3" vs 6" is bigger really better?

[Deezy]

Have the money saved up and trying to determine the better ride for the money:

1. Carli 3" backcountry lift

OR

2. Top Gun customz 6" long arm kit (bil 5100)



Wheels will be 17x9 with either 35's (carli) or 37s (tgc)



They are in effect the same money. Which will provide the better on road and off road capabilities?

Either way, the airbags will have to go. They both have rear mini leaf packs, progressive coilovers.

The truck is on road 90% of the time, and offroad it is trails and climbing for hunting, or fast dirt roads.



Any experiences and informed opinions welcome.

Thanks.

 

[AEdelheit]

A Carli or Thuren 3" will be the best ride and quality. TGC is more for blingy looks, ok off road but not great, Thuren is a bit cheaper then Carli but you have to call, his website is lacking. If you can spend a little more and get 2. 0 IFP shock or bigger that will be a big help. What is your budget? You can also run 37's with a 3" lift, If you do arms you can run a 37x13. 5, with stock arms you can squeeze a 37x12. 5 but dont go over 5. 5 of BS. Where are you located?

Another thing to consider if you use your bed and want your seat edges to last is the extra 3" of a 6" lift will make the bed much harder to load and getting in and out of the cab harder aswell.

 

[Deezy]

Thanks for that... located taos, nm (ill add that to sig. ) Budget is about 2400 For lift only... I do like 37s for clearance but concerned about mpg affect. Ill go 4. 5 bs. Have sideesteps so cab not a problem (the wife may disagree). Towing and loading will be harder tho, tradeoffs abound...

 

[AEdelheit]

4. 5 BS on a 3" lift is trouble, you definitely need longer control arms just to barely clear 35's or your lower rear fender corners will be toast. For $2400 you can get a nice setup, id call Thuren fabrication 805-886-9250 and tell him what your doing, it will be the most for your money. With 3:73 and an auto 35's are a good match, manual 37's work well, usually a mild 37 like Yokohma AT/S will get better mileage then a 35" Toyo MT, weight and tread matter more then height depending on driving.

 

[wildtxn]

I have the Carli Starter kit but would have bought the Back Country if I could have. I did buy the adjustable track bar and the control arms and run it with 35" Toyo's and it handles beautifully. I did want the remote resevoir shocks and the Back Country would have come with the track bar as well rather than purchasing it seperately. The only reason I skimped was due to funds since I was doing ball joints and everything else in the front end at the time. 6" looks good but the 3" Carli with 35's is still pretty big compared to almost anything else on the road. You'll definitely want some steps if you don't already have them on there once you go up.

 

[SierraRam]

TGC is not for blingey looks. Their long arm kit is very stout, adjustable and with their new dual rate springs have a great ride quality. Carli is also a great company and makes well engineered components.

I have 80K on my TGC long arm kit with no issues at all. I run 37x13. 50 with no rubbing at all.

 

[AEdelheit]

I'd hope you don't rub, I'm running a 37x14 on a 3" wit no rub, but back spacing is critical on a 3"kit, the 6" is much more forgiving. If you do a 6" don't run short arms, at that point a long arm or radius arm kit is the only way to go.

 

[wildtxn]

bottom line is if you go with a 6" long arm/radius kit from kore/carli/thuren you will be way better off in the long run than some of the other brands. Those 3 typically are building performance lifts for use offroad and baja applications. They are not purely just for cosmetic reasons. Any of those guys 6" or 3" systems will perform well above the performance level of stock. Question is how big is your wallet in a lot of applications. I'm happy with my Carli 3" kit and would do it again in a heart beat but wouldn't have issues with kit's from any of those three companies.

 

[Deezy]

after much debate I went 3"backcountry. George at 8luggear was very helpful and quick to respond so I ordered thru him. Thuren also was very helpful and responsive, I would have went that route, but I really liked the ease of layout combined with well described outof carlis site. Pllus everyone I asked said "go carli" so ill trust the forum.
Gonna run xd revolvers -12, so yes, ill probably have to do some trimming, but I've got a grinder so no worries. Gonna run open country mts and try those out.
Ill post again after the install and report back.
Thanks to the responders!

 

[SierraRam]

I still have a hard time when someone says the TGC LA kits are cosmetic, far from the truth.

 

[AEdelheit]

I still have a hard time when someone says the TGC LA kits are cosmetic, far from the truth.

For an 8" kit there good but lets go to Baja and see how each kit holds up, not trying to be rude but have done thousands of miles off road in these trucks, sorry Carli, Thuren, Kore are the best kits out there, Ive seen a few TGC kits, there fine for back roads and playing around but just dont hold up to hard use.

Good choice with the Carli backcountry, im sure youll love it!

 

[pwerwagn]

Hey Deezy, Im in NM also. I dont get up to Taos much, and when I do its passing thru to red river. Im running a ~2. 5" coil in the front and the rear is lowered (for 5th wheel clearance) and Im clearing 37's on Walker beadlocks. I have a friend with a truck setup almost identical to what you are doing. I pieced him together a suspension with 3" thuren coils, dysko's, bilstein 5100's, and he is running -12 revolvers with 37" toyo muds. I can take some pics of his if you are interested. The only thing he complains about is how far the tires stick out (he picked em... not me).



Anyhow... if you are ever down in the Alb area hit me up.

 

[Deezy]

to sierra ram: dont fret. TGC looks really nice, I am still hoping I made the right call,, because their long arm kit looks SICK! time will tell. apples and oranges, amigo.
Re NM chapter, that sounds interesting, looking forward to hearing more on that.

 

[Deezy]

Installed the Carli 3" backcountry last weekend: I have had 2 weeks or so to drive it and check it out.

This lift kit went on really well: besides a few small omissions from directions, install was painless and straightforward. (Youll need a coil compressor to fit the new monster coils under the coil bucket). Bolt on easy.

The kit rides great on the street: it sucks up bumps big and small while retaining road feel, so its not dead and sloppy but sharp and plush. It sucks up speed bumps and curbs like hitting a small bump. Its great on the street.

Where it really shines is offroad: It stomps fast trails and dirt bumps. 45 - 50 mph on dirt roads is nothing, and it feels like the truck is stuck to the earth. no bounce, no bang, just fast smooth confidence-inspiring ride. Bad *** lift here folks!

Excellent product! I cannot imagine how good the kit costing 8$ grand must ride. But for 2430$, I am very happy with this lift kit!

 

[AEdelheit]

Looks great, the higher end kits ride similar on the road, full leafs help a lot and off road its scary! Congrats

 

[pwerwagn]

Looks great man!!

 

[Bob4x4]

Looks good. A little hint on the install... . no spring compressor needed,just unbolt the track bar and it will slip in with a bit of finesse