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The Chevy Colorado is a great-looking truck, but if you’re looking to take it to the next level, a lift kit might be one of the most cost-effective mods that you can do.
A lift kit will give your truck better ground clearance and therefore will make your Colorado tower over puny sedans, which can actually be a safety benefit. In a 2015 study conducted by the University of Buffalo, it was concluded that “very large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles – which are heavier than others – had the lowest frequency of personal-injury claims.”.
But let’s be honest – we buy lift kits mainly for the ability to run bigger tires. Safety is just a nice side benefit.
Now, there are a lot of lift kits available for the Chevy Colorado. Some of them are great and some of them are quite bad, but help you narrow the search down – we’ve found the five best lift kits for Chevy Colorado.
The 5 Best Lift Kits for Chevy Colorado
 Advertising | Best Overall ReadyLift 69-3535 SST |
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 Advertising | Truxxx 403035 |
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 Advertising | Supreme Suspensions Pro Series A2718 |
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 Advertising | Wulf Suspensions Adjustable Leveling Lift Kit |
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 Advertising | Supreme Suspensions Max-Torsion |
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ReadyLift 69-3535 SST 3.5”
- Fits: 2015-2019 Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon
- Does Not Fit: ZR2 Edition and DIESEL MODELS
- Front Lift: 3.5”
- Rear Lift: 1”
ReadyLift is a relatively new company in the suspension world. They started out as a group of six guys, working in a machine shop in California, and grew to a respectable and sizable force in the industry.
Now, one of the primary reasons for their success were the 3.5” mid-lifts, or the SST’s as they call them. The ReadyLift 69-3535 is yet another lift kit in the SST family, and it’s definitely one of the most popular kits for the second generation Chevy Colorado.
Unlike many cheaper lift kits, this one comes with absolutely everything you need to properly lift your truck and to actually maintain the factory ride. The 3.5” lift at the front is achieved with two CNC-machined aircraft-grade aluminum front strut top hat spacers, and the 1” lift in the back is done with a pair of cast iron OEM style blocks. Pretty good so far, right? But it gets even better.
The lift kit also comes with sway bar and differential drop kits, which are a must if you own a 4WD Colorado and don’t want your front CV boots to tear open and destroy themselves. And to top it all off, the ReadyLift 69-3535 SST comes with a pair of aftermarket tubular steel upper control arms which are adjusted to keep the camber within factory specs.
The ReadyLift 69-3535 SST allows you to run tires up to 285/70-17 with an +18 offset, which is quite respectable. And as for the installation, it can definitely be done at home in around 5 hours, but be prepared for a fight with the coil springs, although, a wall-mounted spring compressor would help a lot.
All in all, if the ReadyLift 69-3535 SST is within your budget, then it’s a no-brainer. Because the kit includes differential and sway bar drop kits and aftermarket upper control arms, the chances of your tires wearing unevenly or the CV joints failing prematurely are pretty much non-existent.
Truxxx 403035 3″
- Fits: 2015-2020 Chevrolet Colorado 2WD & 4X4 / GMC Canyon 2WD & 4X4
- Front Lift: 3”
- Rear Lift: 1.5”
While the ReadyLift 69-3535 lift kit above does not fit diesel models and is quite expensive, the Truxxx 403035 3-inch lift kit does and costs much less.
This lift kit fits ALL 15-20 Chevy Colorado’s and Canyon’s, and not only does it lift the front by 3”, but it also levels the truck and fixes the excessive nose-down stance that comes from the factory.
When compared to the ReadyLift above, this Truxxx lift kit is much simpler as it does not come with a differential drop kit or a sway bar drop kit. The front strut spacers are machined from USA or Canadian Mil Certified steel and laser cut to fit. The rear lift blocks are welded, which is fine, but they could have been machined for better durability.
However, there’s one thing that Truxxx could have designed better – the U-bolts. The problem with them is that they aren’t zinc coated and might start to rust pretty soon, which would make them difficult to remove later on.
Now, because the Truxxx 403035 lift kit is so simple, the installation is much less involved and should take you less than 3 hours. However, if your Chevy Colorado is a 4WD, then you should buy a differential drop kit to supplement because lifting the truck by anything over 2” will change the angle that the CV joints are operating at.
To sum up, if you’re tight on budget, the Truxxx 403035 3-inch lift kit is a solid choice. It doesn’t cost much at all; it fits all Colorado models and get’s the job done.
Supreme Suspensions Pro Series A2718
- Fits: 2015-2017 Chevrolet Colorado 2WD & 4WD / Chevy Canyon
- Does Not Fit: ZR2 models
- Front Lift: 2”
- Rear Lift: 2”
If you own a 2015-2017 Colorado, then you’re in luck. Supreme Suspensions – one of the most popular brands, offers a well-made full lift kit for your Colorado for a very low price. This Supreme Suspensions Pro Series lift kit is the perfect alternative to the Truxxx lift kit above.
Just like the Truxxx 403035, it’s a very simple kit and does not include a differential drop kit, but in this case, the build quality is noticeably better. Both the front strut spacers and the rear lift shackles are made from high-strength carbon steel. They’re CNC formed, laser-cut, and coated with a durable mat black finish for rust protection.
The installation process is pretty straight forward, can definitely be done in your driveway, and should take you no more than 4 hours to get it done. The lift kit is also available with a 2.5” front lift
Now, if your Colorado is a 4WD model, then getting a differential and sway bar drop kit is a very good idea. A differential drop kit will restore the angle of the CV joints back to factory specifications and will therefore prevent premature CV joint failure. The sway bar drop kit is also recommended since the lift kit increases the preload on the sway bar – this translates to an increase in ride stiffness, however, that is a plus for some people.
Wulf Suspensions Adjustable Leveling Lift Kit
- Fits: 2004-2012 Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon Z71 2WD / 4WD (torsion bar suspension only)
- Does Not Fit: Models with Coil Spring Suspension
- Front Lift: 1-3”
- Rear Lift: 2-3”
When it comes to the first generation Chevy Colorado, there aren’t as many options to choose from, however, those that are available are very well made and even come with extended aftermarket shocks – the adjustable lift kit from Wulf Suspensions is one of them.
Because the first generation Colorado uses a torsion bar suspension, and because Wulf made a thoughtful decision of making the rear shackles adjustable – this lift kit fully adjustable and it gives you the freedom to mix and match the lift height. The lift at the front can be adjusted with the torsion keys from 1” up to 3” and the rear lift height can be adjusted from 2” to 3”.
Now, unlike with the Chevy Silverado 2500HD, there is no need for a torsion bar unloading tool when removing the torsion keys on the first generation Chevy Colorado. Just remove the bolt from the torsion key to relieve tension and to set it free, then a few hits with a hammer should massage the torsion key out.
The reindexed torsion keys and the adjustable rear lift shackles are made from laser-cut cast steel; however, it would have been nice if the torsion keys were painted matte black as well.
The kit comes with four extended Wulf Stealth nitro gas shocks which reduce binding and bring the ride back to factory specs. The shocks also come with bright red dust covers which will look great on a lifted Colorado.
As for the tires, most buyers were able to fit 31” tires, and some even managed to squeeze 32” tires without any substantial problems.
In conclusion, this lift kit is very simple, and the price reflects that. However, it gets the job done and it even comes with a decent set of aftermarket shocks to offset any negative aspects that might come with lifting your Colorado.
Supreme Suspensions Max-Torsion
- Fits: 2004-2012 Chevrolet Colorado & GMC Canyon 2WD*/4WD *Z71 with torsion bar suspension
- Front Lift: 1-3”
- Rear Lift: 2”
Last but not least, Supreme Suspensions offers an excellent lift kit for the first-generation Chevy Colorado at a similar price to the Wulf lift kit above, but with the addition of better quality shocks.
This kit comes with two indexed torsion keys made from forged and cold-rolled high-strength steel, that should be twice as strong as the factory torsion keys. The rear lift shackles are laser cut from high-strength steel as well, however, they are not adjustable like the shackles in the Wulf Suspensions lift kit above. Both the torsion keys and the rear shackles are protected with a black corrosion-resistant powder coat finish.
The kit comes with new bolts for the rear lift shackles, unlike the Wulf lift kit above which does not. Although, they could have been zinc-coated for rust protection.
The set of four shocks that come with the kit are ProComp’s ES series ES9000 – they are a budget-friendly alternative to the Bilstein 5100’s. They’re nitrogen-charged and utilize a twin-tube design with a 10 stage velocity-sensitive valving. On the highway, they ride comfortably and smoothly. They’re pretty good on the off-road as well, but not nearly as good as the Bilstein 5100’s.
As for the installation, the whole process of installing a lift kit on the torsion bar suspension Colorado’s is a bit more difficult than with the spring ones. It can be done in your driveway, but it’s going to be a pain and could take around 4-5 hours.
To sum up, this lift kit by Supreme Suspensions is a great value for money that doesn’t sacrifice quality, but the end choice between the Wulf lift kit above and this one is up to you. But if an adjustable rear lift height is not a priority for you, then this Supreme Suspensions lift kit is probably the better option – mainly because of the better quality shocks.
Things to Keep in Mind When Buying the Best Lift Kit for Chevy Colorado
Lifting a Chevrolet Silverado takes a bit of work and a bit of novice mechanical skills, but it can be done in your driveway.
However, if you’ve ever worked on cars before, then you already know that it never goes as planned. There’s always something that gets overlooked, breaks, or goes wrong in any other way, and installing a lift kit is no exception to that rule.
But to help you avoid any setbacks, here are a few things that you should consider and keep in mind before making a purchase.
A Differential Drop Kit is Recommended for 4WD Models
When you lift a 4WD Colorado, the wheel hub assembly gets lowered relative to the differential, which remains attached to the chassis. The main issue with this is that it increases the angle of the CV joints and puts extra strain on them. This will lead to quicker CV joint wear and will most likely rip the CV boots over time.
To prevent that from happening, you need to drop (lower) the differential in order to restore the factory operating angle of the CV joints – this is done with a differential drop kit.
Luckily, if you’re lifting your 4WD or 4X4 truck for only up to 1.5”, then in most cases, a differential drop kit is not needed. But if you’re lifting your 4WD Colorado by 2” or more, then a differential drop kit is highly recommended since the height difference between the hub assembly and the differential becomes too great when compared to factory specifications.
Most high-quality lift kits already come with a differential drop kit and a sway bar drop kit included, but if yours doesn’t, there are a bunch of diff and sway bar drop kits are available for purchase separately.
Aftermarket Shocks Are a Good Idea
When you lift the Colorado by 3” inches or more, the OEM shocks will start to feel stiff and bottom out. Now, most lift kits will come with aftermarket shocks that are more suited for lifted applications, however, if yours didn’t, then it might be a good idea to buy a set of new ones separately.
There are two main types of shocks – nitro and hydro. In most cases, nitro shock absorbers are the best choice for overall performance, but they’re more expensive than hydro shocks.
But when it comes to the Colorado, the two most popular choices are Rancho 5300 and Bilstein 5100.
Get an Alignment After You’re Done
One of the most common complaints after installing a lift kit is uneven tire wear. Even though most of the time you can tell your truck is having wheel alignment issues just by a change in the way the steering wheel feels, sometimes uneven tire wear can go undetected until the tires are nearly toast.
To avoid that, a good rule of thumb is to get a professional wheel alignment every time you work on your suspensions, especially when you install a lift kit.
Eddie is the co-founder of CarCareCamp.com, and the site’s primary contributor.
Under his belt, Eddie has a bachelor’s degree in Automotive Electronics Engineering and almost a decade of experience working as a semi-truck technician (specializing in electrics).
