[REALM]

Got it back this morning, and I’ll give you the honest low down on what I think, and measurements.

Good news: It drives great, slightly stiffer than stock on bumps no doubt, but better than other lifted trucks and SUVs I’ve had by far. The shop even commented they were surprised at how well it drove compared to what they usually lift. I doubt the family will notice the difference.

Bad news: The 1.5” rear kit wasn’t enough initially, as it did not provide the expected 1.5” lift in the rear. There are many variables to what actual result you get, but this is admittedly disappointing.

Here’s what was put in:

• Traxda 1.5” front kit
• Traxda 1.5” rear kit (which consists of (3) x .25” spacers, but due to angles and variables is said to lift the rear more than the physical .75”. In my case, this did not happen much)
• Ridgeline 18x8 OEM wheels w/ 55mm offset
• 255/60/18 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Before/After measurements:
[Before had about 40 lbs of gear in back, but no full size spare]
[After had full size spare ~67 lbs + 40 lbs of gear in back]
[Note that after measurements include a likely .2” added from new tire height]

• Front: 33” / 34.6” (edit: 34.5” after a bumpy road drive | 3 month update: 34.25" both sides)
• Rear: 33.25” / 34.1” (edit: 34.2” after a bumpy road drive | 3 month update: 34" both sides)
• Ground to bottom of Curt hitch: 12.75” / 13.6”
• Ground to bottom of die cast running board: 9.75” / 11.1”
• Ground to bottom of front bumper: 9.1” / 10.5”

What’s next:
Edit: After one short drive down a bumpy road, the front/rear gap has closed from .5” difference to .3”, so I’m going to give these a while to settle. If they don’t get to rear a hair higher than front, I’ll probably get the Traxda 2” rear kit and replace the rear 1.5.”
Disappointing the rear didn’t lift more, as would be more money than I need to spend, but we’ll see what happens.
Traxda has been awesome to deal with in many ways as they’ve gone above and beyond, so I still highly recommend them.

06/15/21 Edit after driving a couple of weeks, and with correct tire pressure:
Passport is driving fantastic now, and very close to stock. Even the initial harder bumps seem to have eased up, and it’s driving great.

After:

 

[Davesxx01]

Interesting! Did you verify they installed all 3 shims? If so then the added extra weight sure does make a difference!!
Hopefully someone makes upgraded springs sometime soon!

 

[REALM]

I just confirmed all 3 shims are in both sides, but check this out, I went and did some driving over a bumpy road, and took measurements again, and the gap has already closed to 34.5 Front, 34.2 rear, after one drive, so... perhaps these will settle more than I thought. I’ve updated the post with that info below.

 

[PNWGarageDad]

Excellent feedback!

 

[REALM]

Update:
There was a clanging sound coming from the rear whenever I hit speed bumps. I "think" I've determined it's the muffler hitting the No-lo rear diff skid plate, as they sit tightly on top of one another but I can easily wiggle it with my hand and make it bang. I'm guessing the lift changed the position between the two enough that it now rubs.

I used wire and a rubber washer between them, then drove over some speed bumps and didn't hear it, so fingers crossed that took care of it. My only concern is if the rubber gets too hot and burns off.
Any other suggestions for what I could use as a buffer that's super heat resistant?

 

[Davesxx01]

Hmm, possibly reach out to JonDZ on Instagram For his thoughts? He’s done every step leading up to his 4” lift.

 

[Davesxx01]

Realm, check your PM’s.

 

[Davesxx01]

Ok, a possible fix for us Passport folks is adding an additional washer to the backside of the plate to push it rearward a hair as the Passport and Ridgeline have different exhausts.

 

[PNWGarageDad]

Do your front tires rub at full lock , forward or reverse ?

 

[REALM]

Do your front tires rub at full lock , forward or reverse ?

Negative, zero rub at full lock, as I’ve done several u-turns, and turned into a few dips. Mine are 255s tho, as all the rubbing I’ve seen to date posted have been 265s. I wanted 265 for the broader tire selection, but couldn’t bring myself to have the tires that close to the wheel wells, as wanted functionality over selection.

 

[PNWGarageDad]

Negative, zero rub at full lock, as I’ve done several u-turns, and turned into a few dips. Mine are 255s tho, as all the rubbing I’ve seen to date posted have been 265s. I wanted 265 for the broader tire selection, but couldn’t bring myself to have the tires that close to the wheel wells, as wanted functionality over selection.

That is great to hear! I also have 255 .

 

[thegr8wendt]

Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

I haven't noticed any noise from the No-Lo diff plate on muffler. I'll check mine next time I change wheels.

 

[thegr8wendt]

Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

I haven't noticed any noise from the No-Lo diff plate on muffler. I'll check mine next time I change wheels.

Mine is close, probably only 1/4'' of clearance from the exhaust pipe. Doesn't show any sign of rubbing.

 

[REALM]

Update... I’m feeling a noticeable unstable sway on the interstate at 70mph, which makes me feel like my steering is going to lose it and floating. I can’t tell if it’s the lift or the Nitto tires. Around town it drives great. Checked my sway bar and they’re still attached. Feels worse in the rain, but again, only at high speeds, so not sure what’s going on.

I’m going to check my air pressure tomorrow and give it another test drive on the interstate, as have a road trip coming up soon.

 

[REALM]

Update #2… I think I have success… My tire pressure gauge was broken and tires were overinflated beyond the 50psi max. Aired down and driving really well now, at least on dry pavement, even on interstate. No more swaying in first test. Will see how they do in rain when it comes.

 

[thegr8wendt]

Wow over 50 psi! I like my ride firm... but I only fill to 37 or 38 psi. That'll raise to 40-42 psi while driving.

Don't you have tpms sensors? Steering wheel button Home > Maintenance > Tire pressure.

 

[thegr8wendt]

Update #2… I think I have success… My tire pressure gauge was broken and tires were overinflated beyond the 50psi max. Aired down and driving really well now, at least on dry pavement, even on interstate. No more swaying in first test. Will see how they do in rain when it comes.

Oh, glad that fixed it!

 

[REALM]

@thegr8wendt Confirmed on TPMS sensors, but I didn't even think to check them. I was using an old manual gauge, and dropped several pounds, got a new gauge and checked it against the HUD. Sure enough the new gauge and HUD read much higher than the old gauge, like 14psi difference, so it's going in the trash.

 

[TrentCofax]

Good stuff REALM. I got my passport back this weekend after getting the jsport lift installed and note similar measurements as you despite my tires being 245/60/18 Continental Terrain Contacts. I also noticed a shake in my steering wheel afterwards that I don’t think was there prior to the lift and alignment. I had the tires rebalanced and rotated, which helped, but I feel like it’s not totally gone. Have you experienced any steering wheel shake around 60 after the lift install?

edit: I am running the conti A/Ts on Ridgeline wheels like you.

 

[REALM]

@TrentCofax ... thankfully I didn’t have any steering wheel shimmy after the lift. The only swaying I had was the whole car felt like it was floating on water rocking, but the tire pressure fixed that. Otherwise my steering is tight and straight. The most noticeable difference is just the harder suspension you feel hitting bumps and stuff, but it’s not bad, just a little more noticeable than stock. The family still hasn’t noticed the difference other than the tire noise if the radio is off.

I’m no expert, but I’ve had lifted vehicles with steering wheel shakes before so I can empathize.
So you’ve had an alignment, the tires balanced, and rotated, but still felt it some.

Again, I’m no expert, but throwing ideas out there, maybe you have a tire out of round or something, and when you rotated them it moved to the back and giving you less wheel shimmy.
Highly doubt it’s the tire pressure, but if you haven’t already, double check to make sure the tires are all correct, and that you don’t have one tire just way out of psi whack.
If you had the alignment done at the lift shop, maybe take it to another alignment place to double check, as wonder if the camber or something needs further adjusting.

Otherwise I’m out of ideas, but again, I’m no expert. I used to have a Jeep Cherokee and felt the infamous “death wobble” a few times, which is the stuff of nightmares, and then had a lifted Tacoma that just had constant wheel shimmy all the time I never could figure out how to fix, but in truth I had a cheap body lift on there back in the day before I knew better, and think they just hacked that thing up to make it work.