Cognito/Norcal lift kits LMM

[zebuckeye81]

I'm looking at doing a lift kit on my LMM, but am having trouble with what exactly I should get. I am looking at the 4-6" ntbd, dropping it back to 4, and running either 285/55r20 or 305/55r20 on a 20x9 wheel.

Wanting to get the most bang for my buck, while also getting a quality kit, with a good ride and good angles on the cvs (thus dropping the money for a cognito).

Looking for advice on which kit, as well as any other considerations ie ucas while I'm at it, and do I need the addition of the driveline support (says this is recommended for driving in 4wd over 20mph) since I'm dropping the lift back to 4"?

Not much info on the cognito page (in fact there is literally no info for the 4-6 inch kit), and having a hard time comparing the kits at norcal truck.

 

[Chevy1925]

dropping to 4" lift on that kit means you need to keep the stock UCA. you may get front driveline noise but aftermarket shafts are not very strong if you plan to use 4wd and push power through it.

 

[zebuckeye81]

Yeah I don't want to throw the money at ucas unless needed anyhow. As for the driveline, they just mention something in the kit specs regarding if you're going to use 4wd over 20mph. I don't use 4wd a bunch, however there absolutely are times I use it, at both low speeds in mud etc and higher speeds in winter.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around what exactly is the best route for what I'm wanting to do.

 

[zebuckeye81]

Yeah I don't want to throw the money at ucas unless needed anyhow. As for the driveline, they just mention something in the kit specs regarding if you're going to use 4wd over 20mph. I don't use 4wd a bunch, however there absolutely are times I use it, at both low speeds in mud etc and higher speeds in winter.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around what exactly is the best route for what I'm wanting to do.

 

[Chevy1925]

run the truck in 4wd with the stock drive shaft at first and see if you have an issue. there is plenty of slip yoke left in the t-case to not give you an issue. frankly, we wouldnt have front driveline vibration issues if lift companys took pinion angle into account when designing the lifts

 

[zebuckeye81]

That's a good idea, why spend the money unless it's necessary?

Right, you would really think that they'd take that into account.

Sorry for the double post reply.. Think the phone was trying to decide whether or not it was going to connect to wifi..

 

[RPM Motorsports]

You most likely will not need the driveline at 4" 99% don't. And since you are staying at 4" the UCA isn't necessary unless you want the "Cool factor" of the look. My NCT kits are a little different than what Cognito has on their site like you said , but we can spec you out anything you like.

 

[ltr450ryder]

I have a cog ntbd on my lmm turned all the way down on stock driveline and I use 4wd with no issue has a slight vibration over 30-35 but nothing that's going to hurt anything. And the lift ride great I run 305/55/20 on 20x12s

 

[zebuckeye81]

You most likely will not need the driveline at 4" 99% don't. And since you are staying at 4" the UCA isn't necessary unless you want the "Cool factor" of the look. My NCT kits are a little different than what Cognito has on their site like you said , but we can spec you out anything you like.

Thanks for clearing those things up for me. I've been looking at the nct stage 3 kit or cognito stage 2 that are offered through nct. Looks like the major difference is the inclusion/exclusion of tie rods, sway bar, and steering braces. The two kits are pretty similarly priced, which leaves me wondering which route would work best for my application, or if could even drop down a stage.

Which shocks are generally recommended? I've seen plenty of support for both the bilstein 5100s and the fox. Durability/life would be a strong consideration as well as ride.

 

[RPM Motorsports]

Thanks for clearing those things up for me. I've been looking at the nct stage 3 kit or cognito stage 2 that are offered through nct. Looks like the major difference is the inclusion/exclusion of tie rods, sway bar, and steering braces. The two kits are pretty similarly priced, which leaves me wondering which route would work best for my application, or if could even drop down a stage.

Which shocks are generally recommended? I've seen plenty of support for both the bilstein 5100s and the fox. Durability/life would be a strong consideration as well as ride.

If you haul heavy or do a bunch of off road driving, the Fox would be the route I take. If the truck is mainly on the street the Bilstein shocks will be perfect. The Fox are a little stiffer, and have less shock fade when abused compared to Bilstein. The Fox seem to be lasting longer as well. Packages can include/exclude anything you'd like.

 

[OneSlickGlide]

This is a great post as I'm looking to do the exact same with my LMM. I'm looking to run 20x9 up front and 20x10 in the back

 

[RobsDmax]

This is a great post as I'm looking to do the exact same with my LMM. I'm looking to run 20x9 up front and 20x10 in the back

Why?

 

[OneSlickGlide]

Idk. I'd run 20x10's all around but I figured I'd get rubbing running a 10" wide wheel up front. Looking to run 35's.

Suspension, wheels/tires, offsets are like Greek to me (no matter how much I read up on it). So please forgive my ignorance...

 

[RobsDmax]

If it is 4x4 I highly do not reccomend running different widths with the same tire.

 

[OneSlickGlide]

If it is 4x4 I highly do not reccomend running different widths with the same tire.

Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate the info.

 

[TQMONSTR]

If it is 4x4 I highly do not reccomend running different widths with the same tire.

Why not? Let's say he runs 20x9 front wheels and 20x10 rear wheels with 305/55/20 tires. Do you think the tire height will be that much different? I'll bet it won't be any worse than the trucks with tires that don't get rotated.

 

[2004LB7]

i have a cognito 4-6 NTBD and have it set so the CV angles are just under level. i have the stock front drive shaft and it starts vibrating at about 30 mph. truthfully it is not where you have the torsion bars set at but how far the diff is dropped and what angle it puts the drive shaft at. the front shaft can't take much more angle before it starts vibrating.

 

[zebuckeye81]

Which kit did you ultimately go with lb7, and what did it include?

That info makes me feel like maybe I should opt for the cv drive shift as recommended. Wintertime in 4 wheel I definitely go over 20-30 at times, although alot of times I only throw it in 4 wheel if I know where I'm driving I'll be going uphill, particularly from a stop/intersection and it's icy at all

 

[Chevy1925]

Which kit did you ultimately go with lb7, and what did it include?

That info makes me feel like maybe I should opt for the cv drive shift as recommended. Wintertime in 4 wheel I definitely go over 20-30 at times, although alot of times I only throw it in 4 wheel if I know where I'm driving I'll be going uphill, particularly from a stop/intersection and it's icy at all

again, i would drive it and see what you think. my truck has an 8" lift on a stock drive shaft and i drove in 4 HI for years like that in snowy conditions, mud, and racing. it does not vibrate until i am over 45mph and even then, its only when under a light cruise or coast situation (mainly due to the slip yoke taking up the lateral driveshaft movement since there is no other way for it to go when under power). to this day i have not changed it and have put 800hp through it at the track in 4wd at 7800lbs truck weight. the CV style driveshafts are known to break because the housing of the double CV can not be made big enough to have the strength due to space constraints against the trans/t-case. a double cardan drive shaft is the proper fix for the vibration issue due to how lift kit MFG point the pinion but they cant be made strong enough. so its a damned if you do, damned if you dont.

so if lift kit MFG could please put the time into engineering proper pinion angle when dropping the front diff, that would be greeeeaaaat

 

[Rancelot211]

I know zone sends a billet piece of aluminum to put on the shaft. Idk if it helps or not. Just slides on with 2 of rings inside it.