The Problem with Drop Bracket Lift Systems
Posted by Brandon Sevestre on
Taller lift heights (usually 4”+) require drop bracket systems that lower your differential and lower control arm mountain locations to correct geometry, eliminating most of the clearance gained from the additional lift.
Many of these kits require cutting or trimming on the stock frame crossmember making reverting back to stock or a more basic lift system often not feasible or at the very least not reasonable to do.
Total travel is ultimately limited by the length of the control arms, driveline, and steering components, not lift height or shock length, so although taller, these systems do not offer any travel benefits.
Since these systems are detrimental to performance in several ways, many of the companies that make these kits are not necessarily concerned with making a package that performs. Although geometry should be better considering all the components they space out to get back into their ideal operating range, these kits frequently have worse bump steer and camber gain than many more basic mid-travel lift systems.
Although there are likely select situations and applications that might benefit from a drop bracket system, unless you are looking at something like a Blazeland Mega Travel kit, we highly recommend keeping it lower and simpler with a higher-performing basic coilover and control arm or ‘mid-travel’ suspension package.
