 13 inches to the ground and the rear differential 9 inches.
The Baja Radial ATZ (right)...
The Baja Radial ATZ (right) is a mile above factory tires in quality and performance. The ATZ has a much more aggressive tread pattern and a wider footprint. These tires come with higher high-load rating, which is great for towing, and the tread lugs are siped for better traction in wet, snowy, and icy conditions.
The all-terrain ATZ is constructed...
The all-terrain ATZ is constructed with two steel, one nylon, and two polyester belts on the tread and two polyester belts in the sidewall. The wide shoulder lugs on the ATZ are staggered for better all-around traction, especially in muddy conditions.
We found that the Baja ATZs...
We found that the Baja ATZs were far tougher than the factory tires the rig had been rolling on. We also like that the aggressive tread pattern didn't create any additional or noticeable road noise while cruising down the highway. The Baja ATZ tires are available in 15-, 16-, 17-, 18-, and 20-inch wheel sizes and overall diameters of 31 to 35 inches.