How To Fit Big Rims on Your Ride

Are you trying to put 22″, 24″, 26″, 28″ or bigger rims on your car? The easiest way to achieve this look is to use a car rim lift kit. Universal Car Lifts offers kits to fit up to 32″ size rims on your ride. This page includes the most frequently asked questions when lifting your ride. If you have any questions, you can contact us by clicking here.

Quick Links

Trying to figure out what size car lift kit you need? Check out this page for more info

Full Installation DVD * Bushing Installation Videos * Tire size chart * No cut no rub chart

How to measure for an extended drive shaft * How to measure how much lift you need * How to set pinion angle

Car Lift Kit Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Before You Buy

Q: I have this size rims so what lift kit do I use?

Q: Is there any general rule of thumb with car lifts?

Q: Do I need extended a-arms or longer trailing arms with your lift kits?

Q: How easy is it to install your products? Can this be done at home or should installation be left to a professional installer?

Q: Can I run your lift cups with lift springs? Or can I stack 2 cups together for more lift?

Q: What about using air shocks for lift?

Q: What is a wheel adaptor / spacer and why might I need to buy them when installing a lift kit on a car?

Q: I want a kit that requires no cutting of my car and allows a full u-turn in steering- which kit do I buy?

 

Questions During Installation

Q: I can’t get my lower a-arm jacked up far enough to meet my spindle?

Q: After installing my lift kit my front wheels bow in at the top?

Q: After installing my kit my rear wheels sit forward / rub on the front of the fender?

Q: I installed my lift kit and my tires still rub?

Q: I can’t get my bushings installed in the arms?

Q: How / why do I cut down my cups?

Q: Why doesn’t the S10 lift spindle work on a B-body?

Q: Why does my car ride so rough?

Q: How do I know if I need a longer drive shaft?

 

 

Question: I have this size rims so what lift kit do I use?

Answer: There are a lot of variables that determine the size lift kit you need. These include year and model of car, tire diameter, tire width, rim offset (the amount the rim sticks out), etc. The only way to be 100% sure is to measure. You’ll want to find out the size of the wheels outside diameter and measure how much your car needs to be lifted in order for the wheels not to rub. Your local custom shop or custom wheel outlet may do this for you. Also see our measuring video or recommended lift charts for no cut, no rub.

 

Question: Is there any general rule of thumb with car lifts?

Answer: We tend to see a need for a 3 to 5 inch lift to clear 22’s on most cars. For 24’s, you may need up to a 13″ lift to clear with no cutting and a full turning radius. For 26’s and larger you almost always need a minimum 13″ kit. Smaller lifts may clear the wheels with minor amounts of fender trimming but you will not have full turning radius.

 

Question: Do I need extended a-arms or longer trailing arms with your lift kits?

Answer: Extended arms are not required with our lifts. A lot of vehicles have been lifted without them. We do recommend them for the front because when you lift a vehicle the tire tends to tilt inwards causing negative camber. Over a long period of time the inside of your tire will wear out faster than the outside. For the rear we recommend them with a 5 inch or larger lift to keep the wheel centered perfectly in the wheel well.

 

Question: How easy is it to install your products? Can this be done at home or should installation be left to a professional installer?

Answer: All of our products come with detailed installation manuals with diagrams. Most people who have some experience working on cars can handle installation. The lift cups can be a little tricky to get in sometimes and we include a DVD to show you the proper technique to do this. If you do not feel comfortable installing the parts you can usually have a local mechanic or custom shop do it for you. Rates for installation usually range from $150-800 depending on what is all involved.

 

Question: Can I run your lift cups with lift springs? Or can I stack 2 cups together for more lift?

Answer: No. Your front suspension can only travel so far before it bottoms out. If your looking for more lift consider our 13” to 17” complete kits or a body lift kit.

 

Question: What about using air shocks for lift?

Answer: We do not recommend using air shocks for lift. Shocks are NOT designed to support the weight of a vehicle. We do recommend them if you plan on hauling a heavy load of passengers in the back of the car once in a while for a little additional support.

 

Question: What is a wheel adaptor / spacer and why might I need to buy them when installing a lift kit on a car?

Answer: The majority of the big wheels on the market do not have the proper offset (amount the rim “sticks out”) for use on a car. If your rims stick in too far they can rub on the frame and inside suspension components. We recommend verifying you have the correct offset needed BEFORE ordering your wheels. If you have the incorrect offset wheels you can use wheel spacers to get the rims to stick out farther. Wheel spacers ARE NOT part of a lift kit- if you order your wheels in the correct offset you will not need them. Please note- specific parts have a minimum offset required in order to use the part. Please read the item description carefully to make sure your rims will clear the suspension parts.

 

Question: I want a kit that guarantees no cutting of my car and allows a full u-turn in steering- which kit do I buy?

Answer: The only kits we guarantee to clear with no cutting are our 13″ to 17″ complete kits. If you do not purchase one of these kits we DO NOT guarantee wheel fitment- please measure to make sure you have enough lift.

 

Question: I can’t get my lower a-arm jacked up far enough to meet my spindle?

Answer: You most likely have too much cup in the car. You can try trimming down the lift cup some (we start with cutting it down 1/2″) or running our aftermarket upper control arms

 

Question: After installing my lift cups, why do my front wheels bow in towards the top?

Answer: Your going to need our aftermarket extended tubular control arms to correct this

 

Question: After installing my lift cups, why do my rear wheels sit too far forward in the wheel well?

Answer: You need our adjustable rear trailing arms or need to extend your stock arms to correct this

 

Question: I installed my lift, why do my tires still rub?

Answer: You need to cut your car or buy a bigger lift kit

 

Question: Why can’t I get my bushings installed in my arms?

Answer: Be sure you have the correct bushing part numbers. If you do, refer to the video tutorial to find out how to press in your bushings correctly. We have pressed in thousands of these bushings and it can easily be done with the proper technique.

 

Question: How / why do I cut down my cups?

Answer: A sawzall, plasma torch, flame torch, band saw, or chop saw should do the trick. If you do not have access to one of these visit your local muffler shop and they should be able to cut them down for you for a couple of bucks. We sell all of our kits with universal lift cups- they almost always have to be cut down to length. Different years, engine combinations, spring conditions, etc means you have a different size cup in every application. You must trim your cup to the correct length in order to get the advertised amount of lift.

 

Question: Why doesn’t the S-10 spindle work on a B-body?

Answer: The S-10 spindle is 1 1/2″ shorter than the factory caprice spindle. Our arms are not designed to drop this low (see “wheel flop”). The S-10 3″ lift spindle mod on a Caprice is a waste of money in our opinion- the spindle is 1 1/2″ shorter than the stock Caprice spindle so you really are only going to get another inch or so of lift using it. Check out our 13″ to 17″ Complete Kits to do it right.

 

Question: My car rides bumpy ever since I installed my lift cups. What can I do about this?

Answer: First make sure your upper arm is not bottomed out against your frame. If your suspension is toped out try trimming out 1 inch from the bottom of your cup. We also recommend installing our lift shocks that are set up for proper dampening and length on a lifted suspension.

 

Question: How do I know if I will need a longer drive shaft?

Answer: If less than 1″ of your drive shaft remains in the transmission you will need to get a longer drive shaft or lengthen your stock one. You can have your local drive line shop lengthen your stocker or purchase a new one from us. Please see how to measure for an extended drive shaft.

How To Install Rear Bushings Video

How To Install Front Bushings Video

29.4”    265/35R22

28.9”    285/30/R22

30.4”    305/35/R22

28.8”    335/25/R22

33.8″   275/25/R30

33.8″   295/25/R28

32.7”    285/35/R24

32.4”    305/35/R24

32.7”    315/35/R24

37.1”    325/35/R28

35.4″   275/25/R30

33.4″   275/25/R28

31.8”    275/45/R22

29.3”    295/30/R22

31.5”    305/40/R22

31.7”    305/35/R23

36.1″   255/30R30

33.1″   255/25/R28

33.4”    295/40/R24

31.6”    315/30/R24

35.9”    315/40/R26

37.5”    315/30/R30

38.1″   305/25R32

31.8″   295/25/R26

VEHICLE	RIM	TIRE SIZE	BACKSPACE	LIFT SIZE
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	22″	305/35/R22	4-1/2” MAX	12″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	24″	305/35/R24	5″ MAX	13″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	26″	295/25/R26	5″ MAX	12″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	26″	305/30/R26	5″ MAX	15″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	28″	255/25/R28	5″ MAX	13″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	28″	325/35/R28	5″ MAX	17″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	30″	275/25/R30	5″ MAX	15″
77-90 CAPRICE BOX	30″	315/30/R30	5″ MAX	17″
91-96 CAPRICE BUBBLE	24″	305/35/R24	5″ MAX	7″
91-96 CAPRICE BUBBLE	26″	295/25/R26	5″ MAX	7″
91-96 CAPRICE BUBBLE	26″	305/30/R26	5″ MAX	13″
91-96 CAPRICE BUBBLE	28″	255/25/R28	5″ MAX	12″
91-96 CAPRICE BUBBLE	28″	325/35/R28	5″ MAX	15″
91-96 CAPRICE BUBBLE	30″	315/30/R30	5″ MAX	15″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	22″	305/35/R22	4-1/2″ MAX	7″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	24″	305/35/R24	4-1/2″ MAX	13″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	26″	295/25/R26	5″ MAX	12″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	26″	305/30/R26	5″ MAX	15″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	28″	255/25/R28	5″ MAX	13″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	28″	325/35/R28	5″ MAX	17″
78-88 MONTE/CUTLASS	30″	315/30/R30	5″ MAX	20″