Escape Lift Options

[Linna]

I'm looking forward to seeing the awesome that is a TOP-R 3" suspension lift successfully installed on a USA Escape.

[hermie]

you asking for trouble installing that 3 inch lift kit
the front CV shafts are not manufactured to be extended , another member who installed the 2 inch strut spacer almost tore his CV shaft completley apart
i would suggest that you go to napa down by you and ask to look at 2 CV shafts 1 for your escape and 1 from a 2005 ford ranger IFS to see if the ranger shaft has the same spline diameter and count on the inboard and outboard end , and to see if the ranger CV shaft is longer in length

i would do it , but i am busy ordering other suspension parts for my escape

[joemarine1990]

Excellent point to take up with my ASE mechanic that will be installing it. If some changes have to be made, I will definitely post that info here as well. Thanks.

[Linna]

you asking for trouble installing that 3 inch lift kit
the front CV shafts are not manufactured to be extended , another member who installed the 2 inch strut spacer almost tore his CV shaft completley apart
i would suggest that you go to napa down by you and ask to look at 2 CV shafts 1 for your escape and 1 from a 2005 ford ranger IFS to see if the ranger shaft has the same spline diameter and count on the inboard and outboard end , and to see if the ranger CV shaft is longer in length

Hopefully joemarine will prove me wrong, but it's beginning to look like a 3" lift is not practical on an Escape and also the GIZ TOP-R suspension for Taiwanese Escapes does not fit on a US Escape without mods.

I don't see how axles from a rear wheel drive based pickup like a Ford Ranger could be used on a front wheel drive Escape but maybe you have more experience. Back in the day a company called Raxles used to make custom CV axles, maybe they still can if you found the right components to match up.

[hermie]

i was talking about the ford rangers that have independant front suspension ( A-ARMS )
the ranger front suspension utilizes CV shafts up front , ford utilizes the same parts across many vehicle platforms , so it makes sense that the ranger CV shafts would work on the front of the escapes
but joemarine would have to look and measure both the ranger and escape CV shafts side by side and take length measurements as well spline counts
the ranger CV shafts just might work

[poppy]

so i use the Top R springs and struts on my Escape and designed a lift from the pictures on the Top R site. The Kit is solid and pretty bad a**. I suggest you do not add the 3" rear springs. See if they will send you the rear springs from a different lift that will equal the current OE springs if you want the Rig to be level. It actually looks kind of funky w the 3" rear springs. Also if they sell you the Top R rear shocks they squeek and if they squeek and annoy you since we are both in Ill trade you a brand new set of Rancho 9K. The Top R kit is top of the line for the type of off road'ing one would do in an Escape unless you live in Greece and use your Escape as a Professional off road rally rig. PM me I have exp with some of the stuff you mentioned. There was a guy named Mega on here and he helped w my lift. He sold Top R and a gd skidplate but felt he didnt charge enough for the skids so he sold 2 that could have been real nice but never finished either of them. He made mine and I paid him 270.00 and its badass. I think he charged 100.0 to 150.00 for the two incomplete ones he sold.

[poppy]

so acouple other things. You can run 31" or 265 tires with no tranny, engine or gearing stress. You can place a 2" lift and if done properly the CV and trans axles will be fine. I've had my lift for a long time and me and Mega go out to eastern and Central Wa and off road w the best of them. I learned no crawling, spoting is a must if unsure in the Escape because the clearance even w the lift is pretty vulnerable.......Do not get the alternater wet, in the 08 it sits low....I think that's it for now. your going to love the TOP r front struts and you'll say to your self these aren't imports they feel like they should be Rancho, Superlift etc, a domestic shock. I found the Rear adjustable shocks to be identical to the Rancho 9K if the Rancho had 1 more soft setting and 1 less stiff setting.....

[joemarine1990]

Sorry to keep y'all waiting for my report on the TopR lift kit I recently purchased. I can't get too detailed right now, just time for a brief message. I promise I will soon post pictures and details. Short story version: I installed the kit last weekend with the help of an SAE mechanic friend. It went fairly smoothly, just two small issues with the install. But we got it done, and I then took it for a proper alignment as my friend doesn't have alignment rack. So Goodyear had no issues getting it all aligned, good as off the factory floor. I have been driving it for the last week onroad, and no complaints. Slightly firmer ride, but not jarring. Braking, turning all working good. Overall a pretty good ride. I found that right after we installed the lift, I had gained nearly 4.5" of lift!? A guy I work with that is knowledgeable on this stuff, as he goes rock crawling with a totally custom vehicle he put together himself, said that it is not unusual for a lift to be higher than expected but settle down a bit after a few weeks of driving. He believes the springs will 'settle' closer to the advertised 3" lift height. I guess that's good if you only want 3", or not good if you were happy with the extra lift. I will report what level it settles at in the next couple weeks. I just purchased some Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires in the 245/75-16 size which are 2" taller than stock tires, adding another 1" to my total lift. I will take pictures of my Escape next to my daughter's unmodified Escape before and after the tire change so you can see the difference the lift kit made before taller tires. One thing to point out is that it lifted the front and rear the same amount, maintaining the stock rake toward the front. I do have the 2" leveling strut extensions that you can buy on Ebay if I want to add to the front some more to level my Escape, but I don't think I'll try that until I have had the lift kit on long enough to decide how I like the handling before making more mods. I will definitely look into having the drive lines lengthened in the front if I go higher. Anyway, gotta go to bed, so I'll sign off. I know some have been waiting for me to post on the lift, and be patient, more is coming soon.

[Krohn]

How did this every come out? Anything break or need replacing?

[Escape94]

Id like to see what it looks like installed? What year escape do you have?

edit: just saw '05.