Body Lift or Suspension Lift: What’s the Difference?
A body lift or a suspension lift are essentially two ways to lift your Jeep, truck, or SUV. Both methods have their pros and cons that are typically focused on price, performance, and ease of installation, but let me explain the difference between the two.
A suspension lift can use taller springs, spring spacers, lift blocks, differential drop brackets, cranked up torsion bars, or any combination thereof to raise the vehicle’s frame (chassis) away from the ground.
A body lift raises the vehicle by lifting the body away from the frame with spacers. This keeps the frame at its existing distance from the ground.
A suspension lift is recommended for anyone planning to spend a lot of time off-road. A body lift is recommended for anyone that wants to make their vehicle look lifted with no true intentions of going off-road. This doesn’t mean that a body lifted vehicle can’t go off-road. It just won’t perform as well as a suspension lifted vehicle because it hasn’t gained any ground clearance.
Suspension lifts are most often made between 2-inches to 6-inches, while body lifts range between 1-inch to 3-inches.
A suspension lift is more complicated than a body lift because it alters all of the suspension components that give the vehicle its factory ride characteristics. Taller springs are typically stiffer than factory engineered springs so the vehicle will have a bumpier ride than with soft factory springs. Longer shock absorbers will be needed. The center of gravity will also be raised considerably because the entire weight of the vehicle (everything except the axles) will now be raised further from the ground. In some cases (especially for short wheelbase vehicles), the transfer case will need to be lowered and the rear differential repositioned to minimize driveline vibrations.
Pros: Increases ground clearance, increased approach and departure angles, allows fitment of larger tires.
Cons: Costs more, longer installation time, driveline angles are increased (more likely to vibrate), brake lines need to be re-routed or lengthened, new shocks needed, increased center of gravity.
A body lift is relatively simple in that it primarily consists of a set of spacers that are inserted at the mounting points between the frame and body of the vehicle. This leaves all the heavy parts of the vehicle (frame, engine, transmission, transfer case, etc) at their factory locations so the vehicle’s center of gravity (though increased) will not be increased as much as a suspension lift.
Pros: Cheap, can be installed faster than a suspension lift, allows fitment of larger tires, simple (all components come in a small box).
Cons: Appearance (there will be a noticeable gap between the body tub and the frame), additional leverage is placed on the mounting points, ground clearance is not raised.
Ultimately, a body lift provides no benefits other than allowing the installation of larger tires whereas a suspension lift is designed for improved performance off-road (while also allowing the installation of larger tires). If you’re on a budget and want to make your 4WD look like a tough off-road vehicle but have no real intentions of ever going off-road, then a body lift would be adequate for you. However, if cost isn’t a factor and you’re looking to make your 4WD more off-road capable and trail ready, then a suspension lift is highly recommended.
Body lift kits are a popular choice for people new to the sport of off-roading. Their ease of installation make them great beginner projects for anyone just starting to get into off-roading and can be used in conjunction with a suspension lift should you decide to move up to something bigger in the future.