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Lift Kit

57K views 31 replies 19 participants last post by  vvegaiii 
#1 ·
Okay, I know I'm not the only one out there who loves the Traverse but wishes it were just a little bit taller. I'm pretty sure there aren't any aftermarket lift kits available, but it seems like there should be at this point. I mean, you can find lift kits for just about anything these days... I realize that it would change things like axle/strut angles which could potentially cause premature wear, but I can't imagine a simple 2" lift would make a huge difference. I think the slightly better visibility and ground clearance would be worth it, but maybe that's just me. (I've seen posts asking about lowering kits. Two words: IN-SANE!) Not that I'm planning on any serious off-roading, but that extra 2 inches can make a big difference in deep snow or just pulling up to a curb. I don't think 2 inches would significantly increase rollover risk either, but I could be wrong.

Before you attack the change in handling, keep in mind that I measure ride quality in terms of smoothness. I couldn't care less about having "sporty" handling and would probably never buy a vehicle with large rims/small tires. My all-time favorite vehicle is still my '87 VW Vanagon Syncro, from which my line of site was higher than the roof of a standard Tahoe. (Nostalgia has more than a little to do with that...)

Here's a slightly exaggerated simulation (i.e. a little more than 2") just to give an idea of what it might look like. I'm pretty sure you still wouldn't be able to fit any bigger tires on there. Pardon my crude Photoshop skills...
Standard:

And "lifted":


Thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
:-\

not for me.
then again- no snow in these parts.
As long as I can put 5-8 adults- and a cargo rack on the back-- and not scrape the rack-- then im good with the factory height
 
#4 ·
I wouldnt do it, but personally I think it is cool! Prolly not the suv to do it on, but I love lifted suv's
 
#6 ·
jwhjr said:
I wouldn't change anything on it either, and we have plenty of snow here. It is a bit of a plow if you have too much snow, but generally I'm driving my truck at that point anyway.
I agree, I wouldn't change a thing on the Traverse when it came to suspension. I love the ride quality, yet "sportiness" of the 20" wheels, and still being able to take a corner a descent speeds, and not feel like I'm going to roll it. We just got another 9" of the white stuff last night, and the wife still says ours handles great, with the 20" tires. I checked the alley right after she left, and no pushing snow. 9" of clearance is plenty for me. If you want to talk about plow, try my truck, but then again, I only have to deal with that for about 2-3 days a year, and performance means more to me, that the 2-3 day inconvenience of pushing a little snow. :party:
 
#7 ·
Re: Re: Lift Kit

9 inches would be fine (a lot of off-road vehicles don't have more than that stock), but the Traverse only has 7.2 (or 7.4 on the 2011). Those are the published numbers, which in my experience are usually exaggerated. 9 - 10" would be ideal in my book. Not too low, but not high enough to significantly alter the center of gravity.
 
#9 ·
you need to buy a Jeep and leave your Traverse as it is. You will be happy with a lifted Jeep
 
#10 ·
mdcj7 said:
you need to buy a Jeep and leave your Traverse as it is. You will be happy with a lifted Jeep
All in good time my friend. All in good time. I have always planned to have a Jeep Wrangler someday, however, I'm just nearing the end of a VERY long educational road (started college 20 years ago this month and still in training!), so the first step is a primary vehicle, not a "fun" vehicle yet... Fortunately, unless Obama has his way, my hard work will be paying off in the near future (financially), so it's entirely possible that I WILL get a Jeep sometime in the next 5 years. Although practically speaking, a pickup truck like a Toyota Tacoma may be more likely.

I don't want the Traverse for that kind of driving, I just prefer a higher vantage point whenever I drive. In our Toyota Sienna, the driver's seat adjusts up and down about 2-3 inches, and the difference in how it feels when it's high vs low is remarkable. I just like to sit higher when i drive. Plus it looks better. I'm really sick of driving my butt-dragging '95 Saturn SL1 (but I only paid $1400 for it 5 years ago and still going strong).

Not sure where I'd put the gun rack, but it's a great idea if you have any suggestions! 22" knobbies won't fit. :'(
 
#11 ·
well when you get the Jeep let me know and I take you out where you can have some fun with it. Check out Rock Raiders on face book.
 
#12 ·
Re: Re: Lift Kit

Matno said:
9 inches would be fine (a lot of off-road vehicles don't have more than that stock), but the Traverse only has 7.2 (or 7.4 on the 2011). Those are the published numbers, which in my experience are usually exaggerated. 9 - 10" would be ideal in my book. Not too low, but not high enough to significantly alter the center of gravity.
Yea, I was surprised that the Traverse didn't drag. Maybe they snowfall total was different on our side of town ( I didn't actually measure our yard ) or maybe that 8" of snow compacted a bit under the tires, and compressed to about a 2" platform that the Traverse was driving on, in essence only needing 6" to clear the snow. ???

Either way, I am impressed already with the Travers' drivability in both good, and bad weather.
 
#14 ·
One nice thing about the Traverse is that the hitch is much higher than the hitch on a minivan. (Although that is also part of the reason why minivans have a lot more storage in the back - they go a lot lower). I highly doubt that clearance would be an issue for a bike rack (which was one of my main reasons for looking at the Traverse in the first place). Load leveling will not be an issue. Four bikes and a rack weigh at most a couple hundred pounds (if they're all downhill mountain bikes). Not enough to significantly affect the suspension I would think. If you're worried about it, add-on load leveling kits are relatively cheap.
 
#17 ·
I had a silverado previously and I did the 4inch lift on it and I hated how it rode after that to me the traverse rides like a dream you would have dront drivelines issues on these with a 2" lift.
 
#18 ·
Quantum said:
The Traverse also has height adjustable seat. Also 2-3 inches...maybe that will satisfy your lift desires?
Now that I've actually driven one, I think the drive height was adequate. I'd still like something a little higher, but it's not a deal breaker by any means. Looking under the body, the ground clearance in the front is pretty low (the air dam is actually not the lowest part down the middle - yikes!) However, without bigger tires (which wouldn't fit anyway) I'm not sure how much a lift kit would actually increase the ground clearance. If the front clearance were the same as the rear, we'd be in great shape!

Every vehicle is different, but 4" is quite a lift. That being said, my dad has a Toyota Tacoma with a 4" lift and 22" rims, and I love the way it drives. Definitely feels like a truck, but you feel like the tallest vehicle on the road. I like that...
 
#19 ·
I don't think you'll notice a difference in ride height at all with a bike rack. I bareley noticed a difference when hooking up my pontoon boat to the Travers, and I would bet the tongue weight at somewhere near 350lbs because I can't even budge it, and I'm in pretty good shape.
 
#20 ·
I just bought a 2011 traverse and I personally would like some more ground clearance also. Maybe even some XD series style rims or something to give my traversemore of a "off-road" look. Been looking everywhere online to find at least 1 pic of a lifted traverse but seems like no one likes that kind of style on these trucks.
 
#21 ·
I wouldn`t change it either.

Just wondering though, what computer program did you use to make the "raised" traverse picture, or did you find that picture somewhere on the internet?

Thank you.
 
#24 ·
I would also like a little bit more clearance-- expensive custom work, i guess; no money for that, though.
With great respect to our knowledgeable owners on this forum, let me say that the responses to this issue are as if someone were proposing to change the colors of the American flag. Lol. I love my USA and my '11 traverse, but 2 extra inches lift would be great! Heck, i think a monster truck Traverse would look incredibly good!! ?
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
 
#25 ·
Your best option is a custom coil preload spacer lift or a spacer for the top of the strut... Then you may need high adjustment camber bolts/suspension links to get you back into spec. Possibly longer sway bar links.

In terms of a custom setup, not the most expensive thing in the world but nobody produces one.

My opinion is the Traverse was not designed with any off road intentions, looking at the super low air dam that rubs on my driveway (only sedans did it until the Traverse came along) and items like the fuel rails that are fully exposed, I wouldn't risk it.

For comparison, our '15 Pilot was clearly set up to compete more with an Outback, everything is tucked up next to frame rails, even the exhaust is tucked up into the rear cradle instead of hanging down. Having spent plenty of time under both it's clear the Pilot was engineered for soft roading and the Traverse was engineered for snow and grass/gravel fields at soccer tournaments. That doesn't make the Traverse a bad vehicle, just not where the design effort went.
 
#26 ·
cintocrunch,
Thanks for your comments. I really like the Traverse and it's people-hauling ability (room, comfort and power). Maybe Chevy should come up with a Traverse "X" 4WD, not for rock climbing but a little more off-roadish (I like fire roading and taking the kids exploring without worrying about getting stuck and without having to buy another car for that)--heck, Chevy made a 4-cylinder Traverse, which absolutely makes no sense to me for a people-hauler!
Anyway, let's see what Chevy comes up with next. I have mixed feelings about the new Blazer, but that's another subject.
Thanks for the chat.
Vlad
 
#27 ·
I hear you, and unfortunately in the current market the only fire road capable 3 row is probably the Ascent. The new Pilot has less clearance than our 2nd gen and they moved away from protecting and hiding lines under the vehicle. It's too bad because the higher spec AWD system on the High Country should be decent off road.

I totally agree with you and wish I had that type of setup in MD so I could take my kids... instead whenever we have a little extra time I find the gravel roads around me and we go up and down them, which is enough to keep the kids happy for now. When my youngest (we have 3, youngest is 1) is in a booster I want to get a Gladiator, I think it would be a lot of fun for the kids.
 
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