Cognito 2001 - 2009 GM 8-Lug 7" - 9" Front Lift Kit (Non Torsion Bar Drop) :: Cognito Motorsports :: Suspension Systems (8-LUG) :: CHEVY/GMC :: Suspensions & Lift Kits :: Suspension

Product Overview

This lift system is designed like no one else’s. NEW Cognito Motorsports Non Torsion Bar Drop (NTBD) design for improved ground clearance and extra clean look. Cognito goes the extra mile to build customers a tubular front crossmember for a custom look. The design also incorporates a new spindle engineered to offer the best of all worlds in strength, flexibility, and ease of installation. On 4 wheel drive models, there is one simple cut to make on the frame to clear the front differential, not necessary on 2 wheel drives, and 4 holes to drill and the rest is a bolt on installation. This 7” system comes standard with our revolutionary Pitman/Idler arm support kit that eliminates the premature wear found in the GM pitman and idler arm design that is present even on stock vehicles.
Flexibility to get an extra 2” out of this system is built in, just add the tubular upper control arm kit and you will be able to run up to a 37” tall tire. On 4 wheel drive models, the front differential is dropped down a full 7 inches to avoid severe CV axle angles. Other companies only drop the front differential about 75% the amount of the lower control arm, introducing poor CV axle angles. These companies manufacture 6” lift kits that claim to run 35”x12.5” tires, but you have to run an 8” wide wheel with 4 5/8” backspacing. 95% of vehicle owners lifting their trucks want to run wider than an 8” wheel, so Cognito Motorsports takes a step outside of the normal to build a lift system one inch taller to clear the wheel and tire combination that the majority of enthusiasts want to run.

Strength:
The Cognito lift system comes standard with compression struts. Cognito also uses sub-frame connectors to connect the front crossmember to the rear crossmember. Many other companies fail to provide some kind of sub-frame connection. This is essential to prevent bending to the factory lower control arm mounts, and they help provide the Cognito system with a rigid sub-frame to position the lower control arms and front differential. With the replacement spindle design, and the upper control arm remaining in the factory location, the control arms are spread further apart by 7 inches. This provides more leverage on the larger wheels thus increasing ball joint life and retaining front-end alignment much better. Lift kits that drop the upper control arm along with everything else are overwhelmed by the added leverage of larger tires, straining upper ball joints and knocking front-end alignments out easily.

Installation:
The new spindle is designed into this kit so that the upper control arm remains in the factory location. This makes for an easier and cleaner installation than a suspension kit that drops the UCA because there is no UCA brackets to install, and the factory bump stop perches do not have to be cut off of the frame as in most kits that relocate the UCA. Almost every other spindle kit out there requires that the upper mount on the aluminum front differential housing be cut off. This makes it very difficult to return the vehicle to stock height if needed, or to upgrade to a different suspension system down the road, which requires the use of that mount. The Cognito design retains this mount on the front differential to provide the customer with an easier installation and the option to return to stock. There is only one cut to make to the frame, easily made with a reciprocating saw. To mount the compression strut crossmember, four ½” holes must be drilled, and this completes the cutting involved. The rest of the installation is bolt on, as there is no welding required.

Front lift system: front cross-member, rear cross-member, Non Torsion Bar Drop Mounts, compression strut cross-member, compression struts, sub-frame connectors, differential mounts, and spindles all black powder coated.