Locally developed Lift Junkie kits tick all the boxes
Iain Wilson with his Lift Junkie-equipped Ford Ranger.
Utes are big right now. Big in features, big in usability and value, big in sales and – if you have products and/or services to sell to the new breed of owners, big in business.
One such company which is doing good business in the ‘ute space’ at the moment is suspension specialist Autolign with its locally-developed Lift Junkie upgrade kits.
As the name suggests the key ‘take’ for most buyers is that they get a lift of around 50mm. And that is fine by Iain Wilson, the manager of the company’s Racelign division, and person responsible for the mix of springs, shock absorbers and bushes which go into each kit.
“Any more,” he says, “and you start getting into issues to do with things like brake hose length, sway bar links and that sort of thing. A lift of 50mm (or two inches) is good because you get the look but you are not getting excessive change in the suspension geometry that would require a cert.
While you could, if you had the time and inclination, come up with a broadly similar upgrade package for your own late model ute the beauty of a Lift Junkie kit is that Iain and his team have not only done all the hard work (choosing products, spring rates etc) Autolign’s buying power means that you could never do it for the same – or even a comparable – price.
“Which is the beauty of being able to buy a complete kit from one of our branches,’ says Iain. “We’ve gone out to our suppliers and put together what I believe are the best possible combinations of springs, shock absorbers and bushes for each particular ute.”
For a typical late model Ford Ranger (like Ian’s own daily driver), Toyota Hilux, Holden Colorado, Mitsubishi Triton etc that means a mix of Dobinsons coil springs up front, RAW 4x4 leaf springs at the back and either Monroe Gas Magnum or Bilstein shock absorbers front and rear.
“What we are doing,’ says Iain,” is giving people options. There’s not a big difference in the price points but you can choose which option you want. The Monroe, for instance, is a heavy duty twin tube shock, while the Bilstein is a monotube design which is both rebuildable and able to be re-valved. Which is a real selling point for some people.”
Whether you want to better avoid obstacles on the ground, carry heavier loads, enjoy greater handling control or simply improve driver sight lines, Lift Junkie is the ultimate locally produced combination of looks, ride, handling and affordability.
To find out if there is a Lift Junkie kit for your ute Autolign has branches – and/ or authorised installers throughout New Zealand. For more information go to www.liftjunkie.co.nz
Lift Junkie kits offer a 50mm lift for late model utes like Iain’s Ranger.
