Lift kits for the 5th gen Ford Explorer

Lift Kit problems

I do not know the brand, but I assume it's the one above since the shop that did it said there was only one out there. It's not going so well with it. I had it installed about 4 weeks ago. As I was pulling out it made a creaking noise as I turned the wheel. I had the guy check it and he said it was good and nothing was rubbing. The noise became less often for a week or two (I think warmer temps make it less obvious), then when we had the snowstorm last week, the noise became horrible. It's a creaking as you turn the wheel. I took it back to 5R Trucks (where it was installed) and the guy said the noise is the coil spring rubbing against the metal because the kit didn't come with an isolator to put between. They are going to build me an isolater later this week and solve the problem. (5R Trucks has been fantastic to deal with). They are frustrated as me with this poor kit. The guy said there's no safety issue, and it would take like 100,000 miles for it to rub through, but the sound is so annoying. I assume they will give feedback to the company that made it. I guess this is the chance you take when you have a brand new style car and you're the first one to put a lift kit on it. My sales guy at the dealership was pretty excited to see it since no one had done it before.

Traxda Lift Kit

So, I did some research (and so did the mechanic) and found the ONLY lift kit for Explorers on the market is Traxdas. DO NOT buy it if you have a Sport. There is something different about the suspension on the Sport, where the kit doesn't fit quite right. He worked on it all Friday and called Traxda. Their Tech Support never answered and never returned his call. He finally got someone in another group and they said it was all installed correctly. All we can figure is that the kit is for an 11 - 13 Explorer, but not a Sport version. The Sport version appears to have the struts at a slight angle, which is causing the rubber gasket to rub everytime I turn and make an awful creaking noise. I am going to call Traxda today and confirm what I already suspect, that this kit will not work for a Sport version. Unfortunately, this kind of screws me because I already have larger tires on and there are no other kits out there. The mechanic is going to try to remove one of the washers to let the front end lower just a bit, hoping this will create the room necessary for the kit to sit better. Hopefully someone else will make a kit soon, but beware that the Sport sits lower than a regular Explorer, and a generic Explorer kit may just not work on the Sport.

So, I heard from my mechanic today and I guess Traxda FINALLY realized there is a problem with their lift kits. They included a piece that shouldn't be put on there. I think he said it was some sort of spacer. So, my mechanic asks why the instructions didn't indicate that and their answer was that they just realized it last week. So, when I called and they told me repeatedly that they had put one on a Sport at a local dealership and it was fine, they were full of it. I guess they looked into after I called and realized there was something very wrong. We are going to take out that piece on Friday and hopefully the awful creaking/grinding noise when I turn will go away.
Thanks for saying it looks good. I had my doubts about lifting 3", but I think in the deep Colorado mountain snow, this will be the best solution.