Ever wondered what size lift kit you have? Perhaps you installed your lift kit a long time ago and don’t remember what size you installed, or perhaps you bought a used off-road truck that came with modifications such as a pre-installed lift kit. Fortunately, there is a way to figure out what size lift kit your truck has. 

To know what size lift kit you have, you need to see if you can find the brand name and serial number. If you can’t, look up the vehicle’s stock shock length and compare it to your current shocks. Remove the shocks for a more accurate measurement, or at least remove all cargo from the truck. 

In this article, we will explain some ways to figure out what size lift kit you have. It can be as simple as measuring your shocks, or it can take a bit more work. Let’s get into it!

Figure Out Your Stock Shocks’ Length

The main method is to measure your current shocks and compare them to the stock shocks’ length. If you still have the stock shocks lying around, it will be easy to figure this out. If you do not have any stock shocks lying around, which is more likely if you installed the lift kit a while ago, there are a few ways to figure out the stock shocks’ length. 

One way is by searching on the internet. You might find information related to the shocks and their length on an online forum or blog. You might also find the owner’s manual online, which might have information that might help you. One way you might find useful information is by using this search template: make + model + year + shock specs.

For example, you might search for Toyota Tacoma 2019 shock specs. Conducting such a search will often help you find relevant information that will help you. 

If you can’t find this information online, it might help if you call the manufacturer and try to get the information from them. You might also call the original owner of the lift kit—the one who sold it to you. Whether it is a private seller or a dealer of used trucks, they might be able to find out what the stock shocks of your truck are. 

Measure Your Current Shocks

Once you know what the stock shocks’ length is, you can move on to the second step: measuring your current shocks. 

Lifted trucks will have longer shocks than regular trucks. If, for example, the standard stock shocks are supposed to be 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall and your current shocks measure at 6 inches (15.2 cm), you probably have 3 inches (7.6 cm) of lift. If your current shocks are 9 inches (22.9 cm) tall, you probably have 5 inches (12.7 cm) of lift. 

Measuring the shocks is a simple and easy method that will not take a lot of time. However, there are some downsides to using this method, as we will explain in the next section. 

The Problem With Measuring Your Shocks

Although measuring your shocks would seem like a simple and straightforward way to figure out how much lift your truck has, there are some problems with this method. The main problem is that the length of your shocks might vary—it might not be the same as how much the original owner lifted your truck. 

Let me explain. If your shocks are old, they might sag. If they sag, you might think you only have a 3-inch (7.6-cm) lift kit installed—but you might have a 4-inch (10.2-cm) lift kit installed on your truck. The older your shocks are, the more they are likely to sag. 

You can account for some of this sag when doing your measurement, but it is impossible to know exactly how much it is sagging. As such, it is impossible to know how much lift kit you have exactly. For example, you might know that it is in the range of 3 inches (7.6 cm), but you won’t know whether it is 3 ½ inches (8.9 cm), 4 inches (10.2 cm), or perhaps even 4 ½ inches (11.4 cm). 

There is another thing that can cause the shocks to sag—weight inside the vehicle. The more cargo you have inside the vehicle, the more the shocks will sag. As such, if you plan on measuring your shocks to figure out how much lift you have, we would recommend making sure your vehicle is empty. Take out all of the cargo you have from the back or in the trunk. Remember to remove any extra wheels. 

However, that might not entirely fix the problem. There might be added aftermarket parts that weigh down the vehicle, and you might not be able to remove them that easily.

Remove the Shocks

One way to get around the sag problem is to remove your shocks from your truck and measure them while they are fully extended. Without the truck’s weight weighing down on them, you will be able to measure them much more accurately. We found this tip online and thought it was a great trick—most people would not think of doing this themselves. 

If you can’t remove your shocks for whatever reason, at least make sure your truck is on a flat surface. Also, make sure to remove any cargo that might be weighing it down. Removing all the cargo will help you ensure that you get the most accurate measurement possible. 

How to Tell What Size Your Jeep Has

To figure out what size lift kit your Jeep has, just follow the method explained above. It should be easy to figure out the stock shock lengths for your Jeep. 

For example, if you have a Jeep TJ Wrangler, you will measure your current shock lengths—including any spacers and dampening rubber. You will then subtract 12 inches (30.5 cm) from the front and 8 inches (20.3 cm) from the back measurement. Bam! The remaining number is how much your truck has been lifted. 

How to Measure Your Lift When Installing a Kit

What if you are installing a lift kit right now but don’t know how much lift the kit provides? In that case, figuring out how much lift you are adding to your truck or Jeep is super easy. 

First, take a measuring tape and figure out how much space there is between the center of the wheel and your fender. It is important to stress here that you should NOT measure from the ground to the fender. You should not do this because this distance can vary based on how big the tires you have are. Instead, measure from the middle of the wheel, so you can get a static, reliable measurement. 

Then, after you have installed your lift kit, do the same thing. Measure the distance between the middle of the wheel and the fender. If your original measurement, the one you took before installing the lift kit, was 10 inches (25.4 cm), for example, and now it is 13 inches (33 cm), you will know that you installed a lift kit that lifted your truck by 3 inches (7.6 cm). This method is simple and easy to understand. 

We would recommend watching this very short video if you would like to see this method done in real-time: 

Conclusion

Measuring your lift kit is not that difficult. It would be even easier if you can figure out what brand it is. If you see the brand name somewhere on the lift kit and there’s a serial number as well, checking up the specs online should be easy. In the absence of that, however, measuring your shocks is the best way.

Sources

• Explorer Forum: stock shock length
• Reddit: Any way to tell what size lift kit is on my truck?
• My Jeep LJ: Measuring Your Jeep Wrangler Lift
• Wrangler Forum: How Do I Measure the Height of my Lift Kit
• Wrangler Forum: How to find out what size lift
• Wrangler Forum: Unknown Lift Size – How can you tell what size lift it really is?
• Wrangler Forum: How can I tell what size lift I have?