Just sharing a shot of my ride after the lift and tire upgrade. Looks great to me.
Looks solid… here’s mine for comparison.
@Teegan
Would love mine to look like that .
You’re probably noticing the lower gas mileage more from the tires than the lift itself.
Fox said:
You’re probably noticing the lower gas mileage more from the tires than the lift itself.
Yeah agreed… I drove with the lift alone for a couple weeks before getting the tires and didn’t notice any change on a long trip. It seemed fine then.
@Monty
I think you’re right about the tires having more of an effect. The lift on its own isn’t that drastic.
AlexToyotaEnthusiast said:
@Monty
I think you’re right about the tires having more of an effect. The lift on its own isn’t that drastic.
Thanks for the input. I’m not really watching the fuel stats super closely. I’m still getting way more mileage than a regular gas car, so it’s fine by me.
@Monty
Fair enough. I just figured I’d mention it since some people like to track every little thing. Sounds like you’re happy with your setup.
AlexToyotaEnthusiast said:
@Monty
Fair enough. I just figured I’d mention it since some people like to track every little thing. Sounds like you’re happy with your setup.
Pretty much… the car’s system won’t really change its reading unless something really dramatic changes. Like putting on 20-inch wheels or something.
AlexToyotaEnthusiast said:
@Monty
I think you’re right about the tires having more of an effect. The lift on its own isn’t that drastic.
I don’t agree. I’ve had the lift for 6 months, and before that, I had the car for another 6. I’ve tracked all my fuel fill-ups in a spreadsheet and I’m still averaging 49 mpg over 15,000 miles — half with the lift, half without.
I did the 1.5 lift a couple of years ago but it kept messing with my ball joints. They’d wear out every 40k miles so I eventually removed the lift. It does stress your suspension more.
Now I just use bigger tires without the lift and it works great. You still get more height and a smoother ride from the tires. I’ve had this setup for over 150k miles with no issues.
On a Prius V with stock wheels, 205/60/16 gives you 5.7 inches of clearance. I’ve run both 205/65/16 (6.5 inches) and 215/65/16 (7.0 inches) and had no rubbing. 7 inches is enough for my use and the car doesn’t scrape anymore.
Just for reference, a RAV4 hybrid has 8.1 inches of ground clearance.
@Tarian
Appreciate that breakdown. I’ll definitely keep an eye on the suspension side of things. Still pretty new to the car but I’m planning to take care of it well so it lasts.
Monty said:
@Tarian
Appreciate that breakdown. I’ll definitely keep an eye on the suspension side of things. Still pretty new to the car but I’m planning to take care of it well so it lasts.
Yeah I got pulled into the hype too. A bunch of people here were saying the lift was great, didn’t hurt fuel economy and so on. I wish I had just stuck with the bigger tires — I had to change the ball joints three times.
The lift really does change the camber even if some folks say it doesn’t.
@Tarian
Mine’s already installed so I’m not rushing to remove it… but I hear you. I’ll be watching those ball joints closely.
@Tarian
Thanks for all the details. What tires are you using?
Quince said:
@Tarian
Thanks for all the details. What tires are you using?
I’ve been running Nokian tires. Their “One” model is rated for 80k miles and has strong sidewalls, so it handles curbs well. I use those in spring and summer. Then I switch to Nokian winter tires — nothing else compares for snow and ice.
I was about to install the lift but now I’m second-guessing it. I was thinking front 1.5 spacers and rear HD springs. What setup did you go with?
Cortland said:
I was about to install the lift but now I’m second-guessing it. I was thinking front 1.5 spacers and rear HD springs. What setup did you go with?
I haven’t seen anything that really put me off. If I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. I did front and rear 1.5 spacers — no HD springs.