Rough Country 2.5" Lift long-term satisfaction?
 

So although I have done a small suspension lift on my Blazer, I find myself wanting to do a larger lift. I installed the Rough Country upper control arms but only did a torsion-bar crank and installed larger rear shackles. I did this partly because I did not want to do anything that could not be undone; i.e. modify the front diff.

What I'd like to know is how the 2.5" RC lifts have been doing over the long-term for people who have installed them. Any regrets? Any parts wearing out earlier than expected?

I’ve had mine on for about 2 1/2 years and only parts I replaced are the upper ball joints but I used the mevotech ttx terrain tough ones and they have held up great. Not sure about the shocks don’t know if they are stiff or it’s my suspension that’s stiff

I got a blown shock and had to replace my upper ball joint(which i had to find out which ones they were.. because I dont have the ones everyone else has for some reason...). Only have had it installed since April 2018 I want to say...

Little less than a year and already had to replace the ball joints. Seems to be common with these from what I'm reading. Overall, I still like the lift even if I am sour that newer trucks dwarf me.

Even most Subarus seem to dwarf us in our Blazers! Our Blazers now count as "Compact" SUVs. Still, I can't see a reason to get rid of mine any time soon!

As for the ball joints, yes, I had one fail after I did my smaller lift that I did but with the RC upper control arms. The seal on the ball joint blew and all the grease was lost. I'll be doing an inspection on both of them next time I lift the front end off the ground. (Only after it warms up!)

Ive noticed that..chevy put the frame soooo low. You legit need atleast 2.5 inches of lift to be even with a Cherokee trailhawk or a Subaru crosstrek. Its embarrassing

That is a good point.

But atleast we can tow 5000 lbs :icon_trophy:

So I've had the shocks that come with the Rough Country lift less than 50k miles and they're already blown out. I don't know if it's because of shoddy manufacturing or because the roads and terrain are rough here but it's still not very encouraging to me.

Hey everyone, I know its been a while but is there any way we can get a couple more responses here. I'm thinking or raising my blazer with the RC 2.5" lift but replace the upper suspension ball joints with the mevotech ttx terrain tough ones before installation along with a set of solid shocks (need some good recommendations for those too please). I believe if I replace the upper ball joints and shocks and NOT use the RC parts then I can get away with a solid and reliable lift without running into any problems down the road because of the lift.
I live in Hawaii now and my Blazer has been amazing 4-wheelin out in the lava fields (I've bottomed out maybe 2 times at most, but I'm not going on the most gnarly trails either like the trail to Green Sands) but we will be moving our lives and the truck to Colorado. I want the Lift for the son mainly but I also want to continue the 4-wheelin adventures.
So any suggestions on the lift would be nice

I put the lift in 3 years ago made a huge difference off-roading I do agree with the mevotech ttx ball joints I’d do the lowers while u have it all apart to. I went through the moog uppers constantly untill I put the ttx in and I love them. I think the new kits come with the new n3 shocks I’m still running the 2.0s and they have been holding up ok. I’ve been looking at the rough country n3 shocks as they are cheap or saving for the rancho on rockauto

Just remember the maxim, you get what you pay for. Rough Country shocks are definitely on the cheap side of things.

You will want to use the RC upper control arms because otherwise the geometry for the front wheels is all off and you'll burn through upper ball joints even faster.

I used just the upper control arms, 2" shackles in the rear but not the brackets for relocating the front axle nor the RC torsion bar keys. I was able to reuse my rear shocks since they are goofy self-leveling ones with goofy (yet stock springs) and Super Lift front shocks.

My regrets are not using the RC (or any really) new torsion bar keys so that I would have a bit more adjustment and better front shocks. From driving around today on some rough roads they worked passably but when these go, I'll be getting better ones.

Is there any way you can send me a link of the exact upper ball joints you used? I want to replace the faulty parts while I have the truck apart for the suspension installation.

right. I'll use the RC upper control arm, I'm thinking about trading out the upper ball joints. Sorry I maybe mixed that up.

I was also thinking about switching out the RC N3 shocks with some better name brand shocks..but I am not too knowledgeable with shocks quite yet. I hope that will change in time.

You should be able to find out what ball joints RC uses and then cross reference them to get ones from the manufacturer you prefer.

I will likely go this route but only when the current Moog ones are worn out.

I'm having a bitch of a time finding shocks that will fit my Blazer that aren't Procomp, Superlift, and RC. I'm debating just chancing it and buying the OEM Bilsteins that ZR2s come with but I can't find definite information online if they can fit a non ZR2 Blazer. All I know is that my current RC ones are garbage and the other two brands I listed have terrible reputations.

I used the mevotech ttx txk6540 ball joints for a 2000 Sierra 1500 they are the size used in the rough country control arms got them from rock auto and they are super strong I find the stronger then the moog
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/blazerf...0fefe8ddb6.png
u will need a press kit to remove the old ones and install the new ones and there is a c-clip inside holding them In

This might be a dumb question but are those ball joints sure to work for my 2001 4D 4WD Blazer? I went to rockauto and put in the truck info and it lead me to a different upper ball joint. Same company that makes it but it looks completely different. But the ones you showed me you say fit into the RC lift kit? Even though it’s for a Silverado 1500? Thanks again for the link and the info

the 6540 are the ball joints used in the rough country upper control arms for the s10 blazer

Yes they use the full size truck ones

Score! okay then I have two of those in the RockAuto shopping cart...my next question is I'm going to get the high angle CV Joint installed but should I replace the LOWER ball joints as well since I will have the front end basically all apart? Are there recommendations for such a part?

get the mevotech ttx lowers too they also make wheel bearings now too

But since I'm not replacing the lower control arm with the RC kit, I would want to get a part made for the Blazer and not the Chevy 1500 correct? Or would I want the matching set? Can I ask for you to link the part in RockAuto again?

The front lowers if it’s the same across years. This is the one for a 2000 but I think it will work across years
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/blazerf...3bed98b80d.png

Perfect. Thank you, friend. One day ill make a build thread and include all this info. You all have really helped me make some educated moves when doing this huge upgrade

And jut like that...Upper/lower ball joints, CV joint boot, and RC 2.5" lift to be delivered to my house next week. Ill update the thread at the next junction...if you wanna keep up with my build im gonna move somewhere into the wheels and tires section to get some good shoes for the truck.

I’m curious which will come first my rc lift came super quick but rockauto is super quick with shipment stoo

Update: I was able to get the lift installed! But the upper ball joints were too small to fit inside the threads. The mechanic explained it to me as “ it’s too small, it just floats, the threads don’t grab anything.” I don’t know if RC changed the control arm but those ball joints did not fit. Not a problem though. I will be contacting RC to reference through them the ball joints that can fit.
But other than that the truck is amazing now!

I suspect RC changed the ball joints they used sometime in the last few years.

I just called RC and they told me no one makes the ball joints for this new model. If I am to replace them down the road then I have to go through RC to get more of the same. Kind of a let down. But it can’t be all roses and sunshine