Lift Kit installed

[yvrPHEV]

First off - thanks to BCBackRoader for taking the risk of trying the kit and sharing his experience with me. This was helpful!

I bought the first kit off ebay from "Rising Tuning", however it was lost in the mail and never arrived after 4 months.
I re-ordered a different kit from Tema4x4 which arrived promptly in 3 weeks. Both kits were from Russia.

They have 2 models, one is made from hard PolyUrethane, the other "polymer" coated steel. I bought the steel ones. I'm concerned about rust as we salt our roads here in BC Canada, so I re-sprayed them with a couple layers of additional paint on top of the paint that was there.. some of the original coating was damaged in shipping.

Quick take on the install (done by a local shop here in BC) - the front camber kit is definitely needed if you want negative camber up front (recommended) and I have to order the rear SPC 67455 camber kit for the back as we could not get it negative on the rear.

Post install ride quality is like OEM. Very happy with the results. I did not measure the before/after ground clearance though, but I'll try to get out and measure it soon after it's settled (does it settle LoL?) and provide results.

Wheels are Mitsubishi OEM BBS from the Evo X MR (18 x 8.5, 18.5lbs forged ultra light!) and Tires are 235/60/18 G015 (again thanks BCBackRoader for your tire research and feedback).

 

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

You do realize the off road capabilities of the PHEV are zero?

It has All wheel drive, not 4 wheel drive. And if you get into a situation where you have a wheel spinning the likely outcome will be loss of drive due to motor protection cutting in.

And any damage to the battery compartment is likely to be expensive.

 

[yvrPHEV]

Of course, it's not a rock crawling, diff locking, mud, sand, and river crossing monster, but I've used it in deep snow, ice, and dozens of forest service roads here in BC's back country and it's been a great soft-roader. I'm coming from a line of Subaru's including a Forester, WRX, and 2015 STI, and our family also includes a RAM 1500. The PHEV has plenty of grip for the conditions we've put it through. You just have to know its limits.

The lift was just to keep clearance for the battery and make sure we can cross the ditches. Works great for this purpose. The battery is reinforced well enough for road kick-ups and small rocks.

drive the conditions, know your limits, and it's a rewarding vehicle.

 

[BCbackroader]

Hey, yvrPHEV, I'm glad you got it done. Mine is still doing well, though I have pushed the limits a few times, one of which cost me a 10km hike to get cel service for a rescue. I got crossed up over an angled trench, with 1 front wheel and the opposite rear wheel suspended. The rear was on the edge of a deep ditch, so no backing up, and no traction to go forward. It only took a short easy pull from a Toyota Tacoma to get me on to solid footing again, but my legs ached for a few days from the logging road hike! (i'm 75, and don't hike much any more)

I've since purchased a Garmin Inreach, some traction boards, and a come-along.

 

[yvrPHEV]

Thanks for sharing! Yes I have a come-a-long as well just in case, but normally we are a 2 vehicle group. With the front-country campsites all busy this year, the added accessibility to the back country sites has been a welcome change.

Happy PHEV'ing!

 

[DENVERCOPHEV]

Looks great and I am thinking of doing the same. I have ordered the kit and will likely install with new winter tires (also 235/60 R18s). Have you noticed a drop in EV range/MPGs? How about the impact on the speedometer reading? The lightest winter tires I could find at 235/60 R18 weigh 28 pounds vs. the stock tires which weigh only 23 pounds. Since I am driving on the highway mostly at speeds over 60mph, I’m hoping the increased diameter will offset the weight and return a similar range/mpgs.

 

[Fjpod]

You do realize the off road capabilities of the PHEV are zero?

It has All wheel drive, not 4 wheel drive. And if you get into a situation where you have a wheel spinning the likely outcome will be loss of drive due to motor protection cutting in.

And any damage to the battery compartment is likely to be expensive.

My 2020 has a 4 wheel lock button. You can switch from awd and 4wd. Haven't tried it yet. Don't know if you have to stop the car....

 

[ThudnBlundr]

There is no physical connection between the front and rear axles. The 4WD drive button simply activates electronics to force the two electric motors to deliver the same power/torque to both motors to emulate a diff lock. Then it is up to the electronics again to attempt to stop wheels spinning. The success of this approach seems to vary across model years...

 

[jcolvin]

After reading this, I bought the 40 mm kit from rising and it doesn't fit. Passenger side CV interferes with the control arm. So it looks like i have a lift kit i can't use. probably 30 mm is as high as you can go.

 

[Reuben10]

First off - thanks to BCBackRoader for taking the risk of trying the kit and sharing his experience with me. This was helpful!

I bought the first kit off ebay from "Rising Tuning", however it was lost in the mail and never arrived after 4 months.
I re-ordered a different kit from Tema4x4 which arrived promptly in 3 weeks. Both kits were from Russia.

They have 2 models, one is made from hard PolyUrethane, the other "polymer" coated steel. I bought the steel ones. I'm concerned about rust as we salt our roads here in BC Canada, so I re-sprayed them with a couple layers of additional paint on top of the paint that was there.. some of the original coating was damaged in shipping.

Quick take on the install (done by a local shop here in BC) - the front camber kit is definitely needed if you want negative camber up front (recommended) and I have to order the rear SPC 67455 camber kit for the back as we could not get it negative on the rear.

Post install ride quality is like OEM. Very happy with the results. I did not measure the before/after ground clearance though, but I'll try to get out and measure it soon after it's settled (does it settle LoL?) and provide results.

Wheels are Mitsubishi OEM BBS from the Evo X MR (18 x 8.5, 18.5lbs forged ultra light!) and Tires are 235/60/18 G015 (again thanks BCBackRoader for your tire research and feedback).

How many inches/mm does that lift kit add to the car?

 

[yvrPHEV]

Looks great and I am thinking of doing the same. I have ordered the kit and will likely install with new winter tires (also 235/60 R18s). Have you noticed a drop in EV range/MPGs? How about the impact on the speedometer reading? The lightest winter tires I could find at 235/60 R18 weigh 28 pounds vs. the stock tires which weigh only 23 pounds. Since I am driving on the highway mostly at speeds over 60mph, I’m hoping the increased diameter will offset the weight and return a similar range/mpgs.

I haven't noticed a big difference at all. I thought it would be more pronounced, but perhaps the fact that I'm using the lighter weight BBS wheels (they are only 18.5lbs per wheel) is providing an offset. I also tend to drive slow to maximize efficiency. The car still accelerates really well, no additional noise either.

 

[yvrPHEV]

After reading this, I bought the 40 mm kit from rising and it doesn't fit. Passenger side CV interferes with the control arm. So it looks like i have a lift kit i can't use. probably 30 mm is as high as you can go.

If you can post some pictures, I'll take photos of mine at the same angle to see if there are differences? Mine is a 2018.

 

[DENVERCOPHEV]

Ok, so my project is now complete on my 2019 Outlander PHEV. Thanks again for the inspiration.

Here is the link to the Tema 4x4 lift kit I used. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BBJFF97/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I chose the polyurethane kit instead of the metal kit as it is supposed to give you a slightly softer ride (and it’s cheaper at only $128). Also, I ordered via amazon vs. off eBay because they allowed for faster shipping (for an extra $35 it arrived in 2 weeks). Shipping on eBay was going to take 3 months!

I then had the kit professionally installed at a local 4x4 specialty store and boy was I glad I did. It took them about 5 hours and they had specialized equipment and know-how. It cost me about $350 for the install. I had to go back after it settled a bit and they fixed some pops/squeaks for me. Silent as can be now and rides like OEM.

As far as tires, I researched a ton of options. My 2019 came with Bridgestone Ecopia 225/55/ R18s (I was wrong on the weight in my earlier post…they actually weigh 28 lbs). I also weighed the stock tires with stock rims on them while they were installing the lift kit (total of 53 lbs). That means the stock 2019 “million spoke” rims weigh 25 lbs. I couldn’t find that anywhere on the internet so hopefully, that helps some people out.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV 235/60R-18 for the tires. These are ultra-low resistance snow tires and are made especially for electric vehicles (Tesla owners swear by them). They weigh 30 lbs, so not a huge difference and shouldn’t impact range (TBD). I was averaging between 27-35 miles of pure EV range with the Ecopias, so sustaining this was my #1 priority in upsizing. I also decided to keep the stock rims and just Plasti Dip them black for now. It looks decent but is a bit of a pain in the butt to do yourself. I’ll likely install lighter custom rims next season when I move back to all seasons.

The one clear drawback is that the speedometer is impacted…you will be traveling 3-4 miles per hour faster than it reads. I have a radar detector that tells me my speed, so this is verified.

Total ground clearance is now 10.6 inches. Will be great for the many storms that dump several feet of snow being that I live at 8000 ft. in the mountains.

 

[Reuben10]

Ok, so my project is now complete on my 2019 Outlander PHEV. Thanks again for the inspiration.

Here is the link to the Tema 4x4 lift kit I used. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BBJFF97/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I chose the polyurethane kit instead of the metal kit as it is supposed to give you a slightly softer ride (and it’s cheaper at only $128). Also, I ordered via amazon vs. off eBay because they allowed for faster shipping (for an extra $35 it arrived in 2 weeks). Shipping on eBay was going to take 3 months!

I then had the kit professionally installed at a local 4x4 specialty store and boy was I glad I did. It took them about 5 hours and they had specialized equipment and know-how. It cost me about $350 for the install. I had to go back after it settled a bit and they fixed some pops/squeaks for me. Silent as can be now and rides like OEM.

As far as tires, I researched a ton of options. My 2019 came with Bridgestone Ecopia 225/55/ R18s (I was wrong on the weight in my earlier post…they actually weigh 28 lbs). I also weighed the stock tires with stock rims on them while they were installing the lift kit (total of 53 lbs). That means the stock 2019 “million spoke” rims weigh 25 lbs. I couldn’t find that anywhere on the internet so hopefully, that helps some people out.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV 235/60R-18 for the tires. These are ultra-low resistance snow tires and are made especially for electric vehicles (Tesla owners swear by them). They weigh 30 lbs, so not a huge difference and shouldn’t impact range (TBD). I was averaging between 27-35 miles of pure EV range with the Ecopias, so sustaining this was my #1 priority in upsizing. I also decided to keep the stock rims and just Plasti Dip them black for now. It looks decent but is a bit of a pain in the butt to do yourself. I’ll likely install lighter custom rims next season when I move back to all seasons.

The one clear drawback is that the speedometer is impacted…you will be traveling 3-4 miles per hour faster than it reads. I have a radar detector that tells me my speed, so this is verified.

Total ground clearance is now 10.6 inches. Will be great for the many storms that dump several feet of snow being that I live at 8000 ft. in the mountains.

Looks good! You didnt have any clearance issues with the passenger cv hitting the control arm with this 40mm kit? A couple of people seem to have this issue.

 

[DENVERCOPHEV]

I must not be having the passenger CV problem. I'm not sure what the symptoms of that issue would be, but mine is riding/sounding good. Again, I took it to a very knowledgeable 4x4 specialty shop/mechanic. He had put many of these types of kits on before and I would recommend that anyone doing this option do the same.

Also, I don't know why this is ride height is not OEM for this vehicle...They need to change that for 2021 models. I've added nearly 3" and it is still lower than your standard SUV.

 

[greendwarf]

Japanese are on average shorter than North American/Europeans? :idea:

 

[BCbackroader]

You will only encounter the pass. side axle rubbing on the A-arm when that wheel is at full downward extension, which will only occur when you're crossing deep holes off road. There are no other symptoms of any sort noticeable during normal driving.

 

[BalooPHEV]

Ok, so my project is now complete on my 2019 Outlander PHEV. Thanks again for the inspiration.

Here is the link to the Tema 4x4 lift kit I used. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BBJFF97/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I chose the polyurethane kit instead of the metal kit as it is supposed to give you a slightly softer ride (and it’s cheaper at only $128). Also, I ordered via amazon vs. off eBay because they allowed for faster shipping (for an extra $35 it arrived in 2 weeks). Shipping on eBay was going to take 3 months!

I then had the kit professionally installed at a local 4x4 specialty store and boy was I glad I did. It took them about 5 hours and they had specialized equipment and know-how. It cost me about $350 for the install. I had to go back after it settled a bit and they fixed some pops/squeaks for me. Silent as can be now and rides like OEM.

As far as tires, I researched a ton of options. My 2019 came with Bridgestone Ecopia 225/55/ R18s (I was wrong on the weight in my earlier post…they actually weigh 28 lbs). I also weighed the stock tires with stock rims on them while they were installing the lift kit (total of 53 lbs). That means the stock 2019 “million spoke” rims weigh 25 lbs. I couldn’t find that anywhere on the internet so hopefully, that helps some people out.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV 235/60R-18 for the tires. These are ultra-low resistance snow tires and are made especially for electric vehicles (Tesla owners swear by them). They weigh 30 lbs, so not a huge difference and shouldn’t impact range (TBD). I was averaging between 27-35 miles of pure EV range with the Ecopias, so sustaining this was my #1 priority in upsizing. I also decided to keep the stock rims and just Plasti Dip them black for now. It looks decent but is a bit of a pain in the butt to do yourself. I’ll likely install lighter custom rims next season when I move back to all seasons.

The one clear drawback is that the speedometer is impacted…you will be traveling 3-4 miles per hour faster than it reads. I have a radar detector that tells me my speed, so this is verified.

Total ground clearance is now 10.6 inches. Will be great for the many storms that dump several feet of snow being that I live at 8000 ft. in the mountains.

Real Magnific,
Hello DenvercoPHEV, Have you any issue with the camber. YvrPHEV notifyed that if we want negative camber up front, it have to buy a Specific part. Have you used it and could you send us photos of the front and of the back

 

[DENVERCOPHEV]

Hi BalooPHEV, I was also wondering about the negative camber from the previous posts. To be honest, I've never worried about that before and had to look up what that meant. The mechanic that did my lift said to just have it aligned with a negative camber when I put the snow tires on. So, I had my local Bridgestone store put my snow tires on and asked for their "lifetime alignment" which is a really good deal ($200 and as many alignments as you want for as long as you own the car). I told them to please try and get it to a negative camber when completed. I'm not sure I am reading it right... but it appears to be at a cross camber of .3 front and .1 in the rear now? Do I need to worry about that? It appears that this cross camber is still within tolerance for tire wear, handling, safety...but maybe the individual left/right front tires are still overly positive?

 

[DENVERCOPHEV]

Can anyone verify the correct camber kit to order? I looked on Amazon for "SPC 67455 camber kit" as BCBackRoader suggests in his initial post, and below is the highest search result that came up...

https://www.amazon.com/Spurtar-Adjustable-Alignment-Camber-Vehicles/dp/B08CBWGLVN/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=SPC+67455+camber+kit&qid=1606757968&sr=8-3

Anyone know if these will work or can you suggest another link? I would like to get to a negative camber negative in the front or at least to within tolerance. Thanks for your help.