Overview:
This lift system is designed like no one
else's. Cognito goes the extra mile to
build customers a tubular front cross-member
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 (see pic#1), 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
(see pic#2). 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 35x12.5"
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.
(see pics#3 & 4).
Strength:
The Cognito lift system comes standard
with compression struts. Cognito also
uses sub-frame connectors to connect the
front cross-member to the rear cross-member.
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
(see pic#3). 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.
Here's
something to help you visualize the scenario:
We all have bench pressed weights - You
have your hands spread
15
inches apart on the bar
with
10
lbs. on either end. No
problem - you have as much stability as
you would need with such a low weight.
Now put
35
lbs. on either end of
that bar and keep your hands at the same
15
inch span. The bar becomes
unstable and the short span makes it impossible
to keep control. Now increase the span
of your hands to
25
inches. The stability
is regained and you have no problem handling
and controlling the weight.
15
inch span, 10 lbs. = Stock truck &
stock tire size
15 inch span, 35 lbs. = A-arm drop kit
& larger tires
25 inch span, 35 lbs. = Cognito spindle
design & larger tires
(see pic#3) : Cognito spindle kit
Below: A-arm drop kit
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 torsion bar drop cross-member, 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.
** Note**
-- Over-cranking the suspension will affect
ride quality and is not recommended.
-- The distance between
the upper A-Arm and the metal bump stop
should be no less
than ¾".
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